Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
06/03/2019Cynnwys
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 Cyllid a'r Trefnydd, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Nick Ramsay.
The first item on our agenda this afternoon is questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, and the first question is from Nick Ramsay.
I thought Lynne Neagle was going to be answering the questions there for a moment.
Roeddwn yn meddwl am eiliad fod Lynne Neagle yn mynd i fod yn ateb y cwestiynau.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y dyraniadau cyllidebol i'r portffolio iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol? OAQ53510
1. Will the Minister make a statement on budget allocations to the health and social services portfolio? OAQ53510
Thank you. The 2019 budget, approved by the Assembly in January, provides £7.4 billion for core NHS funding, representing record levels of investment in the NHS in Wales.
Diolch. Mae cyllideb 2019, a gymeradwywyd gan y Cynulliad ym mis Ionawr, yn darparu £7.4 biliwn ar gyfer cyllid craidd y GIG, sy'n lefel uwch nag erioed o fuddsoddiad yn y GIG yng Nghymru.
Thank you, Minister. In yesterday's statement, I asked you about the way that the future generations legislation was being incorporated into the budget. Another area of concern that's been under some criticism from the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is that of moving the focus of healthcare towards the preventative agenda, which hasn't always happened in the past, and which we clearly need to do in the future, with restricted resources. So, can you tell us, with the supplementary budget and, indeed, last year's main budget, what discussions have been held in terms of extending that preventative agenda so that we can put the health service in Wales on a more sustainable footing in the future, because we know costs are only going to increase?
Diolch, Weinidog. Yn y datganiad ddoe, gofynnais i chi ynglŷn â’r ffordd y mae deddfwriaeth llesiant cenedlaethau’r dyfodol yn cael ei hymgorffori yn y gyllideb. Maes arall y ceir pryder yn ei gylch ac a feirniadwyd gan Gomisiynydd Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol Cymru yw symud ffocws gofal iechyd tuag at yr agenda ataliol, rhywbeth nad yw wedi digwydd bob amser yn y gorffennol, ac mae’n amlwg bod angen inni wneud hynny yn y dyfodol, gydag adnoddau prin. Felly, a allwch ddweud wrthym, gyda'r gyllideb atodol, ac yn wir, prif gyllideb y llynedd, pa drafodaethau a gafwyd ar ymestyn yr agenda ataliol honno fel y gallwn sicrhau bod gan y gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru sylfaen fwy cynaliadwy yn y dyfodol, gan y gwyddom mai cynyddu yn unig y bydd y costau'n ei wneud?
Thank you very much for raising this, and for your interest in the way in which we are making the future generations Act come to life through the budgetary decisions that we make here in Wales. I've had a recent meeting with the future generations commissioner to explore how we can better incorporate the Act within our budgetary decision making at the earliest possible opportunity. And it's certainly one of the areas that I will be talking to my ministerial colleagues about as we enter our next budget round. But, looking back, we'll be holding a round-table with the commissioner and a number of senior finance officials very shortly to have a lessons-learned kind of exercise to explore what we did well this time in terms of considering the Act, but also how we can improve things in future.
We worked very closely with the future generations commissioner to come to an agreed definition of preventative spend, which has very much guided some of our thinking. So, some of the additional funding announced for health and social services in 2019-20, for example, comes very much within that preventative agenda. The £192 million to take forward the implementation of our long-term plan for health and social care, 'A Healthier Wales', is part of that, because that piece of work really does try to refocus our efforts, really, at the preventative end. Because we know, in the long term, clearly, it's better for people, but obviously, in terms of our budgets, it doesn't store up problems for the future.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am godi hyn, ac am eich diddordeb yn y ffordd rydym yn gwireddu Deddf cenedlaethau’r dyfodol drwy'r penderfyniadau cyllidebol a wnawn yma yng Nghymru. Cefais gyfarfod yn ddiweddar gyda chomisiynydd cenedlaethau’r dyfodol i archwilio sut y gallwn ymgorffori'r Ddeddf yn well o fewn ein penderfyniadau cyllidebol cyn gynted ag y bo modd. Ac yn sicr, mae'n un o'r meysydd y byddaf yn eu trafod gyda fy nghyd-Weinidogion wrth inni ddechrau ar ein cylch cyllidebol nesaf. Ond wrth edrych yn ôl, byddwn yn cynnal cyfarfod bwrdd crwn gyda'r comisiynydd a nifer o uwch swyddogion cyllid cyn bo hir i gynnal ymarfer gwersi a ddysgwyd er mwyn archwilio'r hyn a wnaethom yn dda’r tro hwn wrth ystyried y Ddeddf, ond hefyd sut y gallwn wella pethau yn y dyfodol.
Buom yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda chomisiynydd cenedlaethau’r dyfodol i gytuno ar ddiffiniad o wariant ataliol, ac mae hynny wedi llywio llawer o'n syniadau. Felly, mae peth o'r cyllid ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd ar gyfer gwasanaethau iechyd a chymdeithasol yn 2019-20, er enghraifft, yn sicr yn rhan o’r agenda ataliol honno. Mae'r £192 miliwn ar gyfer rhoi ein cynllun hirdymor ar gyfer iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, 'Cymru Iachach', ar waith yn rhan o hynny, gan fod y gwaith hwnnw o ddifrif yn ceisio ailffocysu ein hymdrechion ar yr ochr ataliol i bethau. Oherwydd gwyddom, yn y tymor hir, yn amlwg, fod hynny'n well i bobl, ond yn amlwg, o ran ein cyllidebau, nid yw'n pentyrru problemau ar gyfer y dyfodol.
2. Pa arian y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i ddyrannu i'r portffolio tai a llywodraeth leol mewn perthynas ag adfywio'r stryd fawr yng Nghymru? OAQ53526
2. What money has the Minister allocated to the housing and local government portfolio in respect of regeneration of Welsh high streets? OAQ53526
We're investing in our high streets through a range of measures, including up to £100 million over three years through the targeted regeneration investment programme, £26 million next year to provide further business rates relief for businesses across Wales, and £31.5 million for a town-centre loans scheme.
Rydym yn buddsoddi yn ein stryd fawr drwy ystod o fesurau, gan gynnwys hyd at £100 miliwn dros dair blynedd drwy'r rhaglen i dargedu buddsoddiad mewn adfywio, £26 miliwn y flwyddyn nesaf i ddarparu rhagor o ryddhad ardrethi busnes i fusnesau ledled Cymru, a £31.5 miliwn ar gyfer cynllun benthyciadau canol trefi.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. Sir John Timpson, chairman of the Timpson chain, has said that making town centres more friendly to motorists will stop the rot of the high street. He doesn't subscribe to the simplistic assumption that the death of the high street is down to online retail—'You can't get keys cut online', he says—but it's largely down to motorists preferring to go somewhere they can easily access by car. That's why Timpson says 40 per cent of their trade is done out of town, and that's expected to rise to 70 per cent over the next 10 years. A couple of years ago, Timpson opened 95 new shops, shops that provide services not available to buy online, and yet only four of the new stores were on high streets—the rest being in or near out-of-town supermarkets. This is because, he says, local authorities are killing off the high street by making shopping inconvenient to the motorist. Increased trade on high streets leads to improved employment levels and increased business rates for local authorities. So, will you pledge to help fund de-pedestrianisation in dying town centres across Wales?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mae Syr John Timpson, cadeirydd cadwyn Timpson, wedi dweud y bydd sicrhau bod canol trefi yn fwy cyfeillgar i fodurwyr yn atal y stryd fawr rhag dirywio. Nid yw'n arddel y rhagdybiaeth or-syml fod y stryd fawr yn marw o ganlyniad i fanwerthu ar-lein—'Ni allwch dorri allweddi ar-lein', meddai—ond y rheswm pennaf yw bod modurwyr yn dewis mynd i rywle sy’n hwylus iddynt fynd yno yn y car. Dyna pam y dywed Timpson fod 40 y cant o'u masnach yn digwydd y tu allan i'r dref, a disgwylir i’r ffigur hwnnw godi i 70 y cant dros y 10 mlynedd nesaf. Flwyddyn neu ddwy yn ôl, agorodd Timpson 95 o siopau newydd, siopau sy'n darparu gwasanaethau na ellir eu prynu ar-lein, ond serch hynny, pedair yn unig o'r siopau newydd a oedd ar y stryd fawr—mae'r gweddill mewn archfarchnadoedd y tu allan i'r dref, neu gerllaw. Y rheswm dros hyn, meddai, yw bod awdurdodau lleol yn lladd y stryd fawr drwy wneud siopa'n anghyfleus i'r modurwr. Mae mwy o fasnachu ar y stryd fawr yn arwain at well lefelau cyflogaeth ac ardrethi busnes uwch i awdurdodau lleol. Felly, a wnewch chi addo y byddwch yn helpu i ariannu gwaith dad-bedestreiddio mewn canol trefi sy'n marw ledled Cymru?
Thank you very much for that question. It is really important that we work very hard to increase the footfall in our town centres across Wales, and there are various ways in which we can do that, including through the investment that we are making in active travel, but also making sure that we have better interconnectivity between our various towns and communities. So, I think that the answer here isn't a simplistic one. It is about using our investment that we do have through the Building for the Future programme, to ensure that we have jobs in the city centre, and the investment that we make through our housing programme to ensure that we turn some of our empty properties into homes in our towns and city centres.
So, the answer really to having thriving vibrant high streets in the future is multifaceted and will require work across Government, and we are undertaking that work. The targeted regeneration investment scheme, for example, is a fantastic example of how we are rejuvenating high streets right across Wales, but also putting the power and the decision making there in the hands of local authorities so that they can come together and work out for themselves what their particular local priorities are, and then we'll support them to deliver them.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am eich cwestiwn. Ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn i gynyddu nifer yr ymwelwyr yng nghanol ein trefi ledled Cymru, ac mae sawl ffordd y gallwn wneud hynny, gan gynnwys drwy'r buddsoddiad a wnawn mewn teithio llesol, ond hefyd drwy sicrhau bod gennym well rhyng-gysylltedd rhwng ein gwahanol drefi a chymunedau. Felly, credaf nad yw'r ateb yma yn un syml. Mae'n ymwneud â defnyddio’r buddsoddiad sydd gennym drwy raglen Adeiladu ar gyfer y Dyfodol, i sicrhau bod gennym swyddi yng nghanol y ddinas, a'r buddsoddiad a wnawn drwy ein rhaglen dai i sicrhau ein bod yn troi rhai o'n heiddo gwag yn gartrefi yn ein trefi a chanol ein dinasoedd.
Felly, mae’r ateb i sicrhau bod y stryd fawr yn ffynnu yn y dyfodol yn un amlweddog, a bydd angen gwaith ar draws y Llywodraeth, ac rydym yn ymgymryd â’r gwaith hwnnw. Mae'r cynllun i dargedu buddsoddiad mewn adfywio, er enghraifft, yn enghraifft wych o'r ffordd rydym yn adfywio’r stryd fawr ledled Cymru, ond hefyd yn rhoi'r grym a'r gallu i wneud penderfyniadau yn nwylo awdurdodau lleol fel y gallant ddod at ei gilydd a nodi beth yw eu blaenoriaethau lleol penodol eu hunain, ac yna byddwn yn eu cynorthwyo i'w cyflawni.
Trefnydd, I believe that business improvement districts are a good way of seeing businesses and local community councils working together, and it's a good model I do believe, and Newtown is going through that process at the moment. Is it intended that any of the financial proceeds from a potential bid will be channelled through town and community councils so that they can work on behalf of their communities to influence the impact of other outcomes of bids? And, also, can you give consideration, along with your colleagues, of course, to provide further funding to extend this model to other towns across Powys through the allocation of the funding for specific area-based improvement district schemes, because I think they are very beneficial, particularly for, for example, improving tourism in a town centre?
Drefnydd, credaf fod ardaloedd gwella busnes yn ffordd dda o sicrhau bod busnesau a chynghorau cymuned lleol yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd, ac mae'n fodel da, yn fy marn i, ac mae'r Drenewydd yn mynd drwy'r broses honno ar hyn o bryd. Ai’r bwriad yw y bydd unrhyw elw ariannol o gynnig posibl yn cael ei sianelu drwy gynghorau tref a chymuned fel y gallant weithio ar ran eu cymunedau i ddylanwadu ar ganlyniadau cynigion eraill? A hefyd, a wnewch chi ystyried, ynghyd â'ch cyd-Aelodau, wrth gwrs, darparu rhagor o gyllid i ymestyn y model hwn i drefi eraill ledled Powys drwy ddyrannu’r arian i gynlluniau gwella ardaloedd penodol, gan y credaf eu bod yn fuddiol iawn, er enghraifft, o ran gwella twristiaeth yng nghanol y dref?
Thank you very much. I share your enthusiasm for business improvement districts as being a mechanism which brings local businesses and other stakeholders together with the aim of improving their trading environment and, again, making shopping a much more pleasant experience for the people who use those business areas and to attract more footfall to those areas. And that's one of the reasons why we have a revenue budget of £620,000 in 2019-20 to support wider community regeneration efforts, which do involve the expansion of business improvement district programmes to other areas. Certainly, were there to be other areas in Powys that would be interested in exploring how business improvement districts could work for them, I know that Welsh Government officials would be more than happy to develop those proposals with them.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rhannaf eich brwdfrydedd ynglŷn ag ardaloedd gwella busnes fel mecanwaith sy'n dod â busnesau lleol a rhanddeiliaid eraill ynghyd gyda'r nod o wella eu hamgylchedd masnachu, ac unwaith eto, sicrhau bod siopa yn brofiad llawer mwy dymunol i'r bobl sy'n defnyddio'r ardaloedd busnes hynny ac i ddenu mwy o ymwelwyr i'r ardaloedd hynny. A dyna un o'r rhesymau pam fod gennym gyllideb refeniw o £620,000 yn 2019-20 i gefnogi ymdrechion adfywio cymunedol ehangach, sy'n cynnwys ymestyn rhaglenni ardaloedd gwella busnes i gynnwys ardaloedd eraill. Yn sicr, pe bai ardaloedd eraill ym Mhowys a fyddai’n awyddus i archwilio sut y gallai ardaloedd gwella busnes weithio ar eu cyfer hwy, gwn y byddai swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yn fwy na pharod i ddatblygu'r cynigion hynny gyda hwy.
Minister, you will be aware that funding has been invested in trying to regenerate Swansea High Street. However, while there have been some improvements, we are still faced with a row of deserted crumbling old buildings in that area, as you know. Among them, we have the site of the historic, but now overgrown, Palace Theatre still dominating the area, which is a sad reflection on the city. Will you, therefore, commit the Welsh Government to having further discussions with Swansea Council and provide the necessary funding in order to tackle the remaining unsightly buildings along this key gateway to our city?
Weinidog, fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod cyllid wedi'i fuddsoddi i geisio adfywio Stryd Fawr Abertawe. Fodd bynnag, er y cafwyd rhai gwelliannau, rydym yn dal i wynebu rhes o hen adeiladau adfeiliedig ac anghyfannedd yn yr ardal honno, fel y gwyddoch. Yn eu plith, mae gennym safle hanesyddol Theatr y Palas, sydd bellach wedi tyfu'n wyllt, ac yn dal i ddominyddu'r ardal, sy'n adlewyrchiad trist ar y ddinas. A wnewch chi, felly, ymrwymo Llywodraeth Cymru i gael trafodaethau pellach gyda Chyngor Abertawe a darparu'r cyllid angenrheidiol er mwyn mynd i'r afael â'r adeiladau diolwg eraill ar hyd y porth allweddol hwn i'n dinas?
Thank you for raising the issue of Swansea High Street. Certainly, it's an area I'm very familiar with, and I have seen the major improvements that have started to take place there over the past couple of years in particular, and I know that Swansea Council has particularly ambitious plans for the city as a whole. I'm quite excited by the housing-led regeneration that is taking place on Swansea High Street. I think that's a good model for other parts of Wales to look to, in terms of having more people living in our town centres, where the footfall is there then in order to make the most of all of the town's cafes and shops, and so on. I'd certainly be happy to have further conversations with Swansea to explore how we can support the regeneration efforts on High Street.
Diolch am godi mater Stryd Fawr Abertawe. Yn sicr, mae'n ardal rwy'n gyfarwydd â hi, ac rwyf wedi gweld y gwelliannau mawr sydd wedi dechrau digwydd yno dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf yn arbennig, a gwn fod gan Gyngor Abertawe gynlluniau arbennig o uchelgeisiol ar gyfer y ddinas yn ei chyfanrwydd. Rwyf wedi fy nghyffroi gan y gwaith adfywio yn seiliedig ar ddatblygu tai sy'n digwydd ar Stryd Fawr Abertawe. Credaf fod hwnnw'n fodel da i rannau eraill o Gymru ei efelychu, o ran sicrhau bod mwy o bobl yn byw yng nghanol ein trefi fel bod yr ymwelwyr yno wedyn i fanteisio ar holl gaffis a siopau'r dref ac yn y blaen. Buaswn yn sicr yn fwy na pharod i gael sgyrsiau pellach gydag Abertawe i archwilio sut y gallwn gefnogi'r ymdrechion i adfywio’r Stryd Fawr.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Diolch yn fawr. I have some questions on post-Brexit funding. You will be very aware of the £1.6 billion post-Brexit towns fund for England. Could you update us on Welsh consequentials that we can expect as a result of that?
Diolch yn fawr. Mae gennyf rai cwestiynau ynglŷn â chyllid ôl-Brexit. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol iawn o'r gronfa ôl-Brexit £1.6 biliwn ar gyfer trefi Lloegr. A allwch roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ynglŷn â’r cyllid canlyniadol y gallwn ei ddisgwyl yng Nghymru o ganlyniad i hwnnw?
Thank you very much. This announcement came out of nowhere to us and we're still trying to work through with the UK Government to what extent the funding is new money. I understand that around £1 billion of that is potentially new money. So, I think we would be looking at consequentials of around the region of £50 million, if our understanding is confirmed to be true. The other £600 million, I understand, would be for towns to bid into, and we would be able to bid in to that, or potentially have consequential funding from that, but unfortunately it's proving extremely difficult to get clarity from the UK Government on this. I see this very much as a bribe to towns across England. It offers nothing like the kind of funding that we would have, in Wales certainly, attracted from the European Union—£350 million a year. So, the £50 million consequential is just a drop in the ocean, should that figure be the correct figure.
Diolch yn fawr. Roedd y cyhoeddiad hwn yn gwbl annisgwyl i ni ac rydym yn dal i geisio deall gyda Llywodraeth y DU i ba raddau y mae'r arian hwn yn arian newydd. Deallaf fod oddeutu £1 biliwn ohono yn arian newydd, o bosibl. Felly, credaf ein bod yn edrych ar gyllid canlyniadol o oddeutu £50 miliwn, os cadarnheir ein bod wedi deall yn iawn. Yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, byddai trefi yn gwneud cynigion am y £600 miliwn arall, a byddai modd i ninnau wneud cynigion am yr arian hwnnw, neu gael cyllid canlyniadol ohono, o bosibl, ond yn anffodus, mae’n anodd iawn cael eglurder gan Lywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â hyn. Rwy'n gweld hyn fel llwgrwobr i drefi ledled Lloegr. Nid yw'n cynnig unrhyw beth yn debyg i'r math o arian y byddem, yng Nghymru yn sicr, wedi'i ddenu o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd—£350 miliwn y flwyddyn. Nid yw’r cyllid canlyniadol o £50 miliwn yn ddim o gymharu â hynny, os yw'r ffigur hwnnw’n gywir.
And, of course, I agree that it will be very difficult for us to maintain the kind of funding levels that we have benefited from due to our membership of the European Union. There are other funds also. We had a funding package announced for local authorities in England with ports in them recently. There's the £140 million package for Northern Ireland announced recently. Could you update us on the consequentials of that for Wales?
Ac wrth gwrs, cytunaf y bydd yn anodd iawn inni gynnal y math o lefelau ariannu rydym wedi elwa ohonynt yn sgil ein haelodaeth o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd. Mae cronfeydd eraill i’w cael hefyd. Cyhoeddwyd pecyn cyllido yn ddiweddar ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol yn Lloegr sydd â phorthladdoedd. Cyhoeddwyd £140 miliwn ar gyfer Gogledd Iwerddon yn ddiweddar. A allwch roi'r diweddaraf inni ar y cyllid canlyniadol i Gymru yn sgil hynny?
Yes, with regard to the ports funding, our understanding is that that funding isn't new money; it's just reannounced money. So, there'll be no consequentials coming to Welsh Government as a result of that.
With regard to the £140 million that has been provided to the Northern Ireland budget in 2019-20, that is a matter of huge concern to Welsh Government because we have a quite clear agreement with the UK Government in terms of of our statement of funding policy. Our statement of funding policy is there to offer fair funding across the nations, and this certainly is not within either the spirit or the letter of that.
Welsh Government would have expected in the region of £246 million in consequentials for the additional funding that Northern Ireland has been given. We raised this particular issue in terms of the fairness of the funding that's gone to Northern Ireland during our finance quadrilateral. Scottish Ministers are equally as frustrated as we are, and we continue to press this. I wrote to the Chief Secretary of the Treasury just this week, expressing our deep concern and offering the Chancellor the opportunity to use the spring statement to right what is clearly a wrong.
Gallaf, o ran cyllid y porthladdoedd, ein dealltwriaeth ni yw nad yw’r cyllid hwnnw’n arian newydd; dim ond arian a ailgyhoeddwyd. Felly, ni fydd unrhyw gyllid canlyniadol yn dod i Lywodraeth Cymru yn sgil hynny.
O ran y £140 miliwn a ddarparwyd i gyllideb Gogledd Iwerddon yn 2019-20, mae hwnnw'n achos cryn bryder i Lywodraeth Cymru gan fod gennym gytundeb clir â Llywodraeth y DU o ran ein datganiad polisi cyllid. Mae ein datganiad polisi cyllid yno i gynnig cyllid teg ar draws y gwledydd, ac yn sicr, nid yw hyn yn cydweddu â'i ysbryd na'i eiriad.
Byddai Llywodraeth Cymru wedi disgwyl oddeutu £246 miliwn o gyllid canlyniadol am yr arian ychwanegol a roddwyd i Ogledd Iwerddon. Codwyd y mater penodol hwn gennym yn nhermau tegwch y cyllid a roddwyd i Ogledd Iwerddon yn ystod ein cyfarfod pedairochrog ar gyllid. Mae Gweinidogion yr Alban yn teimlo’r un mor rhwystredig â ninnau, ac rydym yn parhau i bwyso mewn perthynas â'r mater hwn. Ysgrifennais at Brif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys yr wythnos hon, yn mynegi ein pryder mawr ac yn cynnig cyfle i'r Canghellor ddefnyddio datganiad y gwanwyn i gywiro rhywbeth sy'n amlwg yn anghywir.
I sympathise with Welsh Government's frustrations, clearly, but so much of this is about Welsh Government being reactive. The question is here: who is being proactive in seeking deals for Wales on funding, post Brexit or now for that matter? I've been holding discussions with some individuals this morning about the notion of free zones for trade or free ports. Where are the bids being prepared for Wales for potentially taking advantage of those kinds of new models. The north-east of England already has a bid prepared for taking advantage of perhaps the development of new free-port areas.
The question is: who can we depend on to fight for Wales? It seems to me that we can't look to the Secretary of State for Wales, because the office of the Secretary of State for Wales is redefining itself very much as UK Government's voice in Wales rather than Wales's representation at the UK Cabinet. So, we have to look to Welsh Government to go out there and seek deals for us. It seems to me that 10 members of one political party in Northern Ireland are using more leverage than the Government of our country. So, when can we expect a ramping-up of efforts by Welsh Government to be more proactive in putting together and putting forward cases for additional funding for Wales at this hugely crucial time for us as we face the uncertainty of Brexit?
Rwy'n cydymdeimlo â rhwystredigaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, yn amlwg, ond mae cymaint o hyn yn ymwneud â Llywodraeth Cymru yn bod yn adweithiol. Y cwestiwn yma yw: pwy sy’n bod yn rhagweithiol wrth geisio sicrhau cytundebau cyllido i Gymru, ar ôl Brexit, neu ar hyn o bryd o ran hynny? Cynhaliais drafodaethau gyda rhai unigolion y bore yma ynglŷn â’r syniad o barthau rhydd ar gyfer masnachu neu borthladdoedd rhydd. Lle mae'r cynigion yn cael eu paratoi i Gymru allu manteisio ar y mathau posibl hyn o fodelau newydd? Mae gogledd-ddwyrain Lloegr wedi paratoi cynnig eisoes er mwyn manteisio ar y posibilrwydd o ddatblygu ardaloedd porthladdoedd rhydd newydd.
Y cwestiwn yw: ar bwy y gallwn ddibynnu i ymladd dros Gymru? Ymddengys i mi na allwn ddibynnu ar Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru, gan fod swyddfa Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru wrthi’n ailddiffinio'i hun yn llais Llywodraeth y DU yng Nghymru yn hytrach na chynrychiolaeth Cymru yng Nghabinet y DU. Felly, mae'n rhaid inni ddibynnu ar Lywodraeth Cymru i geisio sicrhau cytundebau ar ein cyfer. Ymddengys i mi fod gan 10 Aelod o un blaid wleidyddol yng Ngogledd Iwerddon fwy o ddylanwad na Llywodraeth ein gwlad. Felly, pryd y gallwn ddisgwyl gweld Llywodraeth Cymru'n gwneud mwy o ymdrech i fod yn fwy rhagweithiol wrth gynllunio a dadlau’r achos dros gyllid ychwanegol i Gymru yn y cyfnod cwbl allweddol hwn wrth inni wynebu ansicrwydd Brexit?
I would reject any suggestion that Welsh Government hasn't been working at pace and with real energy on this particular issue for a long time now. There are numerous meetings between the First Minister, the Prime Minister, the Brexit Minister and his counterparts, and between me and my counterparts, and all Ministers with a particular portfolio interest in this area.
During the finance quadrilateral, we talked particularly about the potential for a 'no deal' Brexit. We were very clear that, should there be a 'no deal' Brexit, there should be additional funding coming to Wales in order to help us deal with what would be a catastrophic result. The Chancellor has previously said that the spring statement that will take place next week could be a full fiscal event, yet the Chief Secretary to the Treasury tells us that the spring statement will be nothing more than an administrative event that doesn't even warrant a phone call to Welsh Government because there will be no particular areas of interest to the devolved nations.
So, Welsh Government has been working very hard in order to ensure that Wales's voice is heard and that the seriousness of the issues facing us is heard. But that doesn't mean that we're not using the funds that we do have to develop innovative ideas in order to address the risk of a 'no deal' Brexit but also the challenges that will be posed in any Brexit, which is why, of course, we have our £50 million European transition fund, which is making allocations across the breadth of Welsh life in order to ensure that we are well prepared for Brexit—well prepared to make the most of any opportunities that might arise, but also well prepared to deal with the catastrophe that might be a 'no deal' Brexit.
Buaswn yn gwrthod unrhyw awgrym nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn gweithio'n gyflym a chydag egni gwirioneddol ar y mater penodol hwn ers peth amser bellach. Cynhelir nifer o gyfarfodydd rhwng y Prif Weinidog, Prif Weinidog y DU, y Gweinidog Brexit a'i gymheiriaid a rhwng fy nghydweithwyr a minnau, a phob Gweinidog sydd â diddordeb portffolio penodol yn y maes hwn.
Yn ystod y cyfarfod pedairochrog ar gyllid, buom yn siarad yn benodol ynglŷn â’r posibilrwydd o Brexit 'dim bargen'. Fe ddywedasom yn glir iawn, pe ceid Brexit 'dim bargen', y dylid darparu cyllid ychwanegol i Gymru er mwyn ein cynorthwyo i fynd i’r afael â chanlyniad a fyddai’n drychinebus. Mae’r Canghellor wedi dweud eisoes y gallai datganiad y gwanwyn a fydd yn digwydd yr wythnos nesaf fod yn ddigwyddiad ariannol llawn, ond eto, dywed Prif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys wrthym na fydd datganiad y gwanwyn yn ddim mwy na digwyddiad gweinyddol nad yw hyd yn oed yn gwarantu galwad ffôn i Lywodraeth Cymru gan na fydd yn cynnwys unrhyw feysydd o ddiddordeb penodol i'r gwledydd datganoledig.
Felly, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed i sicrhau y caiff llais Cymru ei glywed ac y caiff difrifoldeb y materion sy'n ein hwynebu ei glywed. Ond nid yw hynny'n golygu nad ydym yn defnyddio'r arian sydd gennym i ddatblygu syniadau arloesol er mwyn mynd i'r afael â'r perygl o Brexit ‘dim bargen’, ond hefyd yr heriau a achosir yn sgil Brexit o unrhyw fath, a dyna pam, wrth gwrs, fod gennym ein cronfa bontio Ewropeaidd gwerth £50 miliwn, sy'n gwneud dyraniadau ar draws y bywyd Cymreig er mwyn sicrhau ein bod yn barod iawn ar gyfer Brexit—yn barod iawn i fanteisio i'r eithaf ar unrhyw gyfleoedd a allai godi, ond yn barod iawn hefyd i ymdopi â thrychineb posibl Brexit ‘dim bargen’.
Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Nick Ramsay.
The Conservative spokesperson, Nick Ramsay.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, I'd like to ask you about procurement. Can you provide us with an update on Welsh Government plans for the future of the National Procurement Service, the NPS, and public procurement in Wales in general?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, hoffwn eich holi ynglŷn â chaffael. A allwch roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ynglŷn â chynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer dyfodol y Gwasanaeth Caffael Cenedlaethol a chaffael cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn gyffredinol?
Yes, certainly. You'll have heard the First Minister's statement when he was in the finance portfolio back in September, which outlined the fact that we're taking a new approach to procurement in Wales, and that we'll be operating a smaller unit that will be much more focused, reducing the number of large contracts from around 60 to around 30 in order to have a more focused approach, and an approach that takes greater account of local and regional interests, which is what our stakeholders told us they wanted from procurement when we asked them towards the end of last year.
Gallaf, yn sicr. Byddwch wedi clywed datganiad y Prif Weinidog pan oedd yn gyfrifol am y portffolio cyllid yn ôl ym mis Medi, a amlinellai'r ffaith ein bod yn mabwysiadu ymagwedd newydd tuag at gaffael yng Nghymru, ac y byddwn yn gweithredu uned lai gyda mwy o ffocws o lawer, gan leihau nifer y contractau mawr o oddeutu 60 i oddeutu 30, er mwyn sicrhau bod gennym ymagwedd â mwy o ffocws, ac ymagwedd sy'n rhoi mwy o ystyriaeth i fuddiannau lleol a rhanbarthol, sef yr hyn y dywedodd ein rhanddeiliaid wrthym eu bod ei eisiau o'r drefn gaffael pan ofynasom iddynt tuag at ddiwedd y llynedd.
Thank you, Minister. When I asked your predecessor—you referred to the statement—now sitting on your left—sitting there anyway—about Welsh Government plans for the future of the NPS—physically, that is—in October 2018, he told me that customers felt that
'a collective approach to public procurement in Wales was better secured through a strengthened regional tier'—
you've just alluded to that—
'rather than discharging things at a national level'.
And consequently, the
'NPS will not continue in its current format, and it will migrate to being an organisation with a stronger regional and local presence, and an organisation that is better placed to make sure that those organisations across Wales that spend public money are well equipped to respond to the new opportunities'
ahead. Minister, specifically, how do you see the public procurement regime in Wales working in future on the regional basis that you've just mentioned? How will that regional base be supported, and how will those plans dovetail with the new approach to regional economic development, as outlined in the Welsh Government's economic action plan?
Diolch, Weinidog. Pan ofynnais i'ch rhagflaenydd—fe gyfeirioch chi at y datganiad—sy’n eistedd ar eich llaw chwith yn awr—yn eistedd yno beth bynnag—ynglŷn â chynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer dyfodol y Gwasanaeth Caffael Cenedlaethol—yn gorfforol, hynny yw—ym mis Hydref 2018, dywedodd wrthyf fod cwsmeriaid yn teimlo
'y byddai ymagwedd gyfunol at gaffael cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn cael ei sicrhau'n well drwy haen ranbarthol gryfach'—
rydych newydd gyfeirio at hynny—
'yn hytrach na chyflawni pethau ar lefel genedlaethol.'
Ac o ganlyniad,
'Ni fydd y Gwasanaeth Caffael Cenedlaethol yn parhau ar ei ffurf bresennol, a bydd yn newid i fod yn sefydliad gyda phresenoldeb rhanbarthol a lleol cryfach, ac yn sefydliad sydd mewn gwell sefyllfa i sicrhau bod y sefydliadau hynny ledled Cymru sy'n gwario arian cyhoeddus mewn sefyllfa dda i ymateb i'r cyfleoedd newydd'
sydd i ddod. Weinidog, yn benodol, sut y gwelwch y drefn gaffael gyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn gweithio yn y dyfodol ar y sail ranbarthol rydych newydd ei chrybwyll? Sut y bydd y sail ranbarthol honno’n cael ei chefnogi, a sut y bydd y cynlluniau hynny’n cyd-fynd â'r ymagwedd newydd tuag at ddatblygu economaidd rhanbarthol, fel yr amlinellir yng nghynllun gweithredu economaidd Llywodraeth Cymru?
Thank you very much. So, as we move to transitioning the NPS and Value Wales teams into new functions, we'll certainly be taking into consideration the recent Public Accounts Committee inquiry into procurement, which concluded in February. We'll be considering the observations that PAC has to make in terms of helping us shape our way forward. But we have engaged with the support of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies to help shape our future approaches, and we're very keen to draw on their particular experiences, having worked on procurement initiatives across the UK and across the EU. The example of Preston has often been given as one that has been seen as particularly successful in terms of ensuring that procurement benefits the local community.
We'll also be looking at the work we've been doing through our Better Jobs Closer to Home pilot programmes. I think that they offer us particular opportunities to maximise the benefit from our investment, not just in terms of ensuring that money circulates within the local economy, but actually benefits people who are currently out of work, for example, people who are furthest currently from the employment market, and also exploring what more we can do to use procurement as a lever in terms of our decarbonisation agenda.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Felly, wrth inni symud i drosglwyddo timau'r Gwasanaeth Caffael Cenedlaethol a Gwerth Cymru i swyddogaethau newydd, byddwn yn sicr yn ystyried ymchwiliad diweddar y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus i gaffael, a ddaeth i ben ym mis Chwefror. Byddwn yn ystyried y sylwadau y mae'n rhaid i'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus eu gwneud o ran ein cynorthwyo i lywio ein ffordd ymlaen. Ond rydym wedi ymgysylltu â chymorth y Ganolfan Strategaethau Economaidd Lleol i helpu i lunio ein dulliau o weithredu yn y dyfodol, ac rydym yn awyddus iawn i ddysgu o'u profiadau penodol, a hwythau wedi gweithio ar fentrau caffael ledled y DU a ledled yr UE. Mae enghraifft Preston yn aml yn cael ei chrybwyll fel un sydd wedi bod yn hynod o lwyddiannus o ran sicrhau bod caffael o fudd i'r gymuned leol.
Byddwn hefyd yn edrych ar y gwaith rydym wedi bod yn ei wneud drwy ein rhaglenni peilot Swyddi Gwell yn Nes Adref. Credaf eu bod yn cynnig cyfleoedd arbennig inni sicrhau cymaint o fudd â phosibl o'n buddsoddiad, nid yn unig o ran sicrhau bod arian yn cylchredeg o fewn yr economi leol, ond ei fod yn darparu budd i bobl sydd allan o waith ar hyn o bryd, er enghraifft, y bobl sydd bellaf oddi wrth y farchnad gyflogaeth ar hyn o bryd, yn ogystal ag ystyried beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i ddefnyddio caffael fel ysgogiad o ran ein hagenda ddatgarboneiddio.
Diolch. I always like it when Ministers refer to public accounts inquiries, clearly with my Chair of that committee hat on as well. Aside from the work that public accounts has done into this area, according to a recent written Assembly question and answer to that question in 2018, 22 per cent of procurement spend by the Welsh Government on construction contracts worth over £500,000 went to firms based outside Wales—you've just mentioned that issue. That leakage represents a lost opportunity for investment in Welsh supply chains and, consequently, lost opportunities to further strengthen the economy of Wales. Now, I know when we've mentioned this previously in the Chamber, you and your predecessors have said there are, of course, issues in terms of giving contracts to English firms. Of course, that is a vital part of the UK economy as well, but I'm sure we would all like to see greater support, greater opportunities for Welsh firms and local firms.
You've mentioned the regional basis and the public accounts inquiry. Without pre-empting your reaction to that, could you tell us how you see the economic action plan and other aspects of Welsh Government policy ensuring that the Welsh firms, local firms, do get a fair share of the cake when it comes to the distribution of future procurement contracts in Wales?
Diolch. Rwyf wrth fy modd bob tro y bydd Gweinidogion yn cyfeirio at ymchwiliadau cyfrifon cyhoeddus, gan wisgo fy het fel Cadeirydd y pwyllgor hwnnw wrth gwrs. Ar wahân i'r gwaith a wnaed gan y gyfrifon cyhoeddus yn y maes hwn, yn ôl cwestiwn ac ateb ysgrifenedig diweddar yn y Cynulliad yn 2018, aeth 22 y cant o'r gwariant ar gaffael gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar gontractau adeiladu gwerth dros £500,000 i gwmnïau y tu allan i Gymru—rydych newydd grybwyll y mater hwnnw. Mae'r golled honno yn cynrychioli cyfle a gollwyd i fuddsoddi yng nghadwyni cyflenwi Cymru, ac o ganlyniad, cyfleoedd a gollwyd i gryfhau economi Cymru ymhellach. Nawr, pan ydym wedi sôn am hyn yn y Siambr yn y gorffennol, gwn eich bod chi a'ch rhagflaenwyr wedi dweud bod problemau'n codi, wrth gwrs, o ran rhoi contractau i gwmnïau o Loegr. Wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n rhan hanfodol o economi'r DU hefyd, ond rwy'n siŵr y byddai pob un ohonom yn awyddus i weld mwy o gymorth, mwy o gyfleoedd i gwmnïau Cymru a chwmnïau lleol.
Rydych wedi sôn am y sail ranbarthol a'r ymchwiliad cyfrifon cyhoeddus. Heb achub y blaen ar eich ymateb i hwnnw, a allwch ddweud wrthym sut yn eich barn chi y bydd y cynllun gweithredu economaidd ac agweddau eraill ar bolisi Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod cwmnïau Cymru, cwmnïau lleol, yn cael cyfran deg o'r gacen pan fydd contractau caffael yn cael eu dosbarthu yng Nghymru yn y dyfodol?
Thank you very much for that, and I'm sure that the work that we're doing in terms of improving and increasing the community benefits as a result of our investment is one way in which we can ensure that local firms and local people do benefit. So, as of the end of December, 519 projects have created 2,465 job opportunities, with over 102,000 weeks of training also provided. So, there's certainly a lot of work that we could be doing in terms of community benefit, and a great deal of work that we could also be doing in terms of the ethical code of practice to ensure that those people throughout the supply chain, whether they are based in Wales or elsewhere, are treated well, paid well, and, obviously, have their rights at work respected.
So, I think that procurement is an area really ripe for a real focus by Welsh Government in terms of ensuring that we can circulate as much money that we invest, keep it circulating in Wales, but also look at the huge range of other benefits that we can achieve from procurement.
Diolch yn fawr am hynny, ac rwy'n siŵr fod y gwaith a wnawn o ran gwella a chynyddu'r manteision cymunedol o ganlyniad i'n buddsoddiad yn un ffordd y gallwn sicrhau bod cwmnïau lleol a phobl leol yn elwa. Felly, erbyn diwedd mis Rhagfyr, roedd 519 o brosiectau wedi creu 2,465 o gyfleoedd gwaith, gyda dros 102,000 o wythnosau o hyfforddiant wedi eu darparu hefyd. Felly, yn sicr, mae llawer o waith y gallem fod yn ei wneud o ran budd cymunedol, a llawer iawn o waith y gallem fod yn ei wneud hefyd o ran y cod ymarfer moesegol i sicrhau bod y bobl hynny ym mhob rhan o'r gadwyn gyflenwi, boed wedi'u lleoli yng Nghymru neu yn rhywle arall, yn cael eu trin yn dda, yn cael eu talu'n dda, ac yn amlwg, fod eu hawliau yn y gwaith yn cael eu parchu.
Felly, credaf fod caffael yn faes sy'n barod iawn am ffocws gwirioneddol gan Lywodraeth Cymru o ran sicrhau y gallwn gylchredeg cymaint o'r arian a fuddsoddwn, sicrhau ei fod yn parhau i gylchredeg yma yng Nghymru, ond edrych hefyd ar yr ystod eang o fuddion eraill y gallwn eu sicrhau yn sgil caffael.
Llefarydd UKIP, Neil Hamilton.
UKIP spokesperson, Neil Hamilton.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I've been looking at the Minister's list of responsibilities and they include, amongst many other things, strategic direction and management of Welsh Government resources, strategic investment, financial accounting and audit, and value for money and effectiveness.
The Wales Audit Office has recently published a report called 'Welsh Government Financial Support for Business' and I'd like to ask a few questions arising out of that. The principal criticism that the Auditor General for Wales had in that report was that
'The Welsh Government did not fully translate its vision for economic renewal into a co-ordinated programme of financial support to businesses',
and that the Government
'has monitored individual projects separately but has not managed financial
support to businesses as a programme'.
We've seen a number of fiascos, which are listed in the report, including: the well-known one of Griffin Place Communications, the £600,000 set-up grant for 127 jobs, which was all lost; Oysterworld, a computer game developer, which had £1.5 million altogether; Mainport Engineering, a fabrication engineering company; and Kancoat, of course—another well-known case—a metal-coil-coating production line. These are very, very diverse grants and loans that have been given. I wonder if the Minister can tell me what steps she's taken and what discussions she might have had in Government since that report was published a few months ago, to ensure that any future support for businesses by Welsh Government isn't a piecemeal ragbag of grants, but a co-ordinated programme with clear vision and proper control.
Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Rwyf wedi bod yn edrych ar restr y Gweinidog o gyfrifoldebau ac maent yn cynnwys, ymhlith llawer o bethau, cyfeiriad strategol a rheoli adnoddau Llywodraeth Cymru, buddsoddi strategol, cyfrifyddu ac archwilio ariannol, a gwerth am arian ac effeithiolrwydd.
Yn ddiweddar, cyhoeddodd Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru adroddiad o'r enw 'Cymorth Ariannol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer Busnesau', a hoffwn ofyn ychydig o gwestiynau sy'n deillio o hynny. Y brif feirniadaeth a oedd gan Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru yn yr adroddiad hwnnw oedd nad oedd Llywodraeth Cymru
'wedi trosi’n llwyr ei gweledigaeth ar gyfer adnewyddu’r economi yn rhaglen gydgysylltiedig o gymorth ariannol i fusnesau',
a bod y Llywodraeth
'wedi monitro prosiectau unigol ar wahân, ond nid yw wedi llwyddo i reoli cymorth ariannol i fusnesau fel rhaglen'.
Rydym wedi gweld sawl ffiasgo, a restrir yn yr adroddiad, gan gynnwys: ffiasgo enwog Griffin Place Communications, y grant sefydlu o £600,000 ar gyfer 127 o swyddi, a gollwyd i gyd; Oysterworld, datblygwr gemau cyfrifiadurol, a gafodd gyfanswm o £1.5 miliwn; Mainport Engineering, cwmni saernïo a pheiriannu; a Kancoat, wrth gwrs—achos enwog arall—llinell gynhyrchu ar gyfer araenu coiliau metel. Mae'r rhain yn fenthyciadau a grantiau amrywiol iawn a roddwyd. Tybed a all y Gweinidog ddweud wrthyf pa gamau y mae wedi eu cymryd a pha drafodaethau y gall fod wedi'u cael yn y Llywodraeth ers cyhoeddi'r adroddiad hwnnw ychydig fisoedd yn ôl, i sicrhau nad yw unrhyw gymorth i fusnesau gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn y dyfodol yn gybolfa dameidiog o grantiau, ond yn rhaglen gydgysylltiedig gyda gweledigaeth glir a rheolaeth briodol.
I would disagree with the characterisation of the way in which Welsh Government provides support for business, but this is an area that I've taken an interest in since coming into portfolio, and I'm exploring what more we might do in order to satisfy ourselves when grants are being made and, indeed, when business loans are being made, that we can be sure that we're investing in the right company and taking the right level of risk with those companies.
So, one thing that we could, potentially, be looking to ensure is that we have named officials dealing with specific projects, who Ministers can meet with regularly in order to oversee those loans. I do have to say that there is a huge structure of auditing already in place within Welsh Government in terms of ensuring the correct and good investment of the money that we invest.
Buaswn yn anghytuno â'r disgrifiad o'r ffordd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu cymorth ar gyfer busnesau, ond mae hwn yn faes sydd wedi bod o ddiddordeb i mi ers dod i'r portffolio, ac rwy'n archwilio beth arall y gallem ei wneud i fodloni ein hunain pan gaiff grantiau eu rhoi, ac yn wir, pan gaiff benthyciadau busnes eu rhoi, y gallwn fod yn sicr ein bod yn buddsoddi yn y cwmni iawn ac yn ymgymryd â'r lefel gywir o risg gyda'r cwmnïau hynny.
Felly, un peth y gallem geisio'i sicrhau o bosibl yw bod gennym swyddogion penodol yn ymdrin â phrosiectau penodol, ac y gall Gweinidogion gyfarfod â hwy'n rheolaidd i oruchwylio'r benthyciadau hynny. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod strwythur archwilio enfawr eisoes ar waith yn Llywodraeth Cymru o ran sicrhau y gwneir buddsoddiadau cywir a da â'r arian a fuddsoddwn.
I'm not entirely satisfied that we're making any great deal of progress as yet from that answer, regarding it as work in progress. But the auditor general's recommendations concerning Welsh Government risk management are also important. He says that
'the Welsh Government’s Sectors and Business Team only assesses risk for individual projects in isolation and does not have a defined risk appetite across its programme of providing financial support to businesses.'
That's a broad point about the whole structure or the theoretical basis on which the Welsh Government's financial support for business is based. I've looked through the Assembly's Record of Proceedings and the Welsh Government website, and there's very little there to confirm what the approach is to risk management and risk appetite. So, what exactly is the Minister doing within Welsh Government to ensure that there is a clear and robust approach to Welsh Government financial support? Because we're dealing with significant sums of money here, which, of course, if they're put at risk, means that we can't spend them on other worthwhile things.
Nid wyf yn gwbl argyhoeddedig ein bod yn gwneud llawer o gynnydd eto o'r ateb hwnnw, sy'n ei ystyried yn waith sy'n mynd rhagddo. Ond mae argymhellion yr archwilydd cyffredinol ynghylch gwaith rheoli risg Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwysig hefyd. Dywed fod
'Tîm Sectorau a Busnes Llywodraeth Cymru yn asesu risgiau ar gyfer prosiectau unigol yn unig, a hynny ar wahân, ac nid oes ganddo archwaeth risg ddiffiniedig ledled ei raglenni ar gyfer darparu cymorth ariannol i fusnesau.'
Mae hwnnw'n bwynt cyffredinol ynglŷn â'r strwythur yn ei gyfanrwydd neu'r sail ddamcaniaethol y seilir cymorth ariannol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer busnesau arni. Rwyf wedi edrych drwy Gofnod o Drafodion y Cynulliad ac ar wefan Llywodraeth Cymru, ac ychydig iawn sydd yno i gadarnhau beth yw'r ymagwedd tuag at reoli risg ac archwaeth risg. Felly, beth yn union y mae'r Gweinidog yn ei wneud yn Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau y ceir ymagwedd glir a chadarn tuag at gymorth ariannol gan Lywodraeth Cymru? Oherwydd rydym yn ymdrin â symiau sylweddol o arian yma, sy'n golygu, wrth gwrs, os cânt eu peryglu, na allwn eu gwario ar bethau eraill gwerth chweil.
Thank you. So, when Welsh Government does make an investment or offer a grant or a loan over a certain amount of money, then I oversee and I have a view to take on each and every one of those decisions that are made by my colleagues. And I provide challenge to my colleagues, asking about affordability, about payment profiles, about value for money and efficient spending, and exploring to what extent those funding decisions that are made, or those grant decisions that are made, represent value in terms of being in line with our overarching Welsh Government priorities as found in our programme for government. So, there's certainly a level of personal interest that I take in this, but, clearly, individual funding decisions taken by individual Ministers have to be done within the context of their own budgetary management as well.
Diolch. Pan fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud buddsoddiad neu'n cynnig grant neu fenthyciad o swm penodol o arian, rwy'n goruchwylio hynny a fy mwriad yw ystyried pob un o'r penderfyniadau hynny a wneir gan fy nghyd-Aelodau. Ac rwy'n darparu her i fy nghyd-Aelodau, gan eu holi ynglŷn â fforddiadwyedd, ynglŷn â phroffiliau talu, ynglŷn â gwerth am arian a gwariant effeithlon, ac archwilio i ba raddau y mae'r penderfyniadau ariannu hynny a wneir, neu'r penderfyniadau grant hynny a wneir, yn cynrychioli gwerth am arian o ran eu bod yn cyd-fynd â blaenoriaethau trosfwaol Llywodraeth Cymru fel y'u nodir yn ein rhaglen lywodraethu. Felly, yn sicr, mae gennyf lefel o ddiddordeb personol yn hyn o beth, ond yn amlwg, mae'n rhaid i benderfyniadau ariannu unigol gan Weinidogion unigol gael eu gwneud yng nghyd-destun eu rheolaeth gyllidebol eu hunain hefyd.
I recognise that this is a subject in which the Minister has taken a considerable interest, and I do find that reassuring, but I think we're still a long way from being reassured that this is going to produce any practical results. The auditor general also said in this report that
'The Welsh Government has not put in place systems and processes to produce information for publicly reporting on whether overall, its financial support for business contributed to achieving its intended outcomes'.
In other words, a progress report on how successful the project has been altogether.
Much of the information that has been extracted, in some cases, had to be extracted, not from the Welsh Government's own proactive publication of information, but had to be extracted by journalists and opposition political parties in freedom of information requests. For example, the online food ordering service, kukd.com, had £1 million, failed to create the promised 100 jobs; and Bad Wolf—a well-known case of course—£4 million given to the company, out of which nearly half was paid to the executives themselves. The company ultimately showed a loss of £3.1 million. So, these are cases where the taxpayer's been fleeced for no advantage whatsoever. In such cases, surely it's vitally important in order to secure public confidence in the way that public money is being spent for the Welsh Government to be as upfront and open as possible.
So, can she assure me that, as regards value for money and effectiveness, the public reporting of business grant moneys is going to be improved in future?
Rwy'n cydnabod bod hwn yn bwnc sydd o gryn ddiddordeb i'r Gweinidog, ac mae hynny'n galonogol, ond credaf ein bod ymhell o fod yn argyhoeddedig y bydd hyn yn cynhyrchu unrhyw ganlyniadau ymarferol. Dywedodd yr archwilydd cyffredinol hefyd yn yr adroddiad nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru
'wedi rhoi systemau a phrosesau ar waith i gynhyrchu gwybodaeth ar gyfer llunio adroddiadau cyhoeddus ynghylch a yw ei gymorth ariannol ar gyfer busnesau, yn gyffredinol, wedi cyfrannu at gyflawni ei chanlyniadau bwriadedig.'
Mewn geiriau eraill, adroddiad cynnydd ar ba mor llwyddiannus y mae'r prosiect wedi bod yn gyffredinol.
Bu'n rhaid cael gafael ar lawer o'r wybodaeth, mewn rhai achosion, nid o gyhoeddiad rhagweithiol Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun o'r wybodaeth, ond bu'n rhaid i newyddiadurwyr a gwrthbleidiau gwleidyddol gael gafael arni drwy geisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth. Er enghraifft, cafodd y gwasanaeth archebu bwyd ar-lein, kukd.com, £1 miliwn, a methu â chreu'r 100 o swyddi a addawyd; a Bad Wolf—achos enwog wrth gwrs—rhoddwyd £4 miliwn i'r cwmni, gyda bron i hanner y ffigur hwnnw'n cael ei dalu i'r prif weithredwyr eu hunain. Yn y pen draw, gwnaeth y cwmni golled o £3.1 miliwn. Felly, mae'r rhain yn achosion lle mae'r trethdalwr wedi'i flingo heb unrhyw fantais o gwbl. Mewn achosion o'r fath, does bosib ei bod yn hanfodol bwysig, er mwyn sicrhau hyder y cyhoedd yn y ffordd y gwerir arian cyhoeddus, fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn bod mor onest ac agored â phosibl.
Felly, a all roi sicrwydd i mi, o ran gwerth am arian ac effeithiolrwydd, y bydd yr adroddiadau cyhoeddus ar arian grant i fusnesau yn gwella yn y dyfodol?
Thank you for raising that, and I'll certainly give further thought to what action might be able to be taken in terms of increasing transparency, but within the confines, obviously, of the commercial sensitivities for those businesses involved and also within the context of the auditor general's report.
Diolch am godi hynny, ac yn sicr, byddaf yn rhoi ystyriaeth bellach i ba gamau y gellid eu cymryd o ran cynyddu tryloywder, ond o fewn cyfyngiadau sensitifrwydd masnachol, yn amlwg, i'r busnesau dan sylw yn ogystal ag o fewn cyd-destun adroddiad yr archwilydd cyffredinol.
Cwestiwn 3, Lynne Neagle.
Question 3, Lynne Neagle.
3. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol ynghylch y pwysau cyllido mewn llywodraeth leol? OAQ53523
3. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Housing and Local Government about funding pressures in local government? OAQ53523
4. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cynnal gyda'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol ynghylch cyllidebau awdurdodau lleol? OAQ53482
4. What discussions has the Minister held with the Minister for Housing and Local Government on local authority budgets? OAQ53482
Thank you. I understand, Presiding Officer, that you've given your permission for questions 3 and 4 to be grouped together. Together, the Minister for Housing and Local Government and I met representatives of local government at the finance sub-group on 23 January, where we discussed a range of matters, including the funding challenges facing local government.
Diolch. Deallaf, Lywydd, eich bod wedi caniatáu i gwestiynau 3 a 4 gael eu grwpio. Gyda'n gilydd, cyfarfu'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol a minnau â chynrychiolwyr llywodraeth leol yn yr is-grŵp cyllid ar 23 Ionawr, lle buom yn trafod amrywiaeth o faterion, gan gynnwys yr heriau cyllid sy'n wynebu llywodraeth leol.
Thank you, Minister. Because of Tory austerity, Torfaen council yesterday were forced to put up council tax by 5.9 per cent in order to protect vital public services, especially schools and social care. I'm very proud to represent a Labour council that is fighting so hard to protect local services, and although I welcome the additional funding the Welsh Government announced for local government after the draft budget, it is undoubtedly the case that local authorities are facing huge funding pressures, especially in education and social care.
In terms of education, you may be aware that the Children, Young People and Education Committee is currently conducting an inquiry on school funding in Wales, and I have to say that the evidence we've received so far from teachers and school leaders paints a very worrying picture.
Diolch, Weinidog. Ddoe, o ganlyniad i gyni Torïaidd, bu'n rhaid i gyngor Torfaen godi'r dreth gyngor 5.9 y cant er mwyn diogelu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus hanfodol, yn enwedig ysgolion a gofal cymdeithasol. Rwy'n falch iawn o gynrychioli cyngor Llafur sy'n brwydro mor galed i ddiogelu gwasanaethau lleol, ac er fy mod yn croesawu'r cyllid ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer llywodraeth leol ar ôl y gyllideb ddrafft, heb os, mae awdurdodau lleol yn wynebu pwysau ariannol enfawr, yn enwedig mewn perthynas ag addysg a gofal cymdeithasol.
O ran addysg, efallai eich bod yn ymwybodol fod y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg yn cynnal ymchwiliad ar hyn o bryd i gyllid ysgolion yng Nghymru, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod y dystiolaeth rydym wedi'i chael hyd yn hyn gan athrawon ac arweinwyr ysgolion yn peri cryn bryder.
Hear, hear.
Clywch, clywch.
Can I ask what discussions the Minister will have with both the Minister for Education and the Minister for Housing and Local Government, and what assurances you can give that ensuring sufficient funding for our schools will be a priority for you?
A gaf fi ofyn pa drafodaethau y bydd y Gweinidog yn eu cael gyda'r Gweinidog Addysg a'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol, a pha sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi fod sicrhau cyllid digonol ar gyfer ein hysgolion yn flaenoriaeth i chi?
Thank you for raising this, and I do find it quite staggering to hear the shouts of 'good question' and 'hear, hear' from the Conservative benches when, as a result of austerity, funding per head of the population for day-to-day devolved public services, such as schools in Wales, will be 7 per cent lower next year than it was a decade ago. Between 2010-11 and 2019-20, the Welsh budget will have fallen by 5 per cent in real terms, when repayable funding's excluded. So, that's equivalent to £850 million less to spend on public services every year, but nonetheless, we're clearly prioritising the NHS, we're prioritising education, and we're prioritising social services.
So, with regard specifically to schools, we are directing to local authorities all of the £23.5 million announced by the UK Government last September towards funding school teachers' pay award in 2018-19 and 2019-20. And, in addition to this, we've gone further and announced an additional £15 million of funding that is being deployed over this financial year and next to help local authorities meet those cost pressures associated with teachers' pay in particular.
However, I do absolutely recognise the huge pressure that local authorities are under at the moment. We've given the best possible settlement, but we're under no illusion that it does mean difficult choices for our local government colleagues.
Diolch am godi hyn, ac mae'n syfrdanol clywed pobl yn gweiddi 'cwestiwn da' a 'clywch, clywch' ar feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr pan fydd cyllid fesul y pen o'r boblogaeth ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus datganoledig dydd i ddydd, megis ysgolion yng Nghymru, 7 y cant yn is y flwyddyn nesaf na'r hyn ydoedd ddegawd yn ôl o ganlyniad i gyni. Rhwng 2010-11 a 2019-20, bydd cyllideb Cymru wedi gostwng 5 y cant mewn termau real, pan fydd cyllid ad-daladwy wedi'i eithrio. Felly, mae hynny'n cyfateb i £850 miliwn yn llai i'w wario ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus bob blwyddyn, ond serch hynny, rydym yn rhoi blaenoriaeth glir i'r GIG, rydym yn blaenoriaethu addysg, ac rydym yn blaenoriaethu gwasanaethau cymdeithasol.
Felly, o ran ysgolion yn benodol, rydym yn rhoi'r cyfan o'r £23.5 miliwn a gyhoeddwyd gan Lywodraeth y DU fis Medi diwethaf i awdurdodau lleol er mwyn ariannu dyfarniad cyflog athrawon ysgol yn 2018-19 a 2019-20. Ac yn ychwanegol at hyn, rydym wedi mynd ymhellach ac wedi cyhoeddi £15 miliwn ychwanegol o arian a fydd yn cael ei roi dros y flwyddyn ariannol hon a'r nesaf i gynorthwyo awdurdodau lleol i ymdopi â'r pwysau ariannol sy'n gysylltiedig â chyflogau athrawon yn benodol.
Fodd bynnag, rwy'n llwyr gydnabod y pwysau enfawr sydd ar awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd. Rydym wedi rhoi'r setliad gorau posibl, ond rydym yn gwbl ymwybodol fod hynny'n golygu dewisiadau anodd ar gyfer ein cymheiriaid mewn llywodraeth leol.
Minister, one of the consequences of Tory austerity is not only does the Assembly have less money, but also it means that local government has less money. And, of course, one of the pressures is on the leisure centres that are provided, which are of considerable public value to our communities. We are already seeing leisure centres having to close or be transferred into trusts. What I'm asking you, Minister, is to consider this: there is an opportunity, by removing the obligation in respect of council tax on local authority leisure centres, to actually put them on a level playing field with trusts. That would save, certainly in my council of Rhondda Cynon Taf, in the region of £800,000 a year. If those authorities have to actually close or transfer those leisure centres into a trust, we lose that money in any event. So, this would be, I think, an imaginative way of actually supporting our community publicly owned leisure centres where we pay decent pay—decent conditions, accountable to the community. And, by removing the obligation and creating a level playing field, we could do a lot to protect them and to protect this element of public service.
Weinidog, un o ganlyniadau'r cyni Torïaidd yw nid yn unig fod gan y Cynulliad lai o arian, ond golyga hefyd fod llai o arian gan lywodraeth leol. Ac wrth gwrs, un elfen sydd o dan bwysau yw'r canolfannau hamdden a ddarperir, sydd o werth cyhoeddus sylweddol i'n cymunedau. Rydym eisoes yn gweld canolfannau hamdden yn gorfod cau neu gael eu trosglwyddo i ymddiriedolaethau. Gofynnaf ichi ystyried hyn, Weinidog: drwy gael gwared ar y rhwymedigaeth mewn perthynas â'r dreth gyngor i ganolfannau hamdden awdurdodau lleol, ceir cyfle i sicrhau chwarae teg rhyngddynt a'r ymddiriedolaethau. Byddai hynny'n arbed, yn sicr yn fy nghyngor i yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, oddeutu £800,000 y flwyddyn. Os oes rhaid i'r awdurdodau hyn gau neu drosglwyddo'r canolfannau hamdden hynny i ymddiriedolaeth, rydym yn colli'r arian hwnnw beth bynnag. Felly, credaf y byddai hon yn ffordd greadigol o gefnogi ein canolfannau hamdden cymunedol sy'n eiddo i'r cyhoedd lle rydym yn talu cyflog gweddus—amodau gweddus, yn atebol i'r gymuned. A thrwy gael gwared ar y rhwymedigaeth a sicrhau chwarae teg, gallem wneud llawer i'w hamddiffyn ac i warchod yr elfen hon o wasanaeth cyhoeddus.
Thank you very much, and I know that you raised this particular issue in the Chamber with me a week or so ago, and I've certainly had some further opportunity to explore the issue further. I think that what we have to remember is that all non-domestic rates revenue received in Wales is distributed to local authorities to help fund local services. So, the vast majority of local authorities in Wales will receive more as a result of the payment of non-domestic rates than they see paid out within their own areas. Providing rates relief or exemptions to councils or other public bodies could distort competition and markets, giving publicly run facilities an unfair advantage over the privately run ones, and that could have some state-aid implications, as I've been told. But, obviously, I know that this is an area of particular interest to you; I'd be more than happy to continue that conversation.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, a gwn eich bod wedi codi'r mater penodol hwn gyda mi yn y Siambr wythnos neu ddwy yn ôl, ac yn sicr, rwyf wedi cael mwy o gyfle i archwilio'r mater ymhellach. Credaf mai'r hyn sy'n rhaid inni ei gofio yw bod holl refeniw ardrethi annomestig yng Nghymru yn cael ei ddosbarthu i awdurdodau lleol i helpu i ariannu gwasanaethau lleol. Felly, bydd y mwyafrif helaeth o awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru yn cael mwy o ganlyniad i dalu ardrethi annomestig nag y gwelant yn cael ei dalu allan yn eu hardaloedd eu hunain. Gallai rhoi rhyddhad ardrethi neu esemptiadau i gynghorau neu gyrff cyhoeddus eraill ystumio'r gystadleuaeth a'r marchnadoedd, gan roi mantais annheg i gyfleusterau cyhoeddus dros y rhai preifat, a gallai hynny arwain at oblygiadau mewn perthynas â chymorth gwladwriaethol, yn ôl yr hyn a ddywedwyd wrthyf. Ond yn amlwg, gwn fod hwn yn faes sydd o ddiddordeb arbennig i chi; rwy'n fwy na pharod i barhau â'r sgwrs honno.
Minister, council tax payers in south-east Wales are facing huge increases in their bills thanks to the Welsh Government's inadequate local government settlement. People living in Newport, Torfaen and Merthyr Tydfil are facing bills increased by nearly 6 per cent, and Caerphilly council is set to rise by nearly 7 per cent. Given that the Welsh Government 5 per cent cap has proved to be just a PR exercise, I think, what discussions has the Minister had with her colleagues about the devastating effect that these huge increases will have on hard-pressed families often in the poorest parts of Wales?
Weinidog, mae talwyr y dreth gyngor yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru yn wynebu cynnydd aruthrol yn eu biliau diolch i setliad llywodraeth leol annigonol Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae pobl sy'n byw yng Nghasnewydd, Torfaen a Merthyr Tudful yn wynebu cynnydd o bron i 6 y cant yn eu biliau, ac mae cyngor Caerffili ar fin cael cynnydd o bron i 7 y cant. O gofio mai ymarfer cysylltiadau cyhoeddus yn unig oedd cap 5 y cant Llywodraeth Cymru yn fy marn i, pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'i chyd-Aelodau ynghylch yr effaith ddinistriol y bydd y codiadau anferth hyn yn ei chael ar deuluoedd sydd dan bwysau, yn aml yn y rhannau tlotaf o Gymru?
I think the brass neck on the Conservative benches is quite incredible this afternoon. If public spending had kept pace with growth in the economy, we would have an extra £4 billion to spend next year, and imagine how generous we could be to local authorities then. But I do have to say to the Conservatives, if the Conservatives want more money for any area of Welsh life, be it local authorities or the NHS or anywhere else, then they would have to tell us where the cut would fall.
Credaf fod yr haerllugrwydd ar feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr yn eithaf anhygoel y prynhawn yma. Pe bai gwariant cyhoeddus wedi cadw i fyny â thwf yn yr economi, byddai gennym £4 biliwn yn ychwanegol i'w wario y flwyddyn nesaf, a dychmygwch pa mor hael y gallem fod tuag at awdurdodau lleol pe ba hynny wedi digwydd. Ond mae'n rhaid imi ddweud wrth y Ceidwadwyr, os yw'r Ceidwadwyr yn dymuno cael mwy o arian ar gyfer unrhyw ran o'r bywyd Cymreig, boed yn awdurdodau lleol neu'r GIG neu unrhyw le arall, byddai'n rhaid iddynt ddweud wrthym lle dylid gwneud y toriadau.
Minister, the Welsh Local Government Association is always pleading with the Welsh Government to reduce the amount of specific hypothecated grants allocated to councils on an annual basis. They argue, obviously, that this funding should instead be provided directly by the revenue support grant, giving local authorities as much freedom as possible to respond to local need. Now, do you recognise this call, and, given the current state of local government finance, will you commit to listening to local authority leaders on this point during the next budget-setting process?
Weinidog, mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn ymbil bob amser ar Lywodraeth Cymru i leihau faint o grantiau penodol wedi'u neilltuo a ddyrennir i gynghorau ar sail flynyddol. Yn amlwg, maent yn dadlau y dylid darparu'r cyllid hwn yn uniongyrchol drwy'r grant cynnal refeniw yn lle hynny, gan roi cymaint o ryddid â phosibl i awdurdodau lleol ymateb i angen lleol. Nawr, a ydych yn cydnabod yr alwad hon, ac o gofio cyflwr presennol cyllid llywodraeth leol, a wnewch chi ymrwymo i wrando ar arweinwyr awdurdodau lleol mewn perthynas â'r pwynt hwn yn ystod y broses o bennu'r gyllideb nesaf?
Thank you very much. It is always the case, obviously, that local authorities would like to have as much of the funding in the revenue support grant as possible, and we have taken steps, on an annual basis I think, to explore what more we can do in order to give local authorities the kind of flexibility they need. We have a further meeting of the finance sub-group coming up very shortly, and I'd be more than happy to pursue that conversation there.
Diolch yn fawr. Mae bob amser yn wir, yn amlwg, yr hoffai awdurdodau lleol gael cymaint o'r arian â phosibl yn y grant cynnal refeniw, ac rydym wedi cymryd camau, ar sail flynyddol rwy'n credu, i ystyried beth arall y gallwn ei wneud er mwyn rhoi'r math o hyblygrwydd sydd ei angen arnynt i awdurdodau lleol. Bydd yr is-grŵp cyllid yn cyfarfod eto cyn bo hir, ac rwy'n fwy na pharod i gael y sgwrs honno yno.
Despite all authorities seeing increased financial demands, it's widely known across Wales now that, as regards social care, we have a ticking time bomb. Local authorities just cannot manage their social care budgets. We now know, as of a protest in north Wales this weekend, and through speaking with unions and people, teachers and leaders within our educational area, that we have an educational funding crisis within our local authorities.
Now, you must be aware that local authorities such as Conwy County Borough Council have already striven to make serious financial savings: £15.6 million this year alone. So, there's nothing left for them to trim. Now, as a result of that, a 9.6 per cent council tax increase in Conwy, Ynys Môn 9.5 per cent and Flintshire 8.75 per cent. Yet many local authorities, and those with over £100 million in actual reserves—they received an increase in their funding. At what point will this Welsh Labour Government look across the whole of Wales and actually provide the financial funding that's required on a demographic base need, and stop this political meandering of actually rewarding local authorities that are Labour-led? And really, frankly, you are letting down local authorities in north Wales, and none more so than my own in Aberconwy.
Er bod mwy o bwysau ariannol ar yr holl awdurdodau, mae'n hysbys iawn ledled Cymru bellach, o ran gofal cymdeithasol, fod gennym fom sy'n tician. Ni all awdurdodau lleol reoli eu cyllidebau gofal cymdeithasol. Gwyddom bellach, wedi protest yng ngogledd Cymru dros y penwythnos, a thrwy siarad ag undebau a phobl, athrawon ac arweinwyr yn ein maes addysgol, fod gennym argyfwng cyllido addysg yn ein hawdurdodau lleol.
Nawr, mae'n rhaid eich bod yn ymwybodol fod awdurdodau lleol fel Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy eisoes wedi ymdrechu i wneud arbedion ariannol sylweddol: £15.6 miliwn eleni yn unig. Felly, nid oes unrhyw beth ar ôl iddynt ei dorri. Nawr, o ganlyniad i hynny, cynnydd o 9.6 y cant yn y dreth gyngor yng Nghonwy, 9.5 y cant ar Ynys Môn ac 8.75 y cant yn sir y Fflint. Serch hynny, mae llawer o awdurdodau lleol, a'r rheini gyda dros £100 miliwn mewn cronfeydd wrth gefn—maent wedi cael cynnydd yn eu cyllid. Pryd y bydd Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru yn edrych ar Gymru gyfan ac yn darparu'r cyllid ariannol sydd ei angen ar sail angen demograffig, a rhoi'r gorau i'r ystumio gwleidyddol o wobrwyo awdurdodau lleol dan arweiniad Llafur? Ac i fod yn onest, rydych yn gwneud tro gwael ag awdurdodau lleol yng ngogledd Cymru, yn enwedig yn fy ardal i yn Aberconwy.
Well, look, there's absolutely no truth whatsoever that there is any politics involved in the local government funding formula. The local government funding formula is developed in collaboration with local government. The local government Minister and I have been very clear with local government that, if they want to come forward with a different way of apportioning funding amongst local authorities, then we would be happy to have those conversations, but such an idea and such proposals have not yet come forward.
Wel, edrychwch, nid yw'n wir o gwbl fod gwleidyddiaeth yn cael unrhyw le yn y fformiwla ariannu llywodraeth leol. Datblygir y fformiwla ariannu llywodraeth leol ar y cyd â llywodraeth leol. Mae'r Gweinidog llywodraeth leol a minnau wedi dweud yn glir iawn wrth lywodraeth leol, os ydynt am gynnig ffordd wahanol o rannu cyllid ymhlith awdurdodau lleol, y byddem yn fwy na pharod i gael y sgyrsiau hynny, ond nid oes syniad neu gynigion o'r fath wedi cael eu cynnig eto.
5. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda Gweinidogion y DU ynghylch yr angen am gyllideb frys rhag ofn y bydd Brexit heb gytundeb yn digwydd? OAQ53515
5. What discussions has the Minister had with UK Ministers on the need for an emergency budget in the event of a no-deal Brexit? OAQ53515
I met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 15 February and pressed for clarity on Brexit-related financial issues, including the possibility of an emergency budget. The message was clear: a full fiscal event is not on the agenda, adding to the uncertainties facing us.
Cyfarfûm â Phrif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys ar 15 Chwefror a phwysais am eglurder ynghylch materion ariannol sy'n ymwneud â Brexit, gan gynnwys y posibilrwydd o gyllideb frys. Roedd y neges yn glir: nid oes digwyddiad ariannol llawn ar yr agenda, ac mae hynny'n ychwanegu at yr ansicrwydd sy'n ein hwynebu.
I welcome the fact that both the Minister in front of us and her Scottish counterpart have both now raised it directly with Liz Truss, the relevant Minister, in their discussions, but I'm very disappointed with the response. Back on 28 October last year, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, made it clear in response to an interview that there would indeed be need for an emergency budget in the case of a 'no deal' Brexit. Because the economy is expected to contract—we don't know how much, but it will contract—there will need to be an expansionary budget. It is not for the Welsh budget to pick up the pieces of that; it's for the UK Treasury to pick up those pieces. Now, if Philip Hammond feels that—and he surely would be the person that knows, although I note that within 24 hours No. 10 had slapped him down—then, surely, as part of the 'no deal' planning, the UK Government, the Treasury, Ministers and others must be working through the options of a 'no deal' could also mean the case that they have to pump money into the economy. It seems ridiculous that they're not considering that possibility.
Croesawaf y ffaith bod y Gweinidog o'n blaenau a'r Gweinidog cyfatebol yn yr Alban ill dau wedi codi'r mater yn uniongyrchol gyda Liz Truss, y Gweinidog perthnasol, yn eu trafodaethau, ond rwy'n siomedig iawn gyda'r ymateb. Yn ôl ar 28 Hydref y llynedd, dywedodd Philip Hammond, y Canghellor, yn glir mewn ymateb i gyfweliad y byddai angen cyllideb frys yn wir pe ceid Brexit 'dim bargen'. Oherwydd bod disgwyl i'r economi grebachu—ni wyddom faint, ond bydd yn crebachu—bydd angen cyllideb ehangol. Nid cyllideb Cymru a ddylai ysgwyddo'r baich hwnnw; Trysorlys y DU a ddylai ysgwyddo'r baich hwnnw. Nawr, os teimla Philip Hammond—ac yn sicr, ef a fyddai'n gwybod, er y sylwaf fod Rhif 10 wedi'i roi yn ei le o fewn 24 awr—yna, fel rhan o'r cynlluniau ar gyfer 'dim bargen', gallai'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth y DU, y Trysorlys, Gweinidogion ac eraill yn gorfod ystyried opsiynau 'dim bargen' olygu hefyd fod yn rhaid iddynt bwmpio arian i mewn i'r economi. Mae'n ymddangos yn chwerthinllyd nad ydynt yn ystyried y posibilrwydd hwnnw.
Thank you, and I completely agree with every word that you say, and I would be horrified if they were not working through every possibility in terms of the measures that the UK Government could take in terms of supporting the economy in the event of a disastrous 'no deal' Brexit. We've been clear, time and time again—and I'm grateful for the support of the Finance Committee, and for yourself and for Members of the Assembly who have been making the case to the UK Government—that an emergency budget must be forthcoming, additional funding must be forthcoming, in the event of a disastrous 'no deal' Brexit.
Diolch, a chytunaf yn llwyr â phob gair a ddywedwch, a buaswn yn arswydo pe na baent yn ystyried pob posibilrwydd o ran y camau y gallai Llywodraeth y DU eu cymryd i gefnogi'r economi pe ceid Brexit 'dim bargen' trychinebus. Rydym wedi dweud yn glir, dro ar ôl tro—ac rwy'n ddiolchgar am gefnogaeth y Pwyllgor Cyllid, ac i chi ac i Aelodau'r Cynulliad sydd wedi bod yn dadlau'r achos gyda Llywodraeth y DU—fod yn rhaid cael cyllideb frys, fod yn rhaid cael cyllid ychwanegol, pe ceid Brexit 'dim bargen' trychinebus.
Well, Minister, I have to say I find it a bit rich that you're warning about the disasters that would follow from a 'no deal' Brexit. I agree there would be incredible dislocation and we don't know how deep that would be, and I would never take that risk, but the only way to prevent that is to have a deal. There's only one deal that's been negotiated by the British Government and—remember—by the European Union, and, if that deal doesn't go through, then the sort of disaster that you're predicting is going to be more and more likely. Your duty is to row behind the UK Government at the moment, and get this deal through.
Wel, Weinidog, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud eich bod braidd yn rhagrithiol yn rhybuddio am y trychinebau a fyddai'n deillio o Brexit 'dim bargen'. Cytunaf y byddai pethau'n datgymalu ac ni wyddom i ba raddau, ac ni fuaswn i byth yn cymryd y risg honno, ond yr unig ffordd o atal hynny yw cael cytundeb. Un cytundeb yn unig a negodwyd gan Lywodraeth Prydain a—cofiwch—gan yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, ac os nad yw'r cytundeb hwnnw'n cael ei dderbyn, bydd y math o drychineb rydych yn ei ragweld yn dod yn fwy ac yn fwy tebygol. Eich dyletswydd chi yw cefnogi Llywodraeth y DU ar hyn o bryd, a sicrhau bod y cytundeb hwn yn cael ei dderbyn.
With respect, I think our duty as a Welsh Government is to ensure the best possible future for the people of Wales. A 'no deal' Brexit certainly isn't that. Welsh Government, alongside Plaid Cymru, worked very quickly following the referendum to set out what a best possible Brexit would look like for the people of Wales in 'Securing Wales' Future'. The UK Government has only managed to deliver on a small part of what we set out would be the best possible way forward, and, actually, our plan has remained incredibly robust in terms of the kinds of challenges that we're facing and the discussions I think the European Union would have been open to having, had the UK Government had the sense to follow our plan.
Gyda phob parch, credaf mai ein dyletswydd ni fel Llywodraeth Cymru yw sicrhau'r dyfodol gorau posibl i bobl Cymru. Yn sicr, nid Brexit 'dim bargen' yw hynny. Gweithiodd Llywodraeth Cymru, ochr yn ochr â Phlaid Cymru, yn gyflym iawn wedi'r refferendwm i nodi beth fyddai'r Brexit gorau posibl i bobl Cymru yn 'Diolgelu Dyfodol Cymru'. Ychydig iawn o'r hyn a nodwyd gennym fel y ffordd orau ymlaen sydd wedi'i sicrhau gan Lywodraeth y DU, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae ein cynllun wedi parhau i fod yn eithriadol o gadarn o ran y mathau o heriau sy'n ein hwynebu a'r trafodaethau y credaf y byddai'r Undeb Ewropeaidd wedi bod yn agored i'w cael, pe bai Llywodraeth y DU wedi bod â'r synnwyr i ddilyn ein cynllun.
6. Pa drafodaethau diweddar y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog a'r Dirprwy Weinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ynghylch ariannu gofal cymdeithasol? OAQ53488
6. What recent discussions has the Minister had with the Minister and Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services about the funding of social care? OAQ53488
The funding of social care is a key focus of the inter-ministerial group on paying for social care, of which the Minister and Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services and I are members, alongside the Minister for Housing and Local Government. It last met on 7 February, and will convene again next week.
Mae ariannu gofal cymdeithasol yn ffocws allweddol i'r grŵp rhyngweinidogol ar dalu am ofal cymdeithasol, grŵp y mae'r Gweinidog a'r Dirprwy Weinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a minnau yn aelodau ohono, gyda'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol. Cyfarfu'r grŵp ddiwethaf ar 7 Chwefror, a byddant yn ymgynnull unwaith eto yr wythnos nesaf.
I'm very grateful to you for your answer, Minister. Can you give us some indications of the timescale under which that group is expected to report? Because I'm certainly being told that we are, in some parts of Wales, facing a crisis in social care, one of the major issues being recruitment of staff. Of course, there's a Brexit element to that, but, in the context of this question today, one of the other major issues is the lack of parity of pay as well as parity of esteem between those who do identical jobs in the health service and those who do exactly the same roles in the care sector, where the work is less secure, where the terms and conditions are less favourable. And I'm constantly being told by care providers that they are training staff and then losing them to the NHS because the conditions are so much better there.
Is the working group that you've just mentioned addressing those parity of pay issues? If it isn't doing so at the moment, can I ask you to commit to doing so? Because, in the end, the quality of our care services, as of our health services, is entirely dependent on the people that provide them. Everything else you can do, but, unless you get the people right, you really can't provide the service that people need, particularly in terms of caring for the elderly. If you've got a constant turnover of staff, the effect that has on quality of care and the well-being, the emotional well-being, of individuals is devastating.
So, can I ask both for a timescale and that the working group does address those issues? We hear a lot about parity of esteem between health and care, but we say in Welsh 'diwedd y gân yw'r geiniog'—at the end of the song is the penny, and I don't think that people working in care care quite so much as about esteem as they do about what's in their pay packet.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i chi am eich ateb, Weinidog. A allwch roi unrhyw syniad o'r amserlen y disgwylir i'r grŵp hwnnw gyflwyno'i adroddiadau? Oherwydd yn sicr, dywedir wrthyf ein bod, mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru, yn wynebu argyfwng gofal cymdeithasol, ac un o'r materion mawr yw recriwtio staff. Wrth gwrs, ceir elfen Brexit i hynny o beth, ond yng nghyd-destun y cwestiwn hwn heddiw, un o'r prif faterion eraill yw diffyg cydraddoldeb cyflog yn ogystal â pharch cydradd rhwng y rheini sy'n gwneud swyddi yr un fath yn y gwasanaeth iechyd a'r rhai sy'n gwneud yr un swyddi yn union yn y sector gofal, lle mae'r gwaith yn llai sicr, lle mae'r telerau ac amodau yn llai ffafriol. A dywed darparwyr gofal wrthyf yn gyson eu bod yn hyfforddi staff ac yna'n eu colli i'r GIG gan fod yr amodau gymaint yn well yno.
A yw'r gweithgor rydych newydd ei grybwyll yn mynd i'r afael â'r materion sy'n ymwneud â chydraddoldeb cyflog? Os nad yw'n gwneud hynny ar hyn o bryd, a gaf fi ofyn ichi ymrwymo i wneud hynny? Oherwydd, yn y pen draw, mae ansawdd ein gwasanaethau gofal, fel ein gwasanaethau iechyd, yn gwbl ddibynnol ar y bobl sy'n eu darparu. Gallwch wneud popeth arall, ond oni bai fod gennych y bobl gywir, mewn gwirionedd, ni allwch ddarparu'r gwasanaeth sydd ei angen ar bobl, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â gofalu am yr henoed. Os oes gennych drosiant staff cyson, mae effaith hynny ar ansawdd gofal ac ar les unigolion, eu lles emosiynol, yn ddinistriol.
Felly, a gaf fi ofyn am amserlen a gofyn i'r gweithgor fynd i'r afael â'r materion hynny? Rydym yn clywed llawer am barch cydradd rhwng iechyd a gofal, ond diwedd y gân yw'r geiniog, ac ni chredaf fod pobl sy'n gweithio mewn gofal yn poeni gymaint am barch ag y maent am yr hyn sydd yn eu pecynnau cyflog.
Thank you very much for raising that. The main focus of the inter-ministerial group is very much on the challenge of paying for care, and that would be looking at how care is paid for in the future, very much in the context of the Holtham report on paying for care and the Finance Committee's report on the cost of caring for an ageing population. That said, however, there are a few streams of work involved, one of which is purely financial; the other really is about what the offer is.
So, if we are asking people in future to pay, potentially through a social care levy—that's one of the ideas that Gerry Holtham put forward, but it's not the only one, but, nonetheless, people will need to know what the offer is, what the deal will be for them. I think part of that conversation certainly is about the quality and the qualifications of the staff who would be looking after them in future. So, we are at the start of a journey on this particular piece of work. It is a wide-ranging piece of work. I would expect that it would be informing all of our thoughts as we move towards the next election in terms of what we might be offering to people. I'd be more than happy to have a further meeting with you to talk about what we've been learning so far through our discussions and the kind of big questions that we are exploring.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am godi hynny. Prif ffocws y grŵp rhyngweinidogol yw'r her o dalu am ofal, a byddai hynny'n cynnwys edrych ar sut y telir am ofal yn y dyfodol, i raddau helaeth iawn yng nghyd-destun adroddiad Holtham ar dalu am ofal ac adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cyllid ar gost gofalu am boblogaeth sy'n heneiddio. Wedi dweud hynny, fodd bynnag, mae hyn yn ymwneud â sawl ffrwd waith, gydag un ohonynt yn gwbl ariannol; mae'r llall yn ymwneud â beth yw'r cynnig.
Felly, os gofynnwn i bobl dalu yn y dyfodol, o bosibl drwy ardoll gofal cymdeithasol—dyna un o'r syniadau a gynigiwyd gan Gerry Holtham, ond nid dyna'r unig syniad, ond serch hynny, bydd angen i bobl wybod beth yw'r cynnig, beth fydd yno iddynt hwy. Credaf fod rhan o'r sgwrs honno yn sicr yn ymwneud ag ansawdd a chymwysterau'r staff a fyddai'n gofalu amdanynt yn y dyfodol. Felly, rydym ar ddechrau'r daith mewn perthynas â'r gwaith hwn. Mae'n waith pellgyrhaeddol iawn. Buaswn yn disgwyl iddo lywio syniadau pob un ohonom wrth inni agosáu at yr etholiad nesaf o ran beth y gallem ei gynnig i bobl. Rwy'n fwy na pharod i gael cyfarfod pellach gyda chi i drafod yr hyn rydym wedi'i ddysgu hyd yn hyn drwy ein trafodaethau a'r math o gwestiynau mawr rydym yn eu harchwilio.
Nid yw Neil McEvoy yma i ofyn cwestiwn 7 [OAQ53494]. Cwestiwn 8, felly, Jenny Rathbone.
Neil McEvoy is not here to ask question 7 [OAQ53494]. Question 8, therefore, Jenny Rathbone.
8. Pa adnoddau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u dyrannu i'r portffolio iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol i weithredu'r polisi 'Pwysau Iach: Cymru Iach'? OAQ53518
8. What resources has the Minister allocated to the health and social care portfolio to implement the 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' policy? OAQ53518
Our 2019-20 budget included an additional allocation of £192 million to implement 'A Healthier Wales', our long-term plan for health and social care in Wales. Decisions on the allocation of funding to deliver policies are a matter for the Minister for Health and Social Services.
Roedd ein cyllideb ar gyfer 2019-20 yn cynnwys dyraniad ychwanegol o £192 miliwn i roi 'Cymru Iachach' ar waith, sef ein cynllun hirdymor ar gyfer iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yng Nghymru. Mae penderfyniadau ynglŷn â dyrannu cyllid er mwyn cyflawni polisïau yn fater i'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol.
One hundred and ninety-two million pounds sounds a lot of money, but the size of the problem is enormous. We have nearly 7,000 people under the age of 25 with type 2 diabetes and 1,500 of them are under the age of 19. That is a very, very serious statistic. So, it seems to me that we are going to need to roll out across Wales, proper weaning advice for all new parents, as well as cookery classes in all our schools to ensure that people aren't eating things that are literally killing them. So, I appreciate that the consultation hasn't yet closed, but presumably—is there any possibility that, were the health Minister to identify additional needs over and above that £192 million, that that might be a conversation you'd be prepared to contemplate?
Mae £192 miliwn yn swnio fel llawer o arian, ond mae maint y broblem yn enfawr. Mae gennym bron i 7,000 o bobl dan 25 oed gyda diabetes math 2 ac mae 1,500 ohonynt o dan 19 oed. Mae hwnnw'n ystadegyn difrifol iawn. Felly, ymddengys i mi y bydd angen inni ddarparu cyngor priodol i bob rhiant newydd ledled Cymru ar ddiddyfnu, yn ogystal â dosbarthiadau coginio yn ein holl ysgolion i sicrhau nad yw pobl yn bwyta pethau sy'n llythrennol yn eu lladd. Felly, rwy'n sylweddoli nad yw'r ymgynghoriad wedi dod i ben eto, ond mae'n debyg—pe bai'r Gweinidog iechyd yn nodi anghenion ychwanegol uwchlaw'r £192 miliwn hwnnw, a oes unrhyw bosibilrwydd y gallai honno fod yn sgwrs y byddech yn barod i'w hystyried?
Thank you for raising the consultation. As you say, it hasn't yet closed, but I know that your views will be very keenly received by that consultation. There have been some immediate measures that have been agreed by Cabinet, because, like you, we recognise that this is one of the issues that can't wait. So, proposed initial actions that we would take would be, for example, to increase daily activities through schools' environments. So, we currently have 303 schools now signed up to undertake the daily mile across Wales, and if we see this is effective, and I understand that it is, then we will be looking to double the number of participating schools by 2021.
We also, as you know, want to support more active travel and remove the barriers to walking and cycling. We've also committed to reviewing the delivery of the national exercise referral scheme and to work with partners to expand opportunities for social prescribing and delivery of initiatives to engage with people who currently have multiple barriers to engaging in activity. Another one of the initial, immediate actions that we wanted to take forward was to create new loans and grants for small physical activity-related businesses and clubs, and Business Wales and the Development Bank of Wales are exploring this at the moment. Another area that we want to take forward is for Sport Wales to provide more proactive planning advice. So, we want to strengthen and enhance their capacity to engage proactively with developers and local authorities on their local development plans, and also with developers, universities, schools and colleges in order to plan in physical activity at the start of that planning process in a much more strategic way. So, although the consultation is ongoing at the moment, there are some initial plans that we have put in train.
Diolch am godi'r ymgynghoriad. Fel y dywedwch, nid yw wedi dod i ben eto, ond gwn y bydd yr ymgynghoriad hwnnw'n awyddus iawn i glywed eich barn. Mae'r Cabinet wedi cytuno ar rai mesurau uniongyrchol, oherwydd, fel chi, rydym yn cydnabod bod hwn yn un o'r materion na all aros. Felly, byddai'r camau cychwynnol arfaethedig y byddem yn eu cymryd, er enghraifft, yn ymwneud â chynyddu gweithgareddau dyddiol drwy amgylchedd ysgolion. Felly, ar hyn o bryd mae gennym 303 o ysgolion sydd wedi ymrwymo i gyflawni'r filltir ddyddiol ledled Cymru, ac os byddwn yn gweld bod hyn yn effeithiol, a deallaf ei fod, byddwn yn ceisio dyblu nifer yr ysgolion sy'n cymryd rhan erbyn 2021.
Fel y gwyddoch, rydym hefyd yn awyddus i gefnogi mwy o deithio llesol a chael gwared ar y rhwystrau sy'n atal pobl rhag cerdded a beicio. Rydym hefyd wedi ymrwymo i adolygu'r gwaith ar gyflawni'r cynllun cenedlaethol i atgyfeirio cleifion i wneud ymarfer corff ac i weithio gyda phartneriaid i ehangu cyfleoedd ar gyfer presgripsiynu cymdeithasol a darparu mentrau i ymgysylltu â phobl sy'n wynebu rhwystrau lluosog ar hyn o bryd rhag gwneud gweithgarwch corfforol. Un arall o'r camau uniongyrchol, cychwynnol roeddem am eu cymryd yw creu benthyciadau a grantiau newydd ar gyfer busnesau a chlybiau bach sy'n gysylltiedig â gweithgarwch corfforol, ac mae Busnes Cymru a Banc Datblygu Cymru yn ymchwilio i hyn ar hyn o bryd. Maes arall yr hoffem ei ddatblygu yw i Chwaraeon Cymru ddarparu mwy o gyngor cynllunio rhagweithiol. Felly, rydym am gryfhau a gwella eu gallu i ymgysylltu'n rhagweithiol â datblygwyr ac awdurdodau lleol mewn perthynas â'u cynlluniau datblygu lleol, a hefyd gyda datblygwyr, prifysgolion, ysgolion a cholegau er mwyn ymgorffori gweithgarwch corfforol ar ddechrau'r broses gynllunio honno mewn ffordd lawer mwy strategol. Felly, er bod yr ymgynghoriad yn mynd rhagddo ar hyn o bryd, rydym wedi rhoi rhai cynlluniau cychwynnol ar waith.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 9—Suzy Davies.
Finally, question 9—Suzy Davies.
9. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am bolisi Llywodraeth Cymru o ran cyllidebu aml-flwyddyn? OAQ53522
9. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on multi-year budgeting? OAQ53522
It is always our ambition to provide long-term clarity over budgets whenever possible. However, this must be balanced with realistic and sensible planning assumptions. The UK Government's austerity agenda, coupled with the uncertainty regarding Brexit, constrains our ability to do this.
Ein huchelgais bob amser yw darparu eglurder hirdymor ynghylch cyllidebau lle bo modd. Fodd bynnag, mae'n rhaid cydbwyso hyn â rhagdybiaethau cynllunio realistig a synhwyrol. Mae agenda gyni Llywodraeth y DU, ynghyd â'r ansicrwydd ynghylch Brexit, yn cyfyngu ar ein gallu i wneud hyn.
Thank you for that answer. You'll be aware, of course, and we've heard today about the serious concerns now being expressed about school funding, and one of the things that we hear is that schools can find themselves in receipt of extra money at very short notice at the end of the financial year, which makes it very difficult for them to spend it in-year effectively. It also has the unintended consequence of artificially inflating reserves at the end of the year.
Now, I appreciate the timing of this extra money isn't entirely down to Welsh Government because it does depend to a degree on when the UK Government passes money on, but there is still some time lag that is exacerbating the problem. Assembly terms are now five years. The Welsh block figure goes up in actual terms every year. Is there anything legislative that is preventing you from allowing schools to plan on two-year cycles with an indicative third year figure in a cycle that would help them solve the late windfall problem, help schools plan better, and safeguard their funding from being raided by councils to meet other demands?
Diolch am eich ateb. Fe fyddwch yn gwybod, wrth gwrs, ac rydym wedi clywed heddiw am y pryderon difrifol a fynegir bellach ynghylch cyllid ysgolion, ac un o'r pethau a glywn yw y gall ysgolion fod yn derbyn arian ychwanegol heb fawr o rybudd ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn ariannol, sy'n ei gwneud yn anodd iawn iddynt ei wario'n effeithiol o fewn y flwyddyn. Mae hefyd yn arwain at y canlyniad anfwriadol o chwyddo cronfeydd wrth gefn yn artiffisial ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn.
Nawr, rwy'n derbyn nad bai Llywodraeth Cymru yn llwyr yw amseriad yr arian ychwanegol hwn gan ei fod yn dibynnu i raddau ar ba bryd y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn trosglwyddo'r arian, ond ceir peth oedi o hyd sy'n gwaethygu'r broblem. Pum mlynedd yw hyd tymor y Cynulliad. Mae ffigur bloc Cymru yn codi mewn termau real bob blwyddyn. A oes unrhyw beth deddfwriaethol sy'n eich atal rhag caniatáu i ysgolion gynllunio ar gylchoedd dwy flynedd gyda ffigur dangosol ar gyfer y drydedd flwyddyn mewn cylch a fyddai'n eu helpu i ddatrys problem arian ychwanegol a ddarperir yn hwyr, gan gynorthwyo ysgolion i gynllunio'n well, a diogelu eu harian rhag cael ei ysbeilio gan gynghorau i ddiwallu anghenion eraill?
Thank you very much for raising that. I'll explore the specific question you raised with my colleague the education Minister. I would say we are very sympathetic to the calls from the public sector for budgeting over a longer period whenever possible in order to have more straightforward financial planning. However, the continuing uncertainty that we are experiencing at the moment is causing a great deal of concern. We have the comprehensive spending review coming up later on this year. We still don't even know, at this point, what period that comprehensive spending review will cover. Despite this, we have ensured that the chief economist's report, which was published alongside the draft budget, does provide an analysis of the medium-term fiscal projections, so that will provide us with some of that information we need to predict, I suppose, as far as we best can, some of those scenarios moving forward, which you described as being useful for education. But, in relation to your specific question, I will have a discussion with the Minister.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am godi'r mater. Fe edrychaf ar y cwestiwn penodol a godoch gyda fy nghyd-Weinidog y Gweinidog Addysg. Buaswn yn dweud ein bod yn cydymdeimlo'n fawr â galwadau gan y sector cyhoeddus i gyllidebu dros gyfnod hwy lle bo modd er mwyn cael proses gynllunio ariannol fwy syml. Fodd bynnag, mae'r ansicrwydd parhaus sy'n ein hwynebu ar hyn o bryd yn peri cryn dipyn o bryder. Bydd yr adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant yn cael ei gynnal yn nes ymlaen eleni. Ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn dal i fod heb gael gwybod ar ba gyfnod y bydd yr adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant yn edrych hyd yn oed. Er hyn, rydym wedi sicrhau bod adroddiad y prif economegydd, a gyhoeddwyd ochr yn ochr â'r gyllideb ddrafft, yn darparu dadansoddiad o'r amcanestyniadau ariannol tymor canolig, felly mae'n debyg y bydd yn darparu rhywfaint o'r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnom er mwyn inni allu rhagweld hyd eithaf ein gallu wrth symud ymlaen rywfaint o'r senarios a ddisgrifiwyd gennych fel rhai sy'n ddefnyddiol ar gyfer addysg. Ond, o ran eich cwestiwn penodol, byddaf yn trafod gyda'r Gweinidog.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog Cyllid.
I thank the Minister for Finance.
A'r eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i Weinidog y Gymraeg a Chysylltiadau Rhyngwladol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Janet Finch-Saunders.
And the next item is questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language, and the first question comes from Janet Finch-Saunders.
1. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Addysg ynghylch rôl ysgolion o ran cyrraedd y targed o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050? OAQ53496
1. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Education on the role of schools in achieving the target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050? OAQ53496
I have regular discussions with my colleague the Minister for Education to ensure that, as a Government, we're all working together to create an education system to increase the number of Welsh speakers that supports and encourages the use of Welsh within schools, in communities and also in workplaces.
Rwy'n cael trafodaethau rheolaidd gyda fy nghyd-Weinidog y Gweinidog Addysg i sicrhau, fel Llywodraeth, ein bod yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i greu system addysg i gynyddu'r nifer o siaradwyr Cymraeg sy'n cefnogi ac yn annog y defnydd o'r Gymraeg mewn ysgolion, mewn cymunedau ac mewn gweithleoedd.
Thank you. According to the Welsh Government, Welsh-medium immersion education is the principal method for ensuring that children can develop their Welsh language skills and for the creation of new Welsh speakers. Now, I agree with the importance placed on Welsh-medium education, however, we are seeing the number of Welsh-medium schools fall from 434 in 2013 to 389 in 2018. Moreover, despite the number of children being taught in Welsh having increased, many are now concerned that the impact of Welsh-medium schools closing has not been fully considered. Therefore, what assessment have you made of the impact of these continuing school closures and the impact on the use of the Welsh language—how this is impacting on the use of the Welsh language and how it will ultimately impact on the aim of achieving a million speakers by 2050?
Diolch. Yn ôl Llywodraeth Cymru, addysg drochi cyfrwng Cymraeg yw'r prif ddull o sicrhau y gall plant ddatblygu eu sgiliau iaith Gymraeg a chreu siaradwyr Cymraeg newydd. Nawr, rwy'n cytuno â'r pwysigrwydd a roddir i addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg, fodd bynnag, gwelwn nifer yr ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn disgyn o 434 yn 2013 i 389 yn 2018. Yn ychwanegol at hynny, er bod nifer y plant sy'n cael eu haddysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg wedi cynyddu, mae llawer bellach yn poeni nad yw effaith cau ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg wedi'i hystyried yn llawn. Felly, pa asesiad a wnaethoch o effaith yr achosion parhaus hyn o gau ysgolion a'r effaith ar y defnydd o'r Gymraeg—sut y mae hyn yn effeithio ar y defnydd o'r Gymraeg a sut, yn y pen draw, y bydd yn effeithio ar y nod o gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050?
Well, thank you, and thanks for your interest in this area. I think what we've got to do is to keep an eye on the big picture, which is how we increase the number of Welsh speakers in our schools. And what's important, therefore, is the number of pupils, rather than the number of schools. And that's why we're focusing very much on increasing the number of pupils who are having their education entirely through the medium of Welsh from 20 per cent to 40 per cent by 2050. And what we have is a very clear trajectory in terms of how we're going to make that happen. That's why we have allocated an extra £46 million in terms of capital funding to open new schools, to allow an extension of schools that already exist, because the demand is there. What we are doing is to create, for example, an extra 2,800 school places with that extra money that we've given. That's 41 extra projects. So, I think that the key thing, as far as I can see, is to keep our eye on not just meeting the demand, but what we're trying to do now is to get ahead of the demand. That's why we've created the Welsh education strategic plans so that we are asking councils to actually create the demand, rather than just meet the demand. And it's a very different philosophy and a different approach. And what's great is it's really transformed the way that local government in Wales is thinking in relation to the provision of Welsh-medium education.
Wel, diolch, a diolch am eich diddordeb yn y maes hwn. Credaf mai'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yw cadw golwg ar y darlun mawr, sef sut rydym yn cynyddu nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg yn ein hysgolion. A'r hyn sy'n bwysig, felly, yw nifer y disgyblion, yn hytrach na nifer yr ysgolion. A dyna pam rydym yn canolbwyntio i raddau helaeth ar gynyddu nifer y disgyblion sy'n cael eu haddysg yn gyfan gwbl drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg o 20 y cant i 40 y cant erbyn 2050. A'r hyn sydd gennym yw trywydd clir iawn o ran y modd yr ydym yn mynd i sicrhau bod hynny'n digwydd. Dyna pam rydym wedi dyrannu £46 miliwn o gyllid cyfalaf ychwanegol i agor ysgolion newydd, i adeiladu estyniadau mewn ysgolion sy'n bodoli eisoes, gan fod y galw yno. Yr hyn rydym yn ei wneud yw creu, er enghraifft, 2,800 o leoedd ysgol ychwanegol gyda'r arian ychwanegol hwnnw rydym wedi'i ddarparu. Mae hynny'n 41 o brosiectau ychwanegol. Felly, credaf mai'r peth allweddol, hyd y gwelaf, yw cadw golwg nid yn unig ar ateb y galw, ond yr hyn rydym yn ceisio'i wneud yn awr yw achub y blaen ar y galw. Dyna pam rydym wedi creu'r cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg fel ein bod yn gofyn i gynghorau greu'r galw, yn hytrach nag ateb y galw'n unig. Ac mae'n athroniaeth wahanol iawn ac yn ymagwedd wahanol. A'r peth gwych yw bod hyn wedi trawsnewid y ffordd y mae llywodraeth leol yng Nghymru yn meddwl mewn perthynas â darpariaeth addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg.
Minister, I recently met with the headteachers of the Welsh-medium schools from Bridgend county borough, who were concerned over the impact cuts were having on Welsh-medium education. Upon visiting Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd, I was shocked at the poor state of repair of the building and the school's resources. Minister, what assessment have you made of the impact local authority cuts are having on the ability to teach through the medium of Welsh and the effect that will have on the wider goal of creating a million Welsh speakers?
Weinidog, yn ddiweddar, cyfarfûm â phenaethiaid yr ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg o fwrdeistref sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ac roeddent yn pryderu ynghylch yr effaith roedd toriadau yn ei chael ar addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Wrth ymweld ag Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd, cefais fy synnu gan gyflwr gwael yr adeilad ac adnoddau'r ysgol. Weinidog, pa asesiad a wnaethoch o'r effaith y mae toriadau awdurdodau lleol yn ei chael ar y gallu i addysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg a'r effaith a gaiff hynny ar y nod ehangach o greu miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg?
Thank you. I'm sure that the Member is aware that, actually, unlike in England, we have given a massive injection of money to really transform the provision of school estates in Wales. It's something that is absolutely the envy of the rest of the United Kingdom. So I don't think we've got anything to be ashamed of in this area.
Now, of course, there are still some schools where we do need to ensure that we improve the facilities, and there is a programme of work that is being undertaken. There is an order of priorities, based on the conditions of the schools, largely. But, as I say, what we've done recently is to provide this additional funding specifically for Welsh language schools because there is increasing demand. So, I think we should be really proud of the fact that that capital expenditure that simply doesn't exist in England that is transforming not just our educational establishments but also is having an impact on the economy in the area because we've got local people building those schools, apprentices. So, there's a lot, I think, we should be proud of.
Diolch. Rwy'n siŵr fod yr Aelod yn ymwybodol, mewn gwirionedd, yn wahanol i Loegr, ein bod wedi rhoi chwistrelliad enfawr o arian er mwyn trawsnewid darpariaeth ystadau ysgolion yng Nghymru. Mae'n rhywbeth sy'n destun cenfigen i weddill y Deyrnas Unedig. Felly ni chredaf fod gennym unrhyw beth i fod â chywilydd ohono y maes hwn.
Nawr, wrth gwrs, ceir rhai ysgolion o hyd lle mae angen inni sicrhau ein bod yn gwella'r cyfleusterau, ac mae rhaglen waith yn mynd rhagddi. Trefnir y blaenoriaethau ar sail cyflwr yr ysgolion i raddau helaeth. Ond fel y dywedaf, yr hyn rydym wedi'i wneud yn ddiweddar yw darparu'r arian ychwanegol hwn yn benodol ar gyfer ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg gan fod y galw'n cynyddu. Felly, credaf y dylem fod yn falch iawn o'r ffaith nad yw'r gwariant cyfalaf hwnnw'n bodoli yn Lloegr, a'i fod yn trawsnewid nid yn unig ein sefydliadau addysgol ond hefyd mae'n effeithio ar yr economi yn yr ardal gan fod gennym bobl leol yn adeiladu'r ysgolion hynny, prentisiaid. Felly, mae llawer y dylem fod yn falch ohono yn fy marn i.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar gyflawniad Cynllun Gweithredu 2018-19 Cymraeg 2050: Miliwn o Siaradwyr? OAQ53484
2. Will the Minister provide an update on the delivery of the 2018-2019 Action Plan Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers? OAQ53484
Mae cynllun gweithredu 2018-19 strategaeth Cymraeg 2050 yn seiliedig ar raglen waith 2017-21. Byddwn yn adrodd ar y cynnydd yn erbyn yr amcanion yn yr hydref wedi i ni gasglu a dadansoddi’r data. Mae’r amcanion yn canolbwyntio ar greu galw, cynyddu'r niferoedd a chynyddu defnydd.
The 2018-19 action plan, Cymraeg 2050, is based on the 2017-21 work programme. We will be reporting on progress against the objectives in the autumn, having gathered and analysed the data, and the objectives focus on creating demand, increasing numbers and increasing use of the language.
Diolch. Edrychwn ymlaen at y diweddariad yna, felly. Yn ôl eich rhagflaenydd, Alun Davies, un o ddibenion Bil y Gymraeg oedd, a dwi'n dyfynnu,
‘creu sefydliad o'r radd flaenaf a rhyngwladol ei fri a fyddai'n dwyn ynghyd y màs critigol o dalent ac arbenigedd i arwain cynllunio ieithyddol i lefel newydd ehangach a mwy soffistigedig.’
Er bod y Bil wedi mynd erbyn hyn, ydych chi'n cytuno ein bod ni'n parhau i fod angen corff hyd braich o Lywodraeth, yn ychwanegol at y comisiynydd, i wneud y gwaith cynllunio iaith y mae Alun Davies a minnau'n credu sy'n angenrheidiol i lwyddiant eich strategaeth miliwn o siaradwyr?
Thank you. I look forward to that update. According to your predecessor, Alun Davies, one of the purposes of the Welsh language Bill was, and I quote,
to create an institution of the best possible quality and of international level that would bring together the necessary critical mass of talent and expertise to lead language planning to a new, broader and more sophisticated level.
Although the Bill has now been withdrawn, do you agree that we continue to need an arm’s-length body in addition to the commissioner in order to carry out that language-planning work that Alun Davies and myself believe is necessary for the success of your million Welsh speakers strategy?
Wel, dwi'n derbyn bod angen i ni wneud lot mwy yn y maes cynllunio ieithyddol. Dwi wedi gofyn i'r swyddogion ddod ymlaen â syniadau ataf fi ynglŷn â lle fyddai'r lle mwyaf priodol i osod hynny. Dwi'n awyddus i drafod gydag arbenigwyr yn y maes i weld ble yw'r lle gorau. Mae rhai yn credu dylai fe fod yn hyd braich o'r Llywodraeth. Mae rhai eraill yn dweud, 'Actually, mae'n rhaid iddo fe fod yn rili agos at y Llywodraeth achos dyna ble mae'r levers i gael i wneud y newidiadau.' Felly, dwi'n awyddus i weld beth yw'r opsiynau yn gyntaf cyn gwneud penderfyniad ar ble ddylai'r sefydliad neu'r arbenigwyr newydd yma fod o fewn y system, ai tu fewn y system neu led braich.
Well, I accept that we do need to do much more in the field of language planning. I have asked officials to bring forward ideas to me about where would be most appropriate to set that. I am eager to discuss with experts in the field to see where the best place for that function is, as some believe that is should be at an arm’s length from Government, but others say, 'Actually it needs to be very close to Government, because that’s where the levers are to make changes.' So, I’m eager to see what the options are first of all before making a decision on where the institution or this new expertise should lie within the system, whether it’s within the system itself or at arm’s length.
Un nod i'r cynllun yw, wrth gwrs, cynyddu darpariaeth dysgu Cymraeg ar ôl 16 i helpu pobl i ddefnyddio mwy o Gymraeg yn y gweithle, ac rwyf fi'n falch—rwy'n credu fy mod i'n falch anyway—i weld syniadau fel llinell ffôn cymorth i helpu darparu gwasanaethau cyfieithu am ddim i fusnesau bach ac elusennau, er enghraifft, ond cam bach iawn, iawn yw hynny tuag at darged 2050. Beth ydych chi'n ei ddweud wrth fusnesau bach tebyg, sydd ddim wedi clywed am neu gan eich swyddogion Cymraeg i fusnes am sut i fanteisio ar adnoddau bach fel y llinell ffôn cymorth, heb sôn am gymryd y naid i fod yn cymryd o ddifrif y ffaith bod gyda nhw rhywbeth i wneud i helpu creu'r nifer o bobl sy'n siarad Cymraeg i gyrraedd y targed?
One aim of the strategy is to increase the provision of post-16 Welsh learning to help people use more of the Welsh language in the workplace. I think I’m pleased to see ideas such as a telephone helpline to help provide free translation services to small businesses and charities, for example, but that is a very small step towards the target of a million Welsh speakers in 2050. What do you tell these small businesses who aren’t aware of your Welsh for Business officials or haven’t heard from them how they can take best advantage of small resources such as that helpline, never mind taking that leap to take seriously the fact that they have a role in creating or increasing the number of Welsh speakers and reaching that million Welsh speaker target?
Diolch yn fawr. Dwi'n meddwl bod lot o waith yn cael ei wneud yn y maes yma, ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r gwaith yna'n cael ei wneud gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Un o'r pethau rŷn ni wedi gwneud, wrth gwrs, yw cael hyd i tua 12 o bobl sy'n mynd o gwmpas Cymru i roi cyngor i bobl ym maes busnes ynglŷn â sut maen nhw'n gallu ehangu defnydd o'r Gymraeg tu fewn i'r gweithle. Wrth gwrs, mae hefyd gyda ni ddarpariaeth i bobl ddysgu Cymraeg yn y gweithle, a dwi'n awyddus iawn i sicrhau bod pobl yn gwybod am y gwasanaethau hyn, a dyna'r sialens nawr. Nawr, rŷn ni eisoes yn gwneud lot i sicrhau bod pobl yn gwybod am y llinell ffôn. Dwi'n meddwl bod rhaid i ni wneud mwy o fasnach yn y maes yma i sicrhau—. Mae hynny yn digwydd eisoes, ond, wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid i ni drio gwneud mwy i godi'r profile fel bod pobl yn ymwybodol bod y gwasanaeth yma'n bodoli.
Thank you very much. I think that a great deal of work is being done in this field, and the majority of that work is being done by the Welsh Government. One of the things we have done, of course, is to find about 12 people who go around Wales providing advice to people in the field of business about how they can expand their use of the Welsh language within the workplace. Of course, we also have provision for people to learn Welsh in the workplace, and I’m very eager to ensure that people are aware of these services. That’s the challenge now. We are already doing a great deal to ensure that people know about the telephone helpline. I think we need to do more marketing in this field to ensure—and that is already happening, but, of course, we need to try to do more to raise the profile, so that people are ware that this service exists.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Darren Millar.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Conservative spokesperson, Darren Millar.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, can I ask you—? As 29 March approaches, there will clearly be some opportunities for Wales as well as some of the concerns that have been raised. One of those opportunities is the opportunity for the United Kingdom to strike its own trade deals with other nations around the world. What are you doing as a Welsh Government to make sure that Wales can be at the vanguard of those trade decisions and the opportunities that they might present?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, a gaf i ofyn—? Wrth i 29 Mawrth agosáu, yn amlwg, ceir rhai cyfleoedd i Gymru yn ogystal â rhai o'r pryderon a godwyd. Un o'r cyfleoedd hynny yw'r cyfle i'r Deyrnas Unedig lunio ei chytundebau masnach ei hun â gwledydd eraill ledled y byd. Beth a wnewch fel Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau y gall Cymru fod ar flaen y gad o ran y penderfyniadau masnach hynny a'r cyfleoedd y gallent eu cynnig?
Well, we're already having extensive conversations with the Minister responsible in the Department for International Trade about how we can engage with the process. So, we're in the process of establishing a very formal structure, so that we can not only have an input into what should be the priority areas for the Welsh Government, in terms of countries that will have an impact—and they won't necessarily always be the same thing as the rest of the United Kingdom. The United States, for example, is at the top of the list for the United Kingdom; that's not necessarily where we would have our priority at the moment. So, we want to be able to influence, first of all, who we make trade deals with, but then to influence the debate, and the question then is to what extent we can influence that—can we be at the table, which of course would be our preferred option? If not, then how close can we get to the negotiation? But one thing we made absolutely clear, and that is, if there's any area where there's a devolved responsibility, we would expect to be a part of that discussion before they enter into conversation with any third country.
Wel, rydym eisoes yn cael trafodaethau helaeth gyda'r Gweinidog cyfrifol yn yr Adran Masnach Ryngwladol ynglŷn â sut y gallwn gymryd rhan yn y broses. Felly, rydym wrthi'n sefydlu strwythur ffurfiol iawn, fel y gallwn nid yn unig gyfrannu at yr hyn a ddylai fod yn feysydd blaenoriaethol i Lywodraeth Cymru, o ran y gwledydd a fydd yn cael effaith—ac ni fyddant bob amser yr un peth â gweddill y Deyrnas Unedig, o reidrwydd. Mae'r Unol Daleithiau, er enghraifft, ar frig y rhestr ar gyfer y Deyrnas Unedig; nid dyna lle byddai ein blaenoriaeth ni o reidrwydd ar hyn o bryd. Felly, rydym am allu dylanwadu, yn gyntaf oll, ar bwy rydym yn llunio cytundebau masnach â hwy, ond yna dylanwadu ar y ddadl, a'r cwestiwn wedyn yw i ba raddau y gallwn ddylanwadu arni—a allwn fod wrth y bwrdd, sef wrth gwrs, yr opsiwn a ffafrir gennym? Os na allwn, pa mor agos y gallwn fod i'r broses o negodi? Ond rydym wedi dweud un peth yn hollol glir, sef y byddem yn disgwyl bod yn rhan o unrhyw drafodaeth ynglŷn ag unrhyw faes lle ceir cyfrifoldeb datganoledig cyn iddynt ddechrau trafod ag unrhyw wlad arall.
I'm very pleased to see that you've recognised the need to be at the table, and it's been interesting to see the noises that have been made by Business Wales, which have obviously been encouraging and promoting trade, in a very different way to the sorts of messages that we've heard in this Chamber from the First Minister and members of the Cabinet on occasions, which have been predominantly very negative about Brexit and the opportunities that it might present. Now, my party, of course, has put forward a suggestion that there ought to be trade envoys in many different parts of the world, shouting up for Wales, involved in the discussions, working very closely with British embassies in those different nations of the world where trade opportunities are there for Welsh businesses. What consideration have you given as a Welsh Government not just to supporting the infrastructure that you have already in the Welsh Government offices in different nations, but supporting the infrastructure within British embassies too, to make sure that the Welsh voice—the distinctive Welsh voice—is heard?
Rwy'n falch iawn o weld eich bod wedi cydnabod yr angen i fod wrth y bwrdd, a bu'n ddiddorol gweld y synau a wnaed gan Busnes Cymru, sy'n amlwg wedi bod yn annog a hyrwyddo masnach mewn ffordd wahanol iawn i'r mathau o negeseuon a glywsom yn y Siambr hon gan y Prif Weinidog ac aelodau o'r Cabinet ar brydiau, negeseuon sydd wedi bod yn negyddol iawn ar y cyfan ynghylch Brexit a'r cyfleoedd y gallai eu cynnig. Nawr, wrth gwrs, mae fy mhlaid i wedi awgrymu y dylid cael cynrychiolwyr masnach mewn sawl rhan wahanol o'r byd, yn hyrwyddo Cymru, yn cymryd rhan yn y trafodaethau, yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda llysgenadaethau Prydain mewn gwahanol wledydd lle ceir cyfleoedd masnach i fusnesau Cymru. Pa ystyriaeth a roddwyd gennych fel Llywodraeth Cymru nid yn unig i gefnogi'r seilwaith sydd gennych eisoes yn swyddfeydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn y gwahanol wledydd, ond i gefnogi'r seilwaith o fewn llysgenadaethau Prydain hefyd, i sicrhau bod llais Cymru—llais arbennig Cymru—yn cael ei glywed?
Thank you, Darren. I don't want you to get the impression that I'm keen to be making trade deals with other countries for the sake of it. I am absolutely clear that the priority for the Welsh Government should be in ensuring that the most important trade relationship—our relationship with the European Union, where 60 per cent of our goods goes—should be the priority, above all other priorities. And it is, I think, very disturbing that we are less than 30 days away from a situation where we could be leaving the EU with absolutely no idea about what that relationship looks like. So, I have huge concerns about that relationship. But, in the meantime, we understand that there are conversations going on by the UK Government, and we don't want to be left out of those. So, I just want to make sure that that's clear.
In terms of trade envoys, I think that you're absolutely right—there's a real opportunity. One of the things that I'm clear about is that, actually, we have Welsh people all over the world who have great expertise in a lot of areas, and we need to be using that expertise in a way where some of our generalist officials can't get us into the kind of top-level companies. But if we have people who have contacts, they can get us to the absolute top in these organisations. So, we will be working on how we develop a diaspora strategy—what is our relationship. But I'm absolutely clear that that diaspora, and those trade envoys, whatever form those take—so, it may be something very unofficial, it could be something a little bit more formal; we still have yet to map out what that might look like—are absolutely key.
But the other thing that you point out, which I absolutely agree with, is that what we have is a network of British embassies around the world, where they are massively resourced, and we need them to be doing a lot more work for us. So, we will be doing a lot of work in really trying to give them a lot more guidance in terms of what we're looking for from them as a Welsh Government.
Diolch, Darren. Nid wyf am i chi fod o dan yr argraff fy mod yn awyddus i wneud cytundebau masnach â gwledydd eraill er ei fwyn ei hun yn unig. Rwy'n gwbl argyhoeddedig mai blaenoriaeth Llywodraeth Cymru yw sicrhau bod y berthynas fasnach bwysicaf—ein perthynas gyda'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, lle'r aiff 60 y cant o'n nwyddau—y dylai honno fod yn flaenoriaeth uwch na'r holl flaenoriaethau eraill. A chredaf ei bod yn warthus ein bod lai na 30 diwrnod i ffwrdd o sefyllfa lle gallem fod yn gadael yr UE heb unrhyw syniad o gwbl sut beth yw'r berthynas honno. Felly, mae gennyf bryderon enfawr ynglŷn â'r berthynas honno. Ond yn y cyfamser, rydym yn deall bod Llywodraeth y DU yn cael trafodaethau, ac nid ydym am gael ein gadael allan ohonynt. Felly, hoffwn sicrhau bod hynny'n gwbl glir.
O ran cynrychiolwyr masnach, credaf eich bod yn llygad eich lle—mae cyfle go iawn i'w gael. Un o'r pethau rwy'n argyhoeddedig yn eu cylch, mewn gwirionedd, yw bod gennym bobl o Gymru ledled y byd sydd ag arbenigedd gwych mewn sawl maes, ac mae angen inni ddefnyddio'r arbenigedd hwnnw mewn ffordd lle na all rhai o'n swyddogion cyffredinol ein rhoi mewn cysylltiad â'r cwmnïau ar y lefel uchaf. Ond os oes gennym bobl â chysylltiadau, gallant ein rhoi mewn cysylltiad â'r bobl ar frig y sefydliadau hyn. Felly, byddwn yn gweithio ar sut y gallwn ddatblygu strategaeth ddiaspora—beth yw ein perthynas. Ond rwy'n gwbl argyhoeddedig y dylai'r diaspora, a'r cynrychiolwyr masnach, ar ba ffurf bynnag—felly, gall fod yn rhywbeth answyddogol iawn, gall fod yn rhywbeth ychydig yn fwy ffurfiol; nid ydym wedi mapio sut y gallai hynny edrych eto—yn gwbl allweddol.
Ond y peth arall a nodwch, a chytunaf yn llwyr ag ef, yw bod gennym rwydwaith o lysgenadaethau Prydeinig ym mhob cwr o'r byd, lle mae ganddynt adnoddau aruthrol, ac mae angen inni sicrhau eu bod yn gwneud llawer mwy o waith ar ein rhan. Felly, byddwn yn gwneud llawer o waith i geisio rhoi llawer mwy o arweiniad iddynt o ran yr hyn rydym yn ei ddisgwyl ganddynt fel Llywodraeth Cymru.
Clearly, Minister, there are businesses in Wales that are already trading with the wider world, even in the absence of distinctive trade deals with many of those nations. What work are you going to do to harness the opportunities that that presents, where people have already got a foothold, if you like, into trading with some of these very significant economies around the world where there aren't already trade deals in place? I'm thinking particularly of Australasia, other parts of the North American market. I heard what you said about North America not being a priority for the Welsh Government in the future. I think that that is a great disappointment actually, because I think there are huge opportunities for Welsh businesses in North America. Of course, we have got to make sure that any future trade deal is in good shape and is in the right shape to benefit Wales, but clearly there are opportunities because of existing business relationships. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the CBI, with the FSB, with the Institute of Directors, to make sure that we're harnessing the existing relationships that are already there, not just in terms of the diaspora, but in terms of those existing discussions that are already taking place and trading relationships that are already available to us?
Yn amlwg, Weinidog, ceir busnesau yng Nghymru sydd eisoes yn masnachu â gweddill y byd, hyd yn oed yn absenoldeb cytundebau masnach penodol gyda llawer o'r gwledydd hynny. Pa waith y bwriadwch ei wneud i fanteisio ar y cyfleoedd a ddaw yn sgil hynny, lle mae pobl eisoes wedi cael troed ar yr ysgol, os mynnwch, wrth fasnachu gyda rhai economïau sylweddol iawn ledled y byd lle nad oes cytundebau masnach ar waith yn barod? Rwy'n meddwl yn benodol am Awstralasia a rhannau eraill o farchnad Gogledd America. Clywais yr hyn a ddywedoch ynglŷn â'r syniad na fydd Gogledd America yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru yn y dyfodol. Credaf fod hynny'n siomedig iawn mewn gwirionedd, gan y credaf fod cyfleoedd enfawr i fusnesau Cymru yng Ngogledd America. Wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau bod unrhyw gytundebau masnach yn y dyfodol yn rhai da ac yn rhai priodol i fod o fudd i Gymru, ond mae'n amlwg bod cyfleoedd i'w cael oherwydd cysylltiadau busnes presennol. Pa drafodaethau a gafodd Llywodraeth Cymru gyda Chydffederasiwn Diwydiant Prydain, gyda'r Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach, gyda Sefydliad y Cyfarwyddwyr, i sicrhau ein bod yn manteisio ar y cysylltiadau sydd yno eisoes, nid yn unig o ran y diaspora, ond o ran y trafodaethau sy'n mynd rhagddynt eisoes a'r cysylltiadau masnach sydd eisoes ar gael i ni?
Well, I actually don't think you always need a trade agreement to be having very strong trade relationships. An example of that is the United States. So, we have more investment from the United States into Wales than any other country around the world. I'm not saying that we shouldn't trade with the United States; I'm just saying we don't necessarily think having a trade agreement is the priority. What I think we can do, and what we are doing already, is to put Welsh companies that have an interest in expanding into the US market in touch with operators in that market who are already there who have Welsh contacts, who can get them into a level of discussion and debate in terms of how to access the market, and what we have to do is duplicate that around the world. So, part of what we need to be doing in the next few months and years is to just make sure that that database of contacts is really up to speed so we know exactly who is actioning where and who has got the appetite to help us as a nation.
Wel, ni chredaf fod angen cytundeb masnach arnoch bob amser er mwyn cael cysylltiadau masnach cryf iawn. Un enghraifft o hynny yw'r Unol Daleithiau. Felly, mae gennym fwy o fuddsoddiad yng Nghymru o'r Unol Daleithiau nag unrhyw wlad arall yn y byd. Nid wyf yn dweud na ddylem fasnachu gyda'r Unol Daleithiau; rwy'n dweud nad ydym o reidrwydd o'r farn fod cael cytundeb masnach yn flaenoriaeth. Yr hyn y credaf y gallwn ei wneud, a'r hyn rydym yn ei wneud eisoes, yw rhoi cwmnïau o Gymru sydd â diddordeb mewn ehangu i mewn i farchnad yr Unol Daleithiau mewn cysylltiad â gweithredwyr yn y farchnad honno sydd eisoes yno ac sydd â chysylltiadau Cymreig, a all sicrhau eu bod yn cyrraedd lefel o drafodaeth a dadl o ran sut i gael mynediad at y farchnad, a'r hyn sy'n rhaid inni ei wneud yw efelychu hynny ledled y byd. Felly, rhan o'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud dros yr ychydig fisoedd a blynyddoedd nesaf yw sicrhau bod y gronfa ddata honno o gysylltiadau yn effeithiol iawn fel ein bod yn gwybod pwy yn union sy'n gweithredu yn lle a phwy sydd â'r awydd i'n cynorthwyo fel cenedl.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth Jewell.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.
Diolch, Llywydd. Rwy'n siwr bod cefnogwyr ar hyd a lled y wlad wedi bod yn dilyn datblygiadau ym myd rygbi Cymru'r wythnos hon gyda chymysgedd o ddryswch, cyffro, gobaith ac ofn. Bydd trigolion y gogledd yn siwr o fod wrth eu boddau bod posibiliad y byddan nhw'n cael rhanbarth proffesiynol o'r diwedd, a fyddai'n golygu bydd rygbi yn gwbl broffesiynol ar lefel genedlaethol gan ysgogi cyfleon ar gyfer datblygu chwaraewyr ifanc ar gyfer y dyfodol. Ond, daeth ymateb chwyrn gan gefngwyr y Scarlets a'r Gweilch, gyda phryderon y bydd y cynlluniau yn dinistrio hunaniaeth y timau maen nhw wedi eu dilyn ers amser maith, ac yn niweidio'r gêm ar lefel llawr gwlad. Hoffwn ofyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog pa drafodaethau sydd wedi eu cynnal rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru ac Undeb Rygbi Cymru ynghylch y cynlluniau ac a oes gwirionedd y tu ôl i'r adroddiadau bod yr undeb wedi gofyn am gymorth ariannol gan y Llywodraeth er mwyn bwrw'r cynlluniau yn eu blaen.
Thank you, Llywydd. I’m sure that supporters the length and breadth of the nation have been following developments in the world of rugby in Wales this week with a mixture of confusion, excitement, hope and fear. Residents of north Wales will be delighted there’s a possibility they will receive a professional region at last, which would mean that rugby would be entirely professional on a national level, providing opportunities to develop young players for the future. But, there was a different response from supporters of the Ospreys and Scarlets with concerns that the plans would destroy the identity of the teams that they’ve followed for a long time, or would damage the game at a grass-roots level. I’d like to ask the Deputy Minister what discussions have been held between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Rugby Union about these plans and whether there is truth behind the report that the union has asked for financial support from the Government to continue with these plans.
Gaf i yn gyntaf ateb rhan ola'r cwestiwn? Does yna ddim unrhyw gais am gymorth ariannol ychwanegol wedi dod i Lywodraeth Cymru eleni gan yr undeb rygbi. Rydym ni wedi cyfrannu i'r undeb y swm arferol, £880,000—£853,000, mae'n ddrwg gen i—eleni. Dŷn ni hefyd wedi cyfrannu tuag at Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy, lle rydw i yn digwydd byw—mae'n well i mi ddatgan didddordeb felly—ar gyfer gwaith i ddatblygu Parc Eirias. Mae hwnna'n fuddsoddiad cyfalafol.
Dwi'n siarad yn gyson â'r undeb rygbi, fel rydw i'n siarad â Chymdeithas Bêl Droed Cymru a nifer o fudiadau chwaraeon a thimau a chymdeithasau o bob math, ac, wrth gwrs, Chwaraeon Cymru. Ond does yna ddim trafodaethau wedi bod, a byddwn i ddim yn disgwyl trafodaethau, gan ei bod yn amlwg i fi nad yw'r undeb rygbi unwaith eto na'r rhanbarthau wedi cytuno beth maen nhw'n dymuno ei wneud. Fel un sydd yn cofio'r trafodaethau a fu o'r blaen, yn ôl yn nechrau 2003 yn arbennig, dwi'n meddwl ei bod yn bwysig iawn bod y trafodaethau yma yn cael eu cynnal rhwng y clybiau ac, wrth gwrs, y bwrdd proffesiynol newydd fel y gallan nhw ganfod ffordd ymlaen cyn eu bod nhw yn ystyried unrhyw fath o gyllid. Dwi'n dymuno'n dda iddyn nhw yn y broses o wneud hynny, oherwydd dwi eisiau gweld cryfhau'r gêm. Ond, mae eisiau ei chryfhau hi drwy Gymru, ac rydw i'n dal i edrych ar lwyddiant Iwerddon—y sefyllfa ddiddorol yno—lle mae'r timoedd rhanbarthol yn cael eu perchnogi gan yr undeb rygbi. Dyw e ddim yn lle i fi, fel Gweinidog chwaraeon, i argymell unrhyw lwybr o'r natur yna yng Nghymru, ond mae yna fodelau gwahanol o gefnogaeth yn bosib.
May I first of all answer the last part of the question? There has been no application for additional financial support made to the Welsh Government this year from the WRU. We have contributed the usual sum to the union, which is £880,000—I apologise, £853,000 this year. We have also contributed towards Conwy County Borough Council, where I happen to reside—I should perhaps declare an interest as a result of that—for work on the development of Parc Eirias. That is a capital investment.
I do regularly speak to the rugby union as I do with the Football Association of Wales and a number of other sporting bodies and associations of all kinds, and, of course, Sport Wales too. But there have been no negotiations, and I wouldn’t expect there to be, because it’s clear to me that the WRU or the regions have yet to agree what they wish to do. As one who recalls the discussions of the past, back at the beginning of 2003 particularly, I think it’s important that these negotiations happen between the clubs and the new professional board so that they can find a way forward before they consider any sort of funding. I wish them well in the process of doing that, because I do want to see the game strengthened. But, it needs to be strengthened the length and breadth of Wales, and I am still looking at the success of Ireland, and the very interesting situation there, where the regional teams are owned by the rugby union there. Now, it’s not my role, as sports Minister, to suggest any such approach in Wales, but there are different models of support that are possible.
Rwy'n diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei ateb. Hoffwn droi y nawr at y maes darlledu. Yr wythnos diwethaf, clywsom y bydd darllediadau boreol Cymreig ar orsafoedd Heart a Capital yn cael eu dirwyn i ben, gyda darllediad Prydeinig yn cael ei ddarparu yn eu lle. Yn amlwg, roedd llawer o bobl yn siomedig tu hwnt â'r cyhoeddiad hwn. Y rheswm pam bod y cwmni rhiant Global wedi gallu sgrapio’r rhaglenni hyn yw bod Ofcom yn ddiweddar wedi llacio rheolau er mwyn lleihau y nifer gofynnol o ddarllediadau sydd wedi eu creu yn lleol.
Yn ogystal, mae llawer o sylw wedi bod i'r rhaglen BBC Cymru newydd, Pitching In—rhaglen wedi ei hysgrifennu yn Lloegr, o bersbectif Saesnig, gyda hunaniaeth Ynys Môn, lle mae'r rhaglen wedi ei lleoli, yn cael ei neilltuo'n llwyr. Yn wir, mae'r prin gymeriadau Cymreig ar y rhaglen ag acenion y Cymoedd ac mae’r rhaglen yn portreadu darlun o'r gogledd-orllewin sy'n gwbl ddieithr i drigolion yr ardal. Mae Ofcom hyd yma wedi gwrthod gosod rheoliadau o ran gorfodi cynhyrchwyr rhaglenni o'r fath i gastio'n lleol. Petai hyn yn digwydd, byddai'n osgoi llanast o'r fath rhag digwydd eto gan y byddai lleisiau lleol yn cael eu clywed o'r dechrau. Dro ar ôl tro, mae rheoleiddwyr Llundeinig yn blaenoriaethu buddiannau cwmnïau masnachol cyfoethog yn hytrach na lles dinasyddion Cymru. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cymryd hyd yma i roi pwysau ar Ofcom i ystyried lles cynulleidfaoedd a'r sector greadigol Gymreig wrth wneud penderfyniadau, a pha gamau rydych chi'n bwriadu eu cymryd yn y dyfodol er mwyn dadwneud y niwed hwn a cheisio sicrhau y bydd blaenoriaethau Cymru yn cael gwell gwrandawiad yn y dyfodol?
I thank the Deputy Minister for his response. I’d like to now turn to broadcasting. Last week, we heard that Welsh morning broadcasts on the Heart and Capital networks will be brought to an end, with British broadcasts provided in their place. Clearly, many people were extremely disappointed with this announcement. The reason that the parent company, Global, has been able to scrap these programmes is that Ofcom has recently slackened the rules in order to decrease the required number of locally produced broadcasts.
In addition, there’s been a great deal of attention given to Pitching In, the new BBC programme—a programme written in England, from an English perspective, with the identity of Anglesey, where the programme is located, being ignored. Many characters in the programme have Valleys accents, and the programme portrays an image of north Wales that is entirely foreign to local residents. Ofcom has rejected making regulations that would force producers of programmes of this kind to cast local actors. If this were to happen, it would avoid such a mess arising again, because local voices would be heard from the beginning. Time and again, regulators in London prioritise the interests of wealthy commercial companies over the benefits and interests of the people of Wales. What steps has the Welsh Government taken to put pressure on Ofcom to consider the interests of audiences and the creative sector in Wales in making decisions, and what steps do you intend to take in future to undo this damage and to try to ensure that Welsh interests will have a better hearing in future?
Mae gan Ofcom gynrychiolydd o Gymru ar fwrdd Ofcom yn ganolog. Mae gan Ofcom hefyd bwyllgor ymgynghorol sy'n cynrychioli Cymru. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y materion yma yn cael eu trafod yn y ffordd briodol o fewn y cyrff yna.
Fel mae'n digwydd, mae gen i un o fy nghyfarfodydd rheolaidd efo Ofcom yn digwydd yn ystod y pythefnos sydd yn dod ac mi fyddaf i'n sicr yn gwrando i gael gwybod yn fanylach sut y mae Ofcom yng Nghymru yn ceisio dylanwadu ar Ofcom yng ngweddill y Deyrnas Unedig. Dwi ddim yn meddwl bod y drefn sydd gyda rheoleiddio darlledu yn drefn sydd yn gweithredu er lles darlledu Cymreig ar ei orau, ac felly dwi'n awyddus i weld unrhyw argymhellion sy'n bosib eu gwneud i gryfhau'r sefyllfa. Ac os yw hi'n wir—i ateb yr ail gwestiwn neu'r trydydd cwestiwn—fod y lleihad mewn deunydd Cymraeg a dwyieithog—a gwnaf orffen nawr mewn dau funud—neu nifer yr achlysuron darlledu Cymraeg a dwyieithog ar radio masnachol lleol wedi lleihau oherwydd penderfyniad gan Ofcom, yna dwi'n meddwl bod hwn yn fater y dylem ni allu ei drafod yn fanwl gydag Ofcom.
Mae gen i rywfaint o brofiad yn y maes yma fel cyn-gyfarwyddwr cwmni Marcher a greodd yr orsaf radio nid anenwog yn ei ddydd, Champion FM, yng Nghaernarfon. A dyma'r pwynt roeddwn i am ei wneud: bwriad yr orsaf honno oedd darlledu yn ddwyieithog. Hynny yw, darlledu yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg mewn brawddegau gwahanol ond agos at ei gilydd gan gynnwys, wrth gwrs, lawer iawn o gerddoriaeth yn y ddwy iaith er mwyn creu radio masnachol dwyieithog y byddai pobl mewn cymdeithas lle mae'r iaith yn cael ei newid yn gyson ar draws yr ardal—bod yr ieithoedd yna yn cael eu gwrando fel bod mwy o bobl yn gwrando ar Gymraeg nad sydd efallai yn gwrando ar ddarllediadau Cymraeg yn benodol, fel rydym ni'n eu cael gan y BBC, gan Radio Cymru.
Felly, dwi'n meddwl bod yna lawer mwy o waith i'w wneud yn y maes yma ynglŷn â sut ydym ni'n cynyddu'r dwyieithrwydd sydd yn ein darlledu ni mewn ffordd sydd yn sicrhau bod y gynulleidfa, sydd yn raddol gynyddu o bobl ddwyieithog, yn gallu defnyddio'r cyfrwng a manteisio a chlywed y Gymraeg a Saesneg Cymreig—mae hynna'n bwysig hefyd—yn hawdd.
Ofcom does have a Welsh representative on its central board. Ofcom also has a consultative committee representing Wales. I do hope that these issues will be discussed in the appropriate manner within those structures.
As it happens, I have one of my regular meetings with Ofcom taking place over the next fortnight and I will certainly be listening in order to learn in more detail how Ofcom in Wales does seek to influence Ofcom throughout the rest of the UK. I don’t think that the current regulation system for broadcasting is a regime that works for the benefit of Welsh broadcasting at best. So, I’m eager to see any recommendations that could be put in place to strengthen the situation. And if it is true—to answer your second question or perhaps your third question—that the reduction in Welsh and bilingual materials—and I’ll finish now in two minutes—in terms of Welsh and bilingual broadcasting on commercial radio has reduced because of a decision by Ofcom, then I do think that that is an issue that we should be able to discuss in detail with Ofcom.
I do have some experience in this area as a former director of the Marcher company, which created the well-known radio station, Champion FM, in Caernarfon. This is the point I wanted to make: the intention of that station was to broadcast bilingually, to broadcast both in Welsh and in English, using different sentences but doing so bilingually and using music in both languages too in order to create bilingual commercial radio that people in communities where the language changes consistently and regularly—that both those languages could be heard so that more people listen to Welsh than those actually tuning in to specifically Welsh broadcasts as we get from Radio Cymru and the BBC.
So, I think there is far more work to be done in this area in terms of how we increase bilingualism in our broadcasting in a way that ensures that the audience, which is gradually increasing in terms of the number of people who are bilingual, can use that medium and hear the Welsh language and English with a Welsh accent—and that’s important too—without any difficulty.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.
Rwy'n diolch i’r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei ateb eto, ond mae’n ymddangos i fi bod hyn yn achos o gau drws y stabl wedi i’r ferlen adael, os maddeuwch i mi am ddefnyddio idiom Saesneg. Y gwirionedd amdani yw mai’r unig ffordd o sicrhau bod lles cynulleidfaoedd Cymreig a’r sector greadigol Gymreig yn cael eu gwarchod yw trwy ddatganoli darlledu i Gymru.
Byddai datganoli darlledu yn ein galluogi ni fel cenedl i adrodd ein straeon ni o’n safbwynt ni, gan roi gwell dealltwriaeth i’n dinasyddion o’n cyfoeth diwylliannol, o realiti bywyd yn y Gymru fodern. Dyma fyddai’r ffordd fwyaf effeithiol o fynd i’r afael â’r diffyg democrataidd gan fod tystiolaeth ddiweddar yn dangos bod o ddeutu hanner y boblogaeth yn dal i gredu mai yn San Steffan mae ein gwasanaeth iechyd yn cael ei reoli, er bod y pŵer wedi’i ddatganoli ers 20 mlynedd. Mae gan hyn effeithiau difrifol ar atebolrwydd gan ei fod yn anodd i etholwyr ddwyn gwleidyddion i gyfrif os nad ydynt yn sicr pwy sy’n gyfrifol am redeg gwahanol wasanaethau cyhoeddus.
Yn y dystiolaeth a gafodd ei darparu ar gyfer y comisiwn Silk, roedd 60 y cant o ymatebwyr o blaid datganoli darlledu, ac mae arolygon barn yn darganfod dro ar ôl tro bod cefnogaeth eang dros fwy o ddatganoli i Gymru. Gan ei fod yn amlwg bod Llywodraeth San Steffan yn methu yn ei chyfrifoldeb tuag at ddarlledu Cymreig, a bod cefnogaeth eang dros roi mwy o bwerau i‘r Senedd hon, a yw’r Dirprwy Weinidog yn cytuno ei bod hi bellach yn angenrheidiol bod darlledu yn cael ei ddatganoli i Gymru cyn gynted â phosib?
I thank the Deputy Minister for his response again, but it appears to me that this is a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, if you forgive me for using that idiom. The truth is that the only way of ensuring that the benefits and interests of Welsh audiences and the Welsh creative sector are safeguarded is the devolution of broadcasting to Wales.
Devolution of broadcasting would enable us as a nation to tell our own stories from our own point of view, giving a better understanding to our citizens of our cultural wealth and the reality of life in modern Wales. This would be the most effective way of getting to grips with the democratic deficit because recent evidence shows that around half of the people of Wales still believe that it's in Westminster that decisions about health services are managed, even though the powers have been devolved for 20 years. Now, this has serious impacts on accountability, because it's difficult for constituents to hold politicians to account if they are not sure who is responsible for running different public services.
In the evidence that was provided for the Silk commission, 60 per cent of respondents were in favour of the devolution of broadcasting, and opinion polls find, time and time again, that there is widespread support for greater devolution to Wales. As it is clear that the Westminster Government is failing in its responsibilities to Welsh broadcasting, and that there is wide-ranging support for providing greater powers to this Senedd, does the Deputy Minister agree that it is now vital that broadcasting is devolved to Wales as soon as possible?
Wel, nac ydy, oherwydd dwi’n meddwl ei bod hi’n bwysig iawn yn y maes yma ein bod ni’n edrych nid jest ar ddarlledu ond ar yr holl gyfryngau cyfathrebu digidol. Yr hyn sy’n bwysig i mi yw bod y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg Cymreig yn ymddangos ar y mwyaf posib o gyfryngau, ac y mae hynny’n cynnwys, yn arbennig, y cyfryngau cymdeithasol a’r cyfryngau drwy’r sgriniau yma y mae pobl yn cysylltu â nhw’n gyson, nid jest edrych ar faes darlledu. Ac mi fyddai ceisio rheoleiddio darlledu ar ei ben ei hun, ar wahân i unrhyw ddulliau eraill o gyfathrebu a mathau eraill o ddiwylliant clywedol a gweledol—. Fe fyddai hwnna yn gamgymeriad, dwi’n meddwl, oherwydd nac ydyn ni, mewn gwirionedd—os ydych yn sôn am y ceffyl yn dianc o'r stabl, wel, mae hynny'n sicr—. Mi fyddai mynd ati i geisio datganoli darlledu yn unig ar hyn o bryd yn gam gwag, yn fy marn i.
Ond, wrth gwrs, mae polisi diwylliant yn gorfod cynnwys dealltwriaeth o gyfathrebu. Mae gen i drosolwg o ddarlledu, er nad ydy darlledu—gan nad ydy o ddim wedi’i ddatganoli—ddim yn fater sy’n perthyn i’n hadran ni, ond rydyn ni’n cael trafodaethau defnyddiol a chyson gyda’r darlledwyr Cymreig. Beth fuaswn i’n annog ydy i chithau, ac i Aelodau eraill, drafod y materion yma, bob cyfle y cewch chi, gyda’r darlledwyr, gyda’r cyrff, fel yr enwais i yn yr ateb cyntaf, sydd yn gyfrifol am fynegi barn ymgynghorol i’r awdurdodau—yn yr achos yna, Ofcom—ac, yn yr un modd, mae yna drefniadau tebyg ym maes darlledu ac ym maes teledu, fel bod y gynulleidfa, a barn y gynulleidfa, yn cael ei hadlewyrchu gennych chi fel Aelodau etholedig i’r cyrff sydd yn gyfrifol am ddarlledu.
Dwi’n meddwl—. Dŷn ni ddim yn defnyddio digon ar y strwythurau atebolrwydd datganoledig sydd gyda ni, ac, yn sicr, dwi’n ceisio manteisio ar bob cyfle i wneud hynny er mwyn cael trafodaeth ffurfiol ac anffurfiol. Mae yna le arbennig gan bwyllgorau’r Cynulliad, wrth gwrs, fel mae’r pwyllgor diwylliant wedi bod yn ei wneud yn ddiweddar yn yr astudiaeth ar radio ac ar bethau eraill, i ddilyn y cyfeiriad yna. Diolch yn fawr.
Well, no, because I think it's very important in this area that we look not only at broadcasting but at all the digital communications media. What's important for me is that the Welsh language and the English language in Wales appear on as many mediums as possible, and that includes social media and through the screens that people so regularly use. We shouldn't only be looking at broadcasting. Trying to regulate broadcasting on a stand-alone basis and separately from any other methods of communications and other kinds of audio-visual culture—. That would be a mistake, in my view, because, if you're talking about closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, then—. Trying to devolve broadcasting alone would be a mistake, in my view.
But, of course, culture policy does have to include an understanding of communications. I have an overview of broadcasting, although broadcasting, as it isn't devolved, doesn't relate directly to our department, but we do have regular and useful debates with the Welsh broadcasters. What I would encourage is that you, and other Members, discuss these issues at every possible opportunity with the broadcasters and with the organisations that I named in my first answer, who are responsible for expressing a consultative view to the authorities—in this case, Ofcom—and, likewise, there are similar arrangements in broadcasting and in television so that the audience and the views of the audience are reflected by you as elected Members to the bodies responsible for broadcasting.
I don't think we make sufficient use of the devolved structures of accountability that we have, and we should certainly take every opportunity to do that in order to have a formal and informal discussion on these issues. Assembly committees—as the culture committee has done recently, in its work on radio and in other areas—have a particular role to play in that regard. Thank you.
UKIP spokesperson, Gareth Bennett.
Llefarydd UKIP, Gareth Bennett.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, it's World Book Day tomorrow, as you probably know. Can we have an update from you on what new work and new projects the National Library of Wales will be undertaking in the coming year?
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Weinidog, mae'n Ddiwrnod y Llyfr yfory, fel y gwyddoch, mae'n debyg. A allwch roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ynglŷn â pha waith newydd a pha brosiectau newydd y bydd Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru yn eu cyflawni yn y flwyddyn sydd i ddod?
The National Library of Wales has a new chief executive, and I'm sure that that new chief executive will be, in the next few months, setting out a programme of activities, and I do hope that a recognition of the role of women in Welsh life will be a part of that.
Mae gan Lyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru brif weithredwr newydd, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd y prif weithredwr newydd, dros yr ychydig fisoedd nesaf, yn nodi rhaglen o weithgareddau, a gobeithiaf y bydd hynny'n cynnwys cydnabyddiaeth o rôl menywod ym mywyd Cymru.
Thanks. Thanks for that answer, and I look forward to the new programme when the new chief executive gives us that announcement. Do you agree that—? Aberystwyth, of course, is where the national library is, for perfectly good reasons, but, of course, it isn't that accessible for people in many other parts of Wales, so it is important that the national library undertakes outreach projects so that people throughout Wales can benefit from its cultural heritage. Do you think it's important, going forward, that there is an outreach role for the national library?
Diolch. Diolch am eich ateb, ac edrychaf ymlaen at y rhaglen newydd pan fydd y prif weithredwr newydd yn gwneud y cyhoeddiad hwnnw. A ydych yn cytuno—? Mae'r llyfrgell genedlaethol wedi'i lleoli yn Aberystwyth, wrth gwrs, am resymau da, ond wrth gwrs, nid yw'n hygyrch iawn i bobl mewn llawer o rannau eraill o Gymru, felly mae'n bwysig fod y llyfrgell genedlaethol yn cyflawni prosiectau allanol fel y gall pobl ledled Cymru fanteisio ar ein treftadaeth ddiwylliannol. A ydych o'r farn ei bod yn bwysig sicrhau, yn y dyfodol, fod y llyfrgell genedlaethol yn cyflawni rôl allanol?
I do, but I think what's more significant and more important is for the national library to make sure that they digitalise their resources and that that is made accessible to the people of Wales. And I know that that has been a task that has been undertaken by the National Library of Wales over the past few years. There's been a huge task of work to undertake that, and that now, I think, is how the majority of people will be able to access that invaluable resource, which is one of the great treasures of Wales.
Ydw, ond credaf mai'r hyn sy'n fwy arwyddocaol ac yn bwysicach yw i'r llyfrgell genedlaethol sicrhau eu bod yn digidoleiddio eu hadnoddau ac yn eu gwneud yn hygyrch i bobl Cymru. A gwn fod Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru wedi bod yn ymgymryd â'r dasg honno dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Gwnaed cryn dipyn o waith ar gyflawni'r dasg honno, a bellach, rwy'n credu mai dyna sut y bydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn cael mynediad at yr adnodd gwerthfawr hwnnw, sy'n un o drysorau pwysicaf Cymru.
Yes, I agree that online technology is going to be crucial as well. Now, one factor that we have had in recent years, with local government finances being stretched, is there is an unfortunate consequence of the closure of many local libraries, among other local facilities. Wales has lost quite a lot of libraries—I believe a sixth of Welsh libraries have been closed since 2010. So, thinking about your previous answer with digitalisation—obviously that is going to help to mitigate the problem to some extent, if that programme is rolled out effectively—are there other ways in which the national library can help to mitigate the problem of communities losing their local library?
Ie, rwy'n cytuno y bydd y dechnoleg ar-lein yn hollbwysig hefyd. Nawr, un ffactor rydym wedi'i wynebu dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, gyda chyllid llywodraeth leol o dan bwysau, yw'r canlyniad anffodus fod nifer o lyfrgelloedd lleol, ymysg cyfleusterau lleol eraill, wedi cau. Mae Cymru wedi colli llawer o lyfrgelloedd—credaf fod un o bob chwech o lyfrgelloedd Cymru wedi cau ers 2010. Felly, gan gofio eich ateb blaenorol ynghylch digidoleiddio—yn amlwg, bydd hynny'n helpu i liniaru'r broblem i ryw raddau, os caiff y rhaglen honno ei chyflwyno'n effeithiol—a oes ffyrdd eraill y gall y llyfrgell genedlaethol helpu i liniaru'r broblem fod cymunedau'n colli eu llyfrgelloedd lleol?
Well, I think it's a real tragedy that we're losing so many of our libraries around Wales and, of course, that is a consequence of the austerity that has been imposed on our country over the past 10 years. Of course, we all know that it's the non-statutory areas that are the first to be cut, and that's why libraries have really suffered in some of our local communities over the past few years. There are some really good models, I think, of communities getting together to ensure that they can continue with their library provision, and I think there's a lot that we can do to learn from each other across Wales on how we can ensure that that provision, as far as possible, can be kept open for the public. Of course, the real answer to this is that we need to see a reversal of the austerity that has been imposed on our country for such a long time.
Wel, credaf ei bod yn drychinebus ein bod yn colli cymaint o'n llyfrgelloedd ledled Cymru, ac wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n digwydd o ganlyniad i'r cyni a orfodwyd ar ein gwlad dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf. Wrth gwrs, gŵyr pob un ohonom mai'r meysydd anstatudol yw'r rhai cyntaf i wynebu toriadau, a dyna pam fod llyfrgelloedd wedi dioddef yn fawr mewn rhai o'n cymunedau lleol dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf. Ceir rhai modelau da iawn, yn fy marn i, lle mae cymunedau'n dod at ei gilydd er mwyn sicrhau y gallant barhau i ddarparu llyfrgell, a chredaf fod llawer y gallwn ei wneud i ddysgu gan ein gilydd ledled Cymru ynglŷn â sut y gallwn sicrhau y gellir cadw'r ddarpariaeth honno ar gyfer y cyhoedd lle bo modd. Wrth gwrs, y gwir ateb i hyn yw bod angen cael gwared ar y cyni a orfodwyd ar ein gwlad ers cymaint o amser.
Thank you. Question 3—Michelle Brown.
Diolch. Cwestiwn 3—Michelle Brown.
3. Pa gysylltiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud â gwledydd y tu allan i'r UE yn y cyfnod cyn ymadael â'r UE? OAQ53525
3. What contact has the Welsh Government made with non-EU countries in the run up to leaving the EU? OAQ53525
Well, since devolution, we've worked hard to develop relationships with countries around the world. Last year, as a part of the Brexit preparedness work, we opened two new offices—one in Qatar and another in Canada. We undertook 10 trade missions to non-EU countries and, of course, we maintain strong diplomatic links with non-EU consuls and embassies.
Wel, ers datganoli, rydym wedi gweithio'n galed i ddatblygu cysylltiadau â gwledydd ledled y byd. Y llynedd, fel rhan o'r gwaith parodrwydd ar gyfer Brexit, agorwyd dwy swyddfa newydd gennym—un yn Qatar ac un arall yng Nghanada. Fe wnaethom gwblhau 10 o deithiau masnach i wledydd nad ydynt yn yr UE, ac wrth gwrs, rydym yn cynnal cysylltiadau diplomyddol cryf â chonswliaid a llysgenadaethau y tu allan i'r UE.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. A recent media report shows that the UK public finances are on the mend, recording a healthy surplus in January on booming tax receipts. Employment—[Interruption.] Read the papers. Employment is at record levels with real-wage growth at a two-year high. Despite a global slowdown, Britain expanded 1.4 per cent last year, recording just 4 per cent unemployment. Yet Germany and France are on the brink of recession, the Italian economy is contracting, and eurozone joblessness is twice as high. It's clear that Labour's wish to stay in the EU against the wishes of a majority of Welsh voters is economically flawed. Although we can't enter into trade deals separately to the rest of the UK, we can forge lasting and productive relationships that result in inward investment from countries that are on the up, including those in the Commonwealth. So, what is your assessment of the scope for trade and investment between Wales and key economies in the Commonwealth?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Dengys adroddiad diweddar yn y cyfryngau fod cyllid cyhoeddus yn gwella, gyda gwarged iach ym mis Ionawr ar dderbyniadau trethi sylweddol. Mae cyflogaeth—[Torri ar draws.] Darllenwch y papurau. Mae cyflogaeth ar ei lefelau uchaf erioed gyda thwf cyflog go iawn ar ei lefel uchaf ers dwy flynedd. Er gwaethaf arafu byd-eang, cynyddodd Prydain 1.4 y cant y llynedd, gyda diweithdra ar 4 y cant yn unig. Serch hynny, mae'r Almaen a Ffrainc ar drothwy dirwasgiad, mae economi'r Eidal yn crebachu ac mae diweithdra yn ardal yr ewro ddwywaith mor uchel. Mae'n amlwg bod dymuniad y Blaid Lafur i aros yn yr UE yn groes i ddymuniadau mwyafrif pleidleiswyr Cymru yn ddiffygiol yn economaidd. Er na allwn ymrwymo i gytundebau masnach ar wahân i weddill y DU, gallwn ffurfio cysylltiadau parhaol a chynhyrchiol sy'n arwain at fewnfuddsoddiad gan wledydd sy'n gwella, gan gynnwys y rheini yn y Gymanwlad. Felly, beth yw eich asesiad o'r posibilrwydd o fasnachu a buddsoddi rhwng Cymru ac economïau allweddol yn y Gymanwlad?
Well, I think this is one of those old chestnuts that's been pushed by members of UKIP and other Brexiteers over the years. They want to hark back to this ideal of when Britain was great and we ruled the world and we had empires, and, actually, the world has moved on since then. What we have now is a globally interconnected world where we are totally dependent on each other. And you can see that what's happened in recent weeks is that companies like Honda have recognised that, because of the links and the supply chain that can't be cut off, actually, that interconnectedness and the fact that we don't have an interconnectedness if we leave the European Union will cause problems and will cause unemployment. And you're absolutely right: I think we should be proud of the record levels of employment that we have in Wales at the moment, but we do still have issues with low pay, and that's why what we're doing now is we're trying to focus attention on trying to create new jobs that are high-skill, highly paid jobs, and I think that, actually, I've got to tell you that in my recent dealings with trying to speak to inward investors, the real issue is how we keep people who've invested here already here when they know that, actually, there could be barriers to trade in future. It's a very, very difficult message for us to sell at the moment. I'm confident that, actually, we have the skills, the ability and the talent in Wales that people will continue to invest in our country, but I've got to tell you that Brexit doesn't make it any easier.
Wel, credaf fod hon yn un o'r hen straeon diflas y mae aelodau o UKIP a phobl Brexit eraill wedi eu gwthio dros y blynyddoedd. Maent am ddychwelyd at y ddelfryd o adeg pan oedd Prydain yn fawr ac roeddem yn rheoli'r byd ac roedd gennym ymerodraethau, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae'r byd wedi newid ers hynny. Yr hyn sydd gennym bellach yw byd cwbl ryng-gysylltiedig lle rydym yn gwbl ddibynnol ar ein gilydd. A gallwch weld mai'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd dros yr wythnosau diwethaf yw bod cwmnïau fel Honda wedi cydnabod, oherwydd y cysylltiadau a'r gadwyn gyflenwi na ellir ei thorri, y bydd cydgysylltedd a'r ffaith na fydd gennym gydgysylltedd os ydym yn gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd yn achosi problemau ac yn achosi diweithdra. Ac rydych yn llygad eich lle: credaf y dylem fod yn falch o'r lefelau uchaf erioed o gyflogaeth sydd gennym yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd, ond mae gennym broblemau o hyd mewn perthynas â chyflogau isel, a dyna pam mai'r hyn rydym yn ei wneud yn awr yw ceisio canolbwyntio ar geisio creu swyddi newydd sy'n swyddi medrus ar gyflogau uchel, ac rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i mi ddweud wrthych, wrth geisio siarad yn ddiweddar â mewnfuddsoddwyr, mai'r broblem go iawn yw sut i gadw pobl sydd wedi buddsoddi yma eisoes a hwythau'n gwybod, mewn gwirionedd, y gallai fod rhwystrau i fasnach yn y dyfodol. Mae'n neges anodd dros ben inni ei gwerthu ar hyn o bryd. Rwy'n hyderus, mewn gwirionedd, fod gennym y sgiliau, y gallu a'r doniau yng Nghymru i sicrhau y bydd pobl yn parhau i fuddsoddi yn ein gwlad, ond mae'n rhaid imi ddweud wrthych na fydd Brexit yn gwneud hynny'n haws.
Minister, I know that, in the international strategy you're developing, you will have regard to 'Selling Wales to the World', the report of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, and I think it's really important in developing these export strategies that we realise that, as well as the big companies—they're very, very important—SMEs in higher level high-value manufacture and in digital industries are key, really, to our future growth. And I do hope when you're choosing trade missions that you will give full recognition to the needs and desires and the recommendations that SMEs are making for markets that could be more open to Welsh trade.
Weinidog, yn y strategaeth ryngwladol rydych yn ei datblygu, gwn y byddwch yn rhoi sylw i 'Gwerthu Cymru i'r Byd', adroddiad Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau, a chredaf ei bod yn hynod bwysig, wrth ddatblygu'r strategaethau allforio hyn, ein bod yn sylweddoli, yn ogystal â'r cwmnïau mawr—maent yn bwysig iawn—fod BBaChau ym maes gweithgynhyrchu uwch gwerth uchel a'r diwydiannau digidol yn allweddol, mewn gwirionedd, i'n twf yn y dyfodol. A gobeithiaf, pan fyddwch yn dewis teithiau masnach, y byddwch yn rhoi cydnabyddiaeth lawn i anghenion a dyheadau ac argymhellion BBaChau mewn perthynas â marchnadoedd a allai fod yn fwy agored i fasnachu â Chymru.
I think that's absolutely right, and I think, if we are going to make an impact globally now, we're going to have to learn to really specialise. That's the way that we're going to really make an impact globally, and I think your emphasis on digital is crucial. I think we probably need to go even more detailed—. I would like to see us specialising absolutely in cyber security, for example—really digging in on an area like that, making sure we have the skills available amongst colleges and universities here so that we can really attract companies. It's not just about attracting companies here that are high-skill, high-tech that can be nimble and quick—those SME companies—but actually what we want is for our SME companies to be selling their skills across the globe. And I think you're right: I think what we're going to need to do in future is to perhaps focus not just on randomly going round the world on trade missions, but to really focus on where do we want to make an impact, going to trade fairs where you can meet a whole load of different companies at the same time, but take then specialised companies in those areas. So, that's certainly something I'm exploring in the context of the new international strategy.
Credaf eich bod yn llygad eich lle, ac os ydym am greu argraff yn fyd-eang yn awr, credaf y bydd angen inni ddysgu arbenigo go iawn. Dyna sut y gallwn greu argraff wirioneddol fyd-eang, a chredaf fod eich pwyslais ar y maes digidol yn hollbwysig. Rwy'n credu bod angen inni fynd hyd yn oed yn fanylach mae'n debyg—. Hoffwn yn bendant ein gweld yn arbenigo ym maes seiberddiogelwch, er enghraifft—a bwrw iddi go iawn mewn maes o'r fath, gan sicrhau bod y sgiliau ar gael gennym mewn colegau a phrifysgolion yma fel y gallwn fynd ati o ddifrif i ddenu cwmnïau. Mae a wnelo hyn â mwy na denu cwmnïau yma sy'n gwmnïau uwch-dechnoleg medrus iawn a all fod yn hyblyg ac yn gyflym—y BBaChau hynny—ond mewn gwirionedd, rydym yn awyddus i'n BBaChau werthu eu sgiliau ledled y byd. A chredaf eich bod yn llygad eich lle: credaf mai'r hyn y bydd angen inni ei wneud yn y dyfodol efallai fydd canolbwyntio, nid ar deithio o amgylch y byd ar hap ar deithiau masnach, ond canolbwyntio go iawn ar y meysydd rydym yn awyddus i wneud argraff ynddynt, mynd i ffeiriau masnach lle gallwch gyfarfod â llu o gwmnïau gwahanol ar yr un pryd, ond mynd ar drywydd y cwmnïau arbenigol wedyn yn y meysydd hynny. Felly, yn sicr, mae hynny'n rhywbeth rwy'n ei archwilio yng nghyd-destun y strategaeth ryngwladol newydd.
Minister, I think it's important that we do look beyond the EU as to where our next markets are, and your strategy will hopefully prioritise those countries very much so. Last night, at the meeting of the cross-party group on STEM, we had Newport Wafer, who were in talking about their expertise, their skills and how many overseas countries and staff wanted to work with them here in the UK and in Wales. Now, it's that type of approach that we need to take. Are you therefore meeting with our businesses here in Wales to see the countries that they are talking to, the countries that they are working with, so we can ensure that we do target the right areas for employment and high-skilled jobs here in Wales?
In relation to the Commonwealth, we met with the New Zealand ambassador when we were in Brussels a couple of weeks ago, and it was quite clear that they have different agendas as well because they recognise the distance between us and New Zealand, and they have an agenda focusing more on the Pacific. So, it's clear that we need to focus upon the businesses that want to come here, the businesses that are working with Welsh businesses, but also markets that are close at hand so that, when we do want to sell, particularly agricultural goods, we have the businesses to sell them to.
Weinidog, credaf ei bod yn bwysig inni edrych y tu hwnt i'r UE o ran lle fydd ein marchnadoedd nesaf, a gobeithio y bydd eich strategaeth yn blaenoriaethu'r gwledydd hynny'n bendant iawn. Neithiwr, yng nghyfarfod y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar STEM, daeth Newport Wafer i siarad â ni am eu harbenigedd, eu sgiliau a faint o wledydd tramor a staff oedd yn awyddus i weithio gyda hwy yma yn y DU ac yng Nghymru. Nawr, dyna'r math o ymagwedd y dylem ei mabwysiadu. A fyddwch chi felly yn cyfarfod â'n busnesau yma yng Nghymru i weld y gwledydd y maent yn siarad â hwy, y gwledydd y maent yn gweithio â hwy, fel y gallwn sicrhau ein bod yn targedu'r meysydd cywir ar gyfer cyflogaeth a swyddi medrus iawn yma yng Nghymru?
Mewn perthynas a'r Gymanwlad, cawsom gyfarfod â llysgennad Seland Newydd pan oeddem ym Mrwsel ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, ac roedd yn eithaf amlwg bod ganddynt agendâu gwahanol hefyd, gan eu bod yn cydnabod y pellter rhyngom a Seland Newydd, ac mae ganddynt agenda sy'n canolbwyntio i raddau mwy ar wledydd y Môr Tawel. Felly, mae'n amlwg bod angen inni ganolbwyntio ar y busnesau sydd am ddod yma, y busnesau sy'n gweithio gyda busnesau Cymru, ond hefyd, ar farchnadoedd sydd wrth law er mwyn sicrhau, pan fyddwn eisiau gwerthu nwyddau, yn enwedig nwyddau amaethyddol, fod gennym fusnesau i'w gwerthu iddynt.
So, I think these are slightly different markets. So, there are areas where, clearly, what we need to do is not lose the market share that we have in Europe at the moment. We have 60 per cent of our trade with the European Union, and we don't want to lose that. So, part of what we need to be doing over the next few weeks and months is to lock down that relationship, irrespective of what happens in relation to Brexit. That's got to be one of the priorities. But it's back to this: what are those companies where we have real expertise, real specialism—like you've mentioned, the semiconductor operations we have here—that are world-leading? It's not necessarily about going to a particular country. It's perhaps about linking up with relevant companies, universities, researchers in those areas. And I do think that that we probably have to change our mind frame slightly, because I'm not sure if it's always going to be about choosing a country that we think might grow in future. I think we have to understand that the world is becoming a lot more specialised and, if we want to make an impact, we have to specialise also. Semiconductors is, apart from cyber security—those are two of the absolute key top priorities that I would see that we need to really focus on.
Credaf fod y marchnadoedd hyn ychydig yn wahanol. Mewn rhai meysydd, mae'n amlwg mai'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yw peidio â cholli'r gyfran sydd gennym o farchnad Ewrop ar hyn o bryd. Mae 60 y cant o'n masnach â'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, ac nid ydym am golli hynny. Felly, rhan o'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud dros yr ychydig wythnosau a misoedd nesaf yw sicrhau'r berthynas honno, ni waeth beth fydd yn digwydd mewn perthynas â Brexit. Mae'n rhaid i hynny fod yn un o'r blaenoriaethau. Ond dychwelaf at hyn: beth yw'r cwmnïau lle mae gennym arbenigedd gwirioneddol, arbenigaeth wirioneddol—fel y dywedoch, y gweithgarwch lled-ddargludyddion sydd gennym yma—sydd ar y blaen yn fyd-eang? Nid yw'n ymwneud o reidrwydd â mynd i wlad benodol. Mae'n ymwneud, efallai, â chysylltu â chwmnïau perthnasol, prifysgolion, ymchwilwyr yn y meysydd hynny. A chredaf fod yn rhaid inni newid ein ffordd o feddwl i raddau mae'n debyg, gan nad wyf yn siŵr a yw'n mynd i ymwneud bob amser â dewis gwlad y credwn y bydd yn tyfu yn y dyfodol o bosibl. Credaf fod yn rhaid inni ddeall bod y byd yn dod yn llawer mwy arbenigol, ac os ydym am greu argraff, mae angen i ninnau arbenigo hefyd. Mae lled-ddargludyddion, ar wahân i seiberddiogelwch—dyna ddwy o'r prif flaenoriaethau pendant y mae angen inni ganolbwyntio arnynt yn fy marn i.
Question 4 [OAQ53512] has been withdrawn. Question 5, Rhianon Passmore.
Mae cwestiwn 4 [OAQ53512] wedi’i dynnu'n ôl. Cwestiwn 5, Rhianon Passmore.
5. A wnaiff y Gweinidog amlinellu sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ceisio denu buddsoddiad i Islwyn o Unol Daleithiau America? OAQ53519
5. Will the Minister outline how the Welsh Government is seeking to attract investment to Islwyn from the United States of America? OAQ53519
Thank you. I'm sure that the Member will be aware that I've just returned from a successful visit to the United States where I was promoting the benefits of Wales as an inward investment destination for American companies, and I'm sure that you'll be pleased to hear that companies from the US have made about 168 investments into Wales in the past few years, and around 10 per cent of them are in Islwyn, you'll be pleased to hear.
Diolch. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol fy mod newydd ddychwelyd o ymweliad llwyddiannus â'r Unol Daleithiau lle roeddwn yn hyrwyddo manteision Cymru fel cyrchfan dda i gwmnïau Americanaidd fewnfuddsoddi ynddi, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn falch o glywed bod cwmnïau o'r Unol Daleithiau wedi gwneud oddeutu 168 o fuddsoddiadau yng Nghymru yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ac mae tua 10 y cant ohonynt yn Islwyn, byddwch yn falch o glywed.
Notwithstanding the huge existing trading bloc with the European Union and how critically important that is to Welsh business and the Welsh economy, as you say, Minister, you visited the United States of America recently in your appointment on international trade for Wales. During that four-day visit promoting Wales proactively, I believe you held meetings, as you've alluded to, with United States companies that already have a presence in Wales, or are considering expanding to Wales. So, can you update the National Assembly how the Welsh Government intends to now follow up those specific and targeted proactive meetings and this important work? And, can you outline to me now how the Welsh Government can introduce United States businesses to the skilled and loyal workforces of the communities of Islwyn, further to the statistics that you have quoted, who would give a warm Welsh welcome to United States businesses that wished to set up further in the Gwent Valleys?
Ar wahân i’r bloc masnachu anferth sy'n bodoli eisoes gyda'r Undeb Ewropeaidd a pha mor hollbwysig yw hwnnw i fusnes Cymru ac economi Cymru, fel y dywedwch, Weinidog, fe wnaethoch ymweld ag Unol Daleithiau America yn ddiweddar yn sgil eich penodiad ar fasnach ryngwladol i Gymru. Yn ystod yr ymweliad pedwar diwrnod hwnnw lle roeddech yn hyrwyddo Cymru yn rhagweithiol, credaf eich bod wedi cynnal cyfarfodydd, fel y dywedoch chi, â chwmnïau o’r Unol Daleithiau sydd â phresenoldeb yng Nghymru, neu sy'n ystyried ehangu i Gymru. Felly, a allwch chi roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol ynglŷn â sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwriadu dilyn y cyfarfodydd rhagweithiol penodol hynny a dargedwyd a’r gwaith pwysig hwn? Ac a allwch chi amlinellu yn awr sut y gall Llywodraeth Cymru gyflwyno busnesau yr Unol Daleithiau i’r gweithluoedd medrus a ffyddlon a geir yng nghymunedau Islwyn, ar ben yr ystadegau rydych wedi'u dyfynnu, a fyddai'n rhoi croeso cynnes Cymreig i fusnesau o’r Unol Daleithiau sy’n
dymuno ymsefydlu ymhellach yng Nghymoedd Gwent?
Diolch yn fawr. I will be producing a written statement on my visit in the next few days, but just to make it clear that one of the sectors that I was really targeting and looking at was the cyber security sector where we already have a great deal of expertise. One of the things, as a follow-up, that I'm very keen to do is to speak to our higher education establishments and further education establishments to just see what precisely they are offering in terms of the courses that they are providing to people.
The message we got very clearly is that, actually, there's a real shortage of people with cyber security skills, so if we produce those cyber security skills here in Wales, those companies will come. They made that absolutely clear to us so what we now need to do is to make sure that the kinds of courses we are putting on are absolutely relevant to what businesses and the market are looking for. So, that's a conversation that I'll be having in the next few weeks, just gathering together, knowing exactly what's happening, and seeing if there is scope to expand that opportunity. And I hope that some of those colleges in the Valleys will also engage in that development, because there's a whole world out there that is looking for skills in this area, and we've got to remember that Welsh young people are as bright, as clever and as able as anyone else in the world, we just need them to believe that and give them the courses where they can develop that expertise.
Diolch yn fawr. Byddaf yn cynhyrchu datganiad ysgrifenedig ar fy ymweliad yn ystod y dyddiau nesaf, ond hoffwn egluro mai un o'r sectorau roeddwn yn ei dargedu ac yn edrych arno yn ofalus iawn oedd y sector seiberddiogelwch lle mae gennym lawer o arbenigedd eisoes. Un o'r pethau rwy’n awyddus iawn i'w gwneud i ddilyn hynny yw siarad â'n sefydliadau addysg uwch a'n sefydliadau addysg bellach i weld beth yn union y maent yn ei gynnig o ran y cyrsiau y maent yn eu darparu i bobl.
Roedd y neges a gawsom yn glir iawn, sef bod prinder gwirioneddol o bobl â sgiliau seiberddiogelwch, felly os cynhyrchwn y sgiliau seiberddiogelwch hynny yma yng Nghymru, bydd y cwmnïau’n dod yma. Gwnaethant hynny'n gwbl glir i ni felly yr hyn sydd angen i ni ei wneud yn awr yw sicrhau bod y mathau o gyrsiau rydym yn eu cynnig yn gwbl berthnasol i'r hyn y mae’r farchnad a busnesau'n chwilio amdano. Felly, mae honno'n sgwrs y byddaf yn ei chael yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, a dod at ein gilydd, deall yn union beth sy’n digwydd, a gweld a oes lle i ehangu'r cyfle hwnnw. Ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd rhai o golegau’r Cymoedd yn cymryd rhan yn y datblygiad hwnnw hefyd, oherwydd mae yna fyd cyfan allan yno sy'n edrych am sgiliau yn y maes hwn, ac mae'n rhaid i ni gofio bod pobl ifanc Cymru yr un mor ddisglair, clyfar a galluog ag unrhyw un arall yn y byd. Mae angen iddynt gredu hynny ac mae angen i ni gynnig cyrsiau lle gallant ddatblygu'r arbenigedd hwnnw.
Minister, in July 2017, the USA and United Kingdom Governments launched a US-UK trade and investment group to provide commercial continuity for businesses, workers and consumers in both countries, as the UK leaves the EU, and to explore ways to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries. What study has the Minister made of the potential investment benefits to Islwyn, south-east Wales and other parts of Wales together from these positive moves by the UK and US Governments, especially given that Mr Morgan, not long ago, couldn't sell Wales to America, but I'm pretty sure that your talents will and that our economy will boost in south-east Wales?
Weinidog, ym mis Gorffennaf 2017, lansiodd Llywodraeth UDA a Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig grŵp masnach a buddsoddi UDA-DU i ddarparu dilyniant masnachol i fusnesau, gweithwyr a chwsmeriaid yn y ddwy wlad wrth i'r DU adael yr UE, ac i archwilio ffyrdd o gryfhau cysylltiadau masnach a buddsoddi rhwng y ddwy wlad. Pa astudiaeth y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i wneud o'r manteision buddsoddi posibl i Islwyn, de-ddwyrain Cymru a rhannau eraill o Gymru yn sgil y camau cadarnhaol hyn gan Lywodraeth y DU a'r Unol Daleithiau, yn enwedig o gofio na allai Mr Morgan werthu Cymru i America beth amser yn ôl, ond rwy'n eithaf siŵr y bydd eich talentau chi'n llwyddo i wneud hynny ac y bydd ein heconomi yn cael hwb yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru?
Thank you. I think that that relationship between the UK and US is crucial. I think we already have a huge amount in common. One of the things that I'm really keen to do is to leverage the Department of Trade and Investment much more than we do already. They have a vast network. So, whilst we have 20 different offices around the whole world, they literally have hundreds, with thousands of people working in them. So, if we can give them a very clear message as to what we are looking for from them in terms of the UK Government, I think we should be able to leverage that expertise that exists within the UK Government. And I do think that, again, what we need to do is to just come back to the specialisation, make it absolutely clear: what is it we're trying to sell? What is it that we want in terms of investment into Wales? But I've got to tell you, once again, that this, in terms of investment—it is a really difficult time when we have literally no idea what our relationship with the rest of the world looks like in terms of trade. That is a really, really hard sell at the moment.
Diolch. Credaf fod y berthynas honno rhwng y DU a'r UDA yn hanfodol. Rwy'n credu bod gennym lawer iawn yn gyffredin eisoes. Un o'r pethau rwy’n awyddus iawn i’w gwneud yw manteisio ar yr Adran Fasnach a Buddsoddi i raddau mwy nag nag y gwnawn ar hyn o bryd. Mae ganddynt rwydwaith helaeth. Felly, er bod gennym 20 o wahanol swyddfeydd ledled y byd, mae ganddynt gannoedd, yn llythrennol, gyda miloedd o bobl yn gweithio ynddynt. Felly, os gallwn roi neges glir iawn iddynt ynglŷn â'r hyn rydym yn ei ddisgwyl ganddynt o ran Llywodraeth y DU, rwy'n credu y dylem allu manteisio ar yr arbenigedd sy'n bodoli o fewn Llywodraeth y DU. Ac rwy'n credu, unwaith eto, mai’r hyn sydd angen i ni ei wneud yw dod yn ôl at yr arbenigedd, a’i gwneud yn hollol glir: beth rydym yn ceisio ei werthu? Beth rydym ei eisiau o ran mewnfuddsoddiad i Gymru? Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud wrthych, unwaith eto, fod hwn yn gyfnod anodd iawn o ran buddsoddi—pan nad oes gennym syniad o gwbl sut berthynas sydd gennym â gweddill y byd o ran masnach. Mae hwnnw'n rhywbeth gwirioneddol anodd i’w werthu ar hyn o bryd.
6. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am geisiadau yn y dyfodol ar gyfer digwyddiadau chwaraeon mawr? OAQ53501
6. Will the Minister make a statement regarding future bids for major sports events? OAQ53501
Well, we're committed to building on Wales’s recent success in hosting major sporting events, and we're proactively working with partners in Wales, the UK and internationally—including numerous international sports federations and rights owners—in order to identify and pursue new opportunities for attracting major sporting events to all parts of Wales.
Wel, rydym wedi ymrwymo i adeiladu ar lwyddiant diweddar Cymru wrth gynnal digwyddiadau chwaraeon mawr, ac rydym yn gweithio'n rhagweithiol gyda phartneriaid yng Nghymru, y DU ac yn rhyngwladol—gan gynnwys nifer o berchnogion hawliau a ffederasiynau chwaraeon rhyngwladol—er mwyn nodi a mynd ar drywydd cyfleoedd newydd ar gyfer denu digwyddiadau chwaraeon mawr i bob rhan o Gymru.
Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Wales has been relatively successful over recent years in bidding for a whole host of events, from golf to the ocean-going races out here in Cardiff Bay, to major footballing events. One of the blips, though, was the previous Minister's decision not to continue a bid for the Commonwealth Games. I wonder whether you've had a chance to make an assessment as to whether Wales, in the future, will be in a position to bid for a future Commonwealth Games, or to look at partnering to make a bid for the Commonwealth Games, given that cities in England are prepared to put bids in, yet we as a country seem to be unable, at this juncture, to put a bid together that ultimately would be very prestigious for Wales and beneficial in promoting the value that we have here in Wales.
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Mae Cymru wedi bod yn gymharol lwyddiannus dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf wrth wneud cais am lu o ddigwyddiadau, o golff i'r rasys môr yma ym Mae Caerdydd, i ddigwyddiadau pêl-droed mawr. Un o'r camgymeriadau, fodd bynnag, oedd penderfyniad y Gweinidog blaenorol i beidio â pharhau â chais am Gemau'r Gymanwlad. Tybed a ydych wedi cael cyfle i asesu a fydd Cymru mewn sefyllfa i wneud cais am Gemau'r Gymanwlad yn y dyfodol, neu i ystyried sefydlu partneriaeth i wneud cais am Gemau'r Gymanwlad, o gofio bod dinasoedd yn Lloegr yn barod i gyflwyno ceisiadau, ond ar hyn o bryd, nid ydym ni fel gwlad yn gallu paratoi cais a fyddai, yn y pen draw, yn llawn bri i Gymru ac yn fuddiol wrth hyrwyddo'r gwerth sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru.
Thank you. Well, this is a question that I was discussing with my officials earlier in the week. I think that part of the problem here is that the cost of putting on the Commonwealth Games for us would be huge, partly because we simply don't have the infrastructure in Wales, in Cardiff—let's be honest, that's the only place that we could hold it. We don't have the infrastructure even in Cardiff to put on all the events that you would need to put on in relation to the Commonwealth Games. You have to have certain-size swimming pools and you have to have cycle routes and this, that and the other. So, the infrastructure—the cost of developing the infrastructure I think would be prohibitive for us at the moment as a Government. Maybe when austerity ends, it's something we could consider.
Diolch. Wel, mae hwn yn gwestiwn roeddwn yn ei drafod gyda fy swyddogion yn gynharach yn yr wythnos. Credaf mai rhan o'r broblem yma yw y byddai'r gost o gynnal Gemau'r Gymanwlad yn enfawr, yn rhannol oherwydd nad oes gennym y seilwaith yma yng Nghymru, yng Nghaerdydd—gadewch i ni fod yn onest, dyna'r unig le y gallem eu cynnal. Nid oes gennym y seilwaith yng Nghaerdydd hyd yn oed i gynnal yr holl ddigwyddiadau y byddai angen i chi eu cynnal mewn perthynas â Gemau'r Gymanwlad. Mae'n rhaid i chi gael pyllau nofio o faint penodol ac mae'n rhaid i chi gael llwybrau beicio a hyn, llall ac arall. Felly, rwy'n credu bod y seilwaith—rwy'n credu y byddai'r gost o ddatblygu'r seilwaith yn ein rhwystro fel Llywodraeth ar hyn o bryd. Efallai ei fod yn rhywbeth y byddwn yn gallu ei ystyried pan ddaw cyni i ben.
Thank you very much, Minister.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Weinidog.
Item 3 on the agenda is questions to the Assembly Commission. All the questions this afternoon will be answered by the Llywydd. Question 1, Dai Lloyd.
Eitem 3 ar yr agenda yw'r cwestiynau i Gomisiwn y Cynulliad. Bydd yr holl gwestiynau y prynhawn yma yn cael eu hateb gan y Llywydd. Cwestiwn 1, Dai Lloyd.
1. Pa asesiad mae’r Comisiwn wedi’i wneud o’r effaith ar ymgysylltiad democrataidd pan fo gwleidyddion yn newid pleidiau? OAQ53486
1. What assessment has the Commission made of the impact of political defections on democratic engagement? OAQ53486
Dim asesiad. Mae'r Comisiwn yn darparu'r eiddo, y staff a'r gwasanaethau sydd eu hangen at ddibenion y Cynulliad, waeth beth fo ymlyniad gwleidyddol Aelodau unigol yn y Cynulliad yma.
No assessment. The Commission provides the property, staff and services required for the Assembly's purposes irrespective of the political affiliation of individual Assembly Members.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am yr ateb yna. Nawr, yn naturiol, yn ddiweddar, wrth ymateb i'r ffaith bod Aelodau Seneddol Llafur wedi gadael y blaid honno yn Llundain a'u grŵp seneddol, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog, Mark Drakeford, a dwi'n dyfynnu:
os ydych chi'n cael eich ethol yn gynrychiolydd plaid benodol ac eich bod chi'n penderfynu nad ydych am wneud hynny yn y dyfodol, dylech fynd yn ôl at y bobl sydd wedi eich rhoi chi yno a gadael iddynt hwy gael y dewis hwnnw eto.
Dyfyniad uniongyrchol o eiriau Mark Drakeford. Nawr, dwi'n cytuno efo'r farn honno yn llwyr, ac oherwydd ein bod ni wedi gweld symudiadau tebyg yma yn y Senedd yma, pa asesiad, felly, mae'r Comisiwn am ei wneud o'r posibilrwydd o ddatblygu deddfwriaeth a fyddai'n gorfodi Aelod sy'n gadael plaid wleidyddol i wynebu is-etholiad? Neu ynte ydyn ni ddim ond i ddibynnu ar gynsail beth sydd wedi digwydd yn y gorffennol ac felly yn amddifadu pobl o gynrychiolydd o'r blaid y gwnaethon nhw bleidleisio drosti hi yn y lle cyntaf?
Thank you very much for that response. Now, naturally, recently, in responding to the fact that Labour MPs had left that party in London and their parliamentary group, the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, and I quote, said that
'If you are elected as a representative of a particular party and you decided that you do not want to do that in the future, you should go back to the people that put you there and let them have that choice again'.
Those are the words of Mark Drakeford. Now, I agree entirely with that view, and because we have seen similar moves here in this Senedd, what assessment will the Commission make of the possibility of developing legislation that would require a Member that leaves a political party to face a by-election? Or are we only to rely on the precedent of what’s happened in the past, and therefore are we to deprive people of a representative of the party that they voted for in the first place?
Wel, fel y dywedais i yn fy ateb i, does yna ddim asesiad wedi ei wneud hyd yn hyn o'r mater yma. Mae Bil Senedd ac Etholiadau (Cymru) wedi cael ei gyflwyno yn yr wythnosau diwethaf. Doedd yna ddim mandad o'r Cynulliad yma, unrhyw un o'i bwyllgorau, na chwaith oedd y mater yma wedi cael ei gynnwys yng nghylch gorchwyl adroddiad annibynnol Laura McAllister. Ond mae'n fater, wrth gwrs. Mae'n cael ei godi fan hyn o bosib am y tro cyntaf, neu un o'r troeon cyntaf. Mae'n fater efallai y bydd y pwyllgor sy'n scrwtineiddio'r Mesur sydd ar hyn o bryd o flaen y Cynulliad eisiau ei ystyried o bosib, neu mae'n fater i Aelodau yn y lle yma nawr fod y pwerau gan y lle yma ers Deddf Cymru 2017 i ni fod yn deddfu ar ein systemau etholiadol ein hunain. Felly, gaf i annog, os oes yna ddiddordeb yn y lle yma, i chi fod yn trafod hyn a dod ag unrhyw gynigion gerbron? Ond, tan i'r cynigion hynny ddod gerbron, fydd yna ddim mandad gan y Comisiwn i fod yn symud ymlaen â deddfwriaeth i'r perwyl yma.
Well, as I said in my response, no assessment has been undertaken to date on this issue. The Senedd and Elections (Wales) Bill has been introduced in the past few weeks. There was no mandate from this Assembly or any of its committees, nor was this issue included in the remit for the independent review undertaken by Laura McAllister. But, it is an issue, of course. It is raised here, perhaps for the first time, or one of the first times. It's an issue that perhaps the committee that scrutinises the Bill that at the moment is before the Assembly will want to consider or it's an issue for Assembly Members in this place, now that the powers are held in this place since the Wales Act 2017 for us to be legislating on our own electoral systems. So, may I encourage, if there's interest in this place, you to be discussing this and to be bringing forth any proposals? But, until those proposals come before us there will be no mandate for the Commission to be pursuing legislation to this end.
2. A wnaiff y Comisiwn ddatganiad am y camau nesaf ar gyfer Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru? OAQ53489
2. Will the Commission make a statement on the next steps for the Youth Parliament? OAQ53489
Cefais y fraint anhygoel o gadeirio cyfarfod cyntaf ysbrydoledig Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru yn y Siambr yma ychydig dros wythnos yn ôl. Efallai bydd yr Aelodau yn ymwybodol fod y Senedd Ieuenctid honno wedi cytuno'n ffurfiol ar dri mater blaenoriaethol i fynd ar eu trywydd: cymorth ar gyfer iechyd emosiynol ac iechyd meddwl oedd un o'r rheini; sbwriel a gwastraff plastig yn un arall; a sgiliau bywyd yn y cwricwlwm yn un arall. Bydd staff y Comisiwn a'r 60 Aelod o Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru yn cyfarfod yn y rhanbarthau nesaf ym mis Ebrill i lunio cynllun i ymgysylltu â phobl ifanc ledled Cymru ar y materion blaenoriaethol a ddewiswyd ganddyn nhw.
I was privileged to chair the inspiring first meeting of the Welsh Youth Parliament here in the Siambr a little over a week ago. Perhaps Members will be aware that the Youth Parliament formally agreed three priority issues to pursue: emotional and mental health support was one of those; littering and plastic waste is another; and also life skills in the curriculum. Commission staff and the 60 Welsh Youth Parliament Members will meet next in the regions in April to devise a plan to engage with young people across Wales on the priority issues chosen by them.
Thank you, Llywydd. I was very sorry to miss the first meeting. I was intending to be here but a family emergency took me away. I, like I'm sure many other Members, have been looking at some of the speeches online and I'm incredibly impressed by the quality and the depth and also the honesty of the young people's contributions. I'm very pleased to see that the work streams that they've chosen are being taken forward so quickly. What consideration is being given to putting the Youth Parliament together with the Assembly's committees and forming some kind of more formal link? I know that many Members are meeting our individual Youth Parliament representatives, but it seems to me there is an opportunity there potentially for the young people to help us set some of our agendas in our committee work and in our scrutiny of the Welsh Government.
Diolch i chi, Lywydd. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf am golli'r cyfarfod cyntaf. Roeddwn yn bwriadu bod yma ond cefais fy rhwystro gan argyfwng teuluol. Rwyf wedi bod yn edrych ar rai o'r areithiau ar-lein, fel llawer o Aelodau eraill rwy'n siŵr, ac mae ansawdd, dyfnder a gonestrwydd y cyfraniadau a wnaed gan y bobl ifanc wedi gwneud argraff fawr arnaf. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld bod y ffrydiau gwaith a ddewiswyd ganddynt yn cael eu datblygu mor gyflym. Pa ystyriaeth a roddir i ffurfio rhyw fath o gysylltiad mwy ffurfiol rhwng y Senedd Ieuenctid a phwyllgorau'r Cynulliad? Gwn fod llawer o'r Aelodau'n cyfarfod â chynrychiolwyr unigol ein Senedd Ieuenctid, ond ymddengys i mi y gallai fod cyfle i'r bobl ifanc ein helpu i osod rhai o'n hagendâu yn ein gwaith pwyllgor ac yn ein gwaith o graffu ar Lywodraeth Cymru.
I am aware that there were discussions during the weekend residential that encompassed the formal meeting of the Welsh Youth Parliament on how the young people wanted to have an impact on the policy priorities that they had voted on. It is for them to decide how they want to make that impact, but certainly there is a very easy way of ensuring that in some of the committee work that's being done in this place, which may well mirror some of the priorities that the young people chose—that we facilitate, as part of our ongoing work with the 60 young parliamentarians, the way that they can make those important links to feed into actual policy making via committees and ultimately Welsh Government and National Assembly.
Gwn fod trafodaethau wedi bod yn ystod y penwythnos preswyl a oedd yn cynnwys cyfarfod ffurfiol Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru ar sut roedd y bobl ifanc eisiau cael effaith ar y blaenoriaethau polisi roeddent wedi pleidleisio arnynt. Mater iddynt hwy yw penderfynu sut y maent eisiau sicrhau'r effaith honno, ond yn sicr mae yna ffordd hawdd iawn o sicrhau hynny mewn perthynas â rhywfaint o'r gwaith pwyllgor sy'n cael ei wneud yn y lle hwn, a allai'n hawdd adlewyrchu rhai o'r blaenoriaethau a ddewiswyd gan y bobl ifanc—sef ein bod yn hwyluso, fel rhan o'n gwaith parhaus gyda'r 60 o seneddwyr ifanc, y ffordd y gallant wneud y cysylltiadau pwysig hynny er mwyn cyfrannu at y gwaith go iawn o lunio polisi drwy'r pwyllgorau, ac yn y pen draw, Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol.
I think it's difficult for anyone not to be inspired, really, by what we saw that weekend. It was a phenomenal and historic success and I was particularly pleased that two of the areas that have been identified as priorities—the life skills in the curriculum and the emotional and mental health of children and young people—are issues that the Children, Young People and Education Committee are already taking a very keen interest in and are prioritising ourselves. Of course, it's for the young people to decide how they take their work programme forward, and I'm mindful also of your answer to Helen Mary Jones, but in areas where the committees are already working on particular topics, what particular consideration has been given to ensuring that the committees and the Youth Parliament Members can work together if that is what they would like to do?
Credaf ei bod yn anodd i unrhyw beidio â chael ei ysbrydoli, mewn gwirionedd, gan yr hyn a welsom y penwythnos hwnnw. Roedd yn llwyddiant ysgubol a hanesyddol ac roeddwn yn arbennig o falch fod dau o'r meysydd a nodwyd fel blaenoriaethau—sgiliau bywyd yn y cwricwlwm ac iechyd emosiynol a meddyliol plant a phobl ifanc—yn faterion y mae'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg eisoes wedi dangos diddordeb brwd ynddynt ac yn eu blaenoriaethu ein hunain. Wrth gwrs, mater i'r bobl ifanc yw penderfynu sut y maent eisiau bwrw ymlaen â'u rhaglen waith, ac rwyf hefyd yn ymwybodol o'ch ateb i Helen Mary Jones, ond mewn meysydd lle mae'r pwyllgorau eisoes yn gweithio ar bynciau penodol, pa ystyriaeth arbennig a roddwyd i sicrhau y gall y pwyllgorau ac Aelodau'r Senedd Ieuenctid weithio gyda'i gilydd os ydynt yn dymuno gwneud hynny?
When I was here chairing the discussion on mental health and young people, in the inspiring contributions from so many of the young parliamentarians on that issue, I was reminded of course of the work that your committee, Lynne, had done on mental health issues. There's a very clear early relationship there so they can feed into the continuation of your work as a committee. So, I think that my officials are already looking to create the relationship between the young parliamentarians, especially those who want to work on this particular issue, and your committee, and that's a very natural relationship. I am absolutely convinced that your committee will benefit from the very real-life experiences that these young champions want to progress.
Pan oeddwn yma yn cadeirio'r drafodaeth ar iechyd meddwl a phobl ifanc, yn ystod y cyfraniadau ysbrydoledig gan gynifer o'r seneddwyr ifanc ar y mater hwnnw, cefais fy atgoffa wrth gwrs o'r gwaith roedd eich pwyllgor chi, Lynne, wedi'i wneud ar faterion iechyd meddwl. Mae perthynas gynnar glir iawn yno felly gallant gyfrannu at barhad eich gwaith fel pwyllgor. Felly, credaf fod fy swyddogion eisoes yn ystyried creu'r berthynas rhwng y seneddwyr ifanc, yn enwedig y rheini sydd eisiau gweithio ar y mater penodol hwn, a'ch pwyllgor chi, ac mae honno'n berthynas naturiol iawn. Rwy'n gwbl argyhoeddedig y bydd eich pwyllgor yn elwa o'r profiadau bywyd go iawn y mae'r hyrwyddwyr ifanc hyn eisiau eu datblygu.
3. A wnaiff y Comisiwn ddatganiad am y polisi ynghylch hedfan baneri ar ystâd y Cynulliad ar ôl i'r DU ymadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd? OAQ53507
3. Will the Commission make a statement on the policy for flying flags on the Assembly estate after the UK leaves the European Union? OAQ53507
Mae gan Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru brotocol baneri. Mae'n amlinellu'r trefniadau arferol ar gyfer arddangos baneri ar ein hystâd, a'r gweithdrefnau ar gyfer amgylchiadau eraill. Gall hyn gynnwys dyddiau arwyddocaol blynyddol a digwyddiadau nad oes modd eu rhagweld. Mae'r protocol yn nodi'r baneri sydd yn cael eu harddangos yn ddyddiol, ac mae'r rhain yn cynnwys baner yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Bydd ein protocol yn cael ei ddiweddaru os cytunir ar ddyddiad i'r Deyrnas Unedig ymadael â'r Undeb Ewropeaidd.
The National Assembly for Wales has a protocol on the flying of flags on its estate. It outlines the usual arrangements for the displaying of flags and the procedures for other circumstances including annual days of significance and unplanned events. The current arrangements set out the flags that will be flown every day unless other arrangements have been agreed, and these include the European Union flag. The protocol will be updated ahead of any date agreed for the departure of the UK from the European Union.
Thanks for that answer. Of course, there is uncertainty, but we may well be leaving within a few weeks, so I'm glad to hear, Llywydd, that there are plans to update the procedure, and I look forward to seeing them in due course, and hopefully quite soon.
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw. Wrth gwrs, mae yna ansicrwydd, ond mae'n bosibl y byddwn yn gadael ymhen ychydig wythnosau, felly rwy'n falch o glywed, Lywydd, fod yna gynlluniau i ddiweddaru'r weithdrefn, ac edrychaf ymlaen at eu gweld maes o law, ac yn fuan iawn gobeithio.
I'm not sure whether there was a question there for me to respond to, but Brexit is about much more than the colour of passports and the flying of flags, in my opinion. There will be a flagpole that may be without a banner, either in a few weeks' time, a few years' time, or possibly not at all. If that happens, then you may have seen, over the last week or so, that the Welsh dragon has, in a global poll, come out on top as the coolest international flag, and I think it's about time that we had at least two of those flags flying outside our building, if not four.
Nid wyf yn siŵr a oes cwestiwn i mi ymateb iddo, ond mae Brexit yn ymwneud â llawer mwy na lliw pasbortau a chwifio baneri yn fy marn i. Mae'n bosibl y bydd yna bolyn heb faner, naill ai ymhen ychydig wythnosau, ymhen ychydig o flynyddoedd, neu efallai ddim o gwbl. Os bydd hynny'n digwydd, efallai eich bod wedi gweld, yn ystod yr wythnos neu ddwy ddiwethaf, fod y Ddraig Goch, mewn arolwg barn byd-eang, wedi dod i'r brig fel y faner ryngwladol orau, a chredaf ei bod yn hen bryd i ni gael o leiaf dwy o'r baneri hynny'n hedfan y tu allan i'n hadeilad, os nad pedair.
Like the Llywydd, I'm extremely proud of the Welsh flag, and very pleased to see that it was rated very highly in an international poll. Another flag that, of course, is extremely popular in Wales, particularly on St David's Day, is the St David's flag, the flag of our patron saint. It's not widely recognised, I'm afraid, around the world, unlike the saltire and unlike St George's flag. Can I urge the Commission to consider flying the St David's flag on a permanent basis on the Assembly estate in order to promote this important part of Wales and our identity?
Fel y Llywydd, rwy'n falch iawn o faner Cymru, ac yn falch iawn o weld ei bod wedi cyrraedd yn uchel iawn mewn arolwg barn rhyngwladol. Baner arall sy'n hynod o boblogaidd yng Nghymru wrth gwrs, yn enwedig ar ddydd Gŵyl Dewi, yw baner Dewi Sant, baner ein nawddsant. Nid yw'n gyfarwydd iawn o amgylch y byd, mae arnaf ofn, yn wahanol i groes Andreas a baner San Siôr. A gaf fi annog y Comisiwn i ystyried chwifio baner Dewi Sant ar sail barhaol ar ystâd y Cynulliad er mwyn hyrwyddo'r rhan bwysig hon o Gymru a'n hunaniaeth?
I fear that I've set in train a competition now for whose flag is the favourite flag. I'll reiterate what I said: if the world thinks that the Welsh dragon is the coolest flag on earth, then I reckon we should fly it with pride.
Mae arnaf ofn fy mod wedi dechrau cystadleuaeth yn awr o ran baner pwy yw'r ffefryn. Fe ailadroddaf yr hyn a ddywedais: os yw'r byd yn credu mai'r Ddraig Goch yw'r faner orau ar y ddaear, rwy'n credu y dylem ei chwifio gyda balchder.
4. A oes gan y Comisiwn unrhyw gynlluniau i sefydlu coffâd parhaol ar gyfer Aelodau'r Cynulliad a fu farw yn y swydd? OAQ53502
4. Does the Commission have any plans to establish a permanent commemoration for Assembly Members who have died whilst in post? OAQ53502
Nid oes gan y Comisiwn gynlluniau ar gyfer cofeb o'r natur hon. Yn ddiweddar, rydym wedi cytuno ar bolisi sy'n nodi'r broses y bydd y Comisiwn yn ei dilyn i ystyried cynigion ar gyfer cofebion a phenderfynu arnynt. Mae'r polisi ar gael ar wefan y Cynulliad.
The Commission does not have plans for a memorial of this nature. We have recently agreed a policy that notes the process the Commission will follow to consider suggestions for memorials and decide on them. The policy is available on the Assembly website.
Thank you for that answer, Presiding Officer. I look forward to having a look on the website. I was unaware that there was a policy, so I look forward to seeing that. But I do think that that is a piece of architecture that we are missing on the Assembly estate. Thankfully, not many Members have died in post, but over the years four or five at least, I do believe, have passed away in post, and I think that, as a Parliament, we should be commemorating their service and the service that they’ve given, because it was whist they were AMs that they achieved so much, and with the passage of time it would be wrong to forget their legacy, if you like. As this was their home within their working life, I do think that that would be a noble gesture on behalf of the Commission, and I would implore the Commission maybe to put something together that could bring such a commemoration together.
Diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw, Lywydd. Edrychaf ymlaen at gael golwg ar y wefan. Nid oeddwn yn ymwybodol fod yna bolisi, felly edrychaf ymlaen at weld hwnnw. Ond rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n ddarn o bensaernïaeth sydd ar goll ar ystâd y Cynulliad. Diolch byth, nid oes llawer o Aelodau wedi marw yn y swydd, ond dros y blynyddoedd mae o leiaf bedwar neu bump, rwy'n credu, wedi marw yn y swydd, ac rwy'n credu y dylem, fel Senedd, goffáu eu gwasanaeth a'r gwasanaeth y maent wedi'i roi, oherwydd eu bod wedi cyflawni cymaint fel Aelodau Cynulliad, a chyda threigl amser, byddai'n anghywir i ni anghofio am eu gwaddol, os mynnwch. Gan mai hwn oedd eu cartref yn eu bywyd gwaith, credaf y byddai honno'n weithred haelfrydig ar ran y Comisiwn, a buaswn yn erfyn ar y Comisiwn i wneud trefniadau i greu coffâd o'r fath.
I'd urge you to have a look at the policy. It is only recently agreed by the Commission, so many Members may not yet be fully aware of it. It's been put in place in order to have a framework for decision making around any memorial or plaque for any person or event to be placed on this estate. We remember our fellow Members sadly deceased with a great deal of fondness and we carry with us in our everyday life many of the aspects and priorities they brought to our discussions in this Chamber. I would urge you, if Members are supportive of an initiative such as this, to work with families and friends of those deceased Members—to work across political parties to make a proposal to the Commission, and the Commission will look at that when it comes before us.
Rwy'n eich annog i edrych ar y polisi. Cytunwyd arno yn ddiweddar gan y Comisiwn, felly efallai nad oes llawer o'r Aelodau yn gwbl ymwybodol ohono eto. Cafodd ei sefydlu er mwyn sicrhau bod fframwaith ar gael ar gyfer penderfynu ar osod unrhyw gofeb neu blac i unrhyw unigolyn neu ddigwyddiad ar yr ystâd hon. Cofiwn yn annwyl am y cyd-Aelodau a gollwyd a chofiwn bob dydd am nifer o'r agweddau a'r blaenoriaethau a gyfrannwyd ganddynt i'n trafodaethau yn y Siambr hon. Buaswn yn eich annog, os yw'r Aelodau'n cefnogi menter fel hon, i weithio gyda theuluoedd a ffrindiau'r Aelodau a gollwyd—i weithio ar draws y pleidiau gwleidyddol i wneud cynnig i'r Comisiwn, a bydd y Comisiwn yn edrych ar hwnnw pan ddaw ger ein bron.
Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Lywydd.
Item 4 is topical questions. There is one this afternoon, to be answered by the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism. Andrew R.T. Davies.
Eitem 4 yw'r cwestiynau amserol. Un cwestiwn a ddaeth i law y prynhawn yma, i'w ateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog Diwylliant, Chwaraeon a Thwristiaeth. Andrew R.T. Davies.
1. Pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael gydag Undeb Rygbi Cymru yng ngoleuni adroddiadau ynghylch ailwampio mawr ar y gêm broffesiynol yng Nghymru? 284
1. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the Welsh Rugby Union in light of reports of a major overhaul of the professional game in Wales? 284
Thank you very much. You will have heard me replying succinctly, briefly, about our relationship in response to an earlier question, so I can confirm that I have had regular meetings with the Welsh Rugby Union and, indeed, have discussed with them their development plans and their business model, including regional restructuring. However, I would emphasise that it is not my intention in Government, nor the intention of the rest of the Government for that matter, because we have discussed this at some length—we have no intention at all of being involved directly in any of the current discussions, and we shouldn't be. I do believe it is very important that, in matters of culture and sport, we maintain the arm's-length principle, which allows for independent businesses and independent organisations, whether in sport or in culture, to conduct their business as they think fit.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Fe fyddwch wedi fy nghlywed yn ateb yn gryno, yn fyr, ynglŷn â'n perthynas mewn ymateb i gwestiwn cynharach, felly gallaf gadarnhau fy mod wedi cael cyfarfodydd rheolaidd gydag Undeb Rygbi Cymru ac yn wir wedi trafod eu cynlluniau datblygu a'u model busnes gyda hwy, gan gynnwys ailstrwythuro rhanbarthol. Fodd bynnag, hoffwn bwysleisio nad yw'n fwriad gennyf yn y Llywodraeth, nac yn fwriad gan weddill y Llywodraeth o ran hynny, oherwydd rydym wedi trafod hyn yn helaeth—nid oes gennym fwriad o gwbl i gymryd rhan uniongyrchol mewn unrhyw un o'r trafodaethau presennol, ac ni ddylem wneud hynny. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod, mewn materion sy'n ymwneud â diwylliant a chwaraeon, yn cynnal yr egwyddor hyd braich, sy'n caniatáu i fusnesau annibynnol a sefydliadau annibynnol, boed yn y maes chwaraeon neu ddiwylliant, i gyflawni eu busnes fel y gwelant orau.
On your sentiment there, Minister, I do fully agree with you. The governance of the game in Wales is completely in the hands of the Welsh Rugby Union, and so should be the case. But I think many fans are punch-drunk by some of the developments that have happened, and I saw just a couple of minutes ago a news report saying that the merger is off the table. But from the grass roots right up to international level, there is grave concern over the current proposals that have been put forward—whether they would be lasting, whether they would be durable. Again, I reiterate the point: I'm not calling on the Welsh Government to indicate that they've been involved in these discussions, but I would have thought that the Welsh Government would have a view as to how they would like to see the Welsh game develop given the strength of grass-roots rugby and, obviously, the implications for many of the messages that Welsh Government brings out about sport and inclusivity. And so, given that the Welsh Government put £853,000, I think, into the game, can you assure us that you will keep a watching brief on this particular subject? You did, in your earlier answer, indicate that you had had thoughts about the Irish model; are those personal thoughts of yours or are they thoughts that have been developed by the Government as maybe a solution to some of the challenges that the Welsh game faces?
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r hyn rydych yn ei ddweud Weinidog. Mae'r gwaith o lywodraethu'r gêm yng Nghymru yn nwylo Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn llwyr, fel y dylai fod. Ond rwy'n credu bod llawer o gefnogwyr yn bensyfrdan yn dilyn rhai o'r datblygiadau sydd wedi digwydd, ac ychydig funudau yn ôl, gwelais adroddiad newyddion yn dweud nad yw'r posibilrwydd o uno dan ystyriaeth mwyach. Ond o rygbi llawr gwlad i fyny i'r lefel ryngwladol, ceir pryder difrifol ynglŷn â'r cynigion cyfredol a gyflwynwyd—a fyddant yn barhaol, a fyddant yn wydn. Unwaith eto, rwy'n ailadrodd y pwynt: nid wyf yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ddangos ei bod wedi cymryd rhan yn y trafodaethau hyn, ond buaswn wedi meddwl y byddai gan Lywodraeth Cymru farn ynglŷn â sut y byddent yn hoffi gweld y gêm yng Nghymru'n datblygu o ystyried cryfder rygbi llawr gwlad, ac yn amlwg, y goblygiadau o ran nifer o'r negeseuon y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cyfleu ynglŷn â chwaraeon a chynwysoldeb. Ac felly, gan fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi £853,000, rwy'n credu, tuag at y gêm, a allwch roi sicrwydd i ni y byddwch yn cadw llygad ar y mater penodol hwn? Yn eich ateb cynharach, fe nodoch fod gennych syniadau ynglŷn â'r model Gwyddelig; a yw'r rheini'n syniadau personol neu a ydynt yn syniadau a ddatblygwyd gan y Llywodraeth fel ateb posibl i rai o'r heriau y mae'r gêm yng Nghymru yn eu hwynebu?
No, those were very much personal thoughts. Also, it's an obvious personal thought of mine that I would like to see professional rugby in the north of Wales, and have wished to see that happen for many years. I'm now having to be at arm's length from myself and that particular view, but that will be no surprise to you. But what I would say is that there has been no discussion, but there has been very close involvement by our senior officials in ensuring that we were fully informed of the implications of what the Welsh Rugby Union is discussing. But, obviously, there would have to be a—. We have had a discussion, I should say, with Nigel Short of the pro rugby board and others, so we are aware of their intentions, but it's not at this stage that Welsh Government would be involved in any of the consequences. But I think, as I indicated in the earlier discussion, there might be a call on our resources, as we have done in the past, for investing in infrastructure in areas that would benefit from that in order to develop not just rugby but other sports. For example, we have invested substantially, as I indicated, in 3G facilities and in all-weather pitches in the north, and we've done it in Wrexham as well as in Eirias Park.
Na, roedd y rheini'n sicr yn syniadau personol. Hefyd, ac mae hwn yn amlwg yn syniad personol, hoffwn weld rygbi proffesiynol yng ngogledd Cymru, ac rwyf wedi dymuno gweld hynny'n digwydd ers blynyddoedd lawer. Rwyf bellach yn gorfod cadw hyd braich oddi wrthyf fy hun a'r safbwynt penodol hwnnw, ond ni fydd hynny'n syndod i chi. Ond hoffwn ddweud nad oes unrhyw drafodaethau wedi bod, ond mae ein huwch-swyddogion wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos iawn i sicrhau ein bod yn hollol ymwybodol o oblygiadau'r hyn y mae Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn ei drafod. Ond yn amlwg, byddai'n rhaid cael—. Rydym wedi cael trafodaeth, dylwn ddweud, gyda Nigel Short o'r bwrdd rygbi proffesiynol ac eraill, felly rydym yn ymwybodol o'u bwriadau, ond nid oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru ran mewn unrhyw ganlyniadau ar y cam hwn. Ond fel y nodais yn y drafodaeth gynharach, credaf efallai y bydd angen defnyddio ein hadnoddau, fel rydym wedi'i wneud yn y gorffennol, i fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith mewn ardaloedd a fyddai'n elwa o hynny er mwyn datblygu rygbi yn ogystal â chwaraeon eraill. Er enghraifft, rydym wedi buddsoddi'n sylweddol, fel y nodais, mewn cyfleusterau 3G a chaeau pob tywydd yn y gogledd, ac rydym wedi gwneud hynny yn Wrecsam yn ogystal ag ym Mharc Eirias.
Minister, I thank you for the answer you've just given. Clearly, the message we're now getting is that the merger is off, but we often talk about the two rugby teams, the Ospreys and the Scarlets, and we just think of those two teams, but there's a lot more behind the scenes than just those two teams on the pitches. The Ospreys have embraced the regional concept very much and they work with our local communities. They have Ospreys in the Community, they go and meet with the schools, they work with science, technology, engineering and mathematics groups and organisations to promote STEM and other career pathways. There is a lot more going on. They're actually one of the best at women's rugby in the area. They do a lot more than simply what we see with the 15 players on the field. And they are issues that the Government should be involved with, and it's the funding you give to the Welsh Rugby Union that feeds into that.
So, I think it is important the Government has a say on this to ensure that the services that the Ospreys currently give to the communities aren't lost. Because if the Ospreys disappear, Scarlets are going to have their own commitments already. They haven't got the funding to go beyond that, so what will happen to our region and those community services? And, therefore, the Government will need to look very carefully at what that actually means to the local communities—not just the fans, but the people who live in the area, the children in the area, the schoolchildren they get support from. And I'll declare an interest: my granddaughter actually very often goes to the Ospreys camps in her holiday time. These are services that people get a huge lot out of, and the Welsh Government should be looking at what happens to those as well.
Weinidog, diolch i chi am yr ateb rydych newydd ei roi. Yn amlwg, y neges a gawn yn awr yw nad yw uno'n ystyriaeth mwyach, ond rydym yn aml yn siarad am y ddau dîm rygbi, y Gweilch a'r Scarlets, a meddyliwn am y ddau dîm, ond mae llawer mwy'n digwydd y tu ôl i'r llen na'r ddau dîm a welwn ar y caeau. Mae'r Gweilch wedi croesawu'r cysyniad rhanbarthol yn gynnes ac maent yn gweithio gyda'n cymunedau lleol. Mae ganddynt Gweilch yn y Gymuned, maent yn mynd i gyfarfod ag ysgolion, maent yn gweithio gyda grwpiau a sefydliadau gwyddoniaeth, technoleg, peirianneg a mathemateg i hyrwyddo STEM a llwybrau gyrfa eraill. Mae llawer mwy'n digwydd. Mewn gwirionedd, maent yn un o'r goreuon yn y maes mewn perthynas â rygbi merched. Maent yn gwneud llawer mwy na'r hyn a welwn gyda'r 15 chwaraewr ar y cae. Ac maent yn faterion y dylai'r Llywodraeth ymwneud â hwy, ac mae'r arian rydych yn ei roi i Undeb Rygbi Cymru yn bwydo i mewn i hynny.
Felly, credaf ei bod yn bwysig fod y Llywodraeth yn cael dweud ei dweud ar y mater hwn i sicrhau nad ydym yn colli'r gwasanaethau y mae'r Gweilch yn eu rhoi i'r cymunedau ar hyn o bryd. Oherwydd os bydd y Gweilch yn diflannu, bydd gan y Scarlets eu hymrwymiadau eu hunain eisoes. Nid oes ganddynt arian i wneud mwy na hynny, felly beth fydd yn digwydd i'n rhanbarth ni a'r gwasanaethau cymunedol hynny? Ac felly, bydd angen i'r Llywodraeth edrych yn ofalus iawn ar beth y mae hynny'n ei olygu i'r cymunedau lleol mewn gwirionedd—nid yn unig y cefnogwyr, ond y bobl sy'n byw yn yr ardal, y plant yn yr ardal, y plant ysgol sy'n eu cefnogi. Ac rwyf am ddatgan buddiant: mae fy wyres yn aml iawn yn mynychu gwersylloedd y Gweilch yn ystod y gwyliau. Mae pobl yn elwa'n helaeth o'r gwasanaethau hyn, a dylai Llywodraeth Cymru edrych ar beth fydd yn digwydd i'r rheini hefyd.
Daeth y Llywydd i’r Gadair.
The Llywydd took the Chair.
Thank you very much for expressing that so forcefully, David. Certainly, it is our intention as a Government to ensure that any programmes that involve community engagement, any programme that develops women's rugby, under 20 rugby, youth rugby—all those commitments are commitments that have been made to us by the WRU, centrally, and it is the WRU, therefore, that is responsible at the moment that that commitment should be delivered. And I will certainly speak with them about this because, clearly, if there are to be any differences, any developments in the structure of the regions, whereas that matter is a matter for regions to discuss, where commitments have being made and public funding has been invested through Sport Wales into the Welsh Rugby Union, then I can assure you that we will pursue the constant delivery of that commitment.
Diolch yn fawr am fynegi hynny mewn ffordd mor rymus, David. Yn sicr, rydym, fel Llywodraeth, yn bwriadu sicrhau y bydd unrhyw raglenni sy'n cynnwys ymgysylltiad cymunedol, unrhyw raglenni sy'n datblygu rygbi merched, rygbi o dan 20 oed, rygbi ieuenctid—mae'r holl ymrwymiadau hynny'n ymrwymiadau a wnaed i ni gan Undeb Rygbi Cymru, yn ganolog, ac Undeb Rygbi Cymru, felly, sy'n gyfrifol am gyflawni'r ymrwymiad hwnnw ar hyn o bryd. A byddaf yn sicr yn siarad gyda hwy am hyn oherwydd, yn amlwg, os bydd unrhyw wahaniaethau, unrhyw ddatblygiadau yn strwythur y rhanbarthau, er mai mater i'r rhanbarthau ei drafod yw hwnnw, lle gwnaed ymrwymiadau a lle buddsoddwyd arian cyhoeddus yn Undeb Rygbi Cymru drwy Chwaraeon Cymru, gallaf roi sicrwydd i chi y byddwn yn parhau i sicrhau bod yr ymrwymiad hwnnw'n cael ei gyflawni.