Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
08/12/2020Cynnwys
Contents
Yn y fersiwn ddwyieithog, mae’r golofn chwith yn cynnwys yr iaith a lefarwyd yn y cyfarfod. Mae’r golofn dde yn cynnwys cyfieithiad o’r areithiau hynny.
In the bilingual version, the left-hand column includes the language used during the meeting. The right-hand column includes a translation of those speeches.
Cyfarfu'r Senedd yn y Siambr a thrwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:30 gyda'r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da, a chroeso i bawb i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, dwi eisiau nodi ychydig o bwyntiau. Cynhelir y cyfarfod hwn ar ffurf hybrid, gyda rhai Aelodau yn Siambr y Senedd, ac eraill yn ymuno drwy gyswllt fideo. Bydd yr holl Aelodau sy'n cymryd rhan yn nhrafodion y Senedd, lle bynnag y bônt, yn cael eu trin yn gyfartal. Mae Cyfarfod Llawn a gynhelir drwy gynhadledd fideo, yn unol â Rheolau Sefydlog Senedd Cymru, yn gyfystyr â thrafodion y Senedd at ddibenion Deddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006. Bydd rhai o ddarpariaethau Rheol Sefydlog 34 yn gymwys ar gyfer y Cyfarfod Llawn heddiw, ac mae'r rheini wedi'u nodi ar eich agenda chi. Dwi eisiau atgoffa'r Aelodau fod y Rheolau Sefydlog sy'n ymwneud â threfn yn y Cyfarfod Llawn yn berthnasol i'r cyfarfod, ac yr un mor berthnasol i'r Aelodau sydd yn y Siambr â'r rhai sy'n ymuno drwy gyswllt fideo.
Good afternoon, and welcome to this Plenary session. Before we begin, I want to set out a few points. This meeting will be held in hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference. All Members participating in Senedd proceedings, wherever they may be, will be treated equitably. A Plenary meeting held using video-conference, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting, and these are set out on your agenda. I would remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary meetings apply to this meeting, and apply equally to Members in the Chamber as to those joining virtually.
Felly, y prynhawn yma yr eitem gyntaf ar yr agenda yw'r cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Hefin David.
So, our first item this afternoon is questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Hefin David.
1. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am effaith Rheoliadau Diogelu Iechyd (Cyfyngiadau Coronafeirws) (Rhif 4) (Cymru) 2020 yng Nghaerffili? OQ55992
1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020 in Caerphilly? OQ55992
Llywydd, I thank the Member for that question. The intended impact of the regulations in Caerphilly is to arrest and reduce the prevalence of coronavirus from its current rising and elevated level of 447 people per 100,000 in the population, and to reverse the rise in positivity rates from its present level in Caerphilly of over 17 per cent.
Llywydd, diolchaf i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna. Bwriad y rheoliadau yng Nghaerffili yw atal a lleihau nifer yr achosion o'r coronafeirws o'i lefel uchel bresennol ac sy'n cynyddu o 447 o bobl fesul 100,000 yn y boblogaeth, a gwrthdroi'r cynnydd i gyfraddau positif o'i lefel bresennol yng Nghaerffili o dros 17 y cant.
I'd like to pay tribute again to the people of Caerphilly, many of whom are keeping in touch with me about the issues that they are facing as a result of these very difficult times. And I'm so often in awe of the measures that people in Caerphilly are taking in order to control and contain the virus. Several constituents have been in touch with me with regard to relatives in care homes, many of whom are suffering from dementia. They are currently prevented from visiting those relatives because of Caerphilly County Borough Council policy. We've queried this with Caerphilly council, who've told us that measures are put in place to prepare care homes for resumption of indoor visits, but they are awaiting a letter from the Welsh Government confirming a change in guidance. Now, as I understand it, the Welsh Government guidance is clear and, therefore, I'm looking to the First Minister to help me with this and find a way through what seems to be a blockage of bureaucracy in order to assist people in visiting relatives in care homes.
I'd also say, while mentioning that, that the pilot lateral flow device and pods to enable visiting are to be welcomed, and particularly where visitors can now use these facilities to visit relatives in care homes, balancing against that risk of COVID. But in this particular case, could the First Minister provide some support for me to get back to Caerphilly council and enable those visits to resume where safe and possible?
Hoffwn dalu teyrnged eto i bobl Caerffili, y mae llawer ohonyn nhw'n cadw mewn cysylltiad â mi am y problemau y maen nhw'n eu hwynebu o ganlyniad i'r cyfnod anodd iawn hwn. Ac mae gen i barch aruthrol mor aml at y mesurau y mae pobl yng Nghaerffili yn eu cymryd er mwyn rheoli ac atal y feirws. Mae nifer o etholwyr wedi bod mewn cysylltiad â mi ynglŷn â pherthnasau mewn cartrefi gofal, llawer ohonyn nhw'n dioddef o ddementia. Ar hyn o bryd maen nhw'n cael eu hatal rhag ymweld â'r perthnasau hynny oherwydd polisi Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili. Rydym ni wedi holi cyngor Caerffili am hyn, ac mae wedi dweud wrthym ni bod mesurau yn cael eu rhoi ar waith i baratoi cartrefi gofal ar gyfer ailddechrau ymweliadau dan do, ond maen nhw'n aros am lythyr gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn cadarnhau newid i'r canllawiau. Nawr, yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, mae canllawiau Llywodraeth Cymru yn eglur ac, felly, rwy'n disgwyl i'r Prif Weinidog fy helpu gyda hyn a dod o hyd i ffordd drwy'r hyn sy'n ymddangos yn rhwystr o fiwrocratiaeth er mwyn cynorthwyo pobl i ymweld â pherthnasau mewn cartrefi gofal.
Byddwn hefyd yn dweud, wrth sôn am hynny, bod y ddyfais llif ochrol arbrofol a'r podiau i alluogi ymweliadau i'w croesawu, ac yn enwedig lle gall ymwelwyr ddefnyddio'r cyfleusterau hyn nawr i ymweld â pherthnasau mewn cartrefi gofal, gan gydbwyso yn erbyn y risg honno o COVID. Ond yn yr achos penodol hwn, a allai'r Prif Weinidog roi rhywfaint o gefnogaeth i mi i fynd yn ôl at gyngor Caerffili a galluogi'r ymweliadau hynny i ailddechraupan fo hynny yn ddiogel ac yn bosibl?
Llywydd, I thank Hefin David for that. He points to one of the acutest dilemmas in the whole coronavirus pandemic, and that is the need for relatives to be able to visit people in care homes and yet the extreme vulnerability of the care home population. So, the Welsh Government has provided regular guidance throughout the pandemic, both from the director of social services in the Welsh Government, Albert Heaney, and through the Minister, Julie Morgan. Our guidance, I think, is clear. We say to local authorities that it is important to avoid an unnecessarily restrictive blanket approach to visiting, that it needs to be calibrated in the individual circumstances faced by the local authority, but also faced by the care home itself. Obviously, nobody would wish to see visits to a care home if a care home itself is actively dealing with an outbreak of coronavirus amongst its population. But we're still in a position, Llywydd, where almost half care homes in Wales have not had a single case of coronavirus.
The lateral flow device experiment that is going on in Wales at the moment will help to allow more visits to take place. But I want to emphasise the fact that, here in Wales, all the other precautions that we would expect to see—the wearing of PPE, the maintaining of social distancing, the special measures that care homes have put in place—we still expect to see all of that happening even if someone has tested negative through a lateral flow device. And the 30 pods to which Hefin David referred, they are now provided. They'll be available for Christmas, and I know that my colleague Julie Morgan hopes to have something to say very soon on support for those providers who've been able to source their own visitor pods, again in an effort to allow visits to take place where that balance between the need for human contact with family members and the prevalence of the virus can be properly struck.
Llywydd, diolchaf i Hefin David am hynna. Mae'n cyfeirio at un o'r penblethau mwyaf dybryd yn holl bandemig y coronafeirws, sef yr angen i berthnasau allu ymweld â phobl mewn cartrefi gofal ond eto pa mor eithriadol o agored i niwed yw'r boblogaeth cartrefi gofal. Felly, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi darparu canllawiau rheolaidd drwy gydol y pandemig, gan gyfarwyddwr y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn Llywodraeth Cymru, Albert Heaney, a thrwy'r Gweinidog, Julie Morgan. Mae ein cyfarwyddyd yn eglur, yn fy marn i. Rydym ni'n dweud wrth awdurdodau lleol ei bod hi'n bwysig osgoi dull cyffredinol diangen o gyfyngol o ran ymweliadau, bod angen ei raddnodi yn yr amgylchiadau unigol sy'n wynebu'r awdurdod lleol, ond sydd hefyd yn wynebu'r cartref gofal ei hun. Yn amlwg, ni fyddai neb yn dymuno gweld ymweliadau â chartref gofal os yw cartref gofal ei hun wrthi'n ymdrin ag achosion o coronafeirws ymhlith ei boblogaeth. Ond rydym ni'n dal mewn sefyllfa, Llywydd, lle mae bron i hanner cartrefi gofal Cymru heb gael yr un achos o coronafeirws.
Bydd arbrawf y ddyfais llif ochrol sy'n cael ei gynnal yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd yn helpu i ganiatáu mwy o ymweliadau. Ond hoffwn bwysleisio'r ffaith, yma yng Nghymru, yr holl ragofalon eraill y byddem ni'n disgwyl eu gweld—gwisgo cyfarpar diogelu personol, cadw pellter cymdeithasol, y mesurau arbennig y mae cartrefi gofal wedi eu rhoi ar waith—rydym ni'n dal i ddisgwyl gweld hynny i gyd yn digwydd hyd yn oed os yw rhywun wedi profi'n negyddol drwy ddyfais llif ochrol. A'r 30 pod y cyfeiriodd Hefin David atyn nhw, maen nhw wedi'u darparu erbyn hyn. Byddan nhw ar gael ar gyfer y Nadolig, a gwn fod fy nghyd-Weinidog Julie Morgan yn gobeithio cael rhywbeth i'w ddweud yn fuan iawn am gymorth i'r darparwyr hynny sydd wedi gallu dod o hyd i'w podiau ymwelwyr eu hunain, unwaith eto mewn ymdrech i ganiatáu ymweliadau lle gellir taro yn briodol y cydbwysedd hwnnw rhwng yr angen am gyswllt dynol ag aelodau teulu a nifer yr achosion o'r feirws.
First Minister, we all recognise that cases are rising across south-east Wales and Wales, and the seriousness of that, and that public health and safety must come first. But do you recognise the anger and frustration of businesses across Wales that have made great efforts to ensure the safety of their customers only to be punished by these latest Government damaging restrictions? Brains spent £500,000 on personal protective equipment, ensuring its commitment to protect its customers. Will you agree to publish the data, in the interests of transparency, so people can see the evidence on which these decisions were made?
Prif Weinidog, rydym ni i gyd yn cydnabod bod achosion yn cynyddu ar draws y de-ddwyrain a Chymru, a difrifoldeb hynny, a bod yn rhaid i iechyd a diogelwch y cyhoedd ddod yn gyntaf. Ond a ydych chi'n cydnabod dicter a rhwystredigaeth busnesau ledled Cymru sydd wedi ymdrechu yn galed iawn i sicrhau diogelwch eu cwsmeriaid dim ond i gael eu cosbi gan y cyfyngiadau niweidiol diweddaraf hyn gan y Llywodraeth? Gwariodd Brains £500,000 ar gyfarpar diogelu personol, gan sicrhau ei ymrwymiad i ddiogelu ei gwsmeriaid. A wnewch chi gytuno i gyhoeddi'r data, i sicrhau tryloywder, fel y gall pobl weld y dystiolaeth y seiliwyd y penderfyniadau hyn arni?
Well, Llywydd, I'm afraid the Conservative Party in Wales is in a disgraceful position in relation to this matter, and that disgrace was very well illustrated in the Member's question to me. In the face of the numbers that we see here in Wales, the grip of the coronavirus crisis in Wales, she consistently, as does her party, avoids their responsibility for facing up to that and wants instead to make ridiculous, ridiculous allegations about sectors of the economy being punished in Wales. That sector is receiving £340 million-worth of support from the Welsh Government, where her party in Westminster is providing £40 million for the whole of England. Here in Wales, we work with the sector, we do our very best to be able to help them to deal with the consequences of this emergency. But this is a public health emergency and it's time the Conservative Party in Wales really did recognise that.
Wel, Llywydd, mae gen i ofn bod y Blaid Geidwadol yng Nghymru mewn sefyllfa warthus o ran y mater hwn, a dangoswyd y gwarth hwnnw yn dda iawn yng nghwestiwn yr Aelod i mi. Yn wyneb y niferoedd yr ydym ni'n eu gweld yma yng Nghymru, a gafael argyfwng y coronafeirws yng Nghymru, mae hi'n osgoi yn gyson, ac felly hefyd ei phlaid, eu cyfrifoldeb nhw am wynebu hynny ac yn hytrach eisiau gwneud honiadau hurt dros ben am sectorau o'r economi yn cael eu cosbi yng Nghymru. Mae'r sector hwnnw yn cael gwerth £340 miliwn o gymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru, tra bod ei phlaid hi yn San Steffan yn darparu £40 miliwn i Loegr gyfan. Yma yng Nghymru, rydym ni'n gweithio gyda'r sector, rydym ni'n gwneud ein gorau glas i'w helpu i ymdrin â chanlyniadau'r argyfwng hwn. Ond mae hwn yn argyfwng iechyd cyhoeddus ac mae'n bryd i'r Blaid Geidwadol yng Nghymru gydnabod hynny mewn gwirionedd.
The First Minister and his colleagues have had to make extremely difficult decisions during the pandemic, and all of us realise how serious the situation is now in Caerphilly and across the south-east. I've just listened to the exchange between you and Laura Anne Jones, First Minister. I think there is a disconnect between the severity of the situation and some public attitudes towards this, and I wonder that this might have been because of some breakdowns in communication. I feel that the restrictions that have just been talked about with the hospitality sector, which came in last Friday, could have been met with less resistance if there'd been a longer lead-in time, which would have allowed businesses time to plan in terms of both staffing and stock, because failure to allow that time led to businesses having to close at short notice and pour beer down the drain. I'm aware of one business, which is in Caerphilly county, that sent a message to Members saying that they'd taken the difficult decision to suspend some services until mid January because they had no confidence in the Government's ability to commit to a reliable schedule of releasing restraints by the promised deadline. So, could I ask, First Minister, what assurance could you provide to the hospitality sector that you'll give them as much time as possible to prepare in future, both in terms of lifting and imposing restrictions?
Bu'n rhaid i'r Prif Weinidog a'i gyd-Weinidogion wneud penderfyniadau eithriadol o anodd yn ystod y pandemig, ac mae pob un ohonom ni yn sylweddoli pa mor ddifrifol yw'r sefyllfa bellach yng Nghaerffili ac ar draws y de-ddwyrain. Rwyf i newydd wrando ar y drafodaeth rhyngoch chi a Laura Anne Jones, Prif Weinidog. Credaf fod diffyg cysylltiad rhwng difrifoldeb y sefyllfa a rhai agweddau cyhoeddus tuag at hyn, ac rwy'n meddwl tybed a allai hyn fod oherwydd rhai methiannau mewn cyfathrebu. Rwy'n teimlo y gallai'r cyfyngiadau sydd newydd gael eu trafod gyda'r sector lletygarwch, a gyflwynwyd ddydd Gwener diwethaf, fod wedi cael llai o wrthwynebiad pe byddai amser arweiniol hirach wedi bod, a fyddai wedi rhoi amser i fusnesau gynllunio o ran staffio a stoc, oherwydd arweiniodd y methiant i ganiatáu'r amser hwnnw at fusnesau yn gorfod cau ar fyr rybudd ac arllwys cwrw i lawr y draen. Rwy'n ymwybodol o un busnes, sydd yn sir Caerffili, a anfonodd neges at yr Aelodau yn dweud eu bod nhw wedi gwneud y penderfyniad anodd i roi terfyn ar rai gwasanaethau tan ganol mis Ionawr gan nad oedd ganddyn nhw hyder yng ngallu'r Llywodraeth i ymrwymo i amserlen ddibynadwy o lacio cyfyngiadau erbyn y dyddiad terfyn a addawyd. Felly, a gaf i ofyn, Prif Weinidog, pa sicrwydd y gallech chi ei roi i'r sector lletygarwch y byddwch chi'n rhoi cymaint o amser â phosibl iddyn nhw baratoi yn y dyfodol, o ran llacio a gorfodi cyfyngiadau?
Well, Llywydd, I announced on a Friday that these changes would be coming into place on the following Friday. When a Government is provided with advice from its chief medical officer and others that action needs to be taken, and that the speed at which that action is taken will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of those measures, and the impact on people's lives, I think it is incumbent on Government to act as soon as reasonably can be on that evidence. And the longer you wait, the more lives are lost. So, it's a terribly difficult balancing act between giving businesses the time they need—and I recognise the points the Member made are absolutely fair in that regard—and allowing those businesses to prepare against the certain knowledge that every day without the restrictions is a day less to have an impact on the coronavirus pandemic that we face. Now, we provided a full week of advance notice. On the following Monday, we provided all the detail of what would be required. I don't deny for a minute that that is a short period of time for businesses to be able to react, but we did give them what I thought was the longest we could, consistent with the advice we received that action was needed, it was needed as soon as possible and that every day we delayed meant the coronavirus was going to get worse and the impact on our health service and on people's lives would be worse as well.
Wel, Llywydd, cyhoeddais ddydd Gwener y byddai'r newidiadau hyn yn cael eu cyflwyno ar y dydd Gwener canlynol. Pan ddarperir cyngor i Llywodraeth gan ei phrif swyddog meddygol ac eraill bod angen cymryd camau, ac y bydd pa mor gyflym y cymerir y camau hynny yn cael effaith uniongyrchol ar effeithiolrwydd y mesurau hynny, a'r effaith ar fywydau pobl, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n ddyletswydd ar y Llywodraeth i weithredu cyn gynted ag y bo'n rhesymol ar sail y dystiolaeth honno. A'r hiraf y byddwch chi'n aros, y mwyaf o fywydau sy'n cael eu colli. Felly, mae'n fater anodd iawn o sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng rhoi'r amser i fusnesau sydd ei angen arnyn nhw—ac rwy'n cydnabod bod y pwyntiau a wnaeth yr Aelod yn gwbl deg yn hynny o beth—a chaniatáu i'r busnesau hynny baratoi yn erbyn y wybodaeth sicr bod diwrnod heb y cyfyngiadau yn ddiwrnod yn llai i gael effaith ar bandemig y coronafeirws sy'n ein hwynebu. Nawr, darparwyd wythnos lawn o rybudd ymlaen llaw gennym ni. Ar y dydd Llun canlynol, fe wnaethom ni ddarparu holl fanylion yr hyn a fyddai'n ofynnol. Nid wyf i'n gwadu am funud bod hwnnw yn gyfnod byr o amser i fusnesau allu ymateb, ond fe wnaethom ni roi iddyn nhw yr hyn yr oeddwn i'n ei gredu oedd yr hwyaf y gallem, yn gyson â'r cyngor a gawsom fod angen cymryd camau, bod angen gwneud hynny cyn gynted â phosibl a bod pob diwrnod yr oeddem ni'n oedi yn golygu bod y coronafeirws yn mynd i waethygu ac y byddai'r effaith ar ein gwasanaeth iechyd ac ar fywydau pobl yn waeth hefyd.
2. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mabwysiadu dull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma o ddatblygu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus mwy caredig? OQ55996
2. How is the Welsh Government adopting a trauma-based approach to developing kinder public services? OQ55996
I thank Jack Sargeant, Llywydd, for that. The adoption of a trauma-based approach in Wales is primarily taken forward through the work of the adverse childhood experiences hub. It works to embed the principles of trauma-based practice across the range of key public services in Wales.
Diolchaf i Jack Sargeant, Llywydd, am hynna. Mae mabwysiadu dull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma yng Nghymru yn cael ei ddatblygu yn bennaf drwy waith y ganolfan profiadau niweidiol yn ystod plentyndod. Mae'n gweithio i ymwreiddio egwyddorion ymarfer sy'n seiliedig ar drawma ar draws yr amrywiaeth o wasanaethau cyhoeddus allweddol yng Nghymru.
Can I thank the First Minister for that answer? Members will be aware, given my ongoing commitment to bring a kinder politics here to Wales, that I have previously called for kinder public services—services that recognise individual circumstances and do not take a prescriptive, one-size-fits-all approach. First Minister, I wanted to share with you today a positive. The Wallich, with the support of the ACE hub, have developed a trauma-informed rehabilitation programme, which has seen fantastic results. It is helping individuals who have suffered multiple adverse childhood experiences to turn their life around, and it also helps break the generational offending cycle. This is good for both service users and the taxpayer. First Minister, will you join me in praising this trauma-based approach and commit to continue to support the ACE hub to help provide kinder, human services?
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna? Bydd yr Aelodau yn ymwybodol, o gofio fy ymrwymiad parhaus i ddod â gwleidyddiaeth fwy caredig yma i Gymru, fy mod i wedi galw o'r blaen am wasanaethau cyhoeddus mwy caredig—gwasanaethau sy'n cydnabod amgylchiadau unigol ac nad ydyn nhw'n defnyddio un dull rhagnodol addas i bawb. Prif Weinidog, roeddwn i eisiau rhannu rhywbeth cadarnhaol gyda chi heddiw. Mae'r Wallich, gyda chefnogaeth canolfan ACE, wedi datblygu rhaglen adsefydlu sy'n seiliedig ar drawma, sydd wedi arwain at ganlyniadau gwych. Mae'n helpu unigolion sydd wedi dioddef profiadau niweidiol lluosog yn ystod plentyndod i weddnewid eu bywydau, ac mae hefyd yn helpu i dorri'r cylch troseddu sy'n pontio'r cenedlaethau. Mae hyn o ddaioni i ddefnyddwyr gwasanaethau a'r trethdalwr. Prif Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i ganmol y dull hwn sy'n seiliedig ar drawma ac ymrwymo i barhau i gefnogi canolfan ACE i helpu i ddarparu gwasanaethau dynol, mwy caredig?
Well, Llywydd, I thank Jack Sargeant for bringing us a piece of good news to celebrate on the floor of the Senedd this afternoon. I think I had read that he had himself met recently with The Wallich to hear of their work and the way in which they are using the trauma-informed approach that has been pioneered through the ACE hub to make a difference in their work. I know that Jack Sargeant will know that our blueprints—our female offending and youth offending blueprints—are based on a trauma-informed approach to putting right in the lives of people things that have gone wrong much earlier in their lives.
And on his call for a kinder public service, which I've heard him speak here eloquently on the floor of the Senedd to support, he will have seen, I'm sure, that the toolkit that the hub has recently published to help workers make the link between physical and mental health and to recognise the signs and symptoms of trauma starts by saying, 'Showing kindness, compassion and listening can be protective factors for those who have experienced adversity.' So, kindness, which is a quality worth pursuing in itself, also has that practical advantage of making a difference in the lives of people, and I'm very pleased to join with Jack Sargeant in marking and celebrating the work of The Wallich and all those others whose work has been informed by the work of the centre. And he will know that my colleague Julie Morgan has committed £0.25 million to make sure that the work of the hub goes on into the next financial year while we review all the work that is going on in Wales in this area.
Wel, Llywydd, diolchaf i Jack Sargeant am ddod â darn o newyddion da i ni ei ddathlu ar lawr y Senedd y prynhawn yma. Rwy'n credu fy mod i wedi darllen ei fod ef ei hun wedi cyfarfod yn ddiweddar â'r Wallich i glywed am eu gwaith a'r ffordd y maen nhw'n defnyddio'r dull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma a arloeswyd drwy'r ganolfan ACE i wneud gwahaniaeth yn eu gwaith. Gwn y bydd Jack Sargeant yn gwybod bod ein glasbrintiau—ein glasbrintiau troseddau menywod a throseddau ieuenctid—yn seiliedig ar ddull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma i unioni pethau ym mywydau pobl sydd wedi mynd o chwith yn llawer cynharach yn eu bywydau.
Ac o ran ei alwad am wasanaeth cyhoeddus mwy caredig, rwyf i wedi ei glywed yn siarad yn y fan yma yn huawdl ar lawr y Senedd i'w gefnogi, bydd wedi gweld, rwy'n siŵr, bod y pecyn cymorth y mae'r ganolfan wedi ei gyhoeddi yn ddiweddar i helpu gweithwyr i wneud y cysylltiad rhwng iechyd corfforol a meddyliol ac i adnabod arwyddion a symptomau trawma yn dechrau drwy ddweud. 'Gall dangos caredigrwydd, tosturi a gwrando fod yn ffactorau amddiffynnol i'r rhai sydd wedi profi adfyd.' Felly, mae gan garedigrwydd, sy'n werth mynd ar ei drywydd ynddo'i hun, y fantais ymarferol honno hefyd o wneud gwahaniaeth ym mywydau pobl, ac rwy'n falch iawn o ymuno â Jack Sargeant i nodi a dathlu gwaith y Wallich a'r holl bobl eraill hynny y mae eu gwaith wedi ei lywio gan waith y ganolfan. A bydd ef yn gwybod bod fy nghyd-Weinidog Julie Morgan wedi ymrwymo £0.25 miliwn i sicrhau bod gwaith y ganolfan yn parhau i'r flwyddyn ariannol nesaf wrth i ni adolygu'r holl waith sy'n cael ei wneud yng Nghymru yn y maes hwn.
Well, First Minister, of course, the pandemic's been a challenging time for very many, including pupils and students. All will have seen an impact on their learning, but some will have seen some on their mental health as well, as we've all heard over the last few months. For some, of course, it will be temporary, hopefully, but for others it could trigger something far deeper and more long lasting. So, First Minister, can you tell me who is responsible for ensuring that schools and colleges become trauma informed? And how many of the schools and colleges in South Wales West have had access to an ACE ambassador from the ACE hub? Thank you.
Wel, Prif Weinidog, wrth gwrs, mae'r pandemig wedi bod yn gyfnod anodd i lawer iawn, gan gynnwys disgyblion a myfyrwyr. Bydd pob un wedi gweld effaith ar eu dysgu, ond bydd rhai wedi gweld rhywfaint ar eu hiechyd meddwl hefyd, fel yr ydym ni i gyd wedi ei glywed dros y misoedd diwethaf. I rai, wrth gwrs, bydd yn rhywbeth dros dro, gobeithio, ond i eraill gallai sbarduno rhywbeth llawer dyfnach a mwy hirhoedlog. Felly, Prif Weinidog, a allwch chi ddweud wrthyf i pwy sy'n gyfrifol am sicrhau bod ysgolion a cholegau yn dysgu am drawma? A faint o'r ysgolion a'r colegau yng Ngorllewin De Cymru sydd wedi gallu cael gwasanaeth llysgennad ACE o'r ganolfan ACE? Diolch.
Well, I can't give the Member a specific figure for her own area. I can tell her that, through the ACE hub, comprehensive training has been provided to over 600 schools in Wales and that the work of the ambassadors has been fundamental to that. The Member will know that we have increased the funding for school counselling services and that school counsellors are also part of the group of public sector workers who are informed by the work of the ACE hub, as are youth workers and housing workers and all health visitors here in Wales. The extra funding, therefore, that we have placed into school counselling draws on that work, allows more help to be given to a wider range of ages in our school system, and more young people who have—. Suzy Davies says, and it was reinforced to me in a meeting that I held with the Youth Parliament, chaired by the Llywydd, only last week, that the impact on the sense of well-being and mental health of young people in Wales in the pandemic has been profound and will be with us, I'm afraid, not just while the pandemic lasts, but there will be a recovery period that will go on well beyond that.
Wel, allaf i ddim rhoi ffigur penodol i'r Aelod ar gyfer ei hardal ei hun. Gallaf ddweud wrthi, drwy ganolfan ACE, bod hyfforddiant cynhwysfawr wedi cael ei ddarparu i dros 600 o ysgolion yng Nghymru a bod gwaith y llysgenhadon wedi bod yn hanfodol i hynny. Bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod ein bod ni wedi cynyddu'r cyllid ar gyfer gwasanaethau cwnsela mewn ysgolion a bod cwnselwyr mewn ysgolion hefyd yn rhan o'r grŵp o weithwyr sector cyhoeddus sy'n cael eu llywio gan waith canolfan ACE, fel y mae gweithwyr ieuenctid a gweithwyr tai a phob ymwelydd iechyd yma yng Nghymru. Mae'r cyllid ychwanegol, felly, yr ydym ni wedi ei gyfrannu at gwnsela mewn ysgolion yn tynnu ar y gwaith hwnnw, yn caniatáu i fwy o gymorth gael ei roi i amrywiaeth ehangach o oedrannau yn ein system ysgolion, a mwy o bobl ifanc sydd wedi—. Mae Suzy Davies yn dweud, ac fe'i hatgyfnerthwyd i mi mewn cyfarfod a gynhaliais gyda'r Senedd Ieuenctid, dan gadeiryddiaeth y Llywydd, dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf, bod yr effaith ar y synnwyr o lesiant ac iechyd meddwl pobl ifanc yng Nghymru yn y pandemig wedi bod yn sylweddol ac y bydd gyda ni, mae arnaf i ofn, nid yn unig tra bo'r pandemig yn para, ond bydd cyfnod o wella a fydd yn parhau ymhell y tu hwnt i hynny.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Questions now from the party leaders. The Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, a study recently published by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that mass testing in Slovakia, which we've discussed before, coupled with other measures—additional support for people who are self-isolating—brought the infection rate down by 60 per cent, which is considerably higher than the impact of the recent lockdown, for example, the circuit-breaker, in England. The study found that, due to the nature of the test used in Slovakia, they probably picked up 90 per cent of the people who were tested and were infected in that time, whereas in Liverpool the evidence there suggests that rapid tests have missed 50 per cent of all infections and 30 per cent of those with a high viral load. The technical advisory cell advice published today says that while there are new technologies that will enable more rapid testing, they're not a silver bullet, but the TAC's advice predates this new evidence that I've referred to. So, can you ask TAC to look again and undertake modelling to assess the likely impact of a Slovak-style mass testing programme in Wales as a more effective means of suppressing the virus and an alternative to cycling in and out of higher restrictions?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, mae astudiaeth a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan ymchwilwyr yn Ysgol Hylendid a Meddygaeth Drofannol Llundain wedi canfod bod profion torfol yn Slofacia, yr ydym ni wedi eu trafod o'r blaen, ynghyd â mesurau eraill—cymorth ychwanegol i bobl sy'n hunanynysu—wedi gostwng y gyfradd heintio gan 60 y cant, sy'n sylweddol uwch nag effaith y cyfyngiadau symud diweddar, er enghraifft, y cyfnod atal byr, yn Lloegr. Canfu'r astudiaeth, oherwydd natur y prawf a ddefnyddiwyd yn Slofacia, eu bod fwy na thebyg wedi canfod 90 y cant o'r bobl a brofwyd ac a oedd wedi eu heintio yn y cyfnod hwnnw, tra bod y dystiolaeth yn Lerpwl yn awgrymu bod profion cyflym wedi methu 50 y cant o'r holl heintiau a 30 y cant o'r rheini â llwyth feirysol uchel. Mae cyngor y gell cyngor technegol a gyhoeddwyd heddiw yn dweud, er bod technolegau newydd a fydd yn galluogi profion cyflymach, nid ydyn nhw'n fwled arian, ond mae cyngor y gell cyngor technegol yn rhagflaenu'r dystiolaeth newydd hon yr wyf i wedi cyfeirio ati. Felly, a allwch chi ofyn i'r gell cyngor technegol edrych eto a gwneud gwaith modelu i asesu effaith debygol rhaglen profi torfol debyg i'r un yn Slofacia yng Nghymru fel ffordd fwy effeithiol o atal y feirws ac fel dewis yn hytrach na mynd i mewn ac allan o gyfyngiadau uwch?
Llywydd, I'm very happy to ask the technical advisory group to do that. They, in any case, constantly update their advice based on emerging evidence, and particularly emerging evidence that is reported in reputable scientific journals of the sort to which Adam Price referred. We have our mass testing programme still going ahead in Merthyr Tydfil, expanded, as the Member will know, into the Cynon Valley over the weekend; we're learning a lot ourselves from doing it. I think it's quite important, Llywydd, to make a distinction between those lateral flow devices that we are using, which, essentially, pick up people who are infectious to others. So, they pick up people a couple of days before symptoms begin, and they continue to pick up people who are infectious for about five days or so beyond that. The PCR tests pick up not people who are infectious, but people who are both infectious and infected, and you can be infected for up to eight weeks beyond the point at which you were infectious to anybody else. PCR tests pick up the very last remnants of coronavirus that still may be circulating in somebody's system. So, it's important to be clear about what the purpose of the test is. I remain sure, myself, that the lateral flow devices that we are using in Wales have a part to play, provided it is carefully understood and properly calibrated.
Llywydd, rwy'n hapus iawn i ofyn i'r grŵp cyngor technegol i wneud hynny. Maen nhw, beth bynnag, yn diweddaru eu cyngor yn gyson yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth sy'n dod i'r amlwg, ac yn enwedig tystiolaeth sy'n dod i'r amlwg a adroddir mewn cyfnodolion gwyddonol ag enw da iddyn nhw o'r math y cyfeiriodd Adam Price ato. Mae gennym ni ein rhaglen profion torfol sy'n parhau o hyd ym Merthyr Tudful, wedi'i hehangu, fel y bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod, i Gwm Cynon dros y penwythnos; rydym ni'n dysgu llawer ein hunain o'i wneud. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n eithaf pwysig, Llywydd, gwahaniaethu rhwng y dyfeisiau llif ochrol hynny yr ydym ni'n eu defnyddio, sydd, yn y bôn, yn canfod pobl sy'n heintus i eraill. Felly, maen nhw'n canfod pobl ychydig ddyddiau cyn i'r symptomau ddechrau, ac maen nhw'n parhau i ganfod pobl sy'n heintus am tua phum diwrnod y tu hwnt i hynny. Nid pobl sy'n heintus y mae'r profion PCR yn eu canfod, ond pobl sy'n heintus ac wedi'u heintio, a gallwch chi gael eich heintio am hyd at wyth wythnos y tu hwnt i'r pwynt pan oeddech chi'n heintus i unrhyw un arall. Mae profion PCR yn canfod gweddillion olaf coronafeirws a allai fod yn dal i gylchredeg yn system rhywun. Felly, mae'n bwysig bod yn eglur ynglŷn â beth yw diben y prawf. Rwy'n dal i fod yn siŵr, yn bersonol, bod gan y dyfeisiau llif ochrol yr ydym ni'n eu defnyddio yng Nghymru ran i'w chwarae, ar yr amod bod dealltwriaeth ofalus ohonyn nhw a'u bod yn cael eu graddnodi yn briodol.
Thank you for that, First Minister. In the TAC advice that I just referred to, they do say that a period of pre-isolation for families with children, as a result of school closures, could reduce the level of social mixing ahead of the 23 to 28 December period, and therefore have a beneficial effect in terms of saving lives. Are you considering this as an option, First Minister, and if you are, could you say when you would plan on announcing it? And what mitigating measures would you put in place, in the form of blended learning, the continued operation of hub schools, for example, to minimise wider harms, and would you agree that it's essential that no child's education or wider welfare should be unfairly disadvantaged as a result of this? Can you give an assurance that the key workers in the NHS and other sectors shouldn't be put in the invidious position of having to choose between turning up for work or looking after their children during this period?
Diolch am hynna, Prif Weinidog. Yng nghyngor y gell cyngor technegol yr wyf i newydd gyfeirio ato, maen nhw yn dweud y gallai cyfnod cyn-ynysu i deuluoedd â phlant, o ganlyniad i gau ysgolion, leihau lefel y cymysgu cymdeithasol cyn y cyfnod rhwng 23 a 28 Rhagfyr, ac felly cael effaith fuddiol o ran achub bywydau. A ydych chi'n ystyried hyn fel opsiwn, Prif Weinidog, ac os ydych chi, a allech chi ddweud pryd y byddech chi'n bwriadu ei gyhoeddi? A pha fesurau lliniaru fyddech chi'n eu rhoi ar waith, ar ffurf dysgu cyfunol, parhau i weithredu ysgolion hyb, er enghraifft, i leihau niweidiau ehangach, ac a fyddech chi'n cytuno ei bod hi'n hanfodol na ddylai addysg na lles ehangach unrhyw blentyn fod o dan anfantais annheg o ganlyniad i hyn? A allwch chi roi sicrwydd na ddylid rhoi'r gweithwyr allweddol yn y GIG a sectorau eraill yn y sefyllfa annymunol o orfod dewis rhwng dod i'r gwaith neu ofalu am eu plant yn ystod y cyfnod hwn?
Llywydd, the final points that Adam Price made are exactly why I want very strongly to endorse today the joint statement made between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association, which urges schools to remain open until the last day of term, while recognising that there will be individual sets of circumstances where that will not be possible. Of course, Mr Price is right—I've brought the document with me this afternoon expecting it would be referred to here—that a period of restraint for 10 days before the Christmas period would be to the advantage of all families. The real problem is that we do not have confidence, from the behavioural evidence, that if children are not in school, that they would simply be being kept at home and kept away from the contacts that would otherwise create greater risk. The fear is that children who are not in school will be in even riskier environments.
I know Adam Price will be interested that in the mass testing of schools in Merthyr, the positivity rate—and remember we test every child in secondary schools there—was less than 1 per cent, so, far lower than the positivity rate in the general population, suggesting that being in school is actually very safe for children and young people. If I thought that those young people would genuinely be at home, genuinely self-isolating, genuinely creating that period before Christmas to keep them safe, I'd be attracted to the idea. I'm afraid the risks are that that simply wouldn't happen, that those children would be doing riskier things than they would in school. Better for them to be in school. Particularly, I agree with the points that Adam Price made towards the end about the need for vulnerable children to continue to be offered an education right up to the end of school term and for the children of key workers to be offered that service as well.
Llywydd, y pwyntiau olaf a wnaeth Adam Price yw'r union reswm pam yr wyf i eisiau cymeradwyo yn gryf iawn heddiw y datganiad ar y cyd a wnaed rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, sy'n annog ysgolion i aros ar agor tan ddiwrnod olaf y tymor, gan gydnabod y bydd cyfresi unigol o amgylchiadau lle na fydd hynny'n bosibl. Wrth gwrs, mae Mr Price yn iawn—rwyf i wedi dod â'r ddogfen gyda mi y prynhawn yma yn disgwyl y byddai cyfeiriad ati yn y fan yma—y byddai cyfnod o ataliaeth am 10 diwrnod cyn cyfnod y Nadolig er budd pob teulu. Y broblem wirioneddol yw nad oes gennym ni ffydd, o'r dystiolaeth ymddygiadol, os nad yw plant yn yr ysgol, y bydden nhw'n cael eu cadw gartref a'u cadw i ffwrdd o'r cysylltiadau a fyddai fel arall yn creu mwy o risg. Yr ofn yw y bydd plant nad ydyn nhw yn yr ysgol mewn amgylcheddau mwy peryglus fyth.
Gwn y bydd gan Adam Price ddiddordeb bod y gyfradd bositif yn y profion torfol o ysgolion ym Merthyr—a chofiwch ein bod ni'n profi pob plentyn mewn ysgolion uwchradd yno—yn llai nag 1 y cant, felly, yn llawer is na'r gyfradd bositif yn y boblogaeth gyffredinol, sy'n awgrymu bod bod yn yr ysgol yn ddiogel iawn i blant a phobl ifanc mewn gwirionedd. Pe byddwn i'n meddwl y byddai'r bobl ifanc hynny wir yn aros gartref, wir yn hunanynysu, wir yn creu'r cyfnod hwnnw cyn y Nadolig i'w cadw'n ddiogel, byddwn i'n cael fy nenu at y syniad. Rwy'n ofni mai'r risgiau yw na fyddai hynny yn digwydd, y byddai'r plant hynny yn gwneud pethau mwy peryglus nag y bydden nhw yn yr ysgol. Mae'n well iddyn nhw fod yn yr ysgol. Yn arbennig, rwy'n cytuno â'r pwyntiau a wnaeth Adam Price tua'r diwedd am yr angen i blant agored i niwed barhau i gael cynnig addysg hyd at ddiwedd tymor yr ysgol ac i blant gweithwyr allweddol gael cynnig y gwasanaeth hwnnw hefyd.
Just to be clear, so, in terms of the pre-isolation point then, will Welsh Government be giving wider advice to families in relation to a pre-isolation period?
Finally, on Monday, your colleague the health Minister warned that further restrictions may be necessary in response to the rising level of cases. A few weeks previously, the Deputy Minister for the economy also said that a second firebreak in the new year would be likely. Looking forward, the TAC report does also emphasise the importance of maintaining public support, because, otherwise, that could lead to lower levels of adherence among the public, and the advice says that, ideally, the policy and the rules need to be simple, understandable and achievable, accompanied by a clear rationale with an agreed beginning and end. Would you accept, First Minister, that in some people's minds, there is a lack of clarity at the moment as to where we are headed between now and the spring? What is the strategy for regaining control, reopening eventually and then recovery? And isn't now the time, First Minister, in light of the changing situation, that the Welsh Government presents a new winter plan?
Dim ond i fod yn eglur, o ran y pwynt cyn-ynysu felly, a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cyngor ehangach i deuluoedd ynghylch cyfnod cyn-ynysu?
Yn olaf, ddydd Llun, rhybuddiodd eich cyd-Weinidog, y Gweinidog iechyd, y gallai fod angen cyfyngiadau pellach mewn ymateb i'r cynnydd i nifer yr achosion. Ychydig wythnosau yn gynharach, dywedodd Dirprwy Weinidog yr economi hefyd y byddai ail gyfnod atal byr yn y flwyddyn newydd yn debygol. Wrth edrych i'r dyfodol, mae adroddiad y gell cyngor technegol hefyd yn pwysleisio pwysigrwydd cynnal cefnogaeth y cyhoedd, oherwydd, fel arall, gallai hynny arwain at lefelau is o gydymffurfiad ymhlith y cyhoedd, ac mae'r cyngor yn dweud, yn ddelfrydol, bod angen i'r polisi a'r rheolau fod yn syml, yn ddealladwy ac yn gyraeddadwy, wedi'u hategu gan resymeg eglur â dechrau a diwedd y cytunwyd arnyn nhw. A fyddech chi'n derbyn, Prif Weinidog, bod diffyg eglurder ym meddyliau rhai pobl ar hyn o bryd ynglŷn â'n trywydd rhwng nawr a'r gwanwyn? Beth yw'r strategaeth ar gyfer adennill rheolaeth, ailagor yn y pen draw ac yna adfer? Ac onid dyma'r amser, Prif Weinidog, yng ngoleuni'r sefyllfa sy'n newid, i Lywodraeth Cymru gyflwyno cynllun gaeaf newydd?
Well, Llywydd, we're at a strange cusp, aren't we, in the career of coronavirus? We have today people being vaccinated for the very first time here in Wales and across the United Kingdom. We have, we hope, the prospect of a further vaccine being considered now by the regulators. We hope that it will gain regulatory approval and that will give us another string in the bow that we need. But, at the same time, in the immediate position, we have a very difficult position in Wales.
All local authorities but one in Wales today show rising numbers. We have authorities in Wales with over 600 and over 500 per 100,000 people who are infected with the virus, and positivity rates of 25 per cent in some parts of Wales. These are incredibly serious figures. Members here will have seen that last week the Welsh ambulance service had to declare a major incident one day, particularly in the south-east of Wales, because our hospitals are so full of people already suffering from the virus that they weren't able to get help to people in the way that we would want to see, the timely way we would want to see, for other serious conditions.
I agree with Adam Price about the struggle to secure public consent for some of the measures that are necessary, and I hope we won't have to rely on people seeing for themselves the fact that the health service isn't able to do what we need it to do before people understand the urgent need for action. We go on trying to explain that every day to people: that the measures we take are simply proportionate to the scale of the difficulty we face, that we have to act together, each one of us in our own lives, to do the right things that will bring the virus under control, and then we will have a path into next year that is different, that will allow us to use the lateral flow devices, the mass testing, the vaccination that will give us a different 2021 to the year we are in. In the meantime, nobody—nobody—should underestimate the seriousness of the position that we are facing in Wales.
Wel, Llywydd, rydym ni ar drothwy rhyfedd, onid ydym ni, yng ngyrfa coronafeirws? Heddiw mae gennym ni bobl yn cael eu brechu am y tro cyntaf yma yng Nghymru a ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Mae gennym ni, gobeithio, y posibilrwydd y bydd brechlyn arall yn cael ei ystyried nawr gan y rheoleiddwyr. Gobeithiwn y bydd yn cael cymeradwyaeth reoleiddiol a bydd hynny yn rhoi dewis arall i ni y mae ei angen arnom. Ond, ar yr un pryd, o ran y sefyllfa sydd gennym ni nawr, mae gennym ni sefyllfa anodd iawn yng Nghymru.
Mae pob awdurdod lleol ond un yng Nghymru heddiw yn dangos niferoedd sy'n cynyddu. Mae gennym ni awdurdodau yng Nghymru sydd â dros 600 a thros 500 fesul 100,000 o bobl sydd wedi eu heintio â'r feirws, a chyfraddau positifrwydd o 25 y cant mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru. Mae'r rhain yn ffigurau eithriadol o ddifrifol. Bydd yr Aelodau yn y fan yma wedi gweld y bu'n rhaid i wasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru ddatgan digwyddiad mawr un diwrnod yr wythnos diwethaf, yn enwedig yn y de-ddwyrain, gan fod ein hysbytai mor llawn o bobl sydd eisoes yn dioddef o'r feirws fel nad oedden nhw'n gallu cael cymorth i bobl yn y ffordd y byddem ni eisiau ei gweld, y ffordd brydlon y byddem ni eisiau ei gweld, ar gyfer cyflyrau difrifol eraill.
Rwy'n cytuno ag Adam Price ynglŷn â'r ymdrech i sicrhau cydsyniad cyhoeddus i rai o'r mesurau sy'n angenrheidiol, ac rwy'n gobeithio na fydd yn rhaid i ni ddibynnu ar bobl yn gweld drostyn nhw eu hunain y ffaith nad yw'r gwasanaeth iechyd yn gallu gwneud yr hyn yr ydym ni angen iddo ei wneud cyn i bobl ddeall yr angen dybryd i weithredu. Rydym ni'n parhau i geisio egluro hynny bob dydd i bobl: bod y mesurau yr ydym ni'n eu cymryd yn gymesur â maint yr anhawster sy'n ein hwynebu, bod yn rhaid i ni weithredu gyda'n gilydd, pob un ohonom ni yn ein bywydau ein hunain, i wneud y pethau iawn a fydd yn dod â'r feirws dan reolaeth, ac yna bydd gennym ni lwybr i'r flwyddyn nesaf sy'n wahanol, a fydd yn caniatáu i ni ddefnyddio'r dyfeisiau llif ochrol, y profion torfol, y brechiad a fydd yn rhoi gwahanol 2021 i ni i'r flwyddyn yr ydym ni ynddi. Yn y cyfamser, ni ddylai neb—neb—beidio â rhoi ystyriaeth ddigonol i ddifrifoldeb y sefyllfa yr ydym ni'n ei hwynebu yng Nghymru.
Arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr, Paul Davies.
Leader of the Conservatives, Paul Davies.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, when you announced the firebreak lockdown in October, you said that this was our best chance of regaining control of the virus and avoiding a much longer and much more damaging national lockdown. However, yesterday it was confirmed that Wales was the only part of the UK where figures were not falling at the end of November. First Minister, before considering introducing any further restrictions, can you tell us what assessments have been carried out in relation to the Welsh Government's firebreak lockdown, given that figures haven't fallen in Wales compared to other parts of the UK?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, pan wnaethoch chi gyhoeddi'r cyfyngiadau symud ar gyfer y cyfnod atal byr ym mis Hydref, dywedasoch mai dyma oedd ein cyfle gorau i adennill rheolaeth dros y feirws ac osgoi cyfyngiadau symud cenedlaethol llawer hwy a llawer mwy niweidiol. Er hynny, cadarnhawyd ddoe mai Cymru oedd yr unig ran o'r DU lle nad oedd y ffigurau yn gostwng ddiwedd mis Tachwedd. Prif Weinidog, cyn ystyried cyflwyno unrhyw gyfyngiadau pellach, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa asesiadau sydd wedi eu cynnal o ran cyfyngiadau symud cyfnod atal byr Llywodraeth Cymru, o gofio nad yw'r ffigurau wedi gostwng yng Nghymru o gymharu â rhannau eraill o'r DU?
Well, Llywydd, assessments have been made of the firebreak period, a period, of course, which his party refused to support here in the Senedd. It was successful; those 17 days did put the career of coronavirus back three weeks earlier than 23 October. It suppressed the R number here in Wales for a three-week period. It did what we had hoped that it would do. The problems we have faced have been in the post-firebreak period, where the virus has circulated faster and further than the modelling would have suggested, and hence the need to take further action again now.
Wel, Llywydd, mae asesiadau wedi eu cynnal o'r cyfnod atal byr, cyfnod, wrth gwrs, y gwrthododd ei blaid ef ei gefnogi yma yn y Senedd. Roedd yn llwyddiannus; rhoddodd y 17 diwrnod hynny yrfa coronafeirws yn ôl dair wythnos yn gynharach na 23 Hydref. Fe ataliodd y rhif R yma yng Nghymru am gyfnod o dair wythnos. Gwnaeth yr hyn yr oeddem ni wedi gobeithio y byddai'n ei wneud. Mae'r problemau yr ydym ni wedi eu hwynebu wedi bod yn y cyfnod ar ôl y cyfnod atal byr, lle mae'r feirws wedi cylchredeg yn gyflymach ac ymhellach nag y byddai'r modelu wedi ei awgrymu, ac dyna pam mae angen cymryd camau pellach unwaith eto nawr.
First Minister, we know that infection rates in Wales are 70 per cent higher than when we entered the firebreak in October, and rates have increased by 82 per cent since the end of the firebreak lockdown. Indeed, the fact is that there are now more than 1,800 coronavirus-related patients in hospitals across Wales, which is the highest number since the pandemic began, and it shows that something has seriously gone wrong. And we know that there is still an issue in hospital settings, and clearly, more work needs to be done to tackle hospital-acquired infections, and there are also concerns over transmission rates in household settings, which you as a Government have been saying throughout this pandemic, of course.
Yesterday, as has already been said, the health Minister also warned that the Welsh Government would be looking at whether further measures would be needed to suppress this virus, but the health Minister refused to provide any further details to the people of Wales on what those restrictions would look like and whether they would be concentrated on specific sectors and environments, and whether they would be nationwide restrictions. Therefore, will the First Minister confirm exactly what further measures are now being considered, and is the Welsh Government looking at further restrictions before the Christmas period restrictions, or is the intention to bring in further measures post-Christmas?
Prif Weinidog, rydym ni'n gwybod bod cyfraddau heintio yng Nghymru 70 y cant yn uwch na phan wnaethom ni ddechrau'r cyfnod atal byr ym mis Hydref, ac mae cyfraddau wedi cynyddu gan 82 y cant ers diwedd cyfyngiadau symud y cyfnod atal byr. Yn wir, y ffaith yw bod mwy na 1,800 o gleifion sy'n gysylltiedig â choronafeirws mewn ysbytai ledled Cymru erbyn hyn, sef y nifer uchaf ers dechrau'r pandemig, ac mae'n dangos bod rhywbeth wedi mynd o'i le yn ddifrifol iawn. Ac rydym ni'n gwybod bod problem o hyd mewn ysbytai, ac yn amlwg, mae angen gwneud mwy o waith i fynd i'r afael â heintiau sy'n deillio o ysbytai, a cheir pryderon hefyd ynghylch cyfraddau trosglwyddo ar aelwydydd, yr ydych chi fel Llywodraeth wedi bod yn ei ddweud drwy gydol y pandemig hwn, wrth gwrs.
Ddoe, fel y dywedwyd eisoes, rhybuddiodd y Gweinidog iechyd hefyd y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried a fyddai angen mesurau pellach i atal y feirws hwn, ond gwrthododd y Gweinidog iechyd roi unrhyw fanylion pellach i bobl Cymru am sut y byddai'r cyfyngiadau hynny yn edrych ac a fydden nhw'n canolbwyntio ar sectorau ac amgylcheddau penodol, ac a fydden nhw'n gyfyngiadau cenedlaethol. Felly, a wnaiff y Prif Weinidog gadarnhau yn union pa fesurau pellach sy'n cael eu hystyried erbyn hyn, ac a yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried cyfyngiadau pellach cyn cyfyngiadau cyfnod y Nadolig, neu ai'r bwriad yw cyflwyno mesurau pellach ar ôl y Nadolig?
Well, Llywydd, all those facts and figures that the leader of the opposition began with are the facts and figures that I put to him last week when he refused to support the measures we took in relation to hospitality; measures that this week, I think, nobody could possibly deny were right and necessary. We need to give those measures an opportunity to make a difference. We need them to be accompanied by actions that people can take in their own lives to assist communities right across Wales to get this virus back—the numbers falling once again. I don't think that means that we will be taking further measures this side of Christmas. But the other side of Christmas, the advice in the TAC report published and referred to by Adam Price is clear on this as well: that a period of relaxation over Christmas will lead to a further rise—yet a further rise, beyond the figures that the Member set out in his further question to me. And that means any responsible Government has to think about the measures that might be needed in order to protect the health service so it can go on doing everything else it has to do at the most pressurised point in any year, and to prevent avoidable deaths.
I look forward, Llywydd, to the support of the Conservative Party here in Wales for measures that will be necessary, because up until now, that support has been conspicuous by its absence.
Wel, Llywydd, yr holl ffeithiau a ffigurau hynny y dechreuodd arweinydd yr wrthblaid â nhw yw'r ffeithiau a'r ffigurau a roddais i iddo yr wythnos diwethaf pan wrthododd gefnogi'r mesurau a gymerwyd gennym ni o ran lletygarwch; mesurau na allai neb wadu yr wythnos hon, rwy'n credu, eu bod nhw'n iawn ac yn angenrheidiol. Mae angen i ni roi cyfle i'r mesurau hynny wneud gwahaniaeth. Rydym ni angen iddyn nhw gael eu hategu gan gamau y gall pobl eu cymryd yn eu bywydau eu hunain i gynorthwyo cymunedau ledled Cymru i gael y feirws hwn yn ôl—y niferoedd yn gostwng unwaith eto. Nid wyf i'n credu bod hynny'n golygu y byddwn ni'n cymryd camau pellach yr ochr hon i'r Nadolig. Ond yr ochr arall i'r Nadolig, mae'r cyngor yn adroddiad y gell cyngor technegol a gyhoeddwyd ac y cyfeiriwyd ato gan Adam Price yn eglur ynglŷn â hyn hefyd: y bydd cyfnod o lacio dros y Nadolig yn arwain at gynnydd pellach—cynnydd pellach eto, y tu hwnt i'r ffigurau a nodwyd gan yr Aelod yn ei gwestiwn ychwanegol i mi. Ac mae hynny'n golygu bod yn rhaid i unrhyw Lywodraeth gyfrifol feddwl am y mesurau y gallai fod eu hangen er mwyn diogelu'r gwasanaeth iechyd fel ei fod yn gallu parhau i wneud popeth arall y mae'n rhaid iddo ei wneud ar yr adeg y mae fwyaf dan bwysau mewn unrhyw flwyddyn, ac atal marwolaethau y gellir eu hosgoi.
Edrychaf ymlaen, Llywydd, at gefnogaeth y Blaid Geidwadol yma yng Nghymru i fesurau a fydd yn angenrheidiol, oherwydd hyd yma, mae'r gefnogaeth honno wedi bod yn drawiadol oherwydd ei habsenoldeb.
That's not true, First Minister, because the fact of the matter is, this side of the Chamber have actually supported the majority of your coronavirus regulations that have actually been tabled since the end of March. So, it's not true to say that we haven't supported your coronavirus regulations on the whole. But what the people of Wales need now, First Minister, is hope: hope at the end of what has been a very difficult year.
Today marks a landmark moment as coronavirus vaccinations begin to be rolled out in Wales, and I'm pleased that a four-nation approach across the UK has been able to procure vaccines for all parts of the country. Now, I understand that the UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and, as a result, Wales will have 40,000 doses of the vaccine, which equates to enough for nearly 20,000 people across the country. Of course, it's incredibly important that there is sufficient capacity in the NHS to roll out the vaccine effectively, and, as part of making capacity and resources available, I hope the Welsh Government has considered the role that community pharmacists and perhaps even retired clinicians can play in helping administer the vaccine across Wales as smoothly as possible. So, First Minister, can you tell us what strategic discussions are taking place with health boards across Wales to ensure that there is sufficient capacity and staff available to roll out the vaccine effectively? Can you also tell us what discussions are taking place with retired clinicians and indeed other medical professionals about the role that they could play in helping with the roll-out? And has the Welsh Government had any discussions with community pharmacists about the role they could play in administering the vaccine in communities right across Wales?
Nid yw hynny'n wir, Prif Weinidog, oherwydd y gwir amdani yw, mae'r ochr hon i'r Siambr wedi cefnogi'r rhan fwyaf o'ch rheoliadau coronafeirws a gyflwynwyd ers diwedd mis Mawrth. Felly, nid yw'n wir i ddweud nad ydym ni wedi cefnogi eich rheoliadau coronafeirws ar y cyfan. Ond yr hyn sydd ei angen ar bobl Cymru nawr, Prif Weinidog, yw gobaith: gobaith ar ddiwedd blwyddyn sydd wedi bod yn anodd iawn.
Mae heddiw yn nodi adeg nodedig wrth i frechiadau coronafeirws ddechrau cael eu cyflwyno yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n falch bod dull pedair gwlad ledled y DU wedi gallu caffael brechlynnau ar gyfer pob rhan o'r wlad. Nawr, rwy'n deall bod y DU wedi archebu 40 miliwn dos o frechlyn Pfizer ac, o ganlyniad, bydd gan Gymru 40,000 dos o'r brechlyn, sy'n cyfateb i ddigon i bron i 20,000 o bobl ledled y wlad. Wrth gwrs, mae'n hynod bwysig bod digon o gapasiti yn y GIG i gyflwyno'r brechlyn yn effeithiol, ac, yn rhan o roi capasiti ac adnoddau ar gael, rwy'n gobeithio bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ystyried y rhan y gall fferyllwyr cymunedol ac efallai hyd yn oed clinigwyr sydd wedi ymddeol ei chwarae o ran helpu i roi'r brechlyn ledled Cymru mewn modd mor ddidrafferth â phosibl. Felly, Prif Weinidog, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa drafodaethau strategol sy'n cael eu cynnal gyda byrddau iechyd ledled Cymru i sicrhau bod digon o gapasiti a staff ar gael i gyflwyno'r brechlyn yn effeithiol? A allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni hefyd pa drafodaethau sy'n cael eu cynnal gyda chlinigwyr sydd wedi ymddeol ac yn wir gweithwyr meddygol proffesiynol eraill am y rhan y gallen nhw ei chwarae o ran helpu â'r cyflwyno? Ac a yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cael unrhyw drafodaethau gyda fferyllwyr cymunedol ynglŷn â'r rhan y gallen nhw ei chwarae o ran rhoi'r brechlyn mewn cymunedau ym mhob rhan o Gymru?
Llywydd, let me end this part of our proceedings by agreeing with the leader of the opposition. This is a moment where hope is really important to people. This has been such a long and difficult year in the lives of so many people here in Wales, and today, when the vaccine is being used for the first time, it does give us that glimmer of light at the end of what is still a long tunnel in front of us. The fact that we have been able to agree all this on a four-nation basis is something that I am very keen to welcome. I was very pleased to be part of the agreement on how the vaccine should be distributed. I know my colleague Vaughan Gething has met the other health Ministers on a weekly basis right through November and met again yesterday to make sure that we have a common sense of what this vaccine can do, how it can best be deployed. And the 40,000 doses that we're getting from the first batch of the vaccine is our population share of it.
Now, we've been part of planning on this, Llywydd, since June of this year, when the first all-Wales programme board was set up for vaccination, and we are, I believe, as well prepared for it as we could be. I agree that, as the volume of vaccination grows, we will need to draw more people into the pool of people able to carry out vaccination. All health boards have plans to recruit people into that pool to make sure that they are properly trained, they're properly accredited, and that their work is supervised by experienced clinicians. As it happens, I also know that my colleague the health Minister is meeting Community Pharmacy Wales next week, so there will definitely be opportunities to talk about the contribution that community pharmacy can make in this field. But the level of preparation we have in Wales, the commitment that has been shown by existing staff who've come forward to offer their services as vaccinators, I think can add to that sense of hope that we can offer people here in Wales today that next year will be a different year to the one that we've all experienced in 2020.
Llywydd, gadewch i mi ddod â'r rhan hon o'n trafodion i ben drwy gytuno ag arweinydd yr wrthblaid. Mae hon yn adeg lle mae gobaith yn wirioneddol bwysig i bobl. Mae hon wedi bod yn flwyddyn mor hir ac anodd ym mywydau cynifer o bobl yma yng Nghymru, a heddiw, pan fo'r brechlyn yn cael ei ddefnyddio am y tro cyntaf, mae'n rhoi'r llygedyn hwnnw o olau i ni ar ddiwedd yr hyn sy'n dal yn dwnnel hir o'n blaenau. Mae'r ffaith ein bod ni wedi gallu cytuno ar hyn i gyd ar sail pedair gwlad yn rhywbeth rwy'n awyddus iawn i'w groesawu. Roeddwn i'n falch iawn o fod yn rhan o'r cytundeb ar sut y dylid dosbarthu'r brechlyn. Gwn fod fy nghyd-Weinidog Vaughan Gething wedi cyfarfod â'r Gweinidogion iechyd eraill yn wythnosol drwy fis Tachwedd ac wedi cyfarfod unwaith eto ddoe i wneud yn siŵr bod gennym ni synnwyr cyffredin o'r hyn y gall y brechlyn hwn ei wneud, y ffordd orau o'i ddefnyddio. A'r 40,000 dos yr ydym ni'n eu cael o'r swp cyntaf o'r brechlyn yw ein cyfran ohono ar sail poblogaeth.
Nawr, rydym ni wedi bod yn rhan o waith cynllunio ar hyn, Llywydd, ers mis Mehefin eleni, pan sefydlwyd y bwrdd rhaglen Cymru gyfan cyntaf ar gyfer brechu, ac rydym ni, yn fy marn i, wedi bo mor barod ar ei gyfer ag y gallem ni fod. Rwy'n cytuno, wrth i'r broses frechu dyfu, y bydd angen i ni ddenu mwy o bobl i'r gronfa o bobl sy'n gallu brechu. Mae gan bob bwrdd iechyd gynlluniau i recriwtio pobl i'r gronfa honno i wneud yn siŵr eu bod nhw wedi eu hyfforddi yn briodol, eu bod nhw wedi eu hachredu yn briodol, a bod eu gwaith yn cael ei oruchwylio gan glinigwyr profiadol. Fel y mae'n digwydd, mi wn hefyd fod fy nghyd-Weinidog, y Gweinidog iechyd, yn cyfarfod â Fferylliaeth Gymunedol Cymru yr wythnos nesaf, felly bydd cyfleoedd yn sicr i sôn am y cyfraniad y gall fferylliaeth gymunedol ei wneud yn y maes hwn. Ond, yn fy marn i, gall lefel y gwaith paratoi sydd gennym ni yng Nghymru, yr ymrwymiad a ddangoswyd gan staff presennol sydd wedi dod ymlaen i gynnig eu gwasanaethau fel darparwyr brechlynnau, ychwanegu at y synnwyr hwnnw o obaith y gallwn ni ei gynnig i bobl yma yng Nghymru heddiw y bydd y flwyddyn nesaf yn flwyddyn wahanol i'r un yr ydym ni i gyd wedi ei chael yn 2020.
Cwestiwn 3, Carwyn Jones.
Question 3, Carwyn Jones.
Diolch, Llywydd. I was remuted by the powers that be there.
Diolch, Llywydd. Cefais fy ail-dawelu gan yr awdurdodau sydd ohoni yn y fan yna.
3. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am fynediad at ddeintyddiaeth yn ystod pandemig COVID-19? OQ56018
3. Will the First Minister make a statement on access to dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ56018
Llywydd, I thank Carwyn Jones for that. We continue to implement a safe, phased re-establishment of dental services. The majority of dental practices now provide a full range of treatments for patients in Wales. COVID-19-required public health measures, however, remain necessary. Safety considerations mean that fewer patients can be treated in any one clinical session.
Llywydd, diolchaf i Carwyn Jones am hynna. Rydym ni'n parhau i weithredu proses ailsefydlu gwasanaethau deintyddol yn ddiogel a fesul cam. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o bractisau deintyddol yn darparu ystod lawn o driniaethau i gleifion yng Nghymru erbyn hyn. Fodd bynnag, mae mesurau iechyd cyhoeddus COVID-19 gofynnol yn parhau i fod yn angenrheidiol. Mae ystyriaethau diogelwch yn golygu y gellir trin llai o gleifion mewn unrhyw un sesiwn glinigol.
I thank the First Minister for his response. Does the First Minister share my concerns that the rhetoric, naivety and sheer ineptitude of the Brexiteers in the UK Government will make it far more difficult for us to recruit dentists and other staff for public services during this pandemic and beyond?
Diolchaf i'r Prif Weinidog am ei ymateb. A yw'r Prif Weinidog yn rhannu fy mhryderon y bydd rhethreg, naïfrwydd ac anfedrusrwydd llwyr cefnogwyr Brexit yn Llywodraeth y DU yn ei gwneud yn llawer anoddach i ni recriwtio deintyddion a staff eraill ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn ystod y pandemig hwn a thu hwnt?
I thank Carwyn Jones for that supplementary question. He's absolutely right—in dentistry, 17 per cent of all dentists currently registered with the General Dental Council come from Europe. That percentage is higher in the larger, corporate companies who supply a large percentage of dental services. It's estimated that dentists who are recruited from the European Union provide as much as 30 per cent of all NHS dental treatment here in Wales, and those people have already stopped coming, Llywydd. That is the point, isn't it? They don't believe that they will be welcome in the United Kingdom of the sort that Mr Reckless would wish to devise. He'd rather they weren't here and they hear that message from him and, as a result, they have stopped coming. They had no certainty over their employment, they had no certainty over their residence, they faced the declining value of the pound as a result of the way that Brexit has been navigated by this Government.
I think I referred last time, Llywydd, to a meeting that I attended, led by the then First Minister. It was in his office with the first Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis. The then First Minister put a series of really important points to the Secretary of State about the Irish border, about Welsh ports, about the recruitment to public services. Carwyn Jones in his supplementary question referred to ineptitude and naivety. Well, it was fully on display that day. We were told that this would be the easiest negotiation that we had ever entered into, that the United Kingdom knew what we were doing and those foreigners would fall apart as soon as we put our demands on the table. How wrong he turned out to be.
Diolchaf i Carwyn Jones am y cwestiwn atodol yna. Mae yn llygad ei le—ym maes deintyddiaeth, mae 17 y cant o'r holl ddeintyddion sydd wedi'u cofrestru gyda'r Cyngor Deintyddol Cyffredinol ar hyn o bryd yn dod o Ewrop. Mae'r ganran honno yn uwch yn y cwmnïau corfforaethol mwy sy'n cyflenwi canran fawr o wasanaethau deintyddol. Amcangyfrifir bod deintyddion sy'n cael eu recriwtio o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd yn darparu cymaint â 30 y cant o holl driniaeth ddeintyddol y GIG yma yng Nghymru, ac mae'r bobl hynny eisoes wedi rhoi'r gorau i ddod, Llywydd. Dyna'r pwynt, a dweud y gwir? Nid ydyn nhw'n credu y bydd croeso iddyn nhw yn y Deyrnas Unedig o'r math y byddai Mr Reckless yn dymuno ei chreu. Byddai'n well ganddo pe na bydden nhw yma ac maen nhw'n clywed y neges honno ganddo ef ac, o ganlyniad, maen nhw wedi rhoi'r gorau i ddod. Nid oedd ganddyn nhw unrhyw sicrwydd ynghylch eu cyflogaeth, nid oedd ganddyn nhw unrhyw sicrwydd ynghylch eu preswylfa, roedden nhw'n wynebu gostyngiad i werth y bunt o ganlyniad i'r ffordd y mae Brexit wedi ei lywio gan y Llywodraeth hon.
Rwy'n credu i mi gyfeirio y tro diwethaf, Llywydd, at gyfarfod yr oeddwn i'n bresennol ynddo, o dan arweiniad y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd. Roedd yn ei swyddfa ef gyda'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol cyntaf dros Ymadael â'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, David Davis. Gwnaeth y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd gyfres o bwyntiau pwysig iawn i'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol am y ffin yn Iwerddon, am borthladdoedd Cymru, am recriwtio i wasanaethau cyhoeddus. Cyfeiriodd Carwyn Jones yn ei gwestiwn atodol at anfedrusrwydd a naïfrwydd. Wel, roedd i'w weld yn eglur y diwrnod hwnnw. Dywedwyd wrthym ni mai dyma fyddai'r trafodaethau hawsaf yr oeddem ni erioed wedi bod yn rhan ohonyn nhw, bod y Deyrnas Unedig yn gwybod beth yr oeddem ni'n ei wneud ac y byddai'r tramorwyr hynny yn mynd ar chwâl cyn gynted ag y byddem ni'n rhoi ein gofynion ar y bwrdd. Pa mor anghywir oedd hynny fel y gwelwn ni erbyn hyn.
First Minister, the issue of dentistry is a very hot topic in the Clwyd West constituency at the moment as a result of an announcement by Bupa Dental Care UK that they're going to be closing their clinic in Colwyn Bay. That's going to affect around 12,000 people in my constituency, and they've been advised by the local health board that they should seek to register with other NHS dentists in the north Wales area. Having contacted those dentists, they're told that they're not taking on extra patients. I heard what you said in response to Carwyn Jones's questions, but the reality is that you should have been training more dentists over the past decade; you shouldn't be having to rely on dentists coming in from overseas. If we had trained sufficient numbers—and you've been responsible for workforce planning for the past 20 years—then we wouldn't be in the pickle that we're currently in, with a shortage of dentists across Wales.
Now, I've asked to meet with your health Minister and the chief dental officer to discuss the situation in Colwyn Bay, and they've refused to accept my request for a meeting. So, can you tell me what action is your Government taking to make sure that we've got sufficient numbers of dentists being trained in Wales now to meet the future needs of the Welsh population? And how can you reassure people in Colwyn Bay that they'll have access to NHS dental services as and when they need them in the future?
Prif Weinidog, mae deintyddiaeth yn bwnc llosg iawn yn etholaeth Gorllewin Clwyd ar hyn o bryd o ganlyniad i gyhoeddiad gan Bupa Dental Care UK y byddan nhw'n yn cau eu clinig ym Mae Colwyn. Mae hynny yn mynd i effeithio ar tua 12,000 o bobl yn fy etholaeth i, ac mae'r bwrdd iechyd lleol wedi eu hysbysu y dylen nhw geisio cofrestru gyda deintyddion eraill y GIG yn ardal y gogledd. Ar ôl iddyn nhw gysylltu â'r deintyddion hynny, dywedir wrthynt nad ydyn nhw'n derbyn cleifion ychwanegol. Clywais yr hyn a ddywedasoch wrth ymateb i gwestiynau Carwyn Jones, ond y realiti yw y dylech chi fod wedi bod yn hyfforddi mwy o ddeintyddion dros y degawd diwethaf; ni ddylech chi fod yn gorfod dibynnu ar ddeintyddion yn dod i mewn o dramor. Pe byddem ni wedi hyfforddi niferoedd digonol—a chi sydd wedi bod yn gyfrifol am gynllunio'r gweithlu dros yr 20 mlynedd diwethaf—yna ni fyddem yn y llanastr yr ydym ni ynddo ar hyn o bryd, gyda phrinder deintyddion ledled Cymru.
Nawr, rwyf i wedi gofyn am gyfarfod gyda'ch Gweinidog iechyd a'r prif swyddog deintyddol i drafod y sefyllfa ym Mae Colwyn, ac maen nhw wedi gwrthod derbyn fy nghais am gyfarfod. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthyf i pa gamau y mae eich Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod gennym ni ddigon o ddeintyddion yn cael eu hyfforddi yng Nghymru nawr i ddiwallu anghenion poblogaeth Cymru yn y dyfodol? A sut y gallwch chi sicrhau pobl ym Mae Colwyn y bydd gwasanaethau deintyddol y GIG ar gael iddyn nhw pan fyddan nhw eu hangen yn y dyfodol?
Well, the pickle we're in, as the Member put it, is because of the advice that he and people like him gave to people in Wales that we would leave the European Union and they'd see no disadvantages at all in their lives. And yet what they're finding out is that his advice and the advice of people in his party has led to the position that they are facing in Colwyn Bay today, where a large corporate body, previously able to provide those services, is no longer able to attract the staff that are needed. That's a serious position in north Wales, as Siân Gwenllian explored with me here only two weeks ago. I explained then the actions that the health board is taking—the dental teaching unit that's to be established in Bangor that will attract further staff into the area; the work of the deputy chief dental officer, Professor Paul Brocklehurst, in providing advice directly to the health board.
I disagree with what Darren Millar said about the future for dentistry. The future is not in relying entirely on more dentists—it is broadening the dental profession, it is making better use of other members of the dental team, and making sure that those high-volume activities that dentists need to be carried out can be carried out by people who are trained to do so, but do not need the very long training and the very scarce expertise that dentists themselves represent.
Wel, mae'r llanastr yr ydym ni ynddo, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, yn bodoli oherwydd y cyngor a roddwyd ganddo ef a'i debyg i bobl yng Nghymru y byddem ni'n gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd ac na fydden nhw'n gweld unrhyw anfanteision o gwbl yn eu bywydau. Ac eto, yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei ddarganfod yw bod ei gyngor ef a chyngor pobl yn ei blaid ef wedi arwain at y sefyllfa y maen nhw'n ei hwynebu ym Mae Colwyn heddiw, lle nad yw corff corfforedig mawr, a oedd yn gallu darparu'r gwasanaethau hynny, yn gallu denu'r staff sydd eu hangen erbyn hyn. Mae honno'n sefyllfa ddifrifol yn y gogledd, fel yr archwiliodd Siân Gwenllian gyda mi yn y fan yma bythefnos yn ôl. Esboniais bryd hynny y camau y mae'r bwrdd iechyd yn eu cymryd—yr uned addysgu deintyddol a fydd yn cael ei sefydlu ym Mangor a fydd yn denu rhagor o staff i'r ardal; gwaith y dirprwy brif swyddog deintyddol, yr Athro Paul Brocklehurst, o ran rhoi cyngor yn uniongyrchol i'r bwrdd iechyd.
Rwy'n anghytuno â'r hyn a ddywedodd Darren Millar am ddyfodol deintyddiaeth. Nid yw'r dyfodol yn fater o ddibynnu'n llwyr ar fwy o ddeintyddion—mae'n fater o ehangu'r proffesiwn deintyddol, mae'n fater o wneud gwell defnydd o aelodau eraill o'r tîm deintyddol, a gwneud yn siŵr y gall y gweithgareddau hynny a gyflawnir amlaf y mae angen i ddeintyddion eu cyflawni gael eu cyflawni gan bobl sydd wedi eu hyfforddi i wneud hynny, ond nad ydyn nhw angen yr hyfforddiant hir iawn a'r arbenigedd prin iawn y mae deintyddion eu hunain yn ei gynrychioli.
Mae'n rhaid i fi ddweud dwi'n bryderus bod yna ddiffyg cynllunio gwasanaeth deintyddol cynaliadwy ar gyfer y dyfodol. Dwi wir yn bryderus am sefyllfa deintyddiaeth yn fy etholaeth i. Mae cau deintyddfeydd preifat yn ddiweddar ar y tir mawr wedi gwaethygu eto'r anhawster mae pobl yn ei gael i gofrestru efo ac i ddarganfod deintydd sy'n gwneud gwaith NHS. Mae'r camau dwi wedi eu cymryd efo deintydd yn Ynys Môn i gynyddu capasiti yn wynebu rhwystr ar ôl rhwystr, a ninnau wedi llwyddo i ddenu dau ddeintydd i mewn, ond yn methu â chael y bwrdd i gytuno i gynyddu'r contract. Ar ben hynny, mae gen i bryder mawr am beth sy'n digwydd i wasanaethau deintyddol arbenigol yn Ysbyty Gwynedd, efo colli gwasanaethau a methiant i recriwtio yn gwneud i fi feddwl bod yna gynllun i israddio gwasanaethau. A gawn ni adolygiad llawn o wasanaethau deintyddol yn fy etholaeth i, ac yn wir yn y gogledd-orllewin yn ehangach?
I have to say that I'm concerned that there's been a lack of planning in dentistry and ensuring that that service is sustainable for the future. I'm truly concerned about the position of dentistry in my constituency. The closure of private dental surgeries on the mainland recently has further exacerbated the problems people have in registering with and finding a dentist that does NHS work. The steps that I've taken along with a dentist in Anglesey to increase capacity have faced one barrier after the next, with us having already managed to attract two dentists in, but failing to get the board to increase the contract. In addition to that, I have huge concerns about what's happening to specialist dental services at Ysbyty Gwynedd, with the loss of services and a failure to recruit making me think that there is a plan to downgrade services. So, can we have a full review of dental services in my constituency, and indeed in broader north-west Wales?
Wel, Llywydd, dwi'n cytuno gyda Rhun ap Iorwerth am y problemau sy'n wynebu pobl yn y gorllewin, yn y de ac yn y gogledd hefyd. Mae hynna yn gwaethygu, achos mae yna'r problemau dwi wedi eu hesbonio prynhawn yma. Wrth gwrs, dwi'n fodlon siarad gyda'r Gweinidog i weld os oes yna fwy o fanylion rydym ni'n gallu eu rhoi i'r Aelodau, ac i fod yn glir gyda phobl am y camau mae'r bwrdd iechyd yn y gogledd yn eu cymryd i dreial i ddelio â'r problemau maen nhw'n eu hwynebu ar hyn o bryd.FootnoteLink
Well, Llywydd, I agree with Rhun ap Iorwerth about the problems facing people in the west, in the south and in the north too. It also goes to the root of the problems that I have explained this afternoon. I will speak to the Minister to see whether there are more details that we can give Members, and to be clear with people about the steps that the health board in north Wales is taking to try and address the problems that they are facing at present.FootnoteLink
4. Beth yw asesiad cyfredol y Prif Weinidog o nifer yr achosion o COVID-19 yng Nghymru? OQ56000
4. What is the First Minister's current assessment of COVID-19 incidence in Wales? OQ56000
I thank John Griffiths. Llywydd, the incidence in Wales, represented by the seven-day rolling average, has been increasing each day for the last 18 days. Unless this trend can be halted and reversed, we will see an exponential growth in coronavirus right across Wales.
Diolchaf i John Griffiths. Llywydd, mae nifer yr achosion yng Nghymru, a gynrychiolir gan y cyfartaledd treigl saith diwrnod, wedi bod yn cynyddu bob dydd am y 18 diwrnod diwethaf. Oni bai y gellir atal a gwrthdroi'r duedd hon, byddwn yn gweld twf cyflymach a chyflymach i goronafeirws ledled Cymru.
First Minister, it is a very worrying situation, and among the factors involved that make it very worrying is the increasing emergence of long COVID, which I believe the health service unfortunately may be dealing with for some years to come. Months after contracting the virus, sufferers are left with a range of symptoms, including breathlessness, brain fog, pain and fatigue. It is debilitating for many, and fears are growing that it could go on to affect hundreds of thousands across the UK. In England, they are opening specialist clinics to treat long COVID, and in Scotland they are funding rapid research projects and working up new treatment guidelines. First Minister, I would be grateful for your advice on Welsh Government action to address this significant threat to the health of our nation.
Prif Weinidog, mae'n sefyllfa sy'n peri pryder mawr, ac ymhlith y ffactorau dan sylw sy'n golygu ei fod yn bryder mawr yw'r cynnydd cynyddol i nifer yr achosion o COVID hir, y credaf y gallai'r gwasanaeth iechyd fod yn ymdrin ag ef am rai blynyddoedd i ddod yn anffodus. Fisoedd ar ôl dal y feirws, mae dioddefwyr yn cael amrywiaeth o symptomau, gan gynnwys diffyg anadl, niwl yr ymennydd, poen a blinder. Mae'n wanychol i lawer, ac mae ofnau yn tyfu y gallai fynd ymlaen i effeithio ar gannoedd o filoedd o bobl ledled y DU. Yn Lloegr, maen nhw'n agor clinigau arbenigol i drin COVID hir, ac yn yr Alban maen nhw'n ariannu prosiectau ymchwil cyflym ac yn llunio canllawiau triniaeth newydd. Prif Weinidog, byddwn yn ddiolchgar am eich cyngor ar gamau Llywodraeth Cymru i fynd i'r afael â'r bygythiad sylweddol hwn i iechyd ein cenedl.
I thank John Griffiths for that important supplementary question, Llywydd. We have 1,100 people with confirmed coronavirus in Welsh hospital beds today. Over a quarter of them will need to be in hospital for three weeks or longer. This is a virus from which rapid recovery is not the outcome for many, many people who contract it, and not only does that mean that more and more people are retained in hospital beds, but that there is a long aftermath for many people. I know that John Griffiths will be aware that the health Minister published a written statement on this on 23 October. We published our national framework for rehabilitation from coronavirus in May of this year. Our focus is on trying to provide services for those people suffering the long-term effects of coronavirus as close to home as possible. It's not a model that relies upon people who are already unwell and suffering from those after-effects having to make their way into a hospital setting in order to get the treatment that they need. So, we are looking to have multidisciplinary teams that operate in the community and only where absolutely necessary from in-patient rehabilitation services. That's a different model to the one that's being adopted in some other places, but we think it will provide a better service to more people, more conveniently, and more attuned to the nature of the impact from coronavirus that they are suffering.
In relation to clinical trials and research, then we are, ourselves, just as Scotland are, involved in a number of different studies. We're participating in the development by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence of a clinical definition of long COVID, which will help with its diagnosis and its care, and we're participating, Llywydd, in the UK post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study. That's a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research and the Medical Research Council at a UK level. It involves 10,000 participants and it's been described as a world-leading study in informing the developments of those care pathways that will be needed to help patients recover as fully as possible and as quickly as possible, having experienced the deeply debilitating impact of the disease.
Diolchaf i John Griffiths am y cwestiwn atodol pwysig yna, Llywydd. Mae gennym ni 1,100 o bobl â coronafeirws wedi ei gadarnhau mewn gwelyau ysbyty yng Nghymru heddiw. Bydd angen i dros chwarter ohonyn nhw fod yn yr ysbyty am dair wythnos neu hwy. Mae hwn yn feirws nad yw gwellhad cyflym yn ganlyniad i lawer iawn o bobl sy'n ei ddal, ac nid yn unig y mae hynny'n golygu bod mwy a mwy o bobl yn cael eu cadw mewn gwelyau ysbyty, ond bod cyfnod gwella maith i lawer o bobl. Gwn y bydd John Griffiths yn ymwybodol bod y Gweinidog iechyd wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ysgrifenedig ar hyn ar 23 Hydref. Cyhoeddwyd ein fframwaith cenedlaethol ar gyfer adsefydlu yn dilyn coronafeirws ym mis Mai eleni. Rydym yn canolbwyntio ar geisio darparu gwasanaethau i'r bobl hynny sy'n dioddef effeithiau hirdymor coronafeirws mor agos i'w cartrefi â phosibl. Nid yw'n fodel sy'n dibynnu ar bobl sydd eisoes yn sâl ac yn dioddef yr ôl-effeithiau hynny yn gorfod teithio i'r ysbyty i gael y driniaeth sydd ei hangen arnyn nhw. Felly, ein bwriad yw cael timau amlddisgyblaeth sy'n gweithredu yn y gymuned a dim ond pan fo hynny'n gwbl angenrheidiol o wasanaethau adsefydlu cleifion mewnol. Mae hwnnw'n fodel gwahanol i'r un sy'n cael ei fabwysiadu mewn rhai lleoedd eraill, ond rydym ni'n credu y bydd yn cynnig gwell gwasanaeth i fwy o bobl, yn fwy cyfleus ac yn cydweddu'n well â natur yr effaith coronafeirws y maen nhw'n ei ddioddef.
O ran treialon clinigol ac ymchwil, yna rydym ni, ein hunain, yn union fel y mae'r Alban, yn ymwneud â nifer o wahanol astudiaethau. Rydym yn cymryd rhan yn y datblygiad gan y Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ragoriaeth mewn Iechyd a Gofal, o ddiffiniad clinigol o COVID hir a fydd yn helpu gyda rhoi diagnosis ohono a gofal ar ei gyfer, ac rydym ni'n cymryd rhan, Llywydd, yn astudiaeth COVID-19 ôl-ysbyty y DU. Mae honno'n astudiaeth a ariennir gan y Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ymchwil Iechyd a'r Cyngor Ymchwil Feddygol ar lefel y DU. Mae'n cynnwys 10,000 o gyfranogwyr ac fe'i disgrifiwyd fel astudiaeth sy'n arwain y byd o ran llywio datblygiad y llwybrau gofal hynny y bydd eu hangen i helpu cleifion i wella mewn modd mor llwyr â phosibl a chyn gynted â phosibl, ar ôl dioddef effaith hynod wanychol y clefyd.
Cwestiwn 5, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Question 5, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Sorry, Llywydd, there was a delay with the unmuting. Thank you.
Mae'n ddrwg gen i, Llywydd, roedd oedi gyda'r dad-dawelu. Diolch.
5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am effaith adolygu Rheoliadau Diogelu Iechyd (Cyfyngiadau Coronafeirws) (Rhif 4) (Cymru) 2020 ar sir Conwy? OQ56007
5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of the review of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2020 on Conwy county? OQ56007
Llywydd, the impact of the revised regulations will be to allow continued travel between Conwy county and other parts of Wales. The regulations will help save the lives of Conwy citizens that would otherwise be lost, whilst safeguarding the local health services. The regulations will next be reviewed on 17 December.
Llywydd, effaith y rheoliadau diwygiedig fydd caniatáu teithio parhaus rhwng sir Conwy a rhannau eraill o Gymru. Bydd y rheoliadau yn helpu i achub bywydau dinasyddion Conwy a fyddai fel arall yn cael eu colli, gan ddiogelu'r gwasanaethau iechyd lleol ar yr un pryd. Bydd y rheoliadau yn cael eu hadolygu nesaf ar 17 Rhagfyr.
Thank you, First Minister. Now, of course, I have had to raise concerns on this, because between 28 November and 4 December, Conwy had 62.3 cases per 100,000; obviously, compare that with Neath Port Talbot with 621.7—10 times more severe than Conwy county. Now, according to the latest COVID-19 biweekly local authority review report, published last week, the rate per 100,000 amongst those aged 60 or older in Conwy was 26.9. Now, if we had had a tiered system in place, as in England, Conwy would be in tier 1. So, how do you address and will you act on the hundreds of calls from both constituents and those in business for a Welsh tiered system? And can you explain how it is even considered balanced or proportionate for Conwy to be subjected to the same regs as Neath Port Talbot?
My final point is that lots of those in the hospitality industry are very concerned now about the restrictions between 17 December and over the Christmas period, as to whether they will be able to trade as normal and serve alcohol with their food. So, did I hear you correctly earlier that these restrictions will be lifted on the seventeenth, allowing the hospitality businesses, and pubs and restaurants and things, to be able to go back to business as normal? Thank you.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Nawr, wrth gwrs, bu'n rhaid i mi godi pryderon am hyn, oherwydd rhwng 28 Tachwedd a 4 Rhagfyr, roedd gan Gonwy 62.3 achos fesul 100,000; yn amlwg, cymharwch hynny â Chastell-nedd Port Talbot sydd â 621.7—10 gwaith yn fwy difrifol na sir Conwy. Nawr, yn ôl adroddiad adolygu COVID-19 bob pythefnos diweddaraf yr awdurdod lleol, a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos diwethaf, 26.9 oedd y gyfradd fesul 100,000 ymhlith y rhai sy'n 60 oed neu'n hŷn yng Nghonwy. Nawr, pe byddai gennym ni system haenau ar waith, fel yn Lloegr, byddai Conwy yn haen 1. Felly, sut ydych chi'n ymateb i'r cannoedd o alwadau gan etholwyr a'r rhai sydd mewn busnes am system haenau i Gymru, ac a wnewch chi gymryd camau ar sail y galwadau hyn? Ac a allwch chi esbonio sut yn y byd yr ystyrir ei bod yn gytbwys neu'n gymesur i Gonwy fod yn ddarostyngedig i'r un rheoliadau â Chastell-nedd Port Talbot?
Fy mhwynt olaf i yw bod llawer o'r rhai sydd yn y diwydiant lletygarwch yn pryderu'n fawr erbyn hyn am y cyfyngiadau rhwng 17 Rhagfyr a thros gyfnod y Nadolig, ynghylch pa un a fyddan nhw'n gallu masnachu fel arfer a gweini alcohol gyda'u bwyd. Felly, a wnes i eich clywed chi'n iawn yn gynharach yn dweud y bydd y cyfyngiadau hyn yn dod i ben ar yr ail ar bymtheg, gan ganiatáu i'r busnesau lletygarwch, tafarndai a bwytai ac ati, allu mynd yn ôl a gwneud busnes fel arfer? Diolch.
Llywydd, the Member certainly did not hear me say that the restrictions will be lifted on 17 December. I said that they would be reviewed on 17 December and that review will have to take into account that the figure in Conwy today is 73.4 people for every 100,000, and that will absolutely certainly not put Conwy in tier 1 in anybody's system. And that figure, not only is it 73.4, Llywydd, but it is rising every day. Over 120 people have lost their lives in the Member's constituency as a result of coronavirus. The positivity rate in her local authority area is over 5 per cent today. This Government will be focused on the public health emergency and why the actions we are taking will save lives in Conwy and every other part of Wales. I won't be focused, as the Member is, on other—and in that context more peripheral—issues.
The Conservative Party needs—. The leader of the opposition seemed to imply that this is already where the Conservative Party was, but in fact, today, all the questions I've received from his backbenchers have not been about coronavirus at all, they've been about the hospitality industry as though that were the more important of the two issues. And it happened again in the supplementary question from Janet Finch-Saunders. The position in her constituency—in her constituency—is getting worse by the day. That's what she needs to recognise and it would be very good indeed to have her support, on behalf of her constituents, for the measures that are necessary to protect their lives.
Llywydd, yn sicr ni chlywodd yr Aelod fi'n dweud y bydd y cyfyngiadau yn dod i ben ar 17 Rhagfyr. Dywedais y bydden nhw'n cael eu hadolygu ar 17 Rhagfyr a bydd yn rhaid i'r adolygiad hwnnw gymryd i ystyriaeth mai'r ffigur yng Nghonwy heddiw yw 73.4 o bobl fesul 100,000, ac yn sicr ni fydd hynny yn rhoi Conwy yn haen 1 yn system neb. A'r ffigur hwnnw, nid yn unig y mae'n 73.4, Llywydd, ond mae'n codi bob dydd. Mae dros 120 o bobl wedi colli eu bywydau yn etholaeth yr Aelod o ganlyniad i'r coronafeirws. Mae'r gyfradd bositif yn ardal ei hawdurdod lleol hi dros 5 y cant heddiw. Bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn canolbwyntio ar yr argyfwng iechyd cyhoeddus a pham y bydd y camau yr ydym ni'n eu cymryd yn achub bywydau yng Nghonwy a phob rhan arall o Gymru. Ni fyddaf yn canolbwyntio, fel y mae'r Aelod, ar faterion eraill—ac yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, rhai mwy ymylol.
Mae angen i'r Blaid Geidwadol—. Roedd yn ymddangos bod arweinydd yr wrthblaid yn awgrymu mai dyma lle'r oedd y Blaid Geidwadol eisoes. Ond mewn gwirionedd, heddiw, nid yw'r holl gwestiynau a ddaeth i law gan ei aelodau o'r meinciau cefn wedi bod am y coronafeirws o gwbl, maen nhw wedi ymwneud â'r diwydiant lletygarwch, fel pe byddai hwnnw'n fater pwysicach. Ac fe ddigwyddodd eto yn y cwestiwn atodol gan Janet Finch-Saunders. Mae'r sefyllfa yn ei hetholaeth hi—yn ei hetholaeth hi—yn gwaethygu bob dydd. Mae angen iddi gydnabod hynny a byddai'n dda iawn yn wir cael ei chefnogaeth hi, ar ran ei hetholwyr, i'r mesurau sy'n angenrheidiol i ddiogelu eu bywydau.
6. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i gefnogi teuluoedd y dywedir wrthynt am hunanynysu? OQ56022
6. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support families who are told to self-isolate? OQ56022
In addition to existing support for families, we have introduced a self-isolation support scheme, making £500 payments to people at risk of financial hardship because they are self-isolating. This scheme is now being extended to include parents and carers of children who have been asked to self-isolate.
Yn ogystal â'r cymorth presennol i deuluoedd, rydym ni wedi cyflwyno cynllun cymorth hunanynysu, sy'n gwneud taliadau o £500 i bobl sydd mewn perygl o galedi ariannol oherwydd eu bod nhw'n hunanynysu. Mae'r cynllun hwn bellach yn cael ei ymestyn i gynnwys rhieni a gofalwyr plant y gofynnwyd iddyn nhw hunanynysu.
Can I thank the First Minister for that answer and for the decision of the Welsh Government to expand the self-isolation support fund to parents? That's clearly one of the concerns raised with me in my constituency, as many children have been asked to self-isolate within their schools, and single parents in particular are facing challenging times in delivering that. Can he confirm to me that that funding will work on a multi-occasional basis, because many parents—my own grandchild has been sent home more than once from school and told to self-isolate, so it is important that they're aware of that?
Can he also work with the campaign that the Welsh Government is leading with the Trades Union Congress on asking employees to know their rights and their responsibilities, and expand that to work with employers to know their responsibilities, so that in situations where we see parents having to take time off, maybe on more than one occasion, employers act in a responsible and compassionate manner to ensure that those parents are entitled and reminded that they can return to work and their work is not at risk? Can they also ensure that if the employers decide to ask someone to stay home because of coronavirus, they also act responsibly to ensure that those individuals are financially supported by the employer?
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna ac am benderfyniad Llywodraeth Cymru i ehangu'r gronfa cymorth hunanynysu i rieni? Mae hwnnw yn amlwg yn un o'r pryderon a godwyd gyda mi yn fy etholaeth. Gofynnwyd i lawer o blant hunanynysu yn eu hysgolion, ac mae rhieni sengl yn arbennig yn wynebu cyfnod anodd o ran gallu gwneud hynny. A yw'n gallu cadarnhau i mi y bydd y cyllid hwnnw yn gweithio ar fwy nag un achlysur, oherwydd mae llawer o rieni—mae fy wyres i fy hun wedi cael ei hanfon adref fwy nag unwaith o'r ysgol gyda chyfarwyddyd i hunanynysu, felly mae'n bwysig eu bod nhw'n ymwybodol o hynny?
A all ef hefyd weithio gyda'r ymgyrch sy'n cael ei harwain gan Lywodraeth Cymru, gyda Chyngres yr Undebau Llafur, i wneud yn siŵr bod cyflogeion yn gwybod beth yw eu hawliau a'u cyfrifoldebau, ac yn ehangu hynny a gweithio gyda'u cyflogwyr i wybod beth yw eu cyfrifoldebau nhw? Felly, mewn sefyllfaoedd lle mae rhieni'n gorfod cymryd amser i ffwrdd, efallai ar fwy nag un achlysur, bod cyflogwyr yn ymddwyn mewn modd cyfrifol a thosturiol i sicrhau bod gan y rhieni hynny yr hawl a'u bod yn cael eu hatgoffa y cânt ddychwelyd i'r gwaith ac nad yw eu gwaith mewn perygl? A allan nhw hefyd sicrhau, os bydd cyflogwyr yn penderfynu gofyn i rywun aros gartref oherwydd y coronafeirws, eu bod nhw hefyd yn ymddwyn yn gyfrifol i sicrhau bod yr unigolion hynny yn cael eu cynorthwyo'n ariannol gan y cyflogwr?
Llywydd, I thank David Rees for those important points. We discussed these matters at the last meeting of the social partnership council with representatives of employers in the private and public sectors, as well as the trade unions that were present. I'm very glad that the campaign that we have launched and are running at the moment is one supported by the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as the Wales TUC. It's there to make sure that employers, as well as workers, know and then live up to their responsibilities.
The reason why we've extended self-isolation payments to parents and carers of children has been rehearsed on the floor, here, of the Senedd; I think Helen Mary Jones raised it with me last week. But, also, the more coronavirus is in circulation, the more people will be asked to self-isolate. In South Wales Police alone, 350 staff and police officers have been asked to self-isolate in the last seven days. That is the impact of coronavirus in our communities and on our key public services. It is why it is absolutely essential and unambiguous that we have to take the actions that we are taking. Where people try to chip away at it, looking for restrictions to be lifted and acting as though restrictions are not necessary for the health of the public, that sort of figure simply tells you that unless we get this under control and act together to do it, the impact is absolutely real, not just in the health service but in other public services as well.
David Rees asked how many times it's possible to claim the payment. I think we allow it at the moment on three different occasions. If a setting has needed to ask people to self-isolate for three times in a row, then we think it is right to pause and find out what is going on in that setting, because, in the way that David Rees said, sometimes we need to put the cause of the problem right in a workplace, rather than always just dealing with the consequences.
Llywydd, diolch i David Rees am y pwyntiau pwysig yna. Fe wnaethom ni drafod y materion hyn yn y cyfarfod diwethaf o gyngor y bartneriaeth gymdeithasol gyda chynrychiolwyr cyflogwyr yn y sectorau preifat a chyhoeddus, yn ogystal â'r undebau llafur a oedd yn bresennol. Rwy'n falch iawn bod yr ymgyrch yr ydym ni wedi ei lansio ac yn ei rhedeg ar hyn o bryd yn un a gefnogir gan Gydffederasiwn Diwydiant Prydain a'r Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach, yn ogystal â TUC Cymru. Mae yno i wneud yn siŵr bod cyflogwyr, yn ogystal â gweithwyr, yn gwybod beth yw eu cyfrifoldebau ac yn eu cyflawni.
Mae'r rheswm dros ymestyn taliadau hunanynysu i rieni a gofalwyr plant wedi cael sylw yn y fan yma ar lawr y Senedd; rwy'n credu bod Helen Mary Jones wedi ei godi gyda mi yr wythnos diwethaf. Ond, hefyd, y mwyaf yw nifer yr achosion o'r coronafeirws, y mwyaf o bobl y gofynnir iddyn nhw hunanynysu. Yn Heddlu De Cymru yn unig, gofynnwyd i 350 o staff a swyddogion yr heddlu hunanynysu yn ystod y saith diwrnod diwethaf. Dyna effaith y coronafeirws ar ein cymunedau ac ar ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus allweddol. Dyna pam mae'n gwbl hanfodol ac yn ddiamwys bod yn rhaid i ni gymryd y camau yr ydym ni'n eu cymryd. Pan mae pobl yn tanseilio hyn, yn gofyn am lacio cyfyngiadau ac ymddwyn fel pe na byddai cyfyngiadau yn angenrheidiol i iechyd y cyhoedd, mae'r ffigur hwn yn dweud, oni bai ein bod yn dod â hyn o dan reolaeth ac yn cydweithio i gyflawni hynny, bod yr effaith yn gwbl real, nid yn unig yn y gwasanaeth iechyd ond mewn gwasanaethau cyhoeddus eraill hefyd.
Fe ofynnodd David Rees sawl gwaith y mae'n bosibl hawlio'r taliad. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni'n caniatáu hynny ar dri gwahanol achlysur ar hyn o bryd. Os bu angen i leoliad ofyn i bobl hunanynysu dair gwaith yn olynol, yna credwn ei bod yn iawn i oedi a chanfod beth sy'n digwydd yn y lleoliad hwnnw, oherwydd, fel y dywedodd David Rees, weithiau mae angen i ni unioni achos y broblem yn y gweithle, yn hytrach na dim ond ymdrin â'r canlyniadau bob tro.
7. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am gyllid ar gyfer Maes Awyr Caerdydd yn y dyfodol yn sgil effaith COVID-19? OQ56008
7. Will the First Minister make a statement on future funding for Cardiff Airport in light of the impact of COVID-19? OQ56008
I thank the Member for the question, Llywydd. COVID-19 has been a very challenging experience for Cardiff Airport and the whole aviation sector. While we continue to support the airport's funding, options are constrained by state-aid rules and by the continuing uncertainty surrounding any Brexit deal.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn, Llywydd. Mae COVID-19 wedi bod yn brofiad anodd iawn i Faes Awyr Caerdydd a'r sector hedfanaeth cyfan. Er ein bod ni'n parhau i gefnogi cyllid y maes awyr, mae'r dewisiadau wedi eu cyfyngu gan reolau cymorth gwladwriaethol a chan yr ansicrwydd parhaus ynghylch unrhyw gytundeb Brexit.
I thank the First Minister for that answer. The Welsh Government made a brave decision when it bought Cardiff Airport. That decision appeared to be vindicated, given the performance of the airport in the years leading up to the COVID crisis. Despite some opposition in this Chamber, I believe that a truly international-quality airport is a significant, even vital ingredient if we are to call ourselves a global nation. Given the confidence the industry shows in Cardiff Airport, expressed only last week by the low-cost carrier Wizz announcing it will use the airport on a long-term basis, and the return of Ryanair pre COVID, not to mention the airport's old friend, KLM, would the First Minister commit to ensuring the funds and all helpful interventions will continue for the airport until such time as, and I'm sure this will happen, the Government is able to profitably sell its share in this vital asset?
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna. Fe wnaeth Llywodraeth Cymru benderfyniad dewr pan brynodd Faes Awyr Caerdydd. Roedd yn ymddangos bod y penderfyniad hwnnw wedi'i gyfiawnhau, o ystyried perfformiad y maes awyr yn y blynyddoedd cyn yr argyfwng COVID. Er gwaethaf rhywfaint o wrthwynebiad yn y Siambr hon, rwy'n credu bod maes awyr o ansawdd gwirioneddol ryngwladol yn elfen sylweddol, hanfodol hyd yn oed, os ydym ni eisiau galw ein hunain yn genedl fyd-eang. O ystyried y ffydd y mae'r diwydiant yn ei ddangos ym Maes Awyr Caerdydd, a fynegwyd yr wythnos diwethaf gan y cludydd cost isel Wizz yn cyhoeddi y bydd yn defnyddio'r maes awyr ar sail hirdymor, a dychweliad Ryanair cyn COVID, heb sôn am hen ffrind y maes awyr, KLM, a wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ymrwymo i sicrhau y bydd yr arian a'r holl ymyraethau defnyddiol yn parhau ar gyfer y maes awyr hyd nes y bydd y Llywodraeth, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd hyn yn digwydd, yn gallu gwerthu ei chyfranddaliad yn yr ased hanfodol hwn ar elw?
Llywydd, I thank David Rowlands for his consistent support for the airport and for drawing attention this afternoon to the very welcome announcement last week that there are to be nine new routes out of the airport, provided through Wizz Air—3,500 seats will be available, 40 direct jobs and 250 indirect jobs, supported by that new announcement. I have met officials regularly with the transport Minister, Ken Skates, and with the airport authorities over this crisis to try to make sure we are doing everything we can to continue to support them.
We are constrained, Llywydd, by the interpretation by the UK Government of state-aid rules. In other EU states, including France and Germany, policies permit support for safety and security measures to be what's called 'allowable aid' for state-aid purposes. The UK Government doesn't allow that. That constrains our ability to provide help to the airport, which is just fair help—help that allows them to compete on a level playing field with what is available elsewhere in Europe. It would be a great help to us if the UK Government would review its position on that matter. And it would be a particular help to us in the state-aid notification for COVID-19 damage, which we have launched with the European Commission, and which we hope will be of help in allowing us to provide further support to the airport in this difficult time, so that it is there to resume its successful recovery, as we saw since it came into public ownership in 2013.
Llywydd, diolchaf i David Rowlands am ei gefnogaeth gyson i'r maes awyr ac am dynnu sylw y prynhawn yma at y cyhoeddiad sydd i'w groesawu'n fawr yr wythnos diwethaf y bydd naw llwybr newydd yn hedfan o'r maes awyr, wedi'u darparu gan Wizz Air—bydd 3,500 o seddi ar gael, 40 o swyddi uniongyrchol a 250 o swyddi anuniongyrchol, wedi eu cefnogi gan y cyhoeddiad newydd hwnnw. Rwyf wedi cyfarfod â swyddogion yn rheolaidd gyda'r Gweinidog Trafnidiaeth, Ken Skates, a gydag awdurdodau'r maes awyr ynghylch yr argyfwng hwn i geisio gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gwneud popeth o fewn ein gallu i barhau i'w cefnogi.
Rydym wedi ein cyfyngu, Llywydd, gan ddehongliad Llywodraeth y DU o reolau cymorth gwladwriaethol. Mewn gwladwriaethau eraill yn yr UE, gan gynnwys Ffrainc a'r Almaen, mae polisïau yn caniatáu cymorth mesurau diogelwch ar gyfer yr hyn a elwir yn 'gymorth a ganiateir' at ddibenion cymorth gwladwriaethol. Nid yw Llywodraeth y DU yn caniatáu hynny. Mae hynny'n cyfyngu ar ein gallu i roi cymorth i'r maes awyr, sydd ond yn gymorth teg—cymorth sy'n caniatáu iddyn nhw gystadlu'n deg â'r hyn sydd ar gael mewn mannau eraill yn Ewrop. Byddai o gymorth mawr i ni pe byddai Llywodraeth y DU yn adolygu ei safbwynt ar y mater hwnnw. A byddai o gymorth arbennig i ni yn yr hysbysiad cymorth gwladwriaethol am niwed COVID-19, yr ydym ni wedi ei lansio gyda'r Comisiwn Ewropeaidd, ac yr ydym ni'n gobeithio y bydd o gymorth i'n galluogi ni i ddarparu cymorth pellach i'r maes awyr yn y cyfnod anodd hwn, fel ei fod yno i ailddechrau adferiad llwyddiannus, fel y gwelsom ers iddo ddod i berchnogaeth gyhoeddus yn 2013.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8, Dawn Bowden.
And finally, question 8, Dawn Bowden.
8. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gyflwyno'r brechlyn COVID-19 ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni? OQ56023
8. Will the First Minister provide an update on the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OQ56023
I thank Dawn Bowden for that. Plans are in place for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board to deploy the vaccine immediately, in line with the vaccine delivery schedule and the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations.
Diolch i Dawn Bowden am hynna. Mae cynlluniau ar waith i Fwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Cwm Taf Morgannwg ddefnyddio'r brechlyn ar unwaith, yn unol â'r amserlen ar gyfer darparu brechlynnau a chyngor y Cydbwyllgor ar Imiwneiddio a Brechu.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Before I move on to the vaccine, can I once again thank those who were involved with the huge logistical challenge of the mass testing pilot in Merthyr Tydfil? The tests so far have identified some 22,000 or more asymptomatic people through the testing programme, with around 280 positive cases identified—people who will now not be in the community spreading the virus. So, we believe that that's around 50 per cent of the eligible population, and in my view, that shows the great success that this pilot has been.
But as we move on to the vaccine roll-out, I wanted to stress the importance of past learning in healthcare and that in the roll-out of the vaccine we need to avoid what we often refer to as 'the inverse care law'. Now, whilst it is right that we prioritise front-line health and care staff and vulnerable citizens across the country in the first waves of the vaccinations, we'll then move on to the general population. I hope there is a recognition that those areas, like my constituency, that have been hardest hit by COVID, both in terms of the number of cases, but also the economic impact, will require special attention in the vaccine programme. So, can you confirm that this has been considered by Welsh Government plans for the vaccine roll-out and that you will ensure that the programme will not fall foul of the inverse care law?
Diolch am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Cyn i mi symud ymlaen at y brechlyn, a gaf i ddiolch unwaith eto i'r rhai a gymerodd ran yn her logistaidd enfawr y rhaglen arbrofol profi torfol ym Merthyr Tudful? Mae'r profion hyd yma wedi nodi tua 22,000 neu fwy o bobl asymptomatig drwy'r rhaglen brofi, a nodwyd oddeutu 280 o achosion positif—pobl na fyddan nhw yn y gymuned yn lledaenu'r feirws mwyach. Felly rydym ni'n credu bod hynny tua 50 y cant o'r boblogaeth gymwys, ac yn fy marn i, mae hynny'n dangos bod y cynllun arbrofol hwn wedi bod yn llwyddiant mawr.
Ond wrth i ni symud ymlaen at gyflwyno'r brechlyn, roeddwn i eisiau pwysleisio pa mor bwysig yw dysgu o'r gorffennol ym maes gofal iechyd a bod angen i ni, wrth gyflwyno'r brechlyn, osgoi'r hyn yr ydym ni'n cyfeirio ato'n aml fel 'y ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal'. Nawr, er ei bod yn iawn i flaenoriaethu staff iechyd a gofal rheng flaen a dinasyddion agored i niwed ledled y wlad yn nhonnau cyntaf y brechiadau, byddwn yn symud ymlaen i'r boblogaeth gyffredinol wedyn. Rwy'n gobeithio yn y rhaglen frechu y cydnabyddir bod angen rhoi sylw arbennig i'r ardaloedd hynny, fel fy etholaeth i, sydd wedi cael eu taro galetaf gan COVID, o ran nifer yr achosion, ond hefyd o ran effaith economaidd. Felly, a wnewch chi gadarnhau y rhoddwyd ystyriaeth i hyn yng nghynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer cyflwyno'r brechlyn ac a wnewch chi sicrhau na fydd y rhaglen yn mynd yn groes i'r ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal?
Llywydd, I thank Dawn Bowden for that. Can I, as well, thank all those who've been involved in that fantastic effort in Merthyr on the mass testing front, but also this afternoon, Llywydd, particularly, to thank all those people in our health service who have been part of the vaccination programme? The huge work that has gone on very rapidly over recent weeks to provide the logistical support, the transport, the storage, the onward provision of the vaccine, and today we see the fruits of that and I'm sure everybody in the Chamber and remotely today would want to thank those who've made that possible.
I thank Dawn Bowden for raising that important point about the inverse care law. She will know that vaccination is one of the relatively rare parts of the health world that has the opposite characteristics to the inverse care law. I remember when I was the health Minister, and the Member represented workers in the health service, we introduced the HPV vaccine for young women aged 14 and above. The highest take-up in the whole of Wales was in Merthyr Tydfil and the lowest take-up of all was in Monmouthshire. And, strangely, those figures persist to today. Monmouthshire has a take-up of HPV of 77 per cent and Cwm Taf Morgannwg has a 91 per cent take-up. So, vaccination is one of those relatively rare things where the inverse care law doesn't seem to apply. It's really important it doesn't apply in relation to this vaccine. The fact that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation schedule for the roll-out of the vaccine focuses on age and clinical vulnerability means, I think, that its impact will most be felt most quickly in those parts of Wales where we have higher concentrations of older, poorer and sicker populations. And that means, I hope, that we will see greater numbers of those populations, including in the constituency represented by Dawn Bowden—that they will see the benefit of this vaccine first. And, given the characteristics, and given the advice of the JCVI, so they should.
Llywydd, diolchaf i Dawn Bowden am hynna. A gaf innau, hefyd, ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn yr ymdrech wych honno ym Merthyr o ran y profion torfol, ond hefyd y prynhawn yma, Llywydd, yn arbennig, hoffwn i ddiolch i'r holl bobl hynny yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd sydd wedi bod yn rhan o'r rhaglen frechu? Mae gwaith enfawr wedi ei wneud yn gyflym iawn dros yr wythnosau diwethaf i ddarparu'r cymorth logistaidd, y cludiant, y man storio, y ddarpariaeth ymlaen o'r brechlyn, a heddiw rydym yn gweld ffrwyth hynny ac rwy'n siŵr y byddai pawb yn y Siambr ac o bell heddiw yn dymuno diolch i'r rhai sydd wedi gwneud hynny'n bosibl.
Diolchaf i Dawn Bowden am godi'r pwynt pwysig hwnnw am y ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal. Bydd hi'n gwybod mai brechu yw un o rannau cymharol brin y byd iechyd sydd â nodweddion gwrthgyferbyniol i'r ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal. Rwy'n cofio pan oeddwn i'n Weinidog Iechyd, a'r Aelod yn cynrychioli gweithwyr yn y gwasanaeth iechyd, cyflwynwyd y brechlyn HPV gennym ar gyfer menywod ifanc 14 oed a hŷn. Roedd y niferoedd mwyaf a fanteisiodd arno yng Nghymru gyfan ym Merthyr Tudful a'r niferoedd isaf oll yn Sir Fynwy. Ac, yn rhyfedd iawn, mae'r ffigurau hynny yn parhau hyd heddiw. Yn sir Fynwy mae 77 y cant yn manteisio ar HPV ac mae 91 y cant yng Nghwm Taf Morgannwg yn manteisio ar HPV. Felly, mae brechu yn un o'r pethau cymharol brin hynny lle nad yw'n ymddangos bod y ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal yn berthnasol. Mae'n bwysig iawn nad yw'n berthnasol o ran y brechlyn hwn. Mae'r ffaith bod amserlen y Cydbwyllgor ar Imiwneiddio a Brechu ar gyfer cyflwyno'r brechlyn yn canolbwyntio ar oedran a bregusrwydd clinigol yn golygu, rwy'n credu, y caiff yr effaith ei theimlo gyflymaf yn y rhannau hynny o Gymru lle mae gennym ni grynodiadau uwch o boblogaethau hŷn, tlotach a mwy sâl. Ac mae hynny'n golygu, gobeithio, y byddwn ni'n gweld niferoedd uwch o'r poblogaethau hynny, gan gynnwys yn yr etholaeth a gynrychiolir gan Dawn Bowden—y byddan nhw'n gweld mantais y brechlyn hwn yn gyntaf. Ac, o gofio'r nodweddion, ac o gofio cyngor y Cydbwyllgor ar Imiwneiddio a Brechu, dyna ddylai ddigwydd hefyd.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
Thank you, First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes. Dwi'n galw ar y Trefnydd i wneud y datganiad hwnnw. Rebecca Evans.
The next item is the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement. Rebecca Evans.
Diolch, Llywydd. I have several changes to this week's business. Firstly, later this afternoon, the Government will move a motion to suspend Standing Orders in order to enable the Senedd to debate the new coronavirus restrictions. In order to accommodate this, I have reduced the timings of the statement on the Valleys taskforce and the debate on the equality and human rights annual review. The debate on the Non-Domestic Rating (Multiplier) (Wales) Order 2020 has been postponed. And finally, the Business Committee agreed this morning to move tomorrow's debate on the standards committee report to the last item before voting. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Mae gennyf sawl newid i fusnes yr wythnos hon. Yn gyntaf, yn ddiweddarach y prynhawn yma, bydd y Llywodraeth yn cynnig cynnig i atal Rheolau Sefydlog er mwyn galluogi'r Senedd i drafod y cyfyngiadau coronafeirws newydd. Er mwyn darparu ar gyfer hyn, rwyf wedi lleihau amseriad y datganiad ar dasglu'r Cymoedd a'r ddadl ar adolygiad blynyddol cydraddoldeb a hawliau dynol. Mae'r ddadl ar Orchymyn Ardrethu Annomestig (Lluosydd) (Cymru) 2020 wedi'i gohirio. Ac yn olaf, cytunodd y Pwyllgor Busnes y bore yma i symud y ddadl yfory ar adroddiad y pwyllgor safonau i'r eitem olaf cyn pleidleisio. Mae'r busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos nesaf wedi'i nodi ar y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, sydd i'w weld ymhlith papurau'r cyfarfod sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau yn electronig.
On 23 November, the Welsh Government announced a pilot programme for supporting visits to care homes in Wales. I call for a Welsh Government statement on provision for families to visit loved ones in care homes this Christmas. The Welsh Government statement said you were offering testing to care home visitors across a small number of care homes, intended to pave the way for a wider roll-out to more Welsh care homes starting on 14 December. Last week, the UK Government announced that care home residents in England will receive indoor visits from family and friends this Christmas if they test negative for COVID-19 unless there is an outbreak in the care home, with over 1 million rapid lateral flow tests sent to care homes as the first phase of an English national roll-out to enable visiting by Christmas. As a constituent then e-mailed, and I'll quote them, 'Testing of relatives in England and more and more people going into the care homes and holding their loved ones is beautiful, but what about Wales? Why are we always last in the queue? For God's sake, just roll it out and let the Welsh residents be granted the same lifeline as England'. I call for a statement and update accordingly.
Ar 23 Tachwedd, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru raglen beilot ar gyfer cefnogi ymweliadau â chartrefi gofal yng Nghymru. Rwy’n galw am ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y ddarpariaeth i deuluoedd ymweld ag anwyliaid mewn cartrefi gofal y Nadolig hwn. Dywedodd datganiad Llywodraeth Cymru eich bod chi'n cynnig profion i ymwelwyr cartrefi gofal ar draws nifer fach o gartrefi gofal, gyda'r bwriad o baratoi ar gyfer cyflwyno hyn i fwy o gartrefi gofal yng Nghymru i ddechrau ar 14 Rhagfyr. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU y bydd preswylwyr cartrefi gofal yn Lloegr yn cael ymweliadau dan do gan deulu a ffrindiau y Nadolig hwn os ydyn nhw'n profi'n negyddol o ran COVID-19 oni bai bod achos yn y cartref gofal. A bydd dros 1 miliwn o brofion llif ochrol cyflym yn cael eu hanfon i gartrefi gofal fel cam cyntaf rhaglen gyflwyno genedlaethol yn Lloegr i alluogi ymweliadau erbyn y Nadolig. Cefais e-bost gan un o'm hetholwyr, ac rwy'n ei ddyfynnu 'Mae cynnal profion ar berthnasau yn Lloegr a mwy a mwy o bobl yn cael mynd i mewn i'r cartrefi gofal a chofleidio eu hanwyliaid yn hyfryd, ond beth am Gymru? Pam rydym ni bob amser ar ddiwedd y ciw? Er mwyn Duw, cyflwynwch hyn yma a gadewch i drigolion Cymru gael yr un achubiaeth â Lloegr'. Galwaf am ddatganiad a'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf yn unol â hynny.
Well, Llywydd, I hope that the Member does recognise the very difficult balance that we do have to strike in terms of keeping residents in care homes safe from COVID, but then also recognising that they have important well-being and mental health needs as well. And we are trying to strike that really difficult balance. The statement that was announced by the Minister with responsibility for social services recently did point to the actions that the Welsh Government is taking in this regard. It referred to the use of tests to enable more visits and it also referred to the investment that Welsh Government is making in pods to allow those safe visits as well. I know that there's ongoing and, quite rightfully, a lot of interest in this particular agenda, so I will ensure that the Deputy Minister for social services keeps the Senedd up to date on progress in this regard.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n gobeithio bod yr Aelod yn cydnabod y cydbwysedd anodd iawn y mae'n rhaid inni ei daro er mwyn cadw preswylwyr mewn cartrefi gofal yn ddiogel rhag COVID, ond yna hefyd gan gydnabod bod ganddyn nhw anghenion lles ac iechyd meddwl pwysig hefyd. Ac rydym ni'n ceisio taro'n cydbwysedd anodd iawn hwnnw. Roedd y datganiad a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan y Gweinidog sydd â chyfrifoldeb am wasanaethau cymdeithasol yn cyfeirio at y camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd yn hyn o beth. Roedd yn cyfeirio at ddefnyddio profion i alluogi mwy o ymweliadau ac yn ogystal â hynny at y buddsoddiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud mewn podiau i ganiatáu'r ymweliadau diogel hynny hefyd. Rwy'n gwybod bod llawer o ddiddordeb yn yr agenda benodol hon yn parhau, a hynny'n gwbl briodol, felly byddaf yn sicrhau bod y Dirprwy Weinidog gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd am y cynnydd yn hyn o beth.
I want to ask for a number of Government interventions, even though I understand that the Senedd time available this year is limited. The first relates to payments for self-isolation. I've had a number of supply teachers, among many other people, who have contacted me who are not eligible for this payment. So, can you tell us how you can extend eligibility to make it much easier for people to be able to self-isolate? Again, I ask for a statement on keeping the clinically vulnerable safe. People need to have the right to stay off work and it's not okay that clinically vulnerable people in Wales don't have the same protections as they do over the border. And finally, will the Government give consideration to prioritising school staff for vaccination? I've already talked about the need for mass testing in schools, because we know that COVID is spreading in schools. These front-line education workers deserve all the protection that we can give them, so they deserve priority status when it comes to vaccination.
Hoffwn i ofyn am nifer o ymyriadau gan y Llywodraeth, er fy mod i'n deall bod yr amser sydd ar gael i'r Senedd eleni yn gyfyngedig. Mae'r cyntaf yn ymwneud â thaliadau ar gyfer hunanynysu. Rwyf wedi cael nifer o athrawon cyflenwi, ymysg eraill, sydd wedi cysylltu â mi i ddweud nad ydyn nhw'n gymwys i gael y taliad hwn. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni sut y gallwch ymestyn y cymhwysedd i'w gwneud yn llawer haws i bobl allu hunanynysu? Unwaith eto, rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad ar gadw'r rhai sy'n agored i niwed yn glinigol yn ddiogel. Mae angen i bobl gael yr hawl i aros i ffwrdd o'r gwaith ac nid yw'n iawn nad oes gan bobl sy'n agored i niwed yn glinigol yng Nghymru yr un amddiffyniadau â'r rhai sydd ganddyn nhw dros y ffin. Ac yn olaf, a wnaiff y Llywodraeth ystyried blaenoriaethu staff ysgolion ar gyfer brechu? Rwyf eisoes wedi sôn am yr angen i gael profion torfol mewn ysgolion, oherwydd rydym ni'n gwybod bod COVID yn lledaenu mewn ysgolion. Mae'r gweithwyr addysg rheng flaen hyn yn haeddu'r holl amddiffyniad y gallwn ni ei roi iddynt, felly maent yn haeddu statws blaenoriaeth pan ddaw'n fater o frechu.
I thank Leanne Wood for raising all of those important issues this afternoon. On the last issue, which relates to the prioritisation of various groups for vaccination, she'll be aware that the Welsh Government takes its advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, as do all four Government of the UK. And that's really important, because the prioritisation that it advises for vaccination is done on the basis of its understanding of the needs and the risks that people face. I completely understand the various groups who passionately campaign that they should be at the front for those vaccinations, and they make excellent cases, but I don't think that this should be a political decision; it should be a decision based on the best advice that we get from the JCVI. I know that they take into consideration all of the representations that Governments across the four nations are receiving in this regard. On the issue of payments for self-isolation, I will ask Leanne Wood to write to the Minister, Julie James, with regard to the specific cases that she has described—the staff working in schools—so we can better understand the challenges there. And again, I will raise that important issue of what more we can do to ensure that clinically vulnerable staff are kept safe and that employers are exercising their responsibilities to their staff to keep them safe. I'll pursue that with the health Minister further.
Diolch i Leanne Wood am godi'r holl faterion pwysig hynny y prynhawn yma. Ar y mater olaf, sy'n ymwneud â blaenoriaethu gwahanol grwpiau i'w brechu, fe fydd hi'n ymwybodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael ei chynghori gan y Cydbwyllgor ar Frechu ac Imiwneiddio, fel y mae pob un o bedair Llywodraeth y DU. Ac mae hynny'n bwysig iawn, oherwydd mae'r blaenoriaethu y mae'n ei gynghori ar gyfer brechu yn cael ei wneud ar sail ei ddealltwriaeth o'r anghenion a'r risgiau y mae pobl yn eu hwynebu. Rwy'n deall yn llwyr y gwahanol grwpiau sy'n ymgyrchu'n angerddol y dylen nhw fod ar flaen y rhestr ar gyfer y brechiadau hynny, ac mae ganddyn nhw eu rhesymau rhagorol, ond nid wyf yn credu y dylai hyn fod yn benderfyniad gwleidyddol; dylai fod yn benderfyniad sy'n seiliedig ar y cyngor gorau gan y Cydbwyllgor ar Frechu ac Imiwneiddio. Rwy'n gwybod eu bod yn ystyried yr holl sylwadau y mae Llywodraethau ar draws y pedair gwlad yn eu cael yn hyn o beth. O ran taliadau hunanynysu, fe fyddaf i'n gofyn i Leanne Wood ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog, Julie James, ynglŷn â'r achosion penodol a ddisgrifiodd—y staff sy'n gweithio mewn ysgolion—fel y gallwn ddeall yr heriau yno'n well. Ac eto, byddaf i'n codi'r mater pwysig hwnnw o beth arall y gallwn ni ei wneud i sicrhau bod staff sy'n agored i niwed yn glinigol yn cael eu cadw'n ddiogel a bod cyflogwyr yn arfer eu cyfrifoldebau i'w staff i'w cadw'n ddiogel. Byddaf i'n mynd ar drywydd hynny ymhellach gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd.
Trefnydd, could I ask you for one statement? It could be a statement after the health Minister meets with the community pharmacy sector next week. It could be a written statement if it's good news. If it's an oral statement, perhaps we could have it on the floor so we could question it. It's to do with the role of community pharmacies in stepping up to the mark during this coronavirus pandemic that we've had. When GPs were forced at the start of this pandemic to actually shut their doors to public-facing arrangements, it was the community pharmacists that stepped in. They stepped in when physiotherapy and optician services and dental services were unable to perform and they stepped in to help in emergencies as well. And they've done this against real challenges with their own staff, some of whom have been shielding. So, would it be possible to have a statement that looks at how community pharmacies have served us during this pandemic and, indeed, how they can be remunerated for the additional costs they've had? I'm aware that Community Pharmacy Scotland, and those in Ireland and England as well, have been bringing forward support. It would be great to see, after the meeting with the health Minister next week, that we had a similar package brought forward to recognise people like Gareth Rowe of Nantymoel and Ogmore Vale pharmacies, and others, who really stepped up to the mark during this crisis.
Trefnydd, a gaf i ofyn ichi am un datganiad? Gallai fod yn ddatganiad ar ôl i'r Gweinidog Iechyd gyfarfod â'r sector fferylliaeth gymunedol yr wythnos nesaf. Gallai fod yn ddatganiad ysgrifenedig os yw'n newyddion da. Os yw'n ddatganiad llafar, efallai y byddai modd inni ei gael ar y llawr fel y gallem ei gwestiynu. Mae'n ymwneud â swyddogaeth fferyllfeydd cymunedol wrth ymateb i'r her yn ystod y pandemig coronafeirws hwn. Pan orfodwyd y meddygon teulu ar ddechrau'r pandemig hwn i ddod ag ymweliadau wyneb yn wyneb â'r cyhoedd i ben, y fferyllwyr cymunedol ddaeth i'r adwy. Fe wnaethon nhw gamu i mewn pan nad oedd modd i wasanaethau ffisiotherapi, optegol a deintyddol allu perfformio ac fe wnaethon nhw gamu i mewn i helpu mewn argyfwng hefyd. Ac maen nhw wedi cyflawni hyn yn wyneb heriau gwirioneddol gyda'u staff eu hun, rai ohonyn nhw wedi bod yn gorfod gwarchod eu hunain. Felly, a fyddai'n bosibl cael datganiad sy'n ystyried sut mae fferyllfeydd cymunedol wedi ein gwasanaethu yn ystod y pandemig hwn ac, yn wir, sut y byddai modd eu talu am y costau ychwanegol a gafwyd? Rwy'n ymwybodol bod Fferylliaeth Gymunedol yr Alban, a'r rhai yn Iwerddon a Lloegr hefyd, wedi bod yn rhoi cefnogaeth. Byddai'n wych, ar ôl y cyfarfod â'r Gweinidog Iechyd yr wythnos nesaf, i weld pecyn tebyg yn cael ei gyflwyno gennym ni i gydnabod pobl fel Gareth Rowe o fferyllfeydd Nantymoel ac Ogwr Vale, ac eraill, a gamodd i'r adwy yn ystod yr argyfwng hwn.
Thank you to Huw Irranca-Davies for raising this particular issue. I also agree that community pharmacies have really gone above and beyond in many cases in terms of supporting their communities. I can tell Huw Irranca-Davies that negotiations between the Welsh Government and Community Pharmacy Wales officials have been ongoing since CPW submitted a claim back in April for additional expenses incurred due to the pandemic. We, of course, as I say, recognise it has been an extremely difficult time for community pharmacy, and the health Minister has signalled clearly his intention to provide additional resources, subject to these negotiations. A number of offers have been made, but they have been rejected, and a final offer has been made in recent weeks. As yet, it's been not possible to reach an agreement with CPW, but this is what the meeting next week will intend to come to a resolution on. I should add that we made additional funding of £1.5 million available in March to support business continuity, and we also postponed until further notice a range of services in pharmacies, but we're still continuing to provide the funding for those services. Again, that was because of our concerns about business continuity and meeting the additional costs for servicing their patients who are shielding, for example. So, we do recognise those matters as well. But I'll be sure to ensure that the health Minister provides that update on the outcome of those negotiations as soon as he's able to.
Diolch i Huw Irranca-Davies am godi'r mater penodol hwn. Rwy'n cytuno hefyd fod fferyllfeydd cymunedol wedi mynd uwchlaw a thu hwnt i gefnogi eu cymunedau mewn llawer o achosion. Gallaf ddweud wrth Huw Irranca-Davies fod trafodaethau rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a swyddogion Fferylliaeth Gymunedol Cymru wedi bod yn digwydd ers i Fferylliaeth Gymunedol Cymru gyflwyno cais yn ôl ym mis Ebrill am dreuliau ychwanegol a oedd wedi codi oherwydd y pandemig. Rydym ni, wrth gwrs, fel y dywedais, yn cydnabod ei fod wedi bod yn gyfnod eithriadol o anodd i fferylliaeth gymunedol, ac mae'r Gweinidog Iechyd wedi nodi'n glir ei fwriad i ddarparu adnoddau ychwanegol, yn amodol ar y trafodaethau hyn. Cafodd nifer o gynigion eu gwneud, ond maen nhw wedi'u gwrthod, ac mae cynnig terfynol wedi'i wneud yn yr wythnosau diwethaf. Hyd yn hyn, ni fu'n bosibl dod i gytundeb â Fferylliaeth Gymunedol Cymru, ond mae'r cyfarfod yr wythnos nesaf yn bwriadu dod i benderfyniad ar hyn. Dylwn i ychwanegu ein bod ni wedi darparu cyllid ychwanegol o £1.5 miliwn ym mis Mawrth i gefnogi parhad busnes. Hefyd, fe wnaethom ohirio am y tro amrywiaeth o wasanaethau mewn fferyllfeydd, ond rydym ni'n dal i ddarparu'r cyllid ar gyfer y gwasanaethau hynny. Unwaith eto, roedd hynny oherwydd ein pryderon am barhad busnes a bodloni'r costau ychwanegol ar gyfer gwasanaethu cleifion sy'n gwarchod eu hunain, er enghraifft. Felly, rydym yn cydnabod y materion hynny hefyd. Ond byddaf i'n siŵr o sicrhau bod y Gweinidog Iechyd yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ganlyniad y trafodaethau hynny cyn gynted ag y bydd yn gallu gwneud hynny.
I'd like to call for an urgent statement from the Minister for Education regarding the teaching of relationships and sexuality education. I've been contacted by many, many concerned parents who feel that the proposed new curriculum is a step too far. They are also very concerned that parents can no longer opt their children out of such lessons. Thousands of parents rightly believe that sex education starts and ends in the home, that those parents who want to teach their children developmental sex and relationship education should be free to do so, and that the children can opt out of RSE lessons. Much of the concern and outrage has been centred upon the materials, shared with me by concerned teachers, that will be shown to children as young as four. A four-year-old is still a baby in my eyes and should not, under any circumstances, be taught about sex and masturbation. Let's let children be children. Concern has been rising in recent weeks and we need a statement by the Minister to categorically state that RSE will not be compulsory and certainly not taught to children as young as four. Diolch yn fawr.
Hoffwn i alw am ddatganiad brys gan y Gweinidog Addysg ynghylch addysgu addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb. Mae llawer o rieni pryderus wedi cysylltu â mi sy'n teimlo bod y cwricwlwm newydd arfaethedig yn mynd yn rhy bell. Maen nhw hefyd yn bryderus iawn na all rhieni eithrio eu plant o wersi o'r fath mwyach. Mae miloedd o rieni'n credu'n briodol fod addysg rhyw yn dechrau ac yn gorffen yn y cartref, y dylai'r rhieni hynny sydd eisiau i'w plant gael eu haddysgu am ryw a pherthynas ddatblygiadol fod yn rhydd i wneud hynny, ac y gall y plant optio allan o wersi Addysg Cydberthynas a Rhywioldeb. Mae llawer o'r pryder a'r dicter yn canolbwyntio ar y deunyddiau, a rannwyd â mi gan athrawon pryderus, a fydd yn cael eu dangos i blant mor ifanc â phedair oed. Mae plentyn pedair oed yn dal i fod yn fabi yn fy llygaid i, ac ni ddylai, o dan unrhyw amgylchiadau, gael ei addysgu am ryw a mastyrbio. Gadewch i blant gael bod yn blant. Mae'r pryder wedi bod yn cynyddu yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf ac mae angen datganiad gan y Gweinidog i ddatgan yn bendant na fydd Addysg Cydberthynas a Rhywioldeb yn orfodol ac yn sicr na chaiff ei addysgu i blant mor ifanc â phedair oed. Diolch yn fawr.
The Welsh Government has been working on the curriculum and assessment Bill, which the issue the Member describes is part of, for a long time, and we've undertaken extensive consultation on this particular matter. I will invite Caroline Jones to write to the education Minister with those examples that have been shared with her, because the education Minister has always been absolutely categorical that any teaching provided to children in this particular field should always be absolutely age appropriate. So, if Caroline Jones could share the concerns that have been raised with her, I know that the Minister will be keen to see those descriptions.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn gweithio ar y Bil cwricwlwm ac asesu, y mae'r mater y mae'r Aelod yn ei ddisgrifio yn rhan ohono, ers amser maith, ac rydym ni wedi ymgynghori'n helaeth ar y mater penodol hwn. Rwy'n gwahodd Caroline Jones i ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog Addysg gyda'r enghreifftiau hynny sydd wedi'u rhannu â hi, oherwydd mae'r Gweinidog Addysg bob amser wedi bod yn gwbl bendant y dylai unrhyw addysgu sy'n cael ei ddarparu i blant, yn y maes penodol hwn, fod yn gwbl briodol i'w hoedran. Felly, pe gallai Caroline Jones rannu'r pryderon a godwyd gyda hi, fe wn y bydd y Gweinidog yn awyddus i weld y disgrifiadau hynny.
Business Minister, may I please call for a statement from the education Minister to address a problem in our schools that's now escalated from the last time that I spoke to you? I want to welcome what the First Minister said earlier—that a statement has come out this morning saying that local government and schools are now going to keep open until the end of this term. The First Minister also interestingly said that children are more at risk at home than in schools. To that end, I'm sure he'll share my concerns that whole year groups in some of our schools now are still going off just due to one coronavirus case per age group. For example, in a school in my area, in my region, two year groups have been off for two weeks and have been back in school four days, and now have been told to isolate again for two weeks, and this is all supposedly on just one case per age group. Minister, I'm acutely aware, obviously, as we've discussed today already, that cases are rising rapidly and that public health and safety must come first, and that schools are doing the best on the advice that they have been given, but something isn't working along the line. We are still getting massive differences between council areas on how COVID is being handled in our schools. I know there has purposely been a degree of local autonomy given on these matters, but, looking at these outcomes, don't you think it's time that we got control of this? Children are off school far too regularly now. The Government urgently needs to address this Chamber and state how it's going to address this disparity and how they're going to ensure that everyone can now access home schooling at a level that's close to receiving an education in the classroom. And I'm having reports that's not completely—
Trefnydd, a gaf i alw am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Addysg, os gwelwch yn dda, i fynd i'r afael â phroblem yn ein hysgolion sydd bellach wedi gwaethygu ers y tro diwethaf imi siarad â chi? Rwyf eisiau croesawu'r hyn a ddywedodd y Prif Weinidog yn gynharach—fod datganiad wedi dod y bore yma yn dweud y bydd llywodraeth leol ac ysgolion nawr yn aros ar agor tan ddiwedd y tymor hwn. Yn ddiddorol, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog hefyd fod plant mewn mwy o berygl gartref nag mewn ysgolion. Yn hynny o beth, rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn rhannu fy mhryderon i fod grwpiau blwyddyn gyfan mewn rhai o'n hysgolion nawr yn dal i aros gartref o'r ysgol oherwydd un achos o coronafeirws fesul grŵp oedran. Er enghraifft, mewn ysgol yn fy ardal i, yn fy rhanbarth i, mae dau grŵp blwyddyn wedi bod i ffwrdd o'r ysgol am bythefnos ac wedi bod yn ôl yn yr ysgol am bedwar diwrnod cyn iddyn nhw gael gwybod bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw ynysu eto am bythefnos eto, ac mae hyn i gyd, mae'n debyg, oherwydd un achos yn unig fesul grŵp oedran. Gweinidog, rwy'n ymwybodol iawn, yn amlwg, fel y trafodwyd heddiw eisoes, fod yr achosion yn codi'n gyflym a bod yn rhaid i iechyd a diogelwch y cyhoedd ddod yn gyntaf, a bod ysgolion yn gwneud y gorau o ran y cyngor y maen nhw'n ei gael, ond mae yna rywbeth sydd ddim yn gweithio ar hyd y ffordd. Mae gwahaniaethau enfawr rhwng ardaloedd cynghorau o ran sut mae COVID yn cael ei drin yn ein hysgolion. Rwy'n gwybod bod rhywfaint o ymreolaeth leol wedi'i rhoi ar y materion hyn yn bwrpasol, ond, o edrych ar y canlyniadau hyn, onid ydych chi'n credu ei bod yn bryd i ni gael rheolaeth dros hyn? Mae plant yn gorfod aros i ffwrdd o'r ysgol yn llawer rhy reolaidd erbyn hyn. Mae angen i'r Llywodraeth annerch y Siambr hon ar frys a nodi sut mae'n mynd i ymdrin â'r anghysondeb hwn a sut mae'n mynd i sicrhau y gall pawb nawr fanteisio ar addysg gartref ar lefel sy'n agos at gael addysg yn yr ystafell ddosbarth. Ac rwy'n cael adroddiadau nad ydy hynny'n hollol—
You do need to bring your contribution to a close now. Thank you.
Mae angen ichi ddod â'ch cyfraniad i ben nawr. Diolch.
—and admissions from heads that still children are unable to access devices. So, please could the education Minister bring a statement on how she intends to address the problem of frequent isolation now? The impact that is having—
—a phenaethiaid yn cyfaddef bod plant yn parhau i fethu â chael defnydd o offer. Felly, a gawn ni ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Addysg ynglŷn â sut y mae hi'n bwriadu mynd i'r afael nawr â phroblem unigedd cyson? Mae effaith hynny—
Okay, okay, that's enough now. I asked you to bring your contribution to a conclusion. I gave you sufficient time. The Minister to respond.
Dyna ni, dyna ddigon nawr. Fe ofynnais chi ddod â'ch cyfraniad i ben. Fe roddais i ddigon o amser ichi. Y Gweinidog i ymateb.
Thank you. It is disappointing to see whole-year groups being sent home to self-isolate when you look at other schools that seem to be managing the situation much better. I know that the Member has raised this issue with me, alongside a couple of other questions specific to education recently, and I have asked the education Minister to provide a letter with a response. I'll ensure that she reviews the transcript today to ensure that the comments you've made are reflected in that written response as well.
Diolch. Mae gweld grwpiau blwyddyn gyfan yn cael eu hanfon adref i hunanynysu yn siom pan fyddwch chi'n edrych ar ysgolion eraill sy'n rheoli'r sefyllfa yn llawer gwell na hynny, i bob golwg. Fe wn i fod yr Aelod wedi codi'r mater hwn gyda mi, ynghyd ag un neu ddau o gwestiynau eraill sy'n benodol i addysg yn ddiweddar, ac rwyf wedi gofyn i'r Gweinidog Addysg anfon llythyr yn ymateb. Byddaf yn sicrhau ei bod hi'n adolygu trawsgrifiad heddiw i wneud yn siŵr bod y sylwadau a wnaethoch yn cael eu crybwyll yn yr ymateb ysgrifenedig hwnnw hefyd.
Yr wythnos hon mae'r brechlyn wedi dechrau cael ei gyflwyno ac mae gobaith ar y gorwel i nifer o bobl. Ond rydyn ni'n dal i wynebu ychydig o fisoedd heriol, a bydd yr ifanc a'r hen yn teimlo hyn yn arbennig. Yn wir, Drefnydd, efallai mai'r ddau grŵp yma, yr ifanc a'r hen, sydd cael eu heffeithio fwyaf gan unigrwydd yn ystod yr ychydig fisoedd diwethaf, gan golli allan ar brofiadau a chwmni eu ffrindiau a'u perthnasau. Yn ddiweddar, fe fu i grŵp o Aelodau lansio grŵp trawsbleidiol newydd ar undod rhwng cenedlaethau, a byddwn ni'n gweithio'n agos gyda'r comisiynwyr ar gyfer pobl hŷn, plant a chenedlaethau'r dyfodol i dynnu sylw at feysydd policy ac ymarfer y gellid eu cofleidio i feithrin cysylltiadau rhwng cenedlaethau ac i ddod â phobl yn ôl at galon eu cymunedau. Hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar bwysigrwydd gweithio rhwng y cenedlaethau i fynd i'r afael ag unigrwydd, a hoffwn hefyd ofyn i Weinidog o'r Llywodraeth gwrdd ag aelodau o'r grŵp trawsbleidiol newydd fel y gallwn ni drafod pa gamau y gellid eu rhoi ar waith cyn yr etholiad nesaf.
This week, the roll-out of a vaccine has started and there is hope on the horizon for many people. But we are still looking at a few challenging months ahead, and the elderly and the young will feel this particularly. Perhaps it's the elderly and younger people who been most affected by loneliness and isolation over the past few months, losing out on experiences in the company of their friends and relatives. Recently, a group of Members launched a new cross-party group on intergenerational unity, and we will be working closely with the older people's commissioner, the future generations commissioner and the children's commissioner to draw attention to areas of policy that can be developed to nurture these relationships between the generations and to bring people back to the heart of their communities. So, I'd like to ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on the importance of intergenerational working in order to tackle loneliness. And I'd also like to ask a Government Minister to meet with members of the new cross-party group so that we can discuss what steps could be put in place before the next election.
I'm really pleased to see the formulation of the new cross-party group on intergenerational unity. I think there's plenty of ground to be gained in that area, and I think all of us can think of some great examples of things that are happening locally in order to address loneliness and isolation at both ends and to foster that better understanding between the generations. But perhaps these examples are more isolated than we'd like them to be. So, when the cross-party group does come forward with its proposals in terms of areas of policy that could be developed in this area, I know that Welsh Government would be very keen to see the suggestions and ideas coming forth from the cross-party group.
Rwy'n hynod falch o weld ffurfio grŵp trawsbleidiol newydd ar undod rhwng cenedlaethau. Rwy'n credu bod llawer o dir i'w ennill eto yn y maes hwnnw, ac rwy'n credu y gall pob un ohonom ni feddwl am rai enghreifftiau ardderchog o bethau sy'n digwydd yn lleol i fynd i'r afael ag unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd ar ddau begwn oedran a meithrin gwell dealltwriaeth fel hyn rhwng y cenedlaethau. Ond efallai fod yr enghreifftiau hyn yn fwy ynysig nag y byddem ni'n hoffi iddyn nhw fod. Felly, pan fydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol yn cyflwyno ei gynigion o ran meysydd polisi y gellid eu datblygu yn y maes hwn, fe wn i y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru yn awyddus iawn i weld yr awgrymiadau a'r syniadau hyn yn cael eu cyflwyno gan y grŵp trawsbleidiol.
Trefnydd, can I just add my voice to that of Laura Anne Jones for a statement from the education Minister on the subject she was speaking of? We can't have 300 children going off just because there's one positive case and children just going to school for five days since the beginning of September.
Could I also ask for a statement from the education Minister regarding students and what they're being offered regarding their tests before they return home? You may have noticed that they're being asked to lay low in the period between the two tests, and if that means self-isolating, I think students need to know that's what it means. I think we could also do with a little bit more information on whether students will need two negative tests before they are allowed to return to university in January for face-to-face work?
Could I also just mention that the latest statistics show that only eight students in a seven-day rolling programme are testing positive for COVID? So, something is going right in universities and it would be useful to know what that is. Thank you.
Trefnydd, a gaf innau fynegi fy marn i fel y gwnaeth Laura Anne Jones am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Addysg ar y pwnc yr oedd hi'n ei drafod? Ni allwn gael 300 o blant yn cael eu hanfon adref o'r ysgol oherwydd un achos cadarnhaol, a rhai plant wedi bod yn mynychu'r ysgol am bum diwrnod yn unig ers dechrau mis Medi.
A gaf i ofyn hefyd am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Addysg ynglŷn â myfyrwyr a'r hyn sy'n cael ei gynnig iddyn nhw o ran y profion cyn iddynt fynd adref? Efallai ichi sylwi eu bod nhw wedi cael eu hannog i gadw iddyn nhw eu hunain yn ystod y cyfnod rhwng cael y ddau brawf, ac os yw hynny'n golygu hunanynysu, rwy'n credu bod angen i fyfyrwyr wybod mai dyna mae hynny'n ei olygu. Rwy'n credu bod angen ychydig mwy o wybodaeth arnom hefyd ynghylch a fydd angen dau brawf negyddol ar fyfyrwyr cyn y bydden nhw'n cael caniatâd i ddychwelyd i brifysgol ym mis Ionawr ar gyfer gwaith wyneb yn wyneb?
Fe hoffwn i grybwyll hefyd fod yr ystadegau diweddaraf yn dangos mai dim ond wyth myfyriwr mewn rhaglen dreigl saith diwrnod sydd wedi cael prawf cadarnhaol o COVID? Felly, mae rhywbeth yn gweithio'n iawn yn y prifysgolion ac fe fyddai'n fuddiol inni gael gwybod beth yw'r rheswm am hynny. Diolch.
Thank you to Suzy Davies for raising that issue. I will make a point of speaking to the education Minister to seek some clarity on those specific questions relating to some of the practicalities around the arrangements for students as they leave to go home for Christmas, but also in terms of the arrangements for returning to campus. So, I'll be sure to do that.
Diolch i Suzy Davies am godi'r mater yna. Fe fyddaf i'n sicr o siarad â'r Gweinidog Addysg i ofyn am rywfaint o eglurder ynglŷn â'r cwestiynau penodol hynny sy'n ymwneud â rhai o agweddau ymarferol trefniadau myfyrwyr wrth iddyn nhw adael i fynd adref dros y Nadolig, ond hefyd o ran y trefniadau ar gyfer dychwelyd i'r campws. Felly, fe fyddaf i'n siŵr o wneud hynny.
Diolch i'r Trefnydd.
I thank the Trefnydd.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan Weinidog yr Economi, Trafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru ar argymhellion Burns—y camau nesaf. Dwi'n galw ar y Gweinidog, felly, i wneud ei ddatganiad—Ken Skates.
The next item is a statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales on the Burns recommendations—the next steps. I call on the Minister to make his statement—Ken Skates.
Diolch, Llywydd. The final report of the South East Wales Transport Commission was published on 26 November, completing their detailed and independent review into sustainable ways to tackle congestion on the M4 around Newport. I'd like to put on record my thanks to Lord Burns and his team of commissioners for preparing an excellent and evidenced piece of work.
For those living locally who've had to endure the negative impact of congestion, and for the businesses and individuals who need a more reliable and resilient transport network, I believe that this report sets out a coherent and realistic plan for this vital corridor of Wales. I hope Members have had an opportunity to consider the report. For me, the most striking finding was its first-principles investigation of the use of the road itself. The majority of trips are between 10 and 50 miles, starting or ending in Newport, Cardiff and Bristol. So, the evidence clearly shows this is a regional challenge requiring a region-wide response. These trips have a high proportion of single car occupancy, and the congestion is most severe in the morning and evening peaks. The evidence shows this is a commuter issue, not one caused by local journeys across Newport. The type of trips filling up this road and causing congestion are ones that could readily be served by public transport if it were competitive on cost, journey time and convenience. Given the geography and topography of the area, it's vital this important corridor of Wales has an effective and high-quality public transport system serving it that can give people genuinely high-quality choices across all the modes that can take pressure off the road.
I believe that our new Wales transport strategy, 'Llwybr Newydd', complements the recommendations in the Burns report. Taken together, I believe they can reshape the way we think about how people move around south-east Wales and, indeed, beyond. The transport strategy sets out a powerful case for change. The Burns recommendations are a blueprint for how that change can be delivered in south-east Wales, building upon the significant metro work already progressing. Lord Burns calls for enhancement of the south Wales main line and also for six new stations on it. This infrastructure is, of course, the responsibility of the UK Government, and they'll need to be a part of the conversation we need to have about the realisation of this plan. On 23 November, I published my statement on the union connectivity review, and my officials are in the process of preparing a substantive submission to the work of Sir Peter Hendy. I believe that this provides the vehicle for the UK Government to provide early commitment to delivering on the Burns recommendations in non-devolved areas.
The Burns recommendations set out solid reasoning why the rail network in this region needs to be levelled up to be comparable to other parts of the United Kingdom. For too long Wales has been at the back of the queue when the UK Government has been investing in rail infrastructure, and this is a positive opportunity for the UK Government to make good on their underinvestment. It is that underinvestment in fact that has caused the problems we now see in Newport, and I look forward to working in partnership with them to put that right and to deliver the Burns vision.
Lord Burns recommends significant enhancement of bus and active travel infrastructure in and around Newport, and I'm particularly struck by how this report highlights the social injustice of Newport having a very high proportion of trips by private car, yet having some of the lowest levels of car ownership anywhere in the country. Now, whilst the Welsh Government set out the strategic needs, the detail of this is, of course, best decided locally. I'm pleased to say that we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Newport City Council to jointly steer the way forward for bus and active travel measures in the city, supported by Transport for Wales. We've put in place short-term actions to help support individuals, communities and businesses to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus. However, Lord Burns is rightly setting out a blueprint for the longer term, which takes into account the significant growth forecasts for this region. And that growth, combined with our aims to encourage modal shift, justifies creating a sustainable mass-transit system right across the region.
I'll be discussing the recommendations relating to land-use planning with the Minister for Housing and Local Government to see how we can work together to support them. Integration between transport and land-use planning is fundamental. It's important that new development is built in the right locations, which are well connected and have good public transport accessibility, particularly in this part of Wales where classic radial development is more challenging.
The recommendations reach across all aspects of transport policy and delivery. They'll require close collaboration and co-operation between partners, and work is under way for a delivery unit to be established, which will be a partnership of Welsh Government, Newport council and Transport for Wales to help make progress on the report recommendations, and I expect that unit to have its first meeting this month. This unit will initially be tasked with reviewing all 72 recommendations of the Burns commission and determining what next steps would need to be taken. For new recommendations, the development unit will advise me and our partners in local authorities and Network Rail on the best course of action to develop and sufficiently to inform further decision making.
In some areas, we have already made a start. The recommended new rail stations at St Mellons, on the outskirts of Cardiff, and at Llanwern are already at planning stages. We've also taken steps to bring our Wales and borders rail network back into public ownership. The bus reform programme has been established in response to the impact of COVID-19, and we are developing longer term plans for reforming the way that bus services are planned, funded and delivered. We've provided the largest ever investment in active travel funding. This is creating safe travel routes and better connections in our towns and cities, interfacing with public transport connections, reducing reliance on cars. There is more to do in Newport, of that there is no doubt, and, indeed, across Wales.
In conclusion, I warmly welcome the findings of the Burns report. The Welsh Government has set out our core vision for transport in Wales: an accessible, sustainable transport system that is good for people and communities, good for the environment, good for our economy and good for places. The recommendations within the report will, I believe, help us to achieve that ambition. But it will only happen, of course, if this report is more than a shiny document that sits on a shelf. It has to lead to real and dynamic change, and I look forward to working with the UK Government and others to help make it a reality.
Diolch, Llywydd. Fe gyhoeddwyd adroddiad terfynol Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru ar 26 Tachwedd, gan gwblhau ei adolygiad manwl ac annibynnol o'r ffyrdd cynaliadwy o fynd i'r afael â thagfeydd ar yr M4 o amgylch Casnewydd. Fe hoffwn i roi ar gofnod fy niolch i Arglwydd Burns a'i dîm o gomisiynwyr am baratoi darn o waith rhagorol ar sail tystiolaeth.
I'r bobl leol y bu'n rhaid iddyn nhw ddioddef effaith andwyol y tagfeydd, ac i'r busnesau a'r unigolion sydd angen rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth mwy dibynadwy a chadarn, rwy'n credu bod yr adroddiad hwn yn rhoi cynllun cydlynol a realistig i'r coridor hanfodol hwn yng Nghymru. Rwy'n gobeithio bod yr Aelodau wedi cael cyfle i roi ystyriaeth i'r adroddiad. I mi, y canfyddiad mwyaf trawiadol oedd ei ymchwiliad i'r egwyddorion cyntaf ar gyfer y defnydd a wneir o'r ffordd hon yn benodol. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o deithiau arni rhwng 10 a 50 milltir o bellter, yn cychwyn o Gasnewydd, Caerdydd, a Bryste neu'n diweddu yn un o'r lleoedd hynny. Felly, mae'r dystiolaeth yn dangos yn eglur mai her ranbarthol yw hon sy'n gofyn am ymateb ledled y rhanbarth. Mae cyfran uchel o'r teithiau yn cael eu gwneud gydag un unigolyn yn y car, ac mae'r tagfeydd ar eu mwyaf difrifol yn ystod oriau brig y bore a chyda'r nos. Mae'r dystiolaeth yn dangos mai mater i gymudwyr yw hwn, nid un a achosir gan deithiau lleol o gwmpas Casnewydd. Mae'r math o deithiau sy'n llenwi'r ffordd hon ac sy'n achosi tagfeydd yn rhai y gellid eu gwneud yn rhwydd ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus pe bai hynny'n gystadleuol o ran y gost, amser y daith a chyfleustra. O ystyried daearyddiaeth a thopograffeg yr ardal, mae'n hanfodol bod gan y coridor pwysig hwn i Gymru system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus effeithiol o ansawdd uchel sy'n rhoi gwasanaeth da ac yn cynnig dewisiadau gwirioneddol o ansawdd uchel i bobl ar draws yr holl ddulliau a fydd yn ysgafnu'r baich sydd ar y ffordd.
Rwyf i o'r farn fod ein strategaeth drafnidiaeth newydd ni i Gymru, 'Llwybr Newydd', yn ategu'r argymhellion sydd yn adroddiad Burns. Gyda'i gilydd, rwy'n credu y gallan nhw ail-lunio ein dull ni o ystyried sut y gall pobl deithio o gwmpas y de-ddwyrain ac, yn wir, y tu hwnt i'r fan honno. Mae'r strategaeth drafnidiaeth yn dadlau'n gryf o blaid newid. Mae argymhellion Burns yn lasbrint ar gyfer sut y gellir cyflawni'r newid hwnnw yn y de-ddwyrain, gan adeiladu ar y gwaith metro sylweddol sy'n mynd rhagddo eisoes. Mae Arglwydd Burns yn galw am wella prif lein de Cymru ac am chwe gorsaf newydd arni hefyd. Cyfrifoldeb Llywodraeth y DU yw'r seilwaith hwn, wrth gwrs, ac fe fydd angen iddyn nhw fod â rhan yn y drafodaeth y mae'n rhaid inni ei chael ynglŷn â gwireddu'r cynllun hwn. Ar 23 Tachwedd, fe gyhoeddais i fy natganiad ar adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb, ac mae fy swyddogion i'n paratoi cyflwyniad sylweddol ar hyn o bryd i waith Syr Peter Hendy. Rwy'n credu y bydd hwn yn gyfrwng i Lywodraeth y DU ddarparu ymrwymiad cynnar i gyflawni argymhellion Burns mewn meysydd nad ydynt wedi eu datganoli.
Mae argymhellion Burns yn nodi rhesymau cadarn pam mae angen i'r rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd yn y rhanbarth hwn gael ei godi i fod ar lefel debyg i rannau eraill o'r Deyrnas Unedig. Bu Cymru ar ei hôl hi'n llawer rhy hir wrth aros am fuddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth y DU mewn seilwaith rheilffyrdd, ac mae hwn yn gyfle cadarnhaol i Lywodraeth y DU wneud cyfiawnder am y tanfuddsoddiad a fu. Y tanfuddsoddiad hwnnw mewn gwirionedd sydd wedi achosi'r problemau a welwn ni yng Nghasnewydd nawr, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio mewn partneriaeth â nhw i unioni'r cam hwnnw a chyflawni gweledigaeth Burns.
Mae Arglwydd Burns yn argymell gwella'r seilwaith bysiau a theithio llesol yn sylweddol yng Nghasnewydd a'r cyffiniau ac, yn drawiadol iawn yn fy marn i, mae dull yr adroddiad hwn o dynnu sylw at yr anghyfiawnder cymdeithasol sydd yng Nghasnewydd pan fo cyfran uchel iawn o deithiau mewn car preifat, ac eto yn y fan honno y mae rhai o'r cyfraddau isaf sydd i'w cael yn unman yn y wlad o ran bod yn berchen ar gar. Nawr, er bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn nodi'r anghenion strategol, mae'n llawer gwell penderfynu ar y manylion yn lleol, wrth gwrs. Rwy'n falch o ddweud ein bod ni wedi arwyddo memorandwm cyd-ddealltwriaeth gyda Chyngor Dinas Casnewydd i lywio'r ffordd ymlaen gyda'n gilydd ar gyfer mesurau teithio ar fysiau a theithio llesol yn y ddinas, gyda chefnogaeth Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Rydym wedi rhoi camau tymor byr ar waith i helpu i gefnogi unigolion, cymunedau a busnesau i ymdrin ag effeithiau uniongyrchol y coronafeirws. Er hynny, mae Arglwydd Burns, a hynny'n briodol, yn cyflwyno glasbrint ar gyfer y tymor hwy, sy'n ystyried y rhagolygon twf sylweddol sydd i'r rhanbarth hwn. Ac mae'r twf hwnnw, ynghyd â'n hamcanion ni i annog newid moddol, yn cyfiawnhau creu system teithio torfol sy'n gynaliadwy ledled y rhanbarth.
Fe fyddaf yn trafod yr argymhellion sy'n ymwneud â chynllunio defnydd tir gyda'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol i weld sut y gallwn ni gydweithio i'w cefnogi nhw. Mae integreiddio rhwng trafnidiaeth a chynllunio defnydd tir yn hanfodol. Mae'n bwysig bod datblygiadau newydd yn cael eu hadeiladu yn y lleoliadau priodol, sydd â chysylltedd eang a hygyrchedd da o ran trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yn enwedig yn y rhan hon o Gymru lle mae datblygiad radical clasurol yn fwy heriol.
Mae'r argymhellion yn ymestyn ar draws pob agwedd ar bolisi a darpariaeth trafnidiaeth. Fe fydd angen cydweithio a chydweithrediad agos rhwng partneriaid, ac mae gwaith ar y gweill i sefydlu uned gyflawni, a fydd yn bartneriaeth rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru, Cyngor Casnewydd a Thrafnidiaeth Cymru i helpu i wneud cynnydd o ran argymhellion yr adroddiad, ac rwy'n disgwyl i'r uned honno gyfarfod am y tro cyntaf yn ystod y mis hwn. Fe fydd yr uned yn gyfrifol i ddechrau am adolygu pob un o 72 o argymhellion comisiwn Burns a phenderfynu pa gamau nesaf y bydd angen eu cymryd. Ar gyfer argymhellion newydd, fe fydd yr uned ddatblygu yn fy nghynghori i a'n partneriaid ni mewn awdurdodau lleol a Network Rail ynglŷn â'r ffordd orau o weithio i ddatblygu a llywio penderfyniadau pellach.
Mewn rhai ardaloedd, rydym wedi dechrau eisoes. Mae'r gorsafoedd rheilffordd newydd a argymhellir yn Llaneirwg, ar gyrion Caerdydd, ac yn Llanwern eisoes ar y camau cynllunio. Rydym wedi cymryd camau hefyd i ddod â'r rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd sydd gennym ni i Gymru a'r gororau yn ôl i berchnogaeth gyhoeddus. Fe gafodd y rhaglen i ddiwygio bysiau ei sefydlu mewn ymateb i effaith COVID-19, ac rydym yn datblygu cynlluniau tymor hwy ar gyfer diwygio'r ffordd y mae gwasanaethau bysiau yn cael eu cynllunio, eu hariannu a'u darparu. Rydym wedi rhoi'r buddsoddiad mwyaf a fu erioed i gyllid teithio llesol. Mae hynny'n creu llwybrau teithio diogel a gwell cysylltiadau yn ein trefi a'n dinasoedd ni, sy'n rhyngweithio â chysylltiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, gan leihau'r ddibyniaeth ar geir. Mae mwy i'w wneud eto yng Nghasnewydd, nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth o hynny, ac, yn wir, ledled Cymru hefyd.
I gloi, rwyf i'n croesawu canfyddiadau adroddiad Burns yn fawr iawn. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi datgan ein gweledigaeth graidd ni ar gyfer trafnidiaeth yng Nghymru: system drafnidiaeth hygyrch a chynaliadwy sydd o fudd i bobl a chymunedau, o fudd i'r amgylchedd, o fudd i'n heconomi ac o fudd i fangreoedd. Rwyf i o'r farn y bydd yr argymhellion yn yr adroddiad yn ein helpu ni i gyflawni'r uchelgais hwnnw. Ond ni ddaw hynny, wrth gwrs, oni bai i'r adroddiad hwn fod yn rhywbeth mwy na dogfen ddisglair sy'n cael ei gadael ar y silff. Mae'n rhaid i'r adroddiad arwain at newid gwirioneddol a deinamig, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU ymysg eraill i helpu i wireddu hynny.
Minister, can I thank you for your statement this afternoon and can I also, as you have done, thank Lord Burns and his colleagues for producing this report and making recommendations as they have done? I should also like to thank Lord Burns for recently providing me with a briefing himself. I broadly welcome the recommendations. I think it's a good piece of work, with some good recommendations. Clearly, some of those recommendations need some further consideration, but there are some recommendations, I think, that certainly I feel I can support straight away, in terms of, for example, the co-ordination of bus and rail timetables at key interchanges. That's of course a sensible recommendation.
Minister, you kind of ended your statement by talking about this not becoming a shiny document that sits on a shelf, effectively. So, I think that it is important that there is some context around the questions this afternoon. The Welsh Government brought forward a shiny document to deliver the M4 relief road and that did sit on a shelf for a long, long time, gathering dust, and then, of course, the First Minister threw that shiny document into the bin, and we had a Welsh Government that brought forward its own proposals for the M4 relief road, looked at independently, and after spending millions of pounds of taxpayers' money scrapped those proposals, and this is where we are today. Now, from my perspective, I think the inadequacies of the existing M4 relief road around Newport are clear for all to see. The road was first designed in the 1950s, not as a motorway but as a Newport bypass, and it falls far beyond modern motorway standards, with lane drops, intermittent hard shoulders, poor alignment, and frequent junctions. That's my firm view. I know it's your view as well because I've just used your words, that you used previously.
Now, in that context, I wonder if you could, Minister, perhaps give a little bit more than you have done in your statement in terms of your initial thoughts on the recommendations. You didn't say too much about that in the statement itself. But, for example, what areas do you think that you can agree on? I've outlined some recommendations that I think I could support. What recommendations clearly can you support, and are there any recommendations that you have more difficulty with? I don't know if you can give us just a little bit more this afternoon in terms of the initial findings.
You've talked again about the development unit. I wonder if you could talk a little bit more about how that will work in practice. Also, in terms of the report, perhaps setting aside the recommendations and just looking at the conclusions themselves, within the report, what new information has been drawn out from that report that perhaps wasn't brought forward via the Welsh Government's original proposals for the M4 relief road and during that public inquiry stage? What new has come about in terms of those conclusions? For example, I know you mentioned the 10 to 15-mile starting point ending at Newport, Cardiff or Bristol. What other new items are there drawn out from the report, not in the Welsh Government's original proposals for the M4 relief road? You yourself have said that the 60-year appraisal period brings more than a £2 benefit for each pound spent on the M4 relief road scheme. So, do you anticipate the same level of return from investment from the recommendations? And if you don't know the answer to that, is that something that the development unit will be looking at?
Now, I've said I broadly welcome the recommendations in the report. There is one recommendation that does concern me, that I don't feel I can support, and that's around the workplace parking levy. For me, the way to change people's travelling patterns is to ensure that we've got good public transport at good prices, and we do it that way rather than by taxing people. So, with the pandemic, of course, having such a large impact on the economy, I wonder, Minister, do you consider it appropriate to be raising taxes in the way the report sets out? And if you can't guarantee that—. Or, rather, can you guarantee that no such workplace levy will be implemented under your watch, Minister? Thank you.
Gweinidog, a gaf i ddiolch i chi am eich datganiad y prynhawn yma ac a gaf innau hefyd, fel y gwnaethoch chi, ddiolch i Arglwydd Burns a'i gydweithwyr ef am gynhyrchu'r adroddiad hwn a gwneud argymhellion yn y fath fodd? Fe hoffwn i ddiolch i Arglwydd Burns hefyd am iddo ef ei hunan roi briff i mi yn ddiweddar. Rwy'n croesawu'r argymhellion yn gyffredinol. Rwyf i o'r farn ei fod yn ddarn o waith gloyw, ac argymhellion da ynddo. Yn amlwg, mae angen rhoi ystyriaeth bellach i rai o'r argymhellion hynny, ond fe geir rhai argymhellion ynddo yr wyf i'n sicr yn teimlo y gallaf eu cefnogi nhw ar unwaith, o ran, er enghraifft, cydlynu amserlenni bysiau a rheilffyrdd mewn cyfnewidfeydd allweddol. Mae hwnnw, wrth gwrs, yn argymhelliad synhwyrol iawn.
Gweinidog, fe ddaeth eich datganiad chi i ben drwy sôn am beidio â chaniatáu i hon fod yn ddogfen ddisglair sy'n cael ei gadael ar y silff, i bob pwrpas. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig inni gael rhywfaint o'r cyd-destun ynghylch y cwestiynau'r prynhawn yma. Fe gyflwynodd Llywodraeth Cymru ddogfen ddisglair ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4 ac fe adawyd honno ar y silff am gyfnod maith iawn, yn hel llwch, ac yna, wrth gwrs, fe daflodd y Prif Weinidog y ddogfen ddisglair honno i'r bin, ac roedd gennym ni Lywodraeth yng Nghymru a oedd wedi cyflwyno ei chynigion ei hun ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4, yr edrychwyd arnyn nhw'n annibynnol, ac ar ôl gwario miliynau o bunnoedd o arian trethdalwyr fe ddilëwyd y cynigion hynny, a dyma'r sefyllfa yr ydym ni ynddi heddiw. Nawr, o'm safbwynt i, rwy'n credu bod diffygion ffordd liniaru bresennol yr M4 o amgylch Casnewydd yn amlwg i bawb eu gweld. Fe gynlluniwyd y ffordd gyntaf yn y 1950au, nid fel traffordd ond fel ffordd osgoi i Gasnewydd, ac mae'n ddiffygiol iawn yn ôl safonau traffyrdd modern, gyda lonydd yn lleihau, lleiniau caled bob hyn a hyn, aliniad anfoddhaol, a chyffyrdd mynych. Dyna fy marn bendant i. Rwy'n gwybod mai honno yw eich barn chithau hefyd oherwydd rwyf newydd ddefnyddio eich geiriau chi, fel y gwnaethoch chi ynghynt.
Nawr, yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, tybed a wnewch chi, Gweinidog, efallai roi ychydig mwy inni nag a wnaethoch yn eich datganiad o ran eich barn gychwynnol am yr argymhellion. Ni wnaethoch ddweud llawer iawn am hynny yn y datganiad ei hun. Ond, er enghraifft, pa feysydd ydych chi'n barnu y gallwch chi gytuno arnyn nhw? Rwyf wedi amlinellu rhai argymhellion yr wyf i o'r farn y gallwn ni eu cefnogi. Pa argymhellion y gallwch chi eu cefnogi nhw'n llwyr, ac a oes yna unrhyw argymhellion yr ydych yn cael mwy o anhawster gyda nhw? Nid wyf yn gwybod a allwch chi roi ychydig mwy i ni'r prynhawn yma o ran y canfyddiadau cychwynnol.
Rydych wedi siarad eto am yr uned ddatblygu. Tybed a wnewch chi ddweud ychydig mwy am sut y bydd hynny'n gweithio yn ymarferol. Hefyd, o ran yr adroddiad, gan roi'r argymhellion o'r neilltu efallai ac ystyried y casgliadau eu hunain, o fewn yr adroddiad, a pha wybodaeth newydd a gasglwyd o'r adroddiad hwnnw na chafodd ei chyflwyno efallai drwy gynigion gwreiddiol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4 ac yn ystod y cam hwnnw o ymchwiliad cyhoeddus? Pa bethau newydd sydd wedi digwydd o ran y casgliadau hynny? Er enghraifft, rwy'n gwybod ichi sôn am y man cychwyn o 10 i 15 milltir sy'n diweddu yng Nghasnewydd, Caerdydd neu Fryste. Pa eitemau newydd eraill a gasglwyd o'r adroddiad, ac nid o gynigion gwreiddiol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4? Rydych chi eich hun wedi dweud bod y cyfnod arfarnu 60 mlynedd yn dod â mwy na £2 o fuddiant am bob punt a gaiff ei gwario ar gynllun ffordd liniaru'r M4. Felly, a ydych chi'n rhagweld yr un gyfradd o elw yn dod o fuddsoddiad o'r argymhellion? Ac os nad ydych chi'n gwybod yr ateb i hynny, a yw'n rhywbeth y bydd yr uned ddatblygu yn ei ystyried?
Nawr, rwyf wedi dweud fy mod i'n croesawu'r argymhellion yn yr adroddiad yn gyffredinol. Mae yna un argymhelliad sy'n peri pryder imi, ac nid wyf yn teimlo y gallaf ei gefnogi. Mae'n ymwneud â'r ardoll ar barcio yn y gweithle. I mi, y ffordd i newid patrymau teithio pobl yw sicrhau bod gennym drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus hwylus am brisiau rhesymol, a'n bod ni'n gwneud hynny yn hytrach na threthu pobl. Felly, gyda'r pandemig, wrth gwrs, yn cael cymaint o effaith ar yr economi, tybed, Gweinidog, a ydych chi o'r farn ei bod yn briodol inni godi trethi yn y ffordd y mae'r adroddiad yn ei nodi? Ac os na allwch chi warantu bod—. Neu, yn hytrach, a allwch chi warantu na fydd yna ardoll ar barcio yn y gweithle yn cael ei gweithredu dan eich gwyliadwriaeth chi, Gweinidog? Diolch.
Can I really warmly thank Russell George not only for his contribution today, but also for his constructive participation in the process led by Lord Burns? And indeed, I'd like to thank every Member of the Senedd for being so constructive, willing and enthusiastic about speaking with Lord Burns and the commission, and I do hope that Members have felt well informed as a result of Lord Burns's willingness to engage directly with them. I'm very pleased indeed that Russell George welcomes the report, and, I must say, I think there are many, many recommendations where he and I would have agreement on, particularly in terms of the co-ordination, better co-ordination and integration of services and ticketing. It's vitally important that we create a public transport system that is desirable, that is accessible and that offers a better alternative to the car, and integration of services is key in doing just that.
The M4 relief road proposal was a solution for yesterday. It was a solution for an age before the climate emergency was declared by the Senedd, and the future is now low-carbon public transport and better active travel, less reliance on car use, more vibrant communities served by remote working hubs and a stronger foundational economy as a consequence of retaining wealth opportunities within communities.
In terms of my initial thoughts, I must say that, first of all, the delivery unit is going to be assessing all of the recommendations, and that delivery unit will be, if you like, a single mind that Lord Burns was keen to promote, involving all of the key delivery agents and decision-making bodies. But the delivery unit will be carrying out an assessment of all the recommendations. In terms, though, of my early thoughts on some of the key recommendations, I'd be very, very supportive of better infrastructure in terms of rail and active travel, and also utilisation of bus services, through the roll-out of more dedicated corridors. In particular, I think the need to upgrade the south Wales main line to provide the opportunity for more commuting services is something that pretty much all people in south-east Wales would welcome.
What the report found was that congestion on the M4 is a commuter problem, and the best commuter solution is to provide public transport that the most advanced western nations enjoy already, and that is through advanced metro systems. Now, our £700 million-plus metro vision will provide just that, but it's largely based on north to south travel. What Lord Burns has added is a vision for east-west travel as well, therefore combining all forms of movement across south-east Wales. I'd be very, very supportive of adding to the Welsh Government's vision for the metro an additional vision for east-west, horizontal travel between our key cities and, indeed, Bristol.
In terms of some of the key findings that emerged from the report, I was particularly struck—and it went back to the first principles of the work of Lord Burns—by findings concerning the main contribution to congestion at peak hours, and that it is people who are travelling between 10 and 50 miles. Prior to this report being published, I must say I'd heard a number of people who would make assumptions that the problem in and around Newport was caused by local journeys and local people. What is evident now is that that is not the case. These are longer journeys that are causing congestion.
Value for money will of course be a key consideration. Only today I received an e-mail from the finance Minister reminding me that value for money must be an integral part of our decision-making process. However, I would also add that if we are to inspire modal shift and provide opportunities for people to access public transport then we must invest in public transport, now and in the future, both in terms of the infrastructure that's required, but also in terms of the subsidy that's required to make it a cost-effective alternative to private car use.
And then, finally, to the important point that Russell George has raised, the proposals for workplace parking levies to be administered and determined by local authorities, I think the vitally important point to make here is that such a levy is proposed by Lord Burns only on the basis of those improvements to public transport alternatives having already been delivered, and, therefore, I think it's a very useful suggestion, but clearly it is based on the need to first of all implement the other recommendations that will provide attractive and cost-effective alternatives to private car use.
A gaf i ddiolch yn fawr iawn i Russell George nid yn unig am ei gyfraniad heddiw, ond am ei gyfraniadau adeiladol yn ystod y broses dan arweiniad Arglwydd Burns? Ac yn wir, fe hoffwn i ddiolch i bob Aelod o'r Senedd am fod mor adeiladol, parod a brwdfrydig o ran y drafodaeth ag Arglwydd Burns a'r comisiwn, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod yr Aelodau wedi teimlo eu bod nhw'n hyddysg yn y mater o ganlyniad i barodrwydd Arglwydd Burns i ymgysylltu â nhw'n uniongyrchol. Rwy'n falch iawn bod Russell George yn croesawu'r adroddiad, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, rwy'n credu fod yna laweroedd o argymhellion y mae ef a minnau'n cytuno arnyn nhw, yn enwedig o ran cydgysylltu, gwell cydgysylltu ac integreiddio gwasanaethau a thocynnau. Mae'n hanfodol bwysig ein bod ni'n creu system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sy'n ddymunol, sy'n hygyrch ac yn cynnig dewis arall sy'n well na'r car, ac mae integreiddio gwasanaethau yn allweddol wrth wneud yr union beth hwnnw.
Un o atebion ddoe oedd y cynnig am ffordd liniaru i'r M4. Ateb oedd hwn yn yr oes cyn i'r argyfwng hinsawdd gael ei ddatgan gan y Senedd. Mae'r dyfodol bellach yn golygu trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus carbon isel a theithio llesol gwell, llai o ddibyniaeth ar ddefnyddio ceir, a chymunedau mwy bywiog sy'n cael eu gwasanaethu gan ganolfannau gweithio o bell ac economi sylfaenol gryfach o ganlyniad i gadw cyfleoedd ar gyfer ffyniant o fewn cymunedau.
O ran fy marn gychwynnol i, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud y bydd yr uned gyflawni, yn gyntaf oll, yn asesu'r argymhellion i gyd, ac fe fydd yr uned gyflawni honno, os hoffech chi, yn gwbl unplyg fel roedd Arglwydd Burns yn awyddus i'w hyrwyddo, sy'n cynnwys yr holl asiantau cyflawni a'r cyrff gwneud penderfyniadau allweddol. Ond fe fydd yr uned gyflawni yn cynnal asesiad o'r argymhellion i gyd. Serch hynny, o ran fy meddyliau cyntaf i ynglŷn â rhai o'r argymhellion allweddol, fe fyddwn i'n gefnogol iawn i wella seilwaith y rheilffyrdd a theithio llesol, a'r defnydd o wasanaethau bysiau hefyd, drwy gyflwyno mwy o goridorau pwrpasol. Yn benodol, rwyf i o'r farn fod yr angen i uwchraddio prif lein de Cymru i gynnig cyfle am fwy o wasanaethau cymudo yn rhywbeth y byddai pawb, bron iawn, yn y de-ddwyrain yn ei groesawu.
Yr hyn a nododd yr adroddiad oedd bod tagfeydd ar yr M4 yn broblem i gymudwyr, a'r datrysiad gorau i gymudwyr yw darparu trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus fel sydd gan y gwledydd gorllewinol mwyaf datblygedig eisoes, a hynny drwy systemau metro datblygedig. Nawr, fe fydd ein gweledigaeth ni o'r metro sy'n werth £700 miliwn a mwy yn cyflawni hynny, ond mae hwnnw'n seiliedig ar deithio o'r gogledd i'r de i raddau helaeth. Yr hyn a ychwanegwyd gan Arglwydd Burns yw gweledigaeth ar gyfer teithio o'r dwyrain i'r gorllewin hefyd, gan gyfuno pob math o symudiad ar draws y de-ddwyrain. Fe fyddwn i'n gefnogol iawn i ychwanegu gweledigaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer y metro at y weledigaeth arall ar gyfer teithio llorweddol rhwng y dwyrain a'r gorllewin rhwng ein dinasoedd allweddol ni ac, yn wir, Bryste.
O ran rhai o'r canfyddiadau allweddol a ddaeth i'r amlwg yn yr adroddiad, fe gefais i fy nharo'n arbennig—ac roedd hynny'n mynd yn ôl at egwyddorion cyntaf gwaith Arglwydd Burns—gan ganfyddiadau sy'n ymwneud â'r hyn sy'n brif achos y tagfeydd yn ystod oriau brig, sef y bobl sy'n teithio rhwng 10 a 50 milltir. Cyn cyhoeddi'r adroddiad hwn, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod i wedi clywed nifer o bobl yn rhagdybio mai achos y broblem yng Nghasnewydd a'r cyffiniau oedd teithiau lleol a phobl leol. Yr hyn sy'n amlwg nawr yw nad yw hynny'n hollol wir. Teithiau pellach yw'r rhai sy'n achosi tagfeydd.
Wrth gwrs, fe fydd gwerth am arian yn ystyriaeth allweddol. Dim ond heddiw fe gefais i e-bost gan y Gweinidog Cyllid yn fy atgoffa i fod yn rhaid i werth am arian fod yn rhan annatod o'n proses ni o wneud penderfyniadau. Er hynny, fe hoffwn i ychwanegu hefyd, os ydym eisiau ysbrydoli newid moddol a chynnig cyfleoedd i bobl wneud defnydd o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yna mae'n rhaid inni fuddsoddi mewn trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yn awr ac i'r dyfodol, o ran y seilwaith sydd ei angen, ond hefyd o ran y cymhorthdal sydd ei angen er mwyn iddo fod yn ddewis amgen cost-effeithiol i ddefnyddio ceir preifat.
Ac yna, yn olaf, at y pwynt pwysig a gododd Russell George, sef y cynigion ar gyfer yr ardoll ar barcio yn y gweithle a gaiff eu gweinyddu a'u pennu gan awdurdodau lleol. Rwy'n credu mai'r pwynt hollbwysig i'w wneud yma yw bod Arglwydd Burns dim ond yn awgrymu'r ardoll hon ar y sail bod y gwelliannau hynny i ddewisiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus amgen eisoes wedi eu cyflwyno. Felly, rwy'n credu ei fod yn awgrym defnyddiol iawn, ond mae'n amlwg ei fod yn seiliedig ar yr angen i weithredu'r argymhellion eraill i ddechrau o ran darparu dewisiadau amgen deniadol a chost-effeithiol yn hytrach na defnyddio ceir preifat.
Helen Mary Jones.
Helen Mary Jones.
Delyth Jewell.
Delyth Jewell.
Oh, okay. That's not what I have, but Delyth Jewell.
O, iawn. Nid dyna sydd gen i, ond, ie, Delyth Jewell.
Sorry, Llywydd.
Mae'n flin gen i, Llywydd.
It's okay. Delyth Jewell.
Popeth yn iawn. Delyth Jewell.
Diolch. I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement and put on record, too, my thanks to Lord Burns and his team for their work in completing the report. M4 commuters and the communities surrounding this stretch of the M4 deserve action after years of discussion that began, of course, in the 90s.
Now, we in Plaid Cymru welcome the recommendations of this report. For some time, Plaid Cymru has maintained that the solution to solving the Brynglas congestion problem is to invest in the public transport network around Newport. Simply building a new road will not solve the issue, and I'm glad to see so many recommendations reflecting this in the report. Anyone with an understanding of induced demand would appreciate this.
We're also living, of course, in the midst of a climate emergency. If we're serious in tackling that emergency, the logical conclusion when it comes to transport is investing in sustainable modes of public transportation. Recommendations for solving congestion problems on the M4, of course, could be implemented immediately if Wales had powers over rail infrastructure. The Burns commission has recommended, as has been set out, that congestion issues could be targeted with an investment of around £600 million to £800 million in public transport. As you've outlined, Minister, this could include building six new train stations, upgrading existing tracks, and so on, but rail infrastructure is not devolved, which means some of the main recommendations would require the agreement and support of the UK Government to implement, as you've just been setting out. Now, this does concern me. The recent UK Government spending review showed a huge reduction in the relative transport funding that Wales receives from Westminster, due to HS2 being designated as an England and Wales project, which suggests improving the Welsh rail network is not a priority for the UK Government.
Let's remember that the required investment set out by Burns is tiny compared with HS2 at less than 1 per cent of the cost of that project and, indeed, less than the amount by which HS2 has increased since last September. And it represents excellent value for money, delivering transport and wider environmental benefits for a region that's been so neglected for too long.
Now, Minister, the sad reality is that had Labour and the Tories supported rail devolution as part of the St David's Day process, the Welsh Government could have started implementing these recommendations immediately. But as things stand, we must hope that the UK Government does the right thing, a deeply precarious situation to be in, to put it mildly. So, M4 commuters, I'm sure you would agree, deserve action after so long of discussion with this, so I'd urge the UK Government, as you said, to meet you and the Welsh Government as soon as possible to discuss how they'll implement the recommendations, because if they refuse to do so, it will be further proof that Westminster will never work for Wales. But Minister, I close by asking you: how confident are you that the UK Government will be keen to work with the Welsh Government on this, and what contingency plans can you put in place if they are not keen to work with the Welsh Government to take these recommendations forward?
Diolch. Fe hoffwn i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad a mynegi ar goedd hefyd fy niolch i Arglwydd Burns a'i dîm ef am eu gwaith nhw wrth gwblhau'r adroddiad. Mae cymudwyr ar yr M4 a'r cymunedau o amgylch y rhan hon o'r M4 yn haeddu gweld camau gweithredu ar ôl blynyddoedd o drafod a ddechreuodd, wrth gwrs, yn y 90au.
Nawr, rydym ni ym Mhlaid Cymru yn croesawu argymhellion yr adroddiad hwn. Ers cryn amser, mae Plaid Cymru wedi dweud mai'r ateb i ddatrys problem tagfeydd Bryn-glas yw buddsoddi yn y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus o amgylch Casnewydd. Ni fyddai cael ffordd newydd yn datrys y mater, ac rwy'n falch o weld cynifer o argymhellion yn adlewyrchu hyn yn yr adroddiad. Fe fyddai unrhyw un sydd ag unrhyw ddealltwriaeth o alw a ysgogwyd yn gwerthfawrogi hyn.
Rydym yn byw, wrth gwrs, yng nghanol argyfwng hinsawdd hefyd. Os ydym o ddifrif wrth fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng hwnnw, y casgliad rhesymegol o ran trafnidiaeth yw buddsoddi mewn dulliau cynaliadwy o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Fe ellid gweithredu argymhellion ar gyfer datrys problemau tagfeydd ar yr M4 ar unwaith, wrth gwrs, pe bai gan Gymru bwerau dros seilwaith y rheilffyrdd. Mae comisiwn Burns wedi argymell, fel y nodwyd, y gellid targedu materion tagfeydd gyda buddsoddiad o tua £600 miliwn i £800 miliwn mewn trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Fel yr amlinellwyd gennych chi, Gweinidog, fe allai hyn gynnwys adeiladu chwe gorsaf drenau newydd, uwchraddio cledrau sy'n bodoli eisoes, ac yn y blaen, ond ni chafodd seilwaith y rheilffyrdd ei ddatganoli, sy'n golygu y byddai rhai o'r prif argymhellion hyn yn gofyn am gytundeb a chefnogaeth gan Lywodraeth y DU i'w gweithredu, fel yr ydych chi newydd ei fynegi. Nawr, mae hyn yn peri pryder i mi. Fe ddangosodd adolygiad diweddar o wariant Llywodraeth y DU ostyngiad enfawr yn y cyllid trafnidiaeth cymharol a gaiff Cymru o San Steffan, gan fod HS2 wedi ei ddynodi'n brosiect ar gyfer Cymru a Lloegr, sy'n awgrymu nad yw gwella rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd Cymru yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth y DU.
Gadewch inni gofio bod y buddsoddiad gofynnol a nodwyd gan Burns yn fach iawn o'i gymharu ag HS2 ac ar gyfradd lai nag 1 y cant o gost y prosiect hwnnw ac, yn wir, mae'n llai na swm y cynnydd sydd wedi bod yng nghost HS2 ers mis Medi diwethaf. Ac mae'n cynrychioli gwerth rhagorol am arian, gan ddarparu trafnidiaeth a manteision amgylcheddol ehangach i ranbarth sydd wedi cael ei esgeuluso i'r fath raddau ers llawer gormod o amser.
Nawr, Gweinidog, yn drist iawn, y realiti yw hyn. Pe bai Llafur a'r Torïaid wedi cefnogi datganoli'r rheilffyrdd yn rhan o'r broses Dydd Gŵyl Dewi, fe allai Llywodraeth Cymru fod wedi dechrau ar y gwaith o weithredu'r argymhellion hyn ar unwaith. Ond fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, mae'n rhaid inni obeithio y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn gwneud y peth iawn, sy'n sefyllfa ansicr iawn i fod ynddi hi, a dweud y lleiaf. Felly, mae cymudwyr yr M4, rwy'n siŵr y byddech chi'n cytuno, yn haeddu gweld camau gweithredu ar ôl cymaint o drafod â hyn. Fe fyddwn i'n annog Llywodraeth y DU, fel y gwnaethoch chi ddweud, i gwrdd â chi a Llywodraeth Cymru cyn gynted â phosibl i drafod sut y byddan nhw'n gweithredu'r argymhellion, oherwydd os byddan nhw'n gwrthod gwneud hynny, fe fyddai hynny'n brawf eto nad yw San Steffan byth yn gweithio i Gymru. Ond Gweinidog, rwyf i am orffen drwy ofyn i chi: pa mor hyderus ydych chi y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn awyddus i weithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru yn hyn o beth, a pha gynlluniau wrth gefn sydd gennych chi y gallwch eu rhoi ar waith os nad ydyw San Steffan yn awyddus i weithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru i ddatblygu'r argymhellion hyn?
Can I thank Delyth Jewell for her questions? I'm very pleased indeed that the report by Lord Burns has been welcomed by the spokesperson and by Plaid Cymru. Obviously, when we look back at the debates that took place on numerous occasions in the Chamber concerning the proposals for a relief road, some parties supported the blue route, other parties supported a black route. I do hope now, Llywydd, that all parties will support the Burns route to alleviating congestion on the M4, and providing a viable and sustainable alternative to private car use on what is a very, very congested route at peak times. And I think Delyth Jewell is absolutely right to highlight the need for us to either have a true levelling up in terms of rail investment, or, and ideally, devolution responsibilities for rail infrastructure and a fair funding model for it that could be based on the Scottish methodology of funding.
Now, in terms of the work that's underway right now by Sir Peter Hendy—and it is very important work, because it provides the vehicle for which the Burns recommendations could be promoted to UK Government—I've already met with Sir Peter Hendy. I'm pleased to tell Members today that the Burns report is being carefully considered by him as part of the union connectivity review. And Delyth Jewell is absolutely right to highlight the relatively small sums of investment that would be required to deliver fully on the Burns recommendations from the UK Government, estimated to be between £390 million and £540 million, exclusively for the UK Government areas of responsibility. That, of course, concerns the rail infrastructure. When you compare that to the historic underfunding that has taken place over many years—and this is not a party political point, I'm just highlighting the fact—that through the Treasury Green Book, areas outside of south-east England have been disadvantaged for decades upon decades to the tune of something in the order of £2.1 billion between 2000 and 2030.
So, there is an opportunity with the review of the Green Book, with the union connectivity review, with the UK Government's declared determination to level up, for them to use the Burns report as perhaps the first opportunity to invest outside of south-east Wales in a fairer and more equitable way and, in so doing, solve a problem in south-east Wales that has been with us for several decades. I've already met with UK Government Ministers. As I say, I've met with Sir Peter Hendy as well. I do detect a very great interest in the recommendations by Lord Burns, and a willingness to work with the Welsh Government in implementing not just the short-term and medium-term solutions, but the longer term solutions. Ultimately, a test of the UK Government's willingness to level up, willingness to invest in a way that runs against traditional constraints of the Treasury Green Book, will determine the success of the Lord Burns recommendations, but I am hopeful that the UK Government will embrace it rather than reject it.
A gaf i ddiolch i Delyth Jewell am ei chwestiynau hi? Rwy'n hynod o falch yn wir fod croeso wedi bod i adroddiad Arglwydd Burns gan y llefarydd a chan Blaid Cymru. Yn amlwg, pan edrychwn ni yn ôl ar y dadleuon a gynhaliwyd droeon yn y Siambr ynghylch y cynigion ar gyfer ffordd liniaru, fe gefnogodd rhai pleidiau'r llwybr glas, fe gefnogodd pleidiau eraill y llwybr du. Rwyf i'n gobeithio nawr, Llywydd, y bydd pob plaid yn cefnogi llwybr Burns ar gyfer lleddfu tagfeydd ar yr M4, sy'n cynnig dewis amgen dichonadwy a chynaliadwy yn hytrach na defnyddio ceir preifat ar lwybr sy'n llawn tagfeydd ar amseroedd brig. Ac rwy'n credu bod Delyth Jewell yn llygad ei lle wrth dynnu sylw at yr angen i ni naill ai godi un lefel gwirioneddol yn uwch o ran buddsoddi mewn rheilffyrdd neu, ac yn ddelfrydol, gael cyfrifoldebau datganoledig ar gyfer seilwaith rheilffyrdd a model ariannu teg ar ei gyfer a allai fod yn seiliedig ar fethodoleg ariannu'r Alban.
Nawr, o ran y gwaith sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd gan Syr Peter Hendy—ac mae hwnnw'n waith pwysig iawn, oherwydd mae'n cynnig cyfrwng ar gyfer hyrwyddo argymhellion Burns i Lywodraeth y DU—rwyf i wedi cyfarfod â Syr Peter Hendy eisoes. Rwy'n falch o ddweud wrth yr Aelodau heddiw fod adroddiad Burns yn cael ei ystyried yn ofalus ganddo ef yn rhan o adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb. Ac mae Delyth Jewell yn llygad ei lle i dynnu sylw at y symiau cymharol fach o fuddsoddiad y byddai eu hangen gan Lywodraeth y DU i gyflawni argymhellion Burns yn llawn, yr amcangyfrifir eu bod rhwng £390 miliwn a £540 miliwn, ar gyfer meysydd cyfrifoldeb Llywodraeth y DU yn unig. Mae hynny, wrth gwrs, yn ymwneud â'r seilwaith rheilffyrdd. Pan fyddwch chi'n cymharu hynny â'r tangyllido hanesyddol sydd wedi bod yn digwydd am nifer o flynyddoedd—ac nid pwynt gwleidyddol pleidiol yw hwn, ond tynnu sylw at ffaith—drwy Lyfr Gwyrdd y Trysorlys, mae ardaloedd y tu allan i dde-ddwyrain Lloegr wedi bod dan anfantais ers degawdau ar ddegawdau hyd at rywbeth tebyg i £2.1 biliwn rhwng 2000 a 2030.
Felly, mae yma gyfle gyda'r adolygiad o'r Llyfr Gwyrdd, gydag adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb, gyda phenderfyniad cyhoeddus Llywodraeth y DU i godi lefel yn uwch, iddyn nhw ddefnyddio adroddiad Burns yn gyfle cyntaf efallai i fuddsoddi y tu allan i'r de-ddwyrain mewn ffordd sy'n decach ac yn fwy cyfiawn ac, wrth wneud hynny, i ddatrys y broblem yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru sydd wedi bod gyda ni ers degawdau. Rwyf wedi cyfarfod â Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU eisoes. Fel y dywedais, rwyf wedi cyfarfod â Syr Peter Hendy hefyd. Rwy'n synhwyro bod diddordeb mawr iawn yn argymhellion Arglwydd Burns, a pharodrwydd i weithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru i weithredu nid yn unig ar yr atebion i'r tymor byr a'r tymor canolig, ond yr atebion i'r tymor hwy. Yn y pen draw, parodrwydd Llywodraeth y DU i godi lefel yn uwch, a pharodrwydd i fuddsoddi mewn ffordd sy'n mynd yn groes i gyfyngiadau traddodiadol Llyfr Gwyrdd y Trysorlys, fydd yn pennu pa mor llwyddiannus y gall argymhellion Arglwydd Burns fod. Ond rwy'n obeithiol y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn eu croesawu yn hytrach na'u gwrthod nhw.
Thank you for your statement today, Minister. The Burns commission report outlines the situation in Newport as one of congestion and pollution. It's recognisable to those of us that live here and experience the impact of the M4 running through our city. For too long, Newport and the surrounding area have been poorly served by public transport options. The plans outlined by Burns are undoubtedly exciting for Newport, and will transform our public transport system into a fit-for-purpose, sustainable, commuter-friendly service.
A dramatic increase in train capacity using the existing relief lines, with several additional stations across the city in areas such as Maesglas and Tredegar Park, combined with attractive, functional and integrated links with Cardiff and Bristol—it's extremely welcome. It is a system that has been proven to work in cities across the world, and it can work here. It's a public transport system that Newport deserves. As the Minister knows, since the decision was taken not to go ahead with the road, I've always demanded from him and the First Minister that a solution must be found. Inaction is not an option. We, in Newport, have been here before. Progress needs to be made, and it needs to be made urgently. Key to its success is delivery of the vision. Could the Minister outline the immediate timetable? When will we start to see actual changes that will begin to make a difference?
Providing areas on the outskirts of cities with alternatives to driving is going to be essential to the overall success of the solution. Whilst I'm glad that the Welsh Government has committed to restoring the historic rail link between Ebbw Vale and Newport, which I've long been a campaigner for, we need to see that happen. Newport has been bypassed on this for too long. I can assure the Minister that I'll be continuing my calls for the Welsh Government to restore a station and rail service in Caerleon. Would the Minister give assurance that he will look back at the work that has been done over the years, and the Burns commission, on the re-establishment of this service in Caerleon?
I fully appreciate that not all responsibility for these changes is held by the Welsh Government, but I'm urging both the Welsh and UK Governments to just get on with it. Both Governments have the reports. This cannot be ignored. Warm words need to be turned into action. We just need to get on with it, and I will do all I can to support it. We need to make it a reality.
Diolch i chi am eich datganiad chi heddiw, Gweinidog. Mae adroddiad comisiwn Burns yn rhoi amlinelliad o'r sefyllfa yng Nghasnewydd fel un o dagfeydd a llygredd. Mae hynny'n hawdd i'w adnabod i'r rhai ohonom ni sy'n byw yma ac yn teimlo effaith yr M4 sy'n llifo drwy ganol ein dinas ni. Ers llawer gormod o amser, mae Casnewydd a'r cyffiniau wedi gweld dewisiadau gwael o ran trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus.. Mae'r cynlluniau a amlinellwyd gan Burns yn bendant yn gyffrous i Gasnewydd, ac fe fyddan nhw'n trawsnewid ein system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ni yn wasanaeth sy'n addas i'r diben, yn gynaliadwy ac yn gyfeillgar â chymudwyr.
Fe fydd cynnydd dramatig yn nifer y trenau sy'n defnyddio'r lleiniau rhyddhad presennol, gyda nifer o orsafoedd ychwanegol ar draws y ddinas mewn ardaloedd fel Maesglas a Pharc Tredegar, ynghyd â chysylltiadau deniadol, sy'n gweithio ac yn integredig â Chaerdydd a Bryste—mae i'w groesawu yn fawr. Mae hon yn system y profwyd ei bod hi'n gweithio mewn dinasoedd ledled y byd, ac fe all hi weithio yn y fan hon. Hon yw'r system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus y mae Casnewydd yn ei haeddu. Fel y gŵyr y Gweinidog, ers gwneud y penderfyniad i beidio â bwrw ymlaen â'r ffordd, rwyf i wedi galw drwy'r amser ar y Prif Weinidog ac yntau fod yn rhaid dod o hyd i ateb. Nid yw gwneud dim byd yn ddewis. Rydym ni, yng Nghasnewydd, wedi bod yn y fan hon o'r blaen. Mae angen gwneud cynnydd, ac mae angen gwneud hynny ar fyrder. Yr hyn sy'n allweddol i'w lwyddiant yw gwireddu'r weledigaeth. A wnaiff y Gweinidog amlinellu'r amserlen gyntaf? Pryd ydym ni'n mynd i ddechrau gweld newidiadau gwirioneddol a fydd yn dechrau gwneud gwahaniaeth?
Fe fydd neilltuo ardaloedd ar gyrion dinasoedd ar gyfer dewisiadau amgen i yrru ceir yn hanfodol i lwyddiant cyffredinol y datrysiad. Er fy mod i'n falch iawn bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i ailsefydlu'r cyswllt rheilffordd hanesyddol rhwng Glynebwy a Chasnewydd, rwyf i wedi bod yn ymgyrchu am hynny ers amser maith, ac mae angen inni weld hynny'n digwydd. Mae Casnewydd wedi cael ei hanwybyddu ers gormod o amser. Fe allaf i sicrhau'r Gweinidog y byddaf i'n parhau â'm galwadau ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ailsefydlu gorsaf a gwasanaeth rheilffordd yng Nghaerllion. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi sicrwydd y bydd ef yn edrych dros y gwaith a wnaed dros y blynyddoedd, a chomisiwn Burns, ynglŷn ag ailsefydlu'r gwasanaeth hwn yng Nghaerllion?
Rwy'n llwyr sylweddoli nad Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n gyfrifol am y newidiadau hyn, ond rwy'n annog Llywodraethau Cymru a'r DU i fwrw ati. Mae'r adroddiadau yn nwylo'r ddwy Lywodraeth. Ni ellir anwybyddu hynny. Mae angen troi geiriau teg yn weithredoedd. Y cyfan sydd angen inni ei wneud yw bwrw ymlaen â hyn, ac fe wnaf innau'r cyfan a allaf i i'w gefnogi. Mae angen gwireddu hyn.
Well, can I thank Jayne Bryant for her questions and for her comments regarding the report and the historic problems concerning her constituency and the challenges that her constituents face on a daily basis? Jayne Bryant has been a powerful advocate for greater investment in and around the Newport community, and I very much welcome her contribution today. I have to say that, in a very short space of time, Lord Burns constructed a vision of twenty-first century, integrated transport for south-east Wales, and now it's our determination to move forward in implementing the recommendations at equal pace. That's required in order to serve the needs and the demands and desires and hopes of the people living in Jayne Bryant's constituency and those people who live right across the south-east Wales region.
Now, in terms of some of the challenges that Lord Burns has faced during the course of his work, one was the assumption that I outlined just a short while ago, that most of the congestion is caused by local journeys. This is not the case, and actually more than 90 per cent of journeys on the M4 involve going from one local authority to another, demonstrating how a regional solution is needed, and that, in turn, is why we also have to have that single mind, that delivery unit, which is being constructed right now, which will meet this month to ensure that all key stakeholders, all key delivery partners, are working together to the same ends. And in terms of some of the quick wins, well, Jayne Bryant will be aware that, already, the south Wales main line enhancement development programme is under way, that we're already developing the rapid bus and commuter cycle corridors, that trials are taking place concerning rapid bus services and alternatives to traditional scheduled services, that we're looking at commuter cycle corridors as well, and also, of course, that work is being undertaken at pace on Newport city centre interchange development.
Now, also in terms of early work, workplace travel planning will be undertaken to alleviate congestion on the M4. And with regard to the Ebbw Vale service and frequency enhancement, well, Transport for Wales, as the Member I know is aware, have developed a proposal for an interim additional hourly service to operate between Crosskeys and Newport, and potentially beyond to Gloucester, whilst we await the infrastructure work that isn't due to be completed until the 2023. Now, Welsh Government officials are continuing to work with Transport for Wales to develop this proposal further and to enable the service to operate from next year and to continue to run until the full service can be introduced, as I say, in 2023. We're seeking to introduce it as soon as possible, obviously subject to those regular scheduled timetable changes that have to take place. Obviously, in order to increase capacity further on the Ebbw Vale line, we'll also need funding from the UK Government, which has responsibility for the infrastructure both on the Ebbw line and the south Wales main line. And we've already submitted a bid to the UK Government's Restoring Your Railway accelerated ideas fund to secure the funding to progress the work on reopening the Abertillery spur. So, we're awaiting a decision on that particular application.
In terms of Caerleon, well, I was delighted that Lord Burns backed our long-held proposals for a station at Caerleon, and, in taking forward this work to develop potential stations that are recommended by Lord Burns, I will be asking Transport for Wales to ensure that appropriate consideration is given to a new station at Caerleon. But I must also stress that the development and the implementation of this will depend on support and commitment from Network Rail.
Wel, a gaf i ddiolch i Jayne Bryant am ei chwestiynau hi ac am ei sylwadau ynglŷn â'r adroddiad a'r problemau hanesyddol sy'n gysylltiedig â'i hetholaeth a'r heriau y mae ei hetholwyr yn eu hwynebu bob dydd? Mae Jayne Bryant wedi bod yn dadlau yn gryf dros fuddsoddi mwy yng nghymuned Casnewydd a'r cylch, ac rwy'n croesawu ei chyfraniad hi heddiw'n fawr iawn. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod Arglwydd Burns, mewn cyfnod byr iawn, wedi saernïo gweledigaeth o drafnidiaeth integredig ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain ar gyfer y de-ddwyrain, a'n penderfyniad ni nawr yw symud ymlaen i weithredu'r argymhellion ar yr un cyflymder. Mae hynny'n ofynnol ar gyfer diwallu anghenion a gofynion a dyheadau a gobeithion y bobl sy'n byw yn etholaeth Jayne Bryant a'r bobl hynny sy'n byw ledled rhanbarth y de-ddwyrain.
Nawr, o ran rhai o'r heriau a wynebodd Arglwydd Burns yn ystod ei waith ef, un ohonyn nhw oedd y dybiaeth a amlinellais i ychydig amser yn ôl, fod y rhan fwyaf o'r tagfeydd yn cael eu hachosi gan deithiau lleol. Nid yw hynny'n wir, ac mewn gwirionedd mae mwy na 90 y cant o'r teithiau ar yr M4 yn deithiau sy'n mynd o un awdurdod lleol i un arall, sy'n amlygu pam mae angen ateb rhanbarthol, ac mai dyna pam mae'n rhaid inni feddwl yn unplyg, yr uned gyflenwi honno, sy'n cael ei hadeiladu ar hyn o bryd, a fydd yn cyfarfod y mis hwn i sicrhau bod yr holl randdeiliaid allweddol, pob partner allweddol, yn cydweithio i'r un perwyl. Ac o ran rhai o'r enillion cynnar, wel, mae Jayne Bryant yn ymwybodol bod rhaglen ddatblygu i wella prif lein de Cymru ar y gweill eisoes, ein bod ni'n datblygu'r coridorau beicio bws a chymudwyr cyflym eisoes, bod treialon yn cael eu cynnal ynghylch gwasanaethau bysiau cyflym a dewisiadau amgen i wasanaethau traddodiadol, ein bod ni'n ystyried coridorau beicio i gymudwyr hefyd, ac yn ogystal â hynny, wrth gwrs, mae'r gwaith hwnnw ynglŷn â datblygiad cyfnewidfa canol dinas Casnewydd yn cael ei wneud ar garlam.
Nawr, o ran gwaith cynnar hefyd, fe fydd cynlluniau teithio i'r gweithle yn cael eu gwneud i liniaru tagfeydd ar yr M4. Ac o ran gwasanaeth Glynebwy a chynyddu amlder y teithiau sydd arno, wel, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru, fel y gŵyr yr Aelod rwy'n siŵr, wedi datblygu cynnig ar gyfer gwasanaeth ychwanegol dros dro fesul awr i fod ar waith rhwng Pont-y-cymer a Chasnewydd, ac o bosibl y tu hwnt i Gaerloyw, tra byddwn ni'n aros am y gwaith seilwaith na chaiff ei gwblhau tan 2023. Nawr, mae swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i weithio gyda Thrafnidiaeth Cymru i ddatblygu'r cynnig hwn ymhellach a galluogi'r gwasanaeth i fod yn weithredol o'r flwyddyn nesaf a pharhau i redeg hyd nes y gellir cyflwyno'r gwasanaeth llawn, fel y dywedais i, yn 2023. Rydym ni'n ceisio cyflwyno hyn cyn gynted ag y bo modd, a hynny'n amlwg yn amodol ar newidiadau i'r amserlen reolaidd y mae'n rhaid iddynt ddigwydd. Yn amlwg, ar gyfer cynyddu capasiti eto ar reilffordd Glynebwy, fe fydd angen cyllid arnom hefyd oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU, sy'n gyfrifol am y seilwaith ar reilffordd Glynebwy a phrif reilffordd de Cymru. Ac rydym wedi cyflwyno cais eisoes i gronfa syniadau carlam Adfer Eich Rheilffordd o eiddo Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau'r cyllid i ddatblygu'r gwaith o ailagor cangen Abertyleri. Felly, rydym ni'n aros am benderfyniad ar y cais arbennig hwnnw.
O ran Caerllion, wel, roeddwn wrth fy modd fod Arglwydd Burns wedi cefnogi ein cynigion hir sefydlog ni i gael gorsaf yng Nghaerllion, ac, wrth fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith hwn i ddatblygu'r gorsafoedd posibl a argymhellodd Arglwydd Burns, rwyf am ofyn i Drafnidiaeth Cymru sicrhau y rhoddir yr ystyriaeth briodol i orsaf newydd yng Nghaerllion. Ond mae'n rhaid imi bwysleisio hefyd y bydd datblygu a gweithredu hyn yn dibynnu ar gefnogaeth ac ymrwymiad gan Network Rail.
Can I thank the Minister for his statement today? I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Lord Burns and his team for this comprehensive report and for the often innovative recommendations it contains. We're all acutely aware of how important the M4 is not only to South Wales East, but as an access to the rest of south Wales, given that it links all three of the region's cities. We are also aware that we desperately need a solution to the acute congestion problems at the Brynglas tunnels.
Given that a new relief road is no longer an option, we have to accept that a new strategic and holistic solution has to be found. The approach used by Lord Burns I believe is a realistic option to a new road, and right at the heart of the report is the desire for people to abandon the private car for public transport. The report's authors believe that this will relieve the congestion at Brynglas, given that cars are, by far, the major component in the congestion problems. But we have to accept that this calls for a number of different transport modes to gel together, and the transfer from one mode to another must be a seamless one.
In order for this to be possible, as the report says, there has to be one region, one network and one ticket. We all know that the technology is there to make this happen, and, in many ways, it has to be a priority factor in the implementation of this new transport network. Will the Minister give an indication as to any progress being made to implement this important element?
If we deal with the recommendations with regard to rail first, the report identifies the need for extra stations on the south Wales relief line between Severn tunnel junction and Newport, and another at St Mellons. Can I, at this point, mention and congratulate the Magor Action Group on Rail, who have already advanced plans for a station at Magor? However, given that this line is still, unfortunately, under the control of Network Rail, how confident is the Minister that, even given Chris Grayling’s promises after the electrification to Swansea was cancelled, and Network Rail's statement that these issues are a priority, they will deliver, and in the time frame envisaged? The best solution would, of course, be for the Welsh Government to take control of this line, and I urge the Minister to keep pressing for that to become a reality.
Buses are also identified as a major piece in the transport jigsaw. The detailed recommendations with regard to bus networks, including new park-and-ride facilities near rail stations and placing them right in the heart of major conurbations, would help facilitate the desire to encourage people to use public transport, as opposed to their cars. It is, of course, vitally important that train and bus times are fully integrated. No longer can we accept a train leaving Newport station five minutes before a commuter bus arrives from Blackwood.
One of the other aspirations contained in the report is to have people use the bike as the preferred mode of transport. I believe this is certainly achievable in city areas with the continued expansion of safe cycle lanes, though for commuting to work it will be much more difficult for those living in Valleys areas. A possible solution to this is to make access to public transport for bicycles as simple and affordable as possible. This can be achieved by safe and secure bicycle parks at railway and bus stations. There should also be designated areas on trains in particular, but, if possible, on buses too, so that the bicycle could be used at either end of the journey to work. Could the Minister indicate if some of these issues are being addressed?
I said at the beginning of my submission, Llywydd, that this is a comprehensive report, and I believe it outlines a truly holistic approach, but there are many components that will have to be completely integrated for it to work, and the UK Government must play its part in helping to finance this ambitious project. Thank you, Llywydd.
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad heddiw? Fe hoffwn i fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i ddiolch i Arglwydd Burns a'i dîm am yr adroddiad cynhwysfawr hwn ac am yr argymhellion arloesol, yn aml, a gynhwysir ynddo. Mae pob un ohonom ni'n ymwybodol iawn o ba mor bwysig yw'r M4 nid yn unig i'r de-ddwyrain, ond fel mynedfa i'r de i gyd, o gofio bod yr M4 yn cysylltu pob un o dair dinas fawr y rhanbarth. Rydym ni'n ymwybodol hefyd bod angen dybryd am ymateb i'r problemau difrifol oherwydd y tagfeydd yn nhwneli Bryn-glas.
O gofio nad yw ffordd liniaru newydd yn ddewis mwyach, mae'n rhaid inni dderbyn bod yn rhaid dod o hyd i ateb strategol a chyfannol newydd. Rwyf i o'r farn fod y dull a ddefnyddir gan Arglwydd Burns yn ddewis realistig i ffordd newydd, ac wrth galon yr adroddiad mae'r dyhead i bobl ddefnyddio trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn hytrach na'r car preifat. Mae awduron yr adroddiad yn credu y bydd hyn yn ysgafnhau'r tagfeydd ym Mryn-glas, o gofio mai ceir, o bell ffordd, yw'r elfen fwyaf yn y problemau o ran tagfeydd. Ond mae'n rhaid inni dderbyn bod hyn yn galw am uno nifer o wahanol foddau trafnidiaeth â'i gilydd, ac mae'n rhaid i'r trosglwyddiad o un modd i'r llall fod yn un llyfn.
I hyn fod yn bosibl, fel y dywed yr adroddiad, mae'n rhaid cael un rhanbarth, un rhwydwaith ac un tocyn. Fe wyddom ni i gyd fod y dechnoleg ar gael i wneud i hyn ddigwydd, ac, mewn sawl ffordd, mae'n rhaid i hon fod yn flaenoriaeth wrth wireddu'r rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth newydd hwn. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi amcan inni o unrhyw gynnydd sydd wedi bod i wireddu'r elfen bwysig hon?
I ymdrin â'r argymhellion ynglŷn â rheilffyrdd yn gyntaf, mae'r adroddiad yn nodi'r angen am orsafoedd ychwanegol ar reilffordd liniaru'r de rhwng cyffordd twnnel Hafren a Chasnewydd, ac un arall yn Llaneirwg. A gaf i, yn awr, grybwyll a llongyfarch Grŵp Gweithredu Magwyr ar Reilffyrdd, sydd eisoes wedi datblygu cynlluniau ar gyfer gorsaf ym Magwyr? Eto i gyd, o gofio bod y llinell hon yn parhau i fod dan reolaeth Network Rail, gwaetha'r modd, pa mor hyderus y mae'r Gweinidog, hyd yn oed o ystyried addewidion Chris Grayling ar ôl canslo trydaneiddio'r rheilffordd hyd Abertawe, a datganiad Network Rail bod y materion hyn yn flaenoriaeth, y byddan nhw'n cyflawni a hynny yn ôl yr amserlen a gaiff ei rhagweld? Y datrysiad gorau, wrth gwrs, fyddai i Lywodraeth Cymru gymryd rheolaeth o'r lein hon, ac rwy'n annog y Gweinidog i barhau i bwyso am hynny.
Nodir bod bysiau hefyd yn ddarn pwysig o'r jig-so trafnidiaeth. Fe fyddai'r argymhellion manwl o ran rhwydweithiau bysiau, gan gynnwys cyfleusterau parcio a theithio newydd yn ymyl go'n gyfan gwbl. Nid yw trên yn gadael gorsaf Casnewydd bum munud cyn i fws cymudo gyrraedd o'r Coed Duon yn dderbyniol mwyach.
Un o'r dyheadau eraill yn yr adroddiad yw ceisio cael pobl i ystyried y beic yn ddull dewisol o deithio. Rwyf i'n sicr o'r farn fod hyn yn yn bosibl mewn ardaloedd dinesig gyda pharhad ehangu lonydd beicio diogel, er y bydd yn llawer llai hwylus i'r rhai sy'n byw yn ardaloedd y Cymoedd gymudo i'r gwaith. Un ateb posibl i hyn fyddai sicrhau bod trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn hwylus ar gyfer beiciau a hynny mewn ffordd sydd mor syml a fforddiadwy â phosibl. Fe ellir cyflawni hyn drwy gael parciau beiciau diogel, sy'n cael eu gwarchod, mewn gorsafoedd rheilffordd a bysiau. Fe ddylid cael ardaloedd dynodedig hefyd ar drenau yn arbennig, ond, os oes modd, ar fysiau hefyd, fel y gellid defnyddio'r beic ar y naill ben neu'r llall o'r daith i'r gwaith. A all y Gweinidog ddweud a yw rhai o'r materion hyn yn cael eu hystyried?
Fe ddywedais i ar ddechrau fy nghyflwyniad, Llywydd, fod hwn yn adroddiad cynhwysfawr, ac rwyf i o'r farn ei fod yn amlinellu dull gwirioneddol gyfannol, ond mae llawer o elfennau ynddo y bydd yn rhaid eu hintegreiddio'n llwyr er mwyn iddo weithio, ac mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth y DU wneud ei rhan i helpu i ariannu'r prosiect uchelgeisiol hwn. Diolch, Llywydd.
Llywydd, can I thank David Rowlands for his comments and his questions? I very much welcome what David has said about the report and the various recommendations contained within it and the need for the UK Government to play an active role and, indeed, the need for various groups, including the Magor action group, to be participants in designing transport solutions within the community. I said in my statement how many of the decisions need to be made locally, and it's my belief that groups such as the Magor action group, with whom I've met in the past, with John Griffiths and Jessica Morden, will play a critical role in helping to design solutions to the problems that are faced in and around Newport.
Of course, David Rowlands makes the important point that the M4 is a key artery for the economy of south Wales, but that it can't be the only artery, and that a public transport artery is needed to complement the M4 and, indeed, to offer an effective alternative to using the M4, particularly with a private vehicle. Integration, David Rowlands rightly pointed out, is critically important. To ensure this, we're setting up that delivery unit, we've entered into a memorandum of understanding with the local authority, and Transport for Wales are playing a greater role in terms of integrating bus and active travel and rail transport as well. Indeed, Transport for Wales, currently in this year, are undertaking a major mapping exercise regarding the provision of bus services as we seek to introduce, in the next Senedd term, legislation to take greater control over the provision of bus services so that we can truly integrate them with rail services and with the provision of active travel infrastructure.
Delivery in terms of the devolution of rail infrastructure and funding is hugely important. I agree entirely with David Rowlands that the ideal solution to this would be the devolution of rail infrastructure and the fair funding to go with it. In the absence of such a willingness to do so, we fully expect the union connectivity review and the Williams review to offer vehicles for the UK Government to deliver on a leveling-up agenda that requires additional and significant investment in Wales, particularly in regard to upgrading main lines, both in south Wales and in north Wales.
I think David Rowlands is also correct in outlining the importance of accessibility to public transport solutions, particularly in ensuring that they're well connected to active travel infrastructure. I'm pleased to say that coming from the review is a very clear indication that, if all of the recommendations are delivered and implemented correctly, then 90 per cent of people in the region would live within just one mile of a bus corridor or a rail hub. That would be a huge game changer in terms of rolling out full accessibility for the population of south-east Wales, and, of course, we do know that that final mile can be vitally important in encouraging people to undertake active travel to improve their health and well-being. So, I very much welcome the point made by David Rowlands concerning accessibility.
And, finally, I would also agree with his point that the Welsh Government and the UK Government need to work very closely in delivering on the Burns report and recommendations, and I look forward to doing just that with UK Government counterparts.
Llywydd, a gaf i ddiolch i David Rowlands am ei sylwadau a'i gwestiynau? Rwy'n croesawu'r hyn a ddywedodd David am yr adroddiad a'r argymhellion amrywiol sydd ynddo ef yn fawr iawn, a'r angen i Lywodraeth y DU fod â rhan weithredol ac, yn wir, yr angen i wahanol grwpiau, gan gynnwys grŵp gweithredu Magwyr, fod â rhan wrth gynllunio datrysiadau yn y gymuned o ran trafnidiaeth. Fe ddywedais i yn fy natganiad y bydd angen gwneud rhyw gymaint o'r penderfyniadau yn lleol, ac rwy'n credu y bydd gan grwpiau fel grŵp gweithredu Magwyr, yr wyf i wedi cyfarfod â nhw yn y gorffennol, gyda John Griffiths a Jessica Morden, swyddogaeth hollbwysig wrth helpu i gynllunio datrysiadau i'r problemau sy'n wynebu Casnewydd a'r cyffiniau.
Wrth gwrs, mae David Rowlands yn gwneud y pwynt pwysig bod yr M4 yn wythïen allweddol i economi'r de, ond ni all honno fod yn unig wythïen, a bod angen gwythïen trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus i ategu'r M4 ac, yn wir, i gynnig dewis amgen effeithiol i ddefnyddio'r M4, yn enwedig mewn cerbyd preifat. Mae integreiddio, fel y nododd David Rowlands yn briodol, yn hollbwysig. I sicrhau hyn, rydym yn bwriadu sefydlu'r uned gyflenwi honno, rydym wedi ymrwymo i femorandwm cyd-ddealltwriaeth gyda'r awdurdod lleol, ac mae gan Drafnidiaeth Cymru swyddogaeth fwy o ran integreiddio trafnidiaeth bysiau a theithio llesol a rheilffyrdd hefyd. Yn wir, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru, yn gyfredol eleni, yn cynnal ymarfer mapio mawr o ran darparu gwasanaethau bysiau wrth inni geisio cyflwyno, yn y tymor Seneddol nesaf, ddeddfwriaeth i gymryd mwy o reolaeth dros ddarparu gwasanaethau bysiau fel y gallwn ni eu hintegreiddio nhw'n wirioneddol gyda gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd a darparu seilwaith o ran teithio llesol.
Mae cyflawni o ran datganoli seilwaith a chyllid rheilffyrdd yn eithriadol o bwysig. Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â David Rowlands mai'r ateb delfrydol i hyn fyddai datganoli seilwaith rheilffyrdd a'r cyllid teg i gyd-fynd â hynny. Yn absenoldeb y parodrwydd i wneud hynny, rydym y disgwyl i adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb ac adolygiad Williams gynnig cyfryngau i Lywodraeth y DU gyflawni ar agenda codi lefel sy'n gofyn am fuddsoddiad ychwanegol a sylweddol yng Nghymru, yn enwedig o ran uwchraddio prif leiniau, yn y de ac yn y gogledd.
Rwy'n credu bod David Rowlands yn gywir hefyd i amlinellu pwysigrwydd hygyrchedd o ran datrysiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yn enwedig o ran sicrhau eu bod nhw â chysylltiadau addas â seilwaith teithio llesol. Rwy'n falch o ddweud fod yna arwydd eglur iawn yn deillio o'r adolygiad. Pe caiff yr holl argymhellion eu cyflawni a'u gweithredu yn gymwys, fe fyddai 90 y cant o bobl y rhanbarth yn byw o fewn un filltir yn unig i goridor bysiau neu ganolfan reilffordd. Fe fyddai hwnnw'n newid enfawr o ran cyflwyno hygyrchedd llawn i boblogaeth y de-ddwyrain, ac, wrth gwrs, fe wyddom y gall y filltir olaf honno fod yn hanfodol bwysig o ran annog pobl i ymgymryd â theithio llesol er mwyn eu hiechyd a'u lles nhw. Felly, rwy'n croesawu'r pwynt a wnaeth David Rowlands ynghylch hygyrchedd yn fawr iawn.
Ac, yn olaf, rwy'n cytuno â'i bwynt ef hefyd fod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU weithio'n agos iawn â'i gilydd i gyflawni ar adroddiad ac argymhellion Burns, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at wneud hynny gyda chymheiriaid yn Llywodraeth y DU.
Well, Minister, I agree with the Member for Newport West that we need action not options, because we know that this is a really serious problem, and there are many things that are going to concentrate our minds, not least the landmark inquest into the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, which may well find that air pollution was the main cause of her death. And we have similar illegal levels of air pollution in my constituency, and that is why we really do need to get on with providing serious alternatives to the motorcar for everyday commutes to school and to work.
I absolutely am signed up to the Burns route. I have long suggested that one of the keys to alleviating this congestion that's currently going by road is the four train lines between Cardiff and Newport and beyond. And, therefore, I want to focus my remarks on how we are going to get that spine of the Burns proposals, progress made on that now. I appreciate that you're hoping that Sir Peter Hendy's connectivity review is going to unlock the current totally unfair way of funding transport across the United Kingdom. Let us remind ourselves that we're going to get nothing from the £2 billion to be invested in HS2, even though it's going to actually have a detrimental effect on the economy of Wales. We'll get nothing to improve our rail lines from that, so that needs to change. But we really can't wait until the Hendy report to be talking to Network Rail about what we could be doing now to release two of those four train lines to ensure that we can make serious progress already, building on St Mellons and Llanwern and the other local stations. Because the conversations you're having with Julie James about not allowing people to build housing in areas that aren't connected are long-term proposals, but I think we need to do things now in order to ensure that people realise that we are doing something about (a) this congestion, and (b) tackling climate change by getting people out of their cars. So, I wonder if you can say what conversations you've had with Network Rail on this. I appreciate that money is involved, but it's not of the same complexity as trying to free up land to create branch lines, et cetera.
Wel, Gweinidog, cytunaf â'r Aelod dros Orllewin Casnewydd fod angen gweithredu arnom ni, nid posibiliadau, oherwydd gwyddom fod hon yn broblem wirioneddol ddifrifol, ac mae llawer o bethau fydd yn mynd â'n sylw, yn enwedig y cwest nodedig i farwolaeth Ella Kissi-Debrah, a allai ganfod mai llygredd aer oedd prif achos ei marwolaeth. Ac mae gennym ni lefelau anghyfreithlon tebyg o lygredd aer yn fy etholaeth i, a dyna pam mae gwir angen inni fwrw ymlaen â darparu dewisiadau amgen difrifol i'r car modur ar gyfer cymudo bob dydd i'r ysgol ac i'r gwaith
Rwyf wedi ymrwymo'n llwyr i lwybr Burns. Rwyf wedi awgrymu ers tro mai un o'r allweddi i liniaru'r tagfeydd hyn ar y ffordd ar hyn o bryd yw'r pedair rheilffordd rhwng Caerdydd a Chasnewydd a thu hwnt. Ac, felly, hoffwn ganolbwyntio yn fy sylwadau ynglŷn â sut y cawn ni'r cynnydd hwnnw nawr ar yr agweddau canolog hynny o gynigion Burns. Rwy'n sylweddoli eich bod yn gobeithio y bydd adolygiad syr Peter Hendy o gysylltedd yn rhoi terfyn ar y ffordd gwbl annheg bresennol o ariannu trafnidiaeth ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Gadewch inni atgoffa ein hunain na fyddwn yn cael dim o'r £2 biliwn sydd i'w fuddsoddi yn HS2, er y bydd yn cael effaith andwyol ar economi Cymru. Ni fyddwn yn cael dim i wella ein rheilffyrdd o hynny, felly mae angen i hynny newid. Ond ni allwn ni aros tan adroddiad Hendy i siarad â Network Rail am yr hyn y gallem ni fod yn ei wneud nawr i ryddhau dwy o'r pedair rheilffordd hynny i sicrhau y gallwn ni wneud cynnydd sylweddol yn barod, gan adeiladu ar Laneirwg a Llanwern a'r gorsafoedd lleol eraill. Oherwydd mae'r sgyrsiau yr ydych chi'n eu cael gyda Julie James ynglŷn â pheidio â chaniatáu i bobl adeiladu tai mewn ardaloedd nad ydynt wedi'u cysylltu yn gynigion hirdymor, ond rwy'n credu bod angen i ni wneud pethau nawr er mwyn sicrhau bod pobl yn sylweddoli ein bod yn gwneud rhywbeth ynghylch (a) y tagfeydd hyn, a (b) yn mynd i'r afael â newid yn yr hinsawdd drwy gael pobl allan o'u ceir. Felly, tybed a allwch chi ddweud pa sgyrsiau yr ydych chi wedi'u cael gyda Network Rail ynglŷn â hyn. Rwy'n sylweddoli bod a wnelo hyn ag arian, ond nid yw o'r un cymhlethdod â cheisio rhyddhau tir i greu llinellau cangen, ac ati.
[Inaudible.]
[Anghlywadwy.]
I can't hear, unfortunately. He's muted.
Allaf i ddim clywed, yn anffodus. Mae ei feicroffon wedi ei dawelu.
We can't hear you, Minister. We've missed the start of your contribution, Minister. Can you start again? Try again, say something.
Ni allwn ni eich clywed chi, Gweinidog. Rydym ni wedi colli dechrau eich cyfraniad, Gweinidog. A wnewch chi ddechrau eto? Rhowch gynnig arall arni, dywedwch rywbeth.
Can you hear me now, Llywydd?
Allwch chi fy nghlywed i nawr, Llywydd?
Yes, we can. Carry on. Start again.
Gallwn, fe allwn ni. Ewch ymlaen. Dechreuwch eto.
Thank you. Apologies. I very much welcome the statement made by Jenny Rathbone, particularly her comments concerning biodiversity and air quality. On pages 79 and 80 of the report, some very strong statements are made concerning the benefits of implementing the recommendations in terms of air quality and biodiversity, in particular on page 80, and I'll quote:
'Our recommendations would assist in mitigating these problems and contribute towards compliance with the air quality standards'
in those key areas where nitrogen dioxide levels have been excessive. And, of course, if we were to promote the shift towards other modes of transport, we'd also see some of those carbon canyons, as they're often referred to, within Cardiff itself, alleviated of toxic emissions and particulates. And, so, the report really does make a very, very powerful case for implementing the recommendations, on the basis of not just alleviating congestion, but also in terms of improving air quality.
And in terms of biodiversity, again, paragraph 366, on page 80, states:
'We do not foresee that any of our recommendations would cause detriment to any of the environmentally designated sites in the region.... On the contrary, reducing the impact of cars and vehicle emissions on these areas should bring benefits to biodiversity and the water environment.'
My view is that the report delivers well against the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, in terms of the ways of working, in terms of the need to recognise the significance of the environment, the need to ensure that we're making our full contribution to challenging the climate emergency. And in addition, the report also makes a number of very powerful cases for addressing social injustice within the region, by investing more in public transport.
Regarding the rail spine, as Jenny Rathbone described it—and it's a very apt description—this has already been raised with Network Rail on numerous occasions. Discussions are ongoing, and I'll be raising the need for the UK Government to invest in the recommendations for its upgrade later this week, when I participate in a quadrilateral with UK Government Ministers and with counterparts from the other devolved administrations. As I said to other speakers, the UK Government have already received this report and the recommendations with great interest. My determination is that that interest is converted into commitment, commitment to invest in rail infrastructure in south-east Wales and to enable those four track lines to serve not just long journeys that are conducted on the basis of inter-city connections, but also commuter services between Cardiff, Newport and Bristol.
Diolch. Ymddiheuriadau. Croesawaf yn fawr y datganiad a wnaethpwyd gan Jenny Rathbone, yn enwedig ei sylwadau am fioamrywiaeth ac ansawdd aer. Ar dudalennau 79 ac 80 o'r adroddiad, gwneir rhai datganiadau cryf iawn ynghylch manteision gweithredu'r argymhellion o ran ansawdd aer a bioamrywiaeth, yn enwedig ar dudalen 80, a dyfynnaf:
Byddai ein hargymhellion yn helpu i liniaru'r problemau hyn ac yn cyfrannu at gydymffurfio â'r safonau ansawdd aer
yn yr ardaloedd allweddol hynny lle mae lefelau nitrogen deuocsid wedi bod yn ormodol. Ac, wrth gwrs, os ydym ni eisiau hyrwyddo'r newid tuag at fathau eraill o drafnidiaeth, byddem hefyd yn gweld rhai o'r ceunentydd carbon hynny, fel y cyfeirir atyn nhw yn aml, yng Nghaerdydd ei hun, gyda chrynodiadau llai o allyriadau a gronynnau gwenwynig. Ac, felly, mae'r adroddiad mewn gwirionedd yn cyflwyno achos grymus iawn dros weithredu'r argymhellion, ar sail nid yn unig lliniaru tagfeydd, ond hefyd o ran gwella ansawdd aer.
Ac o ran bioamrywiaeth, unwaith eto, mae paragraff 366, ar dudalen 80, yn nodi:
Nid ydym yn rhagweld y byddai unrhyw un o'n hargymhellion yn amharu ar unrhyw un o'r safleoedd amgylcheddol dynodedig yn y rhanbarth.... I'r gwrthwyneb, dylai lleihau effaith ceir ac allyriadau cerbydau ar yr ardaloedd hyn ddod â manteision i fioamrywiaeth a'r amgylchedd dŵr.
Fy marn i yw bod yr adroddiad yn cyflawni'n dda o'i gymharu â Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015, o ran y ffyrdd o weithio, o ran yr angen i gydnabod arwyddocâd yr amgylchedd, yr angen i sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud ein cyfraniad llawn at herio'r argyfwng hinsawdd. Ac yn ogystal, mae'r adroddiad hefyd yn cyflwyno sawl dadl rymus iawn o ran mynd i'r afael ag anghyfiawnder cymdeithasol yn y rhanbarth, drwy fuddsoddi mwy mewn trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus.
O ran y rheilffordd, fel y disgrifiodd Jenny Rathbone—ac mae'n ddisgrifiad addas iawn—mae hyn eisoes wedi'i grybwyll droeon wrth Network Rail. Mae trafodaethau'n mynd rhagddynt, a byddaf yn sôn bod angen i Lywodraeth y DU fuddsoddi yn yr argymhellion ar gyfer ei huwchraddio yn ddiweddarach yr wythnos hon, pan fyddaf yn cymryd rhan yn y cyfarfod pedairochrog gyda Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU a chyda chymheiriaid o'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig eraill. Fel y dywedais wrth siaradwyr eraill, mae Llywodraeth y DU eisoes wedi derbyn yr adroddiad hwn a'r argymhellion gyda diddordeb mawr. Fy mhenderfyniad i yw bod y diddordeb hwnnw'n cael ei droi'n ymrwymiad, ymrwymiad i fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith rheilffyrdd yn y de-ddwyrain ac i alluogi'r pedair llinell drac hynny i wasanaethu nid yn unig teithiau hir sy'n cysylltu dinasoedd â'i gilydd, ond hefyd gwasanaethau cymudo rhwng Caerdydd, Casnewydd a Bryste.
We're out of time on this item. I'll need shorter contributions of no more than a minute from the remaining speakers, if I'm to get through everybody who's requested to speak. Nick Ramsay.
Mae ein hamser ar ben ar gyfer yr eitem hon. Bydd angen cyfraniadau byrrach arnaf o ddim mwy na munud gan y siaradwyr sy'n weddill, os ydw i am gynnwys pawb sydd wedi gofyn am gael siarad. Nick Ramsay.
Diolch. I won't take it personally, and I'm sure the Minister will appreciate me being succinct. Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and also to thank Lord Burns for this valuable piece of work. There is no doubt at all that we do need a solution to the congestion along the M4 corridor around Newport, and, as you said, we have done for some time. Can I say, Minister, that I think that the time for reviews and commissions—welcome as they are—is obviously at an end now, and the people of Newport and south-east Wales want to see the recommendations of this report implemented as swiftly as possible? So, can I ask that you do that?
The bus and rail infrastructure in that part of the world has been sub-standard for a long time, and certainly not up to a city region standard. So, can you say a little bit more about how you intend to improve public transport in the area, and also to develop the metro system? I know that, in the past, you've spoken about the possibility of a metro hub at the Celtic Manor. With the new International Convention Centre Wales now having been finished, I think that now is an opportune moment to revisit that, and see if we can get that hub, with spokes going out both westwards to Newport station and also up to Monmouth in my constituency, so we can improve those public transport links.
And finally, Llywydd, I appreciate the Welsh Government's position on a relief road, and I also appreciate that these recommendations are around public transport. I am a bit concerned that, with the development of electric cars—particularly with the Government's deadlines now for 2030 as phasing out petrol cars—we are going to see growth in electric cars, and that means that the car vehicle is still going to be used over years to come. So, I think it would be wrong to shut the door on improvements to the existing M4 corridor. Do you have any plans to look at ways that that stretch of road can be improved, perhaps could be turned into a smart motorway? Perhaps there's scope for improvement at the Brynglas tunnels themselves—I know that there have been some lighting improvements and camera improvements over the months and years. But I think that we need both public transport and an engineering solution to the existing stretch of M4, working together to try and improve the transport problems in south-east Wales.
Diolch. Wna i ddim cymryd hynny'n bersonol, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd y Gweinidog yn gwerthfawrogi cyfraniad cryno gennyf. Diolch, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad, a diolch hefyd i'r Arglwydd Burns am y darn gwerthfawr hwn o waith. Nid oes amheuaeth o gwbl fod angen ateb i'r tagfeydd ar hyd coridor yr M4 arnom ni o amgylch Casnewydd, ac, fel y dywedoch chi, buom angen un ers peth amser. A gaf i ddweud, Gweinidog, fy mod yn credu bod yr amser ar gyfer adolygiadau a chomisiynau—er bod croeso iddyn nhw—yn amlwg ar ben nawr, a bod pobl Casnewydd a'r de-ddwyrain eisiau gweld gweithredu argymhellion yr adroddiad hwn cyn gynted â phosib? Felly, a gaf i ofyn ichi wneud hynny?
Mae'r seilwaith bysiau a rheilffyrdd yn y rhan honno o'r byd wedi bod yn is na'r safon ers amser maith, ac yn sicr nid yw'n cyfateb i safon dinas-ranbarth. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud ychydig mwy am sut yr ydych chi'n bwriadu gwella trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn yr ardal, a hefyd i ddatblygu'r system metro? Gwn eich bod, yn y gorffennol, wedi siarad am y posibilrwydd o ganolfan metro yn y Celtic Manor. Gyda Chanolfan Gynadledda Ryngwladol newydd Cymru bellach wedi'i chwblhau, credaf fod nawr yn gyfle da i ailedrych ar hynny, a gweld a allwn ni gael y ganolfan honno, gyda breichiau'n mynd allan tua'r gorllewin i orsaf Casnewydd a hefyd hyd at Drefynwy yn fy etholaeth i, fel y gallwn ni wella'r cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus hynny.
Ac yn olaf, Llywydd, rwy'n gwerthfawrogi safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru o ran ffordd liniaru, ac rwyf hefyd yn sylweddoli bod yr argymhellion hyn yn ymwneud â thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Rwyf braidd yn bryderus, wrth ddatblygu ceir trydan—yn enwedig gyda therfynau amser y Llywodraeth nawr o ran diddymu ceir petrol yn raddol erbyn 2030—y byddwn yn gweld cynnydd mewn ceir trydan, ac mae hynny'n golygu y bydd y ceir yn dal i gael eu defnyddio am flynyddoedd i ddod. Felly, credaf y byddai'n anghywir anghofio am welliannau i goridor presennol yr M4. Oes gennych chi unrhyw gynlluniau i ystyried ffyrdd y gellir gwella'r rhan honno o'r ffordd, efallai y gellid ei throi'n draffordd glyfar? Efallai fod lle i wella yn nhwneli Bryn-glas eu hunain—gwn y bu rhai gwelliannau i oleuadau a gwelliannau i gamerâu dros y misoedd a'r blynyddoedd. Ond rwy'n credu bod angen trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ac ateb arnom i'r rhan bresennol o'r M4 sy'n ystyried y mater o ran peirianneg, gan gydweithio i geisio gwella'r problemau trafnidiaeth yn y de-ddwyrain.
Can I thank Nick Ramsay for his contribution and the questions that he raised? I'd agree to his last point that we can't just look in isolation at the public transport solution, but we must also recognise that the M4 itself requires interventions. And that's why, in the first round of recommendations, Lord Burns recommended a small number of what were described as 'quick wins', to try to improve the flow of traffic along the M4, and that included additional signage, for example. We wish to prioritise our road investment in maintaining the asset, which is a very considerable one across Wales, amounting to about £17 billion in value. There are challenges in terms of smart motorways. I would never rule out the development of a smart motorway, but we must learn from some of the terrible, terrible accidents that have occurred in England during the development of the early round of smart motorways. Lives have been lost as a result of that particular intervention. So, the use of digital signing, the use of live traffic information, the use of remote monitoring systems are all very well and good, but safety has to come first—the safety of the travelling public. And, so, whilst I remain very, very open to the use of advanced technology in ensuring that traffic flows smoothly, I would not wish to follow what happened in the early stages of the development of smart motorways in England, where, unfortunately, lives were lost.
Electric cars, as Nick Ramsay said, could lead to similar volumes of traffic at the moment. Of course, there is advanced technology that is being researched concerning autonomous vehicles that could, in the future, in a distant time, lead to vehicles requiring potentially less space. In the first round of autonomous vehicles, it's likely that they'd need more space. But, of course, our key concern is in ensuring that through delivering the Burns recommendations we provide an alternative to reliance on the car, and that we provide an alternative that is cost-effective, and that is sustainable and that is accessible.
And I think that, in terms of the report, people in and around Newport, and across south-east Wales, are pretty settled on the report as the solution to this problem that has challenged us for many decades. And, of course, Nick Ramsay is right that within Newport itself the use of bus services will be hugely important. We've already trialled the Fflecsi service, as an alternative to traditional scheduled services. The report itself outlines recommendations concerning the integration of public bus services with active travel provision, and we're keen to ensure that the work is taken forward at maximum pace, working through the delivery unit that's been established and, of course, making sure that we go on using advanced technology, as it develops and as it emerges, to improve the provision of public transport and accessibility to it.
A gaf i ddiolch i Nick Ramsay am ei gyfraniad ac am y cwestiynau a gododd? Byddwn yn cytuno â'i sylw olaf na allwn ni ystyried yr ateb trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ar ei ben ei hun, ond rhaid i ni hefyd gydnabod bod angen ymyraethau ar yr M4 ei hun. A dyna pam, yn y gyfres gyntaf o argymhellion, yr argymhellodd yr Arglwydd Burns nifer fach o'r hyn a ddisgrifiwyd fel 'enillion cyflym', i geisio gwella llif y traffig ar hyd yr M4, ac roedd hynny'n cynnwys arwyddion ychwanegol, er enghraifft. Hoffem flaenoriaethu ein buddsoddiad mewn ffyrdd drwy gynnal yr ased, sy'n un sylweddol iawn ledled Cymru, sy'n werth tua £17 biliwn. Mae heriau o ran traffyrdd clyfar. Ni fyddwn i byth yn diystyru datblygu traffordd o'r fath, ond rhaid inni ddysgu o rai o'r damweiniau ofnadwy, ofnadwy sydd wedi digwydd yn Lloegr wrth ddatblygu'r cylch cynnar o draffyrdd clyfar. Collwyd bywydau o ganlyniad i'r ymyrraeth benodol honno. Felly, mae'r defnydd o arwyddion digidol, defnyddio gwybodaeth fyw am draffig, defnyddio systemau monitro o bell i gyd yn dda iawn, ond rhaid i ddiogelwch ddod yn gyntaf—diogelwch y cyhoedd sy'n teithio. Ac, felly, er fy mod yn parhau i fod yn agored iawn i ddefnyddio technoleg uwch i sicrhau bod traffig yn llifo'n esmwyth, ni fyddwn eisiau dilyn yr hyn a ddigwyddodd yng nghamau cynnar datblygu traffyrdd clyfar yn Lloegr, lle collwyd bywydau, yn anffodus.
Gallai ceir trydan, fel y dywedodd Nick Ramsay, arwain at gyfaint tebyg o draffig ar hyn o bryd. Wrth gwrs, mae technoleg uwch sy'n destun ymchwil ynghylch cerbydau sy'n gyrru eu hunain a allai, yn y dyfodol, ymhell yn y dyfodol, arwain at gerbydau sydd angen llai o le o bosibl. Yn y gyfres gyntaf o gerbydau sy'n gyrru eu hunain mae'n debygol y byddai angen mwy o le arnyn nhw. Ond, wrth gwrs, ein prif bryder yw sicrhau, drwy gyflawni argymhellion Burns, ein bod yn cynnig dewis amgen i ddibynnu ar y car, a'n bod yn darparu dewis arall sy'n gost-effeithiol, a bod hynny'n gynaliadwy a bod hynny'n hygyrch.
A chredaf, o ran yr adroddiad, fod pobl yng Nghasnewydd a'r tu allan iddi, ac ar draws y de-ddwyrain, yn eithaf sicr mai'r adroddiad yw'r ateb i'r broblem hon sydd wedi ein herio ers degawdau lawer. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae Nick Ramsay yn gywir y bydd defnyddio gwasanaethau bysiau yng Nghasnewydd ei hun yn eithriadol o bwysig. Rydym ni eisoes wedi arbrofi gyda'r gwasanaeth Fflecsi, yn hytrach na gwasanaethau traddodiadol wedi eu hamserlennu. Mae'r adroddiad ei hun yn amlinellu argymhellion sy'n ymwneud ag integreiddio gwasanaethau bysiau cyhoeddus â'r ddarpariaeth o deithio llesol, ac rydym yn awyddus i sicrhau y caiff y gwaith ei ddatblygu mor gyflym â phosib, gan weithio drwy'r uned gyflenwi sydd wedi'i sefydlu ac, wrth gwrs, sicrhau ein bod yn parhau i ddefnyddio technoleg uwch, wrth iddi ddatblygu ac wrth iddi ddod i'r amlwg, i wella'r ddarpariaeth o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus a pha mor rhwydd yw ei defnyddio.
I very much welcome your statement today, Minister, and the work of the commission for this integrated, accessible and sustainable transport system for Newport and around. It's been long awaited and we must now make it a reality. The delivery unit is vital to this, Minister, and it's good to hear that it will be meeting this month. I wonder if you can tell us whether that delivery unit will have a dedicated budget, whether it will be headed up by a named individual and whether it will have a remit set out in more detail than you've mentioned today.
In terms of buses, as you say, they must be a very important part of what we need to see happening in Newport, and any early wins around dedicated bus routes, bus corridors, would be very important. Would it be possible perhaps to have a free bus travel pilot, which would help with that accessibility and get more use of buses off to a very good start?
I heard what you said about Magor. It's very encouraging, Minister, particularly involving the group in designing what happens. You will know that they're quite some way down the road with UK Government in terms of the new stations fund, and I hear what you said or what's in the statement about St Mellons and Llanwern being at planning stages. Quite a lot has already happened in terms of going through the UK Government's stages with Magor, so I wonder if you could add that to the other two in terms of early developments that we might see.
In terms of active travel, the statement says that there's more to do in Newport, which is certainly the case. I wonder, again, if you could say a bit more about how we could have some early wins in terms of active travel. It's such an important and exciting part of the overall agenda, which hits so many of, I think, Welsh Government's priorities in terms of health and fitness, as well as the transport and environmental advantages.
Finally, in terms of Ebbw Vale, I'll just add my voice to Jayne Bryant's. We've waited so long to see progress on that Ebbw Vale line, and people are very, very impatient and it would be a huge act of good faith if there could be any speeding up of the establishment of that passenger line.
Croesawaf yn fawr eich datganiad heddiw, Gweinidog, a gwaith y comisiwn ar gyfer y system drafnidiaeth integredig, hygyrch a chynaliadwy hon ar gyfer Casnewydd a'r cyffiniau. Mae wedi bod yn hirddisgwyliedig ac mae'n rhaid i ni nawr ei wireddu. Mae'r uned gyflawni yn hanfodol i hyn, Gweinidog, ac mae'n dda clywed y bydd yn cyfarfod y mis hwn. Tybed a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni a fydd gan yr uned gyflawni honno gyllideb benodol, a gaiff ei harwain gan rywun penodol ac a fydd ganddi gylch gwaith wedi'i nodi'n fanylach nag yr ydych chi wedi'i grybwyll heddiw.
O ran bysiau, fel y dywedwch chi, mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r hyn y mae angen inni ei weld yn digwydd yng Nghasnewydd, a byddai unrhyw enillion cynnar ynghylch llwybrau bysiau, coridorau bysiau pwrpasol, yn bwysig iawn. A fyddai'n bosib efallai cael cynllun arbrofol gyda theithio am ddim ar fysiau, a fyddai'n helpu gyda'r hygyrchedd hwnnw ac yn rhoi sylfaen dda iawn i ddefnyddio mwy ar fysiau?
Clywais yr hyn a ddywedoch chi am Fagwyr. Mae'n galonogol iawn, Gweinidog, yn enwedig cynnwys y grŵp wrth gynllunio'r hyn sy'n digwydd. Byddwch yn gwybod eu bod wedi gwneud cryn dipyn o gynnydd gyda Llywodraeth y DU o ran y gronfa gorsafoedd newydd, a chlywaf yr hyn a ddywedoch chi neu beth sydd yn y datganiad am Laneirwg a Llanwern yn y camau cynllunio. Mae cryn dipyn wedi digwydd eisoes o ran mynd drwy gyfnodau Llywodraeth y DU gyda Magwyr, felly tybed a allech chi ychwanegu hynny at y ddau arall o ran datblygiadau cynnar y gallem eu gweld.
O ran teithio llesol, mae'r datganiad yn dweud bod mwy i'w wneud yng Nghasnewydd, sy'n sicr yn wir. Tybed, unwaith eto, pe gallech chi ddweud ychydig mwy am sut y gallem ni gael rhai enillion cynnar o ran teithio llesol. Mae'n rhan mor bwysig a chyffrous o'r agenda gyffredinol, sy'n cyflawni cymaint o flaenoriaethau Llywodraeth Cymru, rwy'n credu, o ran iechyd a ffitrwydd, yn ogystal â'r manteision trafnidiaeth ac amgylcheddol.
Yn olaf, o ran Glynebwy, hoffwn ategu yr hyn a ddywedodd Jayne Bryant. Rydym ni wedi aros cyhyd i weld cynnydd ar y rheilffordd honno yng Nglynebwy, ac mae pobl yn ddiamynedd iawn, iawn a byddai'n weithred enfawr o ewyllys da pe gellid cyflymu'r broses o sefydlu'r rheilffordd honno i deithwyr.
I thank John Griffiths for his questions. That delivery unit is going to be vitally important, as John Griffiths outlined, and governance and programme costs are under consideration at this moment in time. With regard to bus services in and around Newport, Transport for Wales are conducting a mapping exercise across Wales, and that will inform both Welsh Government and Transport for Wales as to where additional routes and services and novel forms of services may be required. Of course, we're keen to make sure that Newport is considered a priority for any introduction of new such services. Integration is going to be absolutely vital in delivering affordable transport solutions for the public. I'm very keen to make sure that we develop ticketing systems that are similar to very advanced systems that exist across other parts of the UK and further afield, including, for example, in Liverpool, where very, very affordable forms of public transport are available to the public. I know that the Magor action group have worked tirelessly to promote a new station in their community, and we're keen to go on working with them through the development process to ensure that that piece of infrastructure is in place as Lord Burns recommends. And in terms of active travel, on page 82 of the recommendations, Members will note that an early delivery of the Burns report could be the introduction of the Newport cycle hire scheme. I would very much welcome such a scheme, as it would give an opportunity to people to utilise hire cycles in the same way that other cities around Wales and the UK have enjoyed them in recent times.
Diolch i John Griffiths am ei gwestiynau. Bydd yr uned gyflawni honno'n hanfodol bwysig, fel yr amlinellodd John Griffiths, ac mae costau llywodraethu a rhaglenni'n cael eu hystyried ar hyn o bryd. O ran gwasanaethau bysiau yng Nghasnewydd a thu hwnt, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn cynnal ymarfer mapio ledled Cymru, a bydd hynny'n hysbysu Llywodraeth Cymru a Thrafnidiaeth Cymru ynghylch lle y gallai fod angen llwybrau a gwasanaethau ychwanegol a mathau newydd o wasanaethau. Wrth gwrs, rydym yn awyddus i sicrhau bod Casnewydd yn cael ei hystyried yn flaenoriaeth ar gyfer cyflwyno gwasanaethau newydd o'r fath. Bydd integreiddio'n gwbl hanfodol wrth ddarparu atebion trafnidiaeth fforddiadwy i'r cyhoedd. Rwy'n awyddus iawn i sicrhau ein bod yn datblygu systemau tocynnau sy'n debyg i'r systemau datblygedig iawn sy'n bodoli yn rhannau eraill o'r DU a thu hwnt, gan gynnwys, er enghraifft, yn Lerpwl, lle mae mathau fforddiadwy iawn o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ar gael i'r cyhoedd. Rwy'n gwybod bod grŵp gweithredu Magwyr wedi gweithio'n ddiflino i hyrwyddo gorsaf newydd yn eu cymuned, ac rydym ni yn awyddus i fynd ati i weithio gyda nhw drwy'r broses ddatblygu i sicrhau bod y darn hwnnw o seilwaith ar waith fel yr argymhella'r Arglwydd Burns. Ac o ran teithio llesol, ar dudalen 82 o'r argymhellion, bydd yr Aelodau'n gweld y gallai cyflwyno adroddiad Burns yn gynnar arwain at gyflwyno cynllun llogi beiciau Casnewydd. Byddwn yn croesawu cynllun o'r fath yn fawr, gan y byddai'n rhoi cyfle i bobl logi beiciau yn yr un modd ag y mae dinasoedd eraill ledled Cymru a'r DU wedi'u mwynhau yn ddiweddar.
I'd still like to see the M4 relief road built as promised, but I'll focus my remarks on the report. The UK Government and the Welsh Government have got different responsibilities here through law, but I wonder is a better approach to have a joint project team, where both parties are funding that and working together to deliver an agreed solution, as with Crossrail, where we saw the Department for Transport and Transport for London? Shouldn't we look at that joint model rather than just divvying up responsibilities? The Minister mentioned at the beginning the 10 to 50 miles and Cardiff, Newport and Bristol, and then said there needed to be a regional solution. But the remarks were focused on the south-east Wales region. What is going to be done to link this up and have an approach that takes in the demand to travel to and from Bristol from these parts of south Wales as well? When I've spoken with Ted Hand and the Magor group, who I congratulate too, I've emphasised how they complement what's happening at Cardiff parkway, or St Mellons, and also at Llanwern, because if you have three or now potentially six new stations, then the whole of that is going to change how transport works, and there is a much greater benefit to having all of them than just one. But on the 4.4 figure within the report, the four trains per hour running through those six stations, none of them are shown as going on to Bristol. Is that just how the particular figure has been drawn, or does that imply that, actually, none of those stopping services will be serving commuters going through to Bristol?
Hoffwn weld adeiladau ffordd liniaru'r M4 fel yr addawyd, ond canolbwyntiaf yn fy sylwadau ar yr adroddiad. Mae gan Lywodraeth y DU a Llywodraeth Cymru gyfrifoldebau gwahanol yma drwy'r gyfraith, ond tybed a yw'n ddull gwell i gael tîm prosiect ar y cyd, lle mae'r ddwy ochr yn ariannu hynny ac yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i ddarparu ateb y cytunwyd arno, fel gyda Crossrail, lle gwelsom yr Adran Drafnidiaeth a Transport for London? Oni ddylem ni edrych ar y model ar y cyd hwnnw yn hytrach na dim ond rhannu cyfrifoldebau? Soniodd y Gweinidog ar y dechrau am y 10 i 50 milltir a Chaerdydd, Casnewydd a Bryste, ac yna dywedodd fod angen ateb rhanbarthol. Ond roedd y sylwadau'n canolbwyntio ar ranbarth de-ddwyrain Cymru. Beth gaiff ei wneud i gysylltu hyn a chael dull sy'n cynnwys y galw i deithio yn ôl a blaen i Fryste o'r rhannau hyn o'r de hefyd? Pan oeddwn yn siarad â Ted Hand a grŵp Magwyr, yr wyf yn eu llongyfarch hefyd, rwyf wedi pwysleisio sut y maen nhw yn ategu'r hyn sy'n digwydd ym mharcffordd Caerdydd, neu Laneirwg, a hefyd yn Llanwern, oherwydd os oes gennych chi dair neu erbyn hyn chwe gorsaf newydd o bosib, yna bydd hynny i gyd yn newid y ffordd y mae trafnidiaeth yn gweithio, ac mae llawer mwy o fudd o gael y rheini i gyd yn hytrach na dim ond un. Ond ar y ffigur o 4.4 yn yr adroddiad, y pedwar trên yr awr sy'n teithio drwy'r chwe gorsaf hynny, ni ddangosir bod yr un ohonyn nhw yn mynd ymlaen i Fryste. Ai dyna sut yn union y cafwyd y ffigur penodol, ynteu a yw hynny'n awgrymu, mewn gwirionedd, na fydd yr un o'r gwasanaethau hynny sy'n aros mewn sawl gorsaf yn gwasanaethu cymudwyr sy'n teithio i Fryste?
Could I thank Mark Reckless and say that the latter is correct? Those additional services are designed to address the needs and existing demand within the Newport city area. But also, as the report makes clear, in terms of the summary, we would wish to see increased services across the border. Much of the report is actually dedicated to cross-border transport and makes recommendations concerning improved provision of rail services between south-east Wales and the south-west of England and, indeed, the south-east of England. In terms of the proposal for a joint project team, well, the delivery unit is a joint project team, currently comprising of Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and the local authorities. But, of course, given the significant role that Network Rail and the UK Government will play in this, then the door would certainly be open to participation by them in such a delivery unit to make sure that that investment that is so urgently required in terms of rail infrastructure in south-east Wales is delivered as soon as possible. So, I’d very much welcome their early participation in such a unit, and this is something that I'll be raising again with Ministers later this week.
A gaf i ddiolch i Mark Reckless a dweud mai'r olaf sy'n gywir? Mae'r gwasanaethau ychwanegol hynny wedi'u cynllunio i fynd i'r afael â'r anghenion a'r galw presennol yn ardal dinas Casnewydd. Ond hefyd, fel y mae'r adroddiad yn ei wneud yn glir, o ran y crynodeb, hoffem weld mwy o wasanaethau dros y ffin. Mae llawer o'r adroddiad wedi'i neilltuo mewn gwirionedd i drafnidiaeth drawsffiniol ac mae'n gwneud argymhellion ynghylch darparu gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd yn well rhwng de-ddwyrain Cymru a de-orllewin Lloegr ac, yn wir, i dde-ddwyrain Lloegr. O ran y cynnig ar gyfer tîm prosiect ar y cyd, wel, mae'r uned gyflawni yn dîm prosiect ar y cyd, sy'n cynnwys Llywodraeth Cymru, Trafnidiaeth Cymru a'r awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd. Ond, wrth gwrs, o ystyried y swyddogaeth arwyddocaol y bydd gan Network Rail a Llywodraeth y DU yn hyn o beth, yna byddai hi yn sicr yn bosib iddyn nhw gyfrannu at uned gyflenwi o'r fath i sicrhau y darperir y buddsoddiad hwnnw y mae ei angen ar fyrder o ran seilwaith rheilffyrdd yn y de-ddwyrain cyn gynted â phosib. Felly, byddwn yn croesawu'n fawr petaen nhw'n cyfrannu yn gynnar at uned o'r fath, ac mae hyn yn rhywbeth y byddaf yn dwyn sylw'r Gweinidogion ato eto yn ddiweddarach yr wythnos hon.
I'm very grateful to Lord Burns and the commission and to the Minister for his statement this afternoon. The Minister, in answering the questions, has referred to developments on the Ebbw valley line, and particularly new infrastructure in and around Abertillery. I'd be grateful if he could write to me outlining exactly what those investments are and how he sees those developments being pursued over the coming years.
But the point I wanted to make in this contribution this afternoon is the importance of that wider regional approach. The debate around the M4 has been too predicated on a very narrow band across the M4 corridor itself, or the 5 km north of it. What many of us would like to see—and this is one thing that I was very, very pleased to see in the report—is that wider regional approach, so that people who wish to travel into Newport, or through Newport into Cardiff, are able to do so, and to do so with a choice of transport services available to them, so that you do have the railway line providing the link from the Heads of the Valleys into the cities of the south, and also bus services that will serve communities across the south-east of the country.
The final point I would make is this: in designing new services, we need to always keep in mind the purpose of these services. The Ebbw valley line was designed not as a commuter service for the cities and the communities of the M4 corridor, but as an inter-urban service, linking the Heads of the Valleys with the city centre here. And there is always a danger—and I blame nobody for this; we will all campaign for our own constituencies—that as we add more stops in the southern part of that route, we slow the service down and we do not make it a viable service for the people of Blaenau Gwent. So, it is important, in ensuring that we develop and drive forward public transport serving the communities of eastern Cardiff, Newport and the rest, that we don't do that and inadvertently deprive the people of the Heads of the Valleys of the service that was designed in order to link that community with the communities here in Cardiff and Newport.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i'r Arglwydd Burns a'r comisiwn ac i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad y prynhawn yma. Mae'r Gweinidog, wrth ateb y cwestiynau, wedi cyfeirio at ddatblygiadau ar reilffordd cwm Ebwy, ac yn enwedig seilwaith newydd yn Abertyleri a'r cyffiniau. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe bai'n ysgrifennu ataf yn amlinellu beth yn union yw'r buddsoddiadau hynny a pha fath o ymrwymiad y mae'n ei weld yn y datblygiadau hynny dros y blynyddoedd nesaf.
Ond y sylw yr hoffwn ei wneud yn y cyfraniad hwn y prynhawn yma yw pwysigrwydd y dull rhanbarthol ehangach hwnnw. Mae'r ddadl ynghylch yr M4 wedi canolbwyntio'n ormodol ar ardal denau iawn ar draws coridor yr M4 ei hun, neu'r 5 km i'r gogledd ohono. Yr hyn yr hoffai llawer ohonom ni ei weld—ac mae hwn yn un peth yr oeddwn yn falch iawn o'i weld yn yr adroddiad—yr ymagwedd ranbarthol ehangach honno, fel bod pobl sy'n dymuno teithio i Gasnewydd, neu drwy Gasnewydd i Gaerdydd, yn gallu gwneud hynny, a gwneud hynny gyda dewis o wasanaethau trafnidiaeth ar gael iddyn nhw, fel bod gennych y rheilffordd sy'n darparu'r cyswllt o Flaenau'r Cymoedd i ddinasoedd y de, a hefyd gwasanaethau bysiau a fydd yn gwasanaethu cymunedau ar draws de-ddwyrain y wlad.
Y sylw olaf y byddwn yn ei wneud yw hyn: wrth gynllunio gwasanaethau newydd, mae angen inni gadw mewn cof bob amser ddiben y gwasanaethau hyn. Cynlluniwyd rheilffordd cwm Ebwy nid fel gwasanaeth cymudo i ddinasoedd a chymunedau coridor yr M4, ond fel gwasanaeth rhyngdrefol, gan gysylltu Blaenau'r Cymoedd â chanol y ddinas yma. Ac mae perygl bob amser—ac nid wyf yn beio neb am hyn; y byddwn i gyd yn ymgyrchu dros ein hetholaethau ein hunain—wrth inni ychwanegu mwy o arosfannau yn rhan ddeheuol y llwybr hwnnw, ein bod yn arafu'r gwasanaeth ac nad ydym yn ei wneud yn wasanaeth dichonadwy i bobl Blaenau Gwent. Felly, mae'n bwysig, o ran sicrhau ein bod yn datblygu ac yn gwella trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sy'n gwasanaethu cymunedau dwyrain Caerdydd, Casnewydd a'r gweddill, nad ydym yn gwneud hynny ac yn amddifadu pobl Blaenau'r Cymoedd yn anfwriadol o'r gwasanaeth a gynlluniwyd er mwyn cysylltu'r gymuned honno â'r cymunedau yma yng Nghaerdydd a Chasnewydd.
Can I thank Alun Davies for the points he raises and the questions that he raised? If I may, I'll just recap some of the areas of spend that the Welsh Government has made since 2001 in terms of rail infrastructure. There's the Vale of Glamorgan line reopening, the Ebbw valley line reopening, and new stations under development or being constructed at the moment include Bow Street, Ebbw town and Pye Corner—some have been completed, of course. There are the Merthyr frequency enhancements that we've invested in, and, of course, ongoing investment in the development of improvements between Wrexham and Chester on the line in the north. And, course, we're investing very heavily in the transformation of the core Valleys lines. So, as Alun Davies has outlined, our investment in rail infrastructure cannot be doubted. What we need now is the delivery of the Burns recommendations, and, to achieve that, UK Government investment.
Alun Davies is absolutely right that there must be affordable and attractive alternatives to the use of the private car, and in terms of making alternatives attractive, they have to be regular, they have to be rapid and they have to be reliable. And that's why the four trains per hour on the Ebbw line is such an important aim for the Welsh Government, and why we are so determined to ensure that four trains per hour are provided. I totally accept the point that the number of stops should be minimised in order to ensure that a service is rapid and that people are able to travel from A to B in less time than they would using their own vehicle, but, obviously, there is also the balance that needs to be struck with ensuring that people across an entire region have public transport that is accessible to them, and that we are able to maintain a strong farebox receipt in order to make those services sustainable.
In terms of the Ebbw Vale enhancements that are required, obviously, to deliver four trains per hour, it will require quite considerable investment by Network Rail, but we are working towards ensuring that that can happen. Because people in some of the most disadvantaged and distant communities in Wales, as in the UK as a whole, have been poorly served by rail investment, outside of the south-east of England, for far too long. That needs to be addressed as part of the levelling up agenda across the UK, and particularly within Wales.
A gaf i ddiolch i Alun Davies am ei sylwadau ac am y cwestiynau a holodd? Os caf i, fe roddaf grynodeb o rai o feysydd gwario Llywodraeth Cymru ers 2001 o ran seilwaith rheilffyrdd. Mae rheilffordd Bro Morgannwg yn ailagor, rheilffordd cwm Ebwy yn ailagor, ac mae gorsafoedd newydd yn cael eu datblygu neu eu hadeiladu ar hyn o bryd yn cynnwys Bow Street, tref Ebwy a Pye Corner—mae rhai wedi'u cwblhau, wrth gwrs. Rydym ni wedi buddsoddi mewn trenau amlach ym Merthyr, ac wrth gwrs, rydym ni wrthi yn buddsoddi yn natblygiad gwelliannau rhwng Wrecsam a Chaer ar y lein yn y gogledd. Ac, wrth gwrs, rydym ni yn buddsoddi'n helaeth iawn mewn trawsnewid rheilffyrdd craidd y Cymoedd. Felly, fel yr amlinellodd Alun Davies, ni ellir amau ein buddsoddiad mewn seilwaith rheilffyrdd. Yr hyn y mae arnom ni ei angen nawr yw cyflawni argymhellion Burns, ac, er mwyn cyflawni hynny, buddsoddiad Llywodraeth y DU.
Mae Alun Davies yn llygad ei le bod yn rhaid cael dewisiadau amgen fforddiadwy a deniadol yn lle defnyddio'r car preifat, ac o ran gwneud dewisiadau amgen yn ddeniadol, rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn rheolaidd, rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn gyflym a rhaid iddyn nhw fod yn ddibynadwy. A dyna pam mae'r pedwar trên yr awr ar reilffordd Ebwy yn nod mor bwysig i Lywodraeth Cymru, a dyma pam yr ydym ni mor benderfynol o sicrhau y caiff pedwar trên yr awr eu darparu. Derbyniaf yn llwyr y sylw y dylid lleihau nifer yr arosfannau er mwyn sicrhau bod gwasanaeth yn gyflym ac y gall bobl deithio o A i B mewn llai o amser nag y bydden nhw wrth ddefnyddio eu cerbyd eu hunain, ond, yn amlwg, mae'r cydbwysedd hwnnw y mae angen ei gyflawni hefyd o ran sicrhau bod gan bobl ar draws rhanbarth cyfan drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sy'n hygyrch iddyn nhw, a'n bod yn gallu derbyn digon o arian drwy werthu tocynnau er mwyn gwneud y gwasanaethau hynny'n gynaliadwy.
O ran y gwelliannau yng Nglynebwy sy'n ofynnol, yn amlwg, i ddarparu pedwar trên yr awr, bydd angen buddsoddiad eithaf sylweddol gan Network Rail, ond rydym ni yn gweithio tuag at sicrhau y gall hynny ddigwydd. Oherwydd bod pobl yn rhai o'r cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig a phellennig yng Nghymru, fel yn y DU gyfan, wedi cael eu gwasanaethu'n wael gan fuddsoddiad rheilffyrdd, y tu allan i dde-ddwyrain Lloegr, yn rhy hir o lawer. Mae angen mynd i'r afael â hynny fel rhan o'r agenda gydraddoldeb ledled y DU, ac yn enwedig yng Nghymru.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog. Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r toriad. Fe fyddwn ni'n cymryd toriad byr tra bod newidiadau yn cael eu gwneud yn y Siambr. Felly, byddwn ni nôl mewn ychydig funudau.
I thank the Minister. The next item will be the break. We will take a brief break while change-overs are made in the Siambr. So, we'll return in a few minutes' time.
Ataliwyd y Cyfarfod Llawn am 15:55.
Plenary was suspended at 15:55.
Ailymgynullodd y Senedd am 16:03, gyda'r Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd reconvened at 16:03, with the Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) in the Chair.
So, we reconvene then on item 4, which is a statement by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport: update on the Valleys taskforce, and I call on the Deputy Minister for the Economy and Transport, Lee Waters.
Felly, rydym yn ailymgynnull gydag eitem 4, sy'n ddatganiad gan Ddirprwy Weinidog yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth: diweddariad ar dasglu'r Cymoedd, a galwaf ar Ddirprwy Weinidog yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth, Lee Waters.
Thank you. My first initiative on becoming the chair of the Valleys taskforce two years ago was to look across the Valleys for existing good practice to share. There was understandable scepticism when the taskforce was first set up in 2016, that people had seen initiatives to transform the Valleys come and go. There was no appetite for more well-meaning initiatives from outsiders, and great efforts were made for this initiative to be different. Building on the extensive programme of open meetings and consultation that my colleague Alun Davies and other Ministers undertook, I met with every local authority leader in the taskforce area to ask them to identify successful initiatives that had originated in their areas that we could spread across neighbouring authorities.
Rhondda Cynon Taf had successfully developed a scheme to tackle the blight of empty properties. The taskforce decided to scale it across the Valleys. We set aside £10 million for people with houses that had been empty for more than six months to apply for a grant to bring them back into use as homes. We also decided to add to the original project by making an extra grant available for energy-saving measures.
We co-designed a scheme that tackled blight, a lack of affordable homes, and helped achieve decarbonisation, and we did so in a way that supported the foundational economy, with small local building firms benefiting from the regeneration spend that this project has unleashed. So far, over 500 applications have been received. Inevitably, the pandemic has caused delays but I am pleased that the Valleys' local authorities are committed to making this scheme a success—a scheme designed and delivered in the Valleys, and one that offers an example for the rest of Wales.
Diolch. Fy menter gyntaf ar ddod yn gadeirydd tasglu'r Cymoedd ddwy flynedd yn ôl oedd edrych ar draws y Cymoedd am yr arferion da presennol i'w rhannu. Roedd amheuaeth ddealladwy pan sefydlwyd y tasglu am y tro cyntaf yn 2016, bod pobl wedi gweld mentrau i drawsnewid y Cymoedd yn mynd a dod. Nid oedd unrhyw awydd am ragor o fentrau llawn bwriadau da gan bobl o'r tu allan, a gwnaed ymdrechion mawr i'r fenter hon fod yn wahanol. Gan adeiladu ar y rhaglen helaeth o gyfarfodydd agored ac ymgynghori a gynhaliwyd gan fy nghyd-Aelod Alun Davies a Gweinidogion eraill, cyfarfûm â phob arweinydd awdurdod lleol yn ardal y tasglu i ofyn iddyn nhw ddynodi mentrau llwyddiannus a oedd wedi tarddu o'u hardaloedd y gallem eu lledaenu ar draws awdurdodau cyfagos.
Roedd Rhondda Cynon Taf wedi llwyddo i ddatblygu cynllun i fynd i'r afael â malltod eiddo gwag. Penderfynodd y tasglu ehangu'r fenter ar draws y Cymoedd. Neilltuwyd £10 miliwn gennym ni ar gyfer pobl â thai a oedd wedi bod yn wag am fwy na chwe mis i wneud cais am grant i'w hadfer yn gartrefi eto. Penderfynwyd hefyd ychwanegu at y prosiect gwreiddiol drwy sicrhau bod grant ychwanegol ar gael ar gyfer mesurau arbed ynni.
Fe wnaethom ni gyd-ddylunio cynllun a oedd yn mynd i'r afael â malltod, diffyg tai fforddiadwy, ac a helpodd i sicrhau datgarboneiddio, ac fe wnaethom ni hynny mewn ffordd a oedd yn cefnogi'r economi sylfaenol, gyda chwmnïau adeiladu lleol bach yn elwa o'r gwariant adfywio y mae'r prosiect hwn wedi'i ryddhau. Hyd yn hyn, derbyniwyd dros 500 o geisiadau. Yn anochel, mae'r pandemig wedi achosi oedi ond rwy'n falch bod awdurdodau lleol y Cymoedd wedi ymrwymo i wneud y cynllun hwn yn llwyddiant—cynllun wedi'i gynllunio a'i ddarparu yn y Cymoedd, ac un sy'n cynnig esiampl i weddill Cymru.
The pandemic has shown the well-being-critical role everyday services and key workers play. And a broader commitment to support the foundations of the Valleys economy has been at the heart of the taskforce’s approach. Last year, I launched a foundational economy challenge fund trial project to test different approaches. Of the 52 experimental projects, 27 are in the Valleys. Through these projects, we are committed to experiment and to learn from different interventions to nurture local communities and change their relationship to their local economy. This is critical to build resilience to the disruption from external shocks we're seeing, like COVID, Brexit, automation and climate change.
Key to this is to stop wealth leaking out of the area. I’m pleased that the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, which did important work with Preston City Council to test the concept, is now working with every large public body in the Valleys to maximise the power of the public pound. They are all now working though their contracts to understand where they can redirect spending to shore up the local economy. This focused work in the Valleys will also inform work in the rest of Wales.
The same is true of some of our business initiatives. The Valleys taskforce piloted a peer-to-peer mutual support network for local business founders to tackle common problems. We're now extending it, and Business Wales are considering how it can be incorporated into business support initiatives across Wales.
We have also piloted the access employability programme to provide employability skills and personal development to people who have become unemployed. It, too, has proven a great success and is now being expanded across Wales as part of the ReAct programme.
We have spread good practice through the Valleys Regional Park project. We adapted our original plan to have park rangers to follow Bridgend County Borough Council's example of community guardians. We now have a network of Valleys Regional Park guardians who are at work in each of the discovery sites that act as a gateway to our green spaces. They not only keep an eye on the parks but link in to social prescribing and community enterprise initiatives, too. At Bryngarw Country Park, where we have funded a new education centre, the guardians are developing nature experience programmes for the home-schooling community. Connecting communities with local nature in this way is key to meeting the challenges of climate change. Funding for the management of the regional park is now in place until 2023. And to help support the long-term management of the landscape, we’ve put the governance of the parks under the city region structure.
Another exciting project that could lift the Valleys Regional Park is the Crucible project in Merthyr. To help seed it, we have contributed £80,000 to an archival study to help create the blueprint for this landmark project.
I'm also pleased to announce that Llyn Llech Owain in the Gwendraeth valley and the Afan forest in Neath Port Talbot have been awarded funding for improvements to become discovery gateway sites. In addition, Llyn Llech Owain and Parc Bryn Bach in Blaenau Gwent will become remote working hubs. Instead of a long commute, people can work from a modern office set in their local park, and take a break in nature in their lunch hour. We are funding complementary remote working projects in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Caerphilly, which will test the concept in smaller town centres, too. These, too, will inform our work to encourage 30 per cent of people to work remotely.
On top of this, we’ve invited smaller towns and villages to bid into a £3 million taskforce fund to help them to recover from the impact of COVID-19. The funding will cover physical improvements as well as digital. This will include a network of LoRaWAN gateways to support the development of 'the internet of things' innovations. In this case, bringing to the Valleys innovations in the use of footfall data from Cardigan and from north-west Wales, because best practice ought to travel both ways.
In transport we’ve innovated, too, and this was one of the areas frequently raised at our numerous public engagement events, the need for regular, reliable public transport. The on-demand local bus service, Fflecsi, which is now being piloted across Wales, came from Valleys taskforce discussions. And we have further announcements to make in the coming weeks. Again, these are all initiatives from the Valleys for the Valleys, but with the potential to be applied all over Wales. Dirprwy Lywydd, nobody is denying that the south Wales Valleys continue to face many challenges, but the taskforce has shown at least that the solutions to their problems lie within.
Mae'r pandemig wedi dangos swyddogaeth hollbwysig gwasanaethau bob dydd a gweithwyr allweddol. Ac mae ymrwymiad ehangach i gefnogi sylfeini economi'r Cymoedd wedi bod wrth wraidd dull gweithredu'r tasglu. Y llynedd, lansiais brosiect arbrofol cronfa her economi sylfaenol i arbrofi gyda gwahanol ddulliau. O'r 52 prosiect arbrofol, mae 27 yn y Cymoedd. Drwy'r prosiectau hyn, rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i arbrofi a dysgu o wahanol ymyraethau i feithrin cymunedau lleol a newid eu perthynas â'u heconomi leol. Mae hyn yn hanfodol er mwyn meithrin cydnerthedd yn wyneb yr ergydion allanol yr ydym yn eu gweld, fel COVID, Brexit, awtomeiddio a newid hinsawdd.
Mae atal cyfoeth rhag llifo o'r ardal yn allweddol i hyn. Rwy'n falch bod y Ganolfan Strategaethau Economaidd Lleol, a wnaeth waith pwysig gyda Chyngor Dinas Preston i brofi'r cysyniad, bellach yn gweithio gyda phob corff cyhoeddus mawr yn y Cymoedd i fanteisio i'r eithaf ar rym y bunt gyhoeddus. Maen nhw i gyd bellach yn gweithio drwy eu contractau i ddeall ble y gallan nhw ailgyfeirio gwariant i gynnal yr economi leol. Bydd y gwaith penodol hwn yn y Cymoedd hefyd yn llywio gwaith yng ngweddill Cymru.
Mae'r un peth yn wir am rai o'n mentrau busnes. Arbrofodd tasglu'r Cymoedd gyda rhwydwaith cymorth cydfuddiannol rhwng busnesau fel y gallai sylfaenwyr busnesau lleol fynd i'r afael â phroblemau cyffredin. Rydym ni bellach yn ei ymestyn, ac mae Busnes Cymru yn ystyried sut y gellir ei ymgorffori mewn mentrau cymorth busnes ledled Cymru.
Rydym hefyd wedi treialu'r rhaglen gyflogadwyedd i ddarparu sgiliau gwaith a datblygiad personol i bobl sydd wedi dod yn ddi-waith. Mae hefyd wedi profi'n llwyddiant mawr ac mae bellach yn cael ei ehangu ledled Cymru yn rhan o raglen ReAct.
Rydym ni wedi lledaenu arferion da drwy brosiect Parc Rhanbarthol y Cymoedd. Fe wnaethom ni addasu ein cynllun gwreiddiol fel bod ceidwaid parciau yn dilyn esiampl Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr o warcheidwaid cymunedol. Bellach mae gennym ni rwydwaith o warcheidwaid Parc Rhanbarthol y Cymoedd sydd ar waith ym mhob un o'r safleoedd darganfod sy'n gweithredu fel porth i'n mannau gwyrdd. Maen nhw nid yn unig yn cadw llygad ar y parciau ond yn cysylltu â mentrau rhagnodi cymdeithasol a mentrau cymunedol hefyd. Ym Mharc Gwledig Bryngarw, lle'r ydym ni wedi ariannu canolfan addysg newydd, mae'r gwarcheidwaid yn datblygu rhaglenni profiad natur ar gyfer rhieni sy'n dysgu eu plant gartref. Mae cysylltu cymunedau â'r byd natur sydd o'u cwmpas fel hyn yn allweddol i ateb heriau newid hinsawdd. Mae cyllid ar gyfer rheoli'r parc rhanbarthol bellach ar waith tan 2023. Ac er mwyn helpu i gefnogi rheolaeth hirdymor y dirwedd, caiff y parciau eu llywodraethu bellach o dan strwythur y dinas-ranbarthau.
Prosiect cyffrous arall a allai roi hwb i Barc Rhanbarthol y Cymoedd yw prosiect y Crucible ym Merthyr. I'w helpu i fwrw gwreiddiau, rydym ni wedi cyfrannu £80,000 at astudiaeth archifol i helpu i greu'r glasbrint ar gyfer y prosiect nodedig hwn.
Rwyf hefyd yn falch o gyhoeddi bod Llyn Llech Owain yng nghwm Gwendraeth a choedwig Afan yng Nghastell-nedd Port Talbot wedi derbyn cyllid ar gyfer gwelliannau i ddod yn safleoedd porth darganfod. Yn ogystal, bydd Llyn Llech Owain a Pharc Bryn Bach ym Mlaenau Gwent yn dod yn ganolfannau gweithio o bell. Yn hytrach na thaith hir i'r gwaith, gall pobl weithio o swyddfa fodern yn eu parc lleol, a chymryd seibiant yng nghanol byd natur ar eu hawr ginio. Rydym ni yn ariannu prosiectau gweithio ategol o bell yn Rhondda Cynon Taf a Chaerffili, a fydd yn profi'r cysyniad yng nghanol trefi llai hefyd. Bydd y rhain hefyd yn llywio ein gwaith i annog 30 y cant o bobl i weithio o bell.
Ar ben hyn, rydym ni wedi gwahodd trefi a phentrefi llai i wneud cais i gronfa dasglu gwerth £3 miliwn i'w helpu i wella o effaith COVID-19. Bydd yr arian yn cwmpasu gwelliannau ffisegol yn ogystal â digidol. Bydd hyn yn cynnwys rhwydwaith o byrth LoRaWAN i gefnogi'r gwaith o ddatblygu datblygiadau arloesol 'y rhyngrwyd o bethau'. Yn yr achos hwn, dod â datblygiadau arloesol i'r Cymoedd o ran defnyddio data ar nifer yr ymwelwyr o Aberteifi ac o'r gogledd-orllewin, oherwydd dylai arferion gorau deithio'r ddwy ffordd.
Ym maes trafnidiaeth rydym ni wedi arloesi hefyd, ac roedd hwn yn un o'r meysydd a godwyd yn aml yn ein digwyddiadau ymgysylltu â'r cyhoedd niferus, yr angen am drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus reolaidd a dibynadwy. Daeth y gwasanaeth bws lleol ar alw, Fflecsi, sydd bellach yn destun arbrawf ledled Cymru, o drafodaethau tasglu'r Cymoedd. Ac mae gennym ni gyhoeddiadau pellach i'w gwneud yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf. Unwaith eto, mae'r rhain i gyd yn fentrau o'r Cymoedd ar gyfer y Cymoedd, ond gyda'r potensial i gael eu cymhwyso ledled Cymru. Dirprwy Lywydd, nid oes neb yn gwadu bod Cymoedd y de yn parhau i wynebu llawer o heriau, ond mae'r tasglu wedi dangos o leiaf fod yr atebion i'w problemau i'w canfod yn y Cymoedd eu hunain.
I thank the Deputy Minister for his statement today and broadly welcome it. The Valleys taskforce was established in 2016 to focus resources on disadvantaged communities in south Wales Valleys, which, of course, is very welcome. These communities have faced economic and social issues that have detrimentally impacted on their well-being. Sadly, the work of the Valleys taskforce has been significantly hampered by the coronavirus outbreak. In June, Deputy Minister, you confirmed that a number of projects have been paused due to health and safety concerns and capacity constraints. You also asked officials to undertake a review of each of the seven priorities of the current Valleys taskforce programme. In view of this, could you outline the future of the Valleys taskforce during the remainder of the programme, and what projects will be prioritised or scrapped to provide certainty to stakeholders and the communities?
Despite its good intentions, the Valleys taskforce has not delivered the transformative change that the south Wales Valleys needed to improve the prosperity of local communities. In written evidence to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the Bevan Foundation state that they have continued to have concerns about the strategy, scale and impact of the taskforce. The Bevan Foundation note that the taskforce itself has helped to direct focus on the socioeconomic issues facing the communities in the Valleys. However, they are also critical of the Welsh Labour Government's lack of leadership and direction in setting up and resourcing the taskforce.
They also criticise the Welsh Labour-led Government's target to get 7,000 people into work by 2021, which pales in comparison to the 67,000 jobs that are estimated to be required to meet the jobs need of the area. The most recent statistics show that 4,500 people have been supported into work through community employment programmes since July 2017. However, this progress is likely to have been offset by job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do you react, Deputy Minister, to the evidence provided by stakeholders that the Valleys taskforce has been limited by a lack of ambition from the Welsh Labour Government, and that a somewhat inconsistent approach to a socioeconomic regeneration has resulted in resources and investment being spread out too thinly across the region?
The number of empty properties in the Valleys region is still high. Recent estimates show that there are 994 empty properties in Blaenau Gwent, equivalent to 3 per cent of the total number of dwellings in the area; 2,212 empty properties in Rhondda Cynon Taff, equivalent to 2 per cent of the total number of dwellings; and 520 empty properties in Merthyr Tydfil, equivalent to 1.9 per cent of the total dwellings in the area.
The Welsh index of multiple deprivation in 2019 found that towns in south Wales Valleys are more likely to experience higher income deprivation and health deprivation than other parts of Wales. I know you've introduced an empty homes grant to tackle the issue of empty and derelict homes in the Valleys region, but this scheme will end in February 2021. The Welsh Valleys need urgent tailored investment and support to help communities to build back better. Will the Deputy Minister outline how the Welsh Labour Government will use its unallocated resources as part of the extra £5 billion of extra funding provided by the UK Conservative Government to help the Valleys recover post pandemic? Thank you.
Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei ddatganiad heddiw ac rwy'n ei groesawu'n gyffredinol. Sefydlwyd tasglu'r Cymoedd yn 2016 i ganolbwyntio adnoddau ar gymunedau difreintiedig yng Nghymoedd y de, sydd, wrth gwrs, i'w groesawu'n fawr. Mae'r cymunedau hyn wedi wynebu materion economaidd a chymdeithasol sydd wedi cael effaith andwyol ar eu llesiant. Yn anffodus, mae gwaith tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi'i lesteirio'n sylweddol gan haint y coronafeirws. Ym mis Mehefin, Dirprwy Weinidog, fe wnaethoch chi gadarnhau bod nifer o brosiectau wedi'u gohirio oherwydd pryderon iechyd a diogelwch a chyfyngiadau ar gapasiti. Fe wnaethoch chi hefyd ofyn i swyddogion gynnal adolygiad o bob un o saith blaenoriaeth rhaglen bresennol tasglu'r Cymoedd. O ystyried hyn, a wnewch chi amlinellu dyfodol tasglu'r Cymoedd yn ystod gweddill y rhaglen, a pha brosiectau a gaiff eu blaenoriaethu neu eu dileu i roi sicrwydd i randdeiliaid a'r cymunedau?
Er gwaethaf ei fwriadau da, nid yw tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi cyflawni'r newid trawsnewidiol yr oedd ei angen ar Gymoedd y de i wella ffyniant cymunedau lleol. Mewn tystiolaeth ysgrifenedig i Bwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau, dywed Sefydliad Bevan fod ganddyn nhw bryderon o hyd am strategaeth, graddfa ac effaith y tasglu. Mae Sefydliad Bevan yn nodi bod y tasglu ei hun wedi helpu i ddal sylw ar y materion economaidd-gymdeithasol sy'n wynebu cymunedau'r Cymoedd. Fodd bynnag, maen nhw hefyd yn feirniadol o ddiffyg arweinyddiaeth a chyfeiriad Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru wrth sefydlu ac adnabod y tasglu.
Maen nhw hefyd yn beirniadu targed Llywodraeth Cymru dan arweiniad Llafur i gael 7,000 o bobl i mewn i waith erbyn 2021, sy'n nifer pitw o'i gymharu â'r 67,000 o swyddi yr amcangyfrifir bod eu hangen i ddiwallu anghenion swyddi'r ardal. Mae'r ystadegau diweddaraf yn dangos bod 4,500 o bobl wedi cael cymorth i gael gwaith drwy raglenni cyflogaeth gymunedol ers mis Gorffennaf 2017. Fodd bynnag, mae'r cynnydd hwn yn debygol o fod wedi'i wrthbwyso gan golli swyddi o ganlyniad i bandemig COVID-19. Sut ydych chi'n ymateb, Dirprwy Weinidog, i'r dystiolaeth a ddarparwyd gan randdeiliaid bod tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi'i gyfyngu gan ddiffyg uchelgais gan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru, a bod dull braidd yn anghyson o adfywio economaidd-gymdeithasol wedi arwain at ddarparu rhy ychydig o adnoddau a buddsoddiad ar draws y rhanbarth?
Mae nifer yr eiddo gwag yn rhanbarth y Cymoedd yn dal yn uchel. Dengys amcangyfrifon diweddar fod 994 eiddo gwag ym Mlaenau Gwent, sy'n cyfateb i 3 y cant o gyfanswm nifer yr anheddau yn yr ardal; 2,212 eiddo gwag yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, sy'n cyfateb i 2 y cant o gyfanswm nifer yr anheddau; a 520 eiddo gwag ym Merthyr Tudful, sy'n cyfateb i 1.9 y cant o gyfanswm yr anheddau yn yr ardal.
Canfu mynegai amddifadedd lluosog Cymru yn 2019 fod trefi yng Nghymoedd y de yn fwy tebygol o brofi mwy o amddifadedd incwm ac amddifadedd iechyd na rhannau eraill o G