Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
30/03/2022Cynnwys
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. Croeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, hoffwn nodi ychydig o bwyntiau. Cynhelir y cyfarfod hwn ar ffurf hybrid, gyda rhai Aelodau yn y Siambr ac eraill yn ymuno trwy gyswllt fideo. Bydd yr holl Aelodau sy'n cymryd rhan yn nhrafodion y Senedd, ble 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 yma, ac mae'r rheini wedi eu nodi ar eich agenda chi.
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 Chamber and others joining by video-conference. All Members participating in proceedings of the Senedd, wherever they may be, will be treated equally. 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 meeting, and these are set out on your agenda.
Cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd sydd gyntaf y prynhawn yma ac rwyf wedi cael gwybod, o dan Reol Sefydlog 12.58, y bydd yr holl gwestiynau o dan yr eitem yma yn cael eu hateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd ar ran y Gweinidog. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Peredur Owen Griffiths.
The first item is questions to the Minister for Climate Change, and I've received notification, under Standing Order 12.58, that all questions under this item will be answered by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change on behalf of the Minister. The first question is from Peredur Owen Griffiths.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ddiogelwch tomenni glo yn Nwyrain De Cymru? OQ57887
1. Will the Minister provide an update on coal tip safety in South Wales East? OQ57887

Thank you. I'd refer the Member to the oral statement made yesterday, and, of course, we're debating this this afternoon. As we made clear, inspections of higher rated tips have recently completed and we committed £44.4 million for maintenance works over the next three years.
Diolch. Hoffwn gyfeirio'r Aelod at y datganiad llafar a wnaed ddoe, ac yr ydym yn dadlau hyn y prynhawn yma wrth gwrs. Fel y dywedasom yn glir, mae arolygiadau o domenni sydd wedi’u graddio’n uwch wedi'u cwblhau'n ddiweddar, ac rydym wedi ymrwymo £44.4 miliwn ar gyfer gwaith cynnal a chadw dros y tair blynedd nesaf.
Diolch am yr ateb.
Thank you for the answer.
It was clear from the coal tip safety statement yesterday that there is much more work to be done in the years ahead to make safe the legacy of our industrial past in Wales. It'll take many years and and hundreds of millions of pounds to sort this out. It goes without saying that Westminster, which reaped the benefits and the profits from the coal industry, should be footing the bill. It's a scandal that they are not. How are you linking up with other Government departments to ensure that we will have the necessary expertise and capacity within Wales to undertake the specialist work needed to make our communities safe? Remedial work considered acceptable decades ago must surely now be reassessed in light of the climate crisis we face.
Roedd yn amlwg o’r datganiad ar ddiogelwch tomenni glo ddoe fod llawer mwy o waith i’w wneud yn y blynyddoedd i ddod i ddiogelu'r hyn a adawyd ar ôl gan ein gorffennol diwydiannol yng Nghymru. Bydd yn cymryd llawer o flynyddoedd a channoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd i ymdrin â hyn. Afraid dweud mai San Steffan, a gafodd y buddion a’r elw o’r diwydiant glo, a ddylai fod yn talu’r bil. Mae'n sgandal nad ydynt yn gwneud hynny. Sut ydych chi'n cysylltu ag adrannau eraill o’r Llywodraeth i sicrhau y bydd gennym yr arbenigedd a’r capasiti angenrheidiol yng Nghymru i wneud y gwaith arbenigol sydd ei angen i ddiogelu ein cymunedau? Erbyn hyn, mae angen ailasesu gwaith adfer a oedd yn cael ei ystyried yn dderbyniol ddegawdau’n ôl yng ngoleuni’r argyfwng hinsawdd sy’n ein hwynebu.
Thank you, yes, and I completely agree that there is a role here for the UK Government. This is a legacy of Britain's industrial past. The tips were accumulated before power was devolved to Wales and the UK Government must play its role in meeting that bill. And I think there is consensus in this Chamber, certainly on non-Conservative benches, that that's the case.
As the Member rightly says, we do need to make sure that there is innovation and technology in the way that we address both the threat of the tip and the opportunity that regeneration brings. And there's no doubt, both through skilling and supply chain, as well as innovation, that, in meeting our obligation to deal with these tips, there are also benefits that can be brought to the communities that currently host them. So, we have an innovation programme, which I mentioned yesterday, using some world-first technologies and we'll be trialling those in the years to come. We are working with the local authorities, and, as part of the consultation now on the Law Commission report, we'll be assessing the creation of a new statutory body, which will need to be a partnership with other delivery agencies in Wales in order that we can together meet the challenge this presents.
Diolch, ie, ac rwy’n cytuno’n llwyr fod rôl yma i Lywodraeth y DU. Dyma a adawyd ar ôl o orffennol diwydiannol Prydain. Mae'r tomenni'n dyddio o adeg cyn i bwerau gael eu datganoli i Gymru, ac mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth y DU chwarae ei rhan a thalu'r bil hwnnw. A chredaf fod consensws yn y Siambr hon, yn sicr ar y meinciau nad ydynt yn rhai Ceidwadol, ynglŷn â hynny.
Fel y dywed yr Aelod yn gwbl gywir, mae angen inni sicrhau bod arloesi a thechnoleg wrth wraidd y ffordd yr awn i’r afael â bygythiad y tomenni yn ogystal â'r cyfle a geir yn sgil adfywio. A thrwy sgilio a thrwy'r gadwyn gyflenwi, yn ogystal ag arloesi, nid oes amheuaeth y gellir darparu manteision wrth gyflawni ein rhwymedigaeth i fynd i'r afael â'r tomenni hyn i'r cymunedau lle mae'r tomenni hynny wedi'u lleoli ar hyn o bryd. Felly, mae gennym raglen arloesi, y soniais amdani ddoe, sy'n defnyddio technolegau o'r radd flaenaf, a byddwn yn treialu'r rheini yn y blynyddoedd i ddod. Rydym yn gweithio gyda’r awdurdodau lleol, ac fel rhan o’r ymgynghoriad yn awr ar adroddiad Comisiwn y Gyfraith, byddwn yn asesu'r gwaith o greu corff statudol newydd, y bydd angen iddo fod yn bartneriaeth gydag asiantaethau cyflawni eraill yng Nghymru fel y gallwn fynd i'r afael gyda'n gilydd â'r her y mae hyn yn ei chyflwyno.
Deputy Minister, last week, the Law Commission made a number of recommendations for a new safety regime to help protect against a range of threats to coal tip safety and to ensure a consistent approach is taken to all tips in Wales, in response to which you made a statement yesterday. In your statement, you said that the Welsh Government does not have the funding to ensure that coal tips are safe in Wales. However, in March 2020, the Secretary of State for Wales wrote a letter to all Members of the Senedd saying that the UK Government would look seriously at all requests for funding to support management of coal tips, following the spate of flooding across south Wales at that time. So, can I ask, Deputy Minister, what discussions have you had with local authorities in Wales to ensure that they are aware of this funding from the Wales Office to ensure the required action to ensure coal tip safety in the period before you introduce and pass legislation? Thank you.
Ddirprwy Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, gwnaeth Comisiwn y Gyfraith nifer o argymhellion ar gyfer trefn ddiogelwch newydd i helpu i amddiffyn rhag amrywiaeth o fygythiadau i ddiogelwch tomenni glo ac i sicrhau y ceir dull cyson o ymdrin â phob tomen yng Nghymru, ac fe wnaethoch ddatganiad mewn ymateb i hynny ddoe. Yn eich datganiad, fe ddywedoch chi nad oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru gyllid i sicrhau bod tomenni glo yn ddiogel yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, ym mis Mawrth 2020, ysgrifennodd Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru lythyr at holl Aelodau’r Senedd yn dweud y byddai Llywodraeth y DU yn ystyried o ddifrif pob cais am gyllid i gefnogi'r gwaith o reoli tomenni glo, yn dilyn y llifogydd ledled de Cymru bryd hynny. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn, Ddirprwy Weinidog, pa drafodaethau a gawsoch chi gydag awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru i sicrhau eu bod yn ymwybodol o’r cyllid hwn gan Swyddfa Cymru i sicrhau’r camau gweithredu gofynnol i sicrhau diogelwch tomenni glo yn y cyfnod cyn ichi gyflwyno a phasio deddfwriaeth? Diolch.
Well, the funding that was made available after the floods amounted to some £9 million and around half of that has gone to coal tip safety in Tylorstown. We've spent some £20 million on that. We're facing a bill of in excess of £500 million. We've committed £44.4 million over the next three years. The UK Government has refused to give any further money, and both the Secretary of State for Wales and his under-secretary have been consistent and robust in saying that it's now not a matter for them. In their view, this is up to us to solve, and I just reject that analysis. I think it would be far better if we could work together on this and recognise that there is a shared obligation to deal with this challenge. That is not the view of the Secretary of State, as I understand it, but it would be great if Members opposite could help some sense to be seen.
Wel, cyfanswm y cyllid a ddarparwyd ar ôl y llifogydd oedd oddeutu £9 miliwn, ac mae oddeutu hanner hwnnw wedi mynd tuag at ddiogelwch tomenni glo yn Tylorstown. Rydym wedi gwario oddeutu £20 miliwn ar hynny. Rydym yn wynebu bil o fwy na £500 miliwn. Rydym wedi ymrwymo £44.4 miliwn dros y tair blynedd nesaf. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi gwrthod rhoi rhagor o arian, ac mae Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru a’i is-ysgrifennydd wedi dweud yn gyson ac yn gadarn nad yw’n fater iddynt hwy bellach. Yn eu barn hwy, mater i ni yw datrys hyn, ac rwy'n gwrthod y dadansoddiad hwnnw. Credaf y byddai’n llawer gwell pe gallem gydweithio ar hyn a chydnabod ein bod yn rhannu'r rhwymedigaeth i fynd i'r afael â’r her hon. Nid dyna farn yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol, yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, ond byddai’n wych pe gallai'r Aelodau gyferbyn helpu fel y gellid gweld rhywfaint o synnwyr.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ddatgarboneiddio tai? OQ57878
2. Will the Minister provide an update on decarbonising housing? OQ57878
Thank you. We have introduced new build standards for social homes, which banish the use of fossil fuels, with ambitions for private developers to adopt these requirements by 2025. We also continue to invest in the optimised retrofit programme, exploring the most effective and efficient ways of decarbonising existing social housing stock.
Diolch. Rydym wedi cyflwyno safonau adeiladu newydd ar gyfer cartrefi cymdeithasol, sy'n gwahardd y defnydd o danwydd ffosil, gydag uchelgeisiau i ddatblygwyr preifat fabwysiadu'r gofynion hyn erbyn 2025. Rydym hefyd yn parhau i fuddsoddi yn y rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio, gan archwilio'r ffyrdd mwyaf effeithiol ac effeithlon o ddatgarboneiddio'r stoc o dai cymdeithasol sy'n bodoli'n barod.
I thank the Minister for that answer. I personally would like to commend Swansea Council and local registered social landlords on the work that the have done in decarbonising their new housing. I represent a constituency that has a large number of owner-occupied and privately rented houses, which were built in the nineteenth century. What progress has been made to reduce heat loss from private and privately rented housing? And what is the plan to decarbonise these houses? I recognise it's going to be long and I recognise it's going to be difficult.
Diolch i’r Gweinidog am ei ateb. Yn bersonol, hoffwn ganmol Cyngor Abertawe a’r landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig lleol am y gwaith y maent wedi’i wneud yn datgarboneiddio eu tai newydd. Rwy’n cynrychioli etholaeth a chanddi nifer fawr o dai sy'n eiddo i berchen-feddianwyr a thai rhentu preifat, a adeiladwyd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg. Pa gynnydd a wnaed i leihau’r gwres a gollir o dai preifat a thai rhentu preifat? A beth yw'r cynllun i ddatgarboneiddio'r tai hyn? Rwy'n cydnabod y bydd yn broses hir ac rwy'n cydnabod y bydd yn broses anodd.
Well, I'd like to echo what Mike Hedges said about Swansea Council. I think it's an excellent example of a partnership between a Labour-run local authority and a Welsh Labour Government. They themselves have invested some £60 million this financial year in warmer, more energy efficient homes, creating some 25 new low-carbon homes, as well as a programme of energy efficiency for existing homes, totalling around £46 million. I think that is a tremendous effort on their part to deal with the cost of living crisis, by providing practical help to deal with fuel poverty and addressing the net zero challenge.
On the issue of private houses, we are very fortunate that we have Rent Smart Wales, which is something other parts of the UK don't have, which allows us to map the properties in the private sector to see which ones are not currently meeting minimum energy efficiency standards. And then, with that information, we can look at what mix of grant and loan is needed to incentivse those homes to meet the standard and to exceed it. We're taking an approach, as Mike Hedges knows, of trialling our optimised retrofit programme, which is a £220 million investment by us, and taking what we describe as a 'fabric first' approach, recognising that there have been difficulties with retrofit programmes across the UK over the last few years and all houses are different. In particular, Wales has an old housing stock, with very varied housing stock, and what might be a solution for a terraced house in the Valleys might be different for a suburban bungalow. So, we need to trial, which we are, different fabrics to understand what would be the most efficient, and when we understand those practicalities, we can then set out a pathway towards decarbonisation.
Wel, hoffwn adleisio'r hyn a ddywedodd Mike Hedges am Gyngor Abertawe. Credaf ei bod yn enghraifft wych o bartneriaeth rhwng awdurdod lleol sy’n cael ei redeg gan Lafur a Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru. Maent hwy eu hunain wedi buddsoddi oddeutu £60 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon mewn cartrefi cynhesach, mwy effeithlon o ran eu defnydd o ynni, gan greu oddeutu 25 o gartrefi carbon isel newydd, yn ogystal â rhaglen effeithlonrwydd ynni ar gyfer cartrefi sy'n bodoli'n barod, gwerth cyfanswm o oddeutu £46 miliwn. Credaf fod honno’n ymdrech aruthrol ar eu rhan i fynd i'r afael â’r argyfwng costau byw, drwy ddarparu cymorth ymarferol i ymdopi â thlodi tanwydd a mynd i’r afael â’r her sero net.
Ar fater tai preifat, rydym yn ffodus iawn fod gennym Rhentu Doeth Cymru, sy’n rhywbeth nad oes gan rannau eraill o’r DU, ac sy’n caniatáu inni fapio’r eiddo yn y sector preifat i weld pa rai nad ydynt yn bodloni'r safonau effeithlonrwydd ynni gofynnol ar hyn o bryd. Wedyn, gyda'r wybodaeth honno, gallwn edrych ar ba gymysgedd o grantiau a benthyciadau sydd eu hangen i gymell y cartrefi hynny i gyrraedd a rhagori ar y safon. Ein dull o weithredu, fel y gŵyr Mike Hedges, yw treialu ein rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio, sy’n fuddsoddiad o £220 miliwn gennym ni, a mabwysiadu ymagwedd yr ydym yn ei galw'n ddull 'ffabrig yn gyntaf', gan gydnabod y bu anawsterau gyda rhaglenni ôl-osod ledled y DU dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf a bod pob tŷ'n wahanol. Yn benodol, mae gan Gymru hen stoc dai, gyda thai amrywiol iawn, a gallai’r hyn a allai fod yn ateb i dŷ teras yn y Cymoedd fod yn wahanol ar gyfer byngalo maestrefol. Felly, mae angen inni dreialu ffabrigau gwahanol, ac rydym yn gwneud hynny, er mwyn deall beth fyddai'n fwyaf effeithlon, a phan fyddwn yn deall yr agweddau ymarferol hynny, gallwn nodi llwybr wedyn tuag at ddatgarboneiddio.
Good afternoon, Deputy Minister. Minister, owner-occupied homes make up more than 70 per cent of the 1.4 million homes that we have in Wales. On average, our properties are older than elsewhere in the UK, and many will have a challenge in achieving decarbonisation to the target you have set. If the problem is one of energy supply, how does the Welsh Government expect families to move away from gas towards renewable sources, and how will it pay for it?
Prynhawn da, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Weinidog, mae mwy na 70 y cant o’r 1.4 miliwn o gartrefi sydd gennym yng Nghymru yn eiddo i berchen-feddianwyr. Ar gyfartaledd, mae ein heiddo'n hŷn nag mewn mannau eraill yn y DU, a bydd llawer yn wynebu her i ddatgarboneiddio yn unol â’r targed a osodwyd gennych. Os mai cyflenwad ynni yw’r broblem, sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn disgwyl i deuluoedd symud oddi wrth nwy tuag at ffynonellau adnewyddadwy, a sut y bydd yn talu am hynny?
Well, I would like to welcome Altaf Hussain to the Labour benches—[Laughter.] There is much joy in heaven for every sinner that repents.
Wel, hoffwn groesawu Altaf Hussain i’r meinciau Llafur—[Chwerthin.] Mae llawer o lawenydd yn y nefoedd am bob pechadur sy’n edifarhau.
Can I just explain that there are too many Tories to fit into the Tory bench and, therefore, there is a need for a seat in the Labour cohort?
A gaf fi egluro bod gormod o Dorïaid i ffitio ar fainc y Torïaid, ac felly bod angen sedd ymhlith y garfan Lafur?
I couldn't agree more, Llywydd. There are, indeed, too many Tories and we shall make sure there are fewer at the next election—[Laughter.] But, seriously, to answer the point of the Member's question, which I thank him for, how we tackle the private sector homes is clearly a challenge for us all. I did note in the Chancellor's budget he did announce a reduction in VAT for some solar renewable technology, which we welcome, but, I'm afraid, it is insufficient for the challenge that faces us. This is largely not something that can be done by the Welsh Government; this is something that we need to do across the UK, and decarbonising homes is going to be a key part of meeting our net-zero targets, both for heat and for electricity. The technology is available, it is proven and it is cost-effective.
I did think it was a massive mistake that the UK Government got rid of the feed-in tariff a few years ago. It was brought in 2010 when there was a Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition, and it had significant success in incentivising private homeowners to invest in their own property, as well as to feed into the grid with renewables. And I think it was a major error to withdraw that in 2019. So, there does need now to be, I think, a significant programme across the UK of incentivising homeowners to invest in renewable energy. That is the way to get energy security. That is the way to make sure we are not reliant on Russian oil and gas, and that is the way to decarbonise and deal with fuel poverty. But, so far, we've heard little from the UK Government about this, and I'd be very keen to work with them to put that right.
Ni allwn gytuno mwy, Lywydd. Yn wir, mae gormod o Dorïaid, a byddwn yn sicrhau bod llai ohonynt yn yr etholiad nesaf—[Chwerthin.] Ond o ddifrif, i ateb pwynt cwestiwn yr Aelod, ac rwy'n diolch iddo amdano, mae'r modd yr ydym yn mynd i'r afael â chartrefi'r sector preifat yn amlwg yn her i bob un ohonom. Sylwais yng nghyllideb y Canghellor iddo gyhoeddi gostyngiad TAW ar gyfer rhywfaint o dechnoleg adnewyddadwy solar, ac rydym yn croesawu hynny, ond mae arnaf ofn ei fod yn annigonol ar gyfer yr her sy’n ein hwynebu. I raddau helaeth, nid yw hyn yn rhywbeth y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud; mae hyn yn rhywbeth y mae angen i ni ei wneud ledled y DU, ac mae datgarboneiddio cartrefi yn mynd i fod yn rhan allweddol o'r gwaith o gyflawni ein targedau sero net, ar gyfer gwres ac ar gyfer trydan. Mae'r dechnoleg ar gael, mae wedi'i phrofi ac mae'n gosteffeithiol.
Roeddwn o'r farn mai camgymeriad enfawr oedd i Lywodraeth y DU gael gwared ar y tariff cyflenwi trydan ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl. Fe’i cyflwynwyd yn 2010 gan glymblaid y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol a’r Ceidwadwyr, a bu'n llwyddiannus iawn yn cymell perchnogion tai preifat i fuddsoddi yn eu heiddo eu hunain, yn ogystal â chyfrannu ynni at y grid drwy ffynonellau adnewyddadwy. A chredaf fod cael gwared ar hwnnw yn 2019 yn gamgymeriad mawr. Felly, credaf fod angen rhaglen sylweddol ledled y DU yn awr i gymell perchnogion tai i fuddsoddi mewn ynni adnewyddadwy. Dyna'r ffordd i ddiogelu ffynonellau ynni. Dyna’r ffordd i sicrhau nad ydym yn ddibynnol ar olew a nwy o Rwsia, a dyna’r ffordd i ddatgarboneiddio a mynd i'r afael â thlodi tanwydd. Ond hyd yn hyn, ychydig iawn a glywsom gan Lywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â hyn, ac rwy'n awyddus iawn i weithio gyda hwy i unioni hynny.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Questions now from party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Diolch, Llywydd. Members will be aware that, yesterday, during business questions, I did call, through the Trefnydd, on the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to make a statement regarding the horrendous situation on Monday that saw a number of trains, several carriages, hundreds of travellers stranded for several hours on trains on a very warm day, and the situation was less than ideal. Well, I'm very pleased to say that the Minister and I spoke yesterday afternoon, afterwards, and he did promise that he would get some kind of information back from Transport for Wales. I'm very grateful for the letter I've had from the chief executive, via you, Deputy Minister, and they are going to launch a serious investigation into that. They are asking anybody to come forward who was greatly affected by this, and I would urge people to do that. Diolch.
So, moving on to my spokesperson's questions, my first one is on energy security. Now, our actions on energy security must be resolute and firm if we are to safeguard the future of a vibrant and international outlook in Wales. We must play our part to end the global addiction to Russian energy and unleash the power of our own Welsh dragon. Russian imports currently account for 8 per cent of total UK oil demand and 4 per cent of total UK gas supply. Now, in response to the shocking and illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK Government is to phase out oil imports during the course of the year. The UK's exposure to volatile global gas prices underscores the importance of the UK Government's plan to generate more cheap, clean, renewable energy and nuclear power in the UK. Your vision as to how to scale up renewable energy in Wales has been outlined in the renewable energy deep-dive. Some of the recommendations are set to take some time to deliver—2023 for marine strategic resource areas, and 2024 for a national energy plan. In light of the new energy crisis, what steps will you take to supercharge work on producing more renewable energy and bringing forward the national energy plan? Diolch.
Diolch, Lywydd. Bydd yr Aelodau’n ymwybodol fy mod wedi galw ddoe yn ystod y cwestiynau busnes, drwy’r Trefnydd, ar y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd i wneud datganiad am y sefyllfa erchyll ddydd Llun pan gafodd nifer o drenau, sawl cerbyd, cannoedd o deithwyr eu gadael am sawl awr ar drenau ar ddiwrnod cynnes iawn, ac roedd y sefyllfa'n llai na delfrydol. Wel, rwy’n falch iawn o ddweud bod y Gweinidog a minnau wedi siarad brynhawn ddoe, wedi hynny, ac addawodd y byddai’n cael rhyw fath o wybodaeth yn ôl gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Rwy’n ddiolchgar iawn am y llythyr a gefais gan y prif weithredwr, drwoch chi, Ddirprwy Weinidog, ac maent yn mynd i lansio ymchwiliad difrifol i hynny. Maent yn gofyn i unrhyw un yr effeithiwyd arnynt yn fawr gan hyn i roi gwybod, a hoffwn annog pobl i wneud hynny. Diolch.
Felly, gan symud ymlaen at fy nghwestiynau fel llefarydd, mae fy un cyntaf yn ymwneud â diogelu ffynonellau ynni. Nawr, mae'n rhaid i'n camau gweithredu ar ddiogelu ffynonellau ynni fod yn gadarn ac yn bendant os ydym am ddiogelu dyfodol llewyrchus a rhyngwladol i Gymru. Mae'n rhaid inni chwarae ein rhan i roi diwedd ar y ddibyniaeth fyd-eang ar ynni Rwsia a rhyddhau grym ein draig Gymreig ein hunain. Ar hyn o bryd, mae 8 y cant o'r galw am olew yn y DU a 4 y cant o'r galw am nwy yn y DU yn cael ei ddiwallu gan fewnforion o Rwsia. Nawr, mewn ymateb i'r ymosodiad brawychus ac anghyfreithlon ar Wcráin, bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn dod â mewnforion olew i ben yn raddol yn ystod y flwyddyn. Mae effaith prisiau nwy anwadal byd-eang ar y DU yn tanlinellu pwysigrwydd cynllun Llywodraeth y DU i gynhyrchu mwy o ynni rhad, glân, adnewyddadwy ac ynni niwclear yn y DU. Mae eich gweledigaeth ar sut i gynyddu ynni adnewyddadwy yng Nghymru wedi'i hamlinellu yn yr archwiliad dwfn i ynni adnewyddadwy. Disgwylir i rai o’r argymhellion gymryd peth amser i’w cyflawni—2023 ar gyfer ardaloedd adnoddau strategol morol, a 2024 ar gyfer cynllun ynni cenedlaethol. Yng ngoleuni'r argyfwng ynni newydd, pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd i gyflymu'r gwaith ar gynhyrchu mwy o ynni adnewyddadwy a chyflwyno'r cynllun ynni cenedlaethol? Diolch.
Well, Llywydd, there are two separate points to address there, and I'll try and address them both. On the first, I was present yesterday afternoon during business questions, and I heard the quite harrowing accounts by the Member of the experience she and fellow passengers had had, and I was very sorry to hear it. I met with the chair and the chief executive of Transport for Wales straight afterwards to discuss it. Clearly, it's not right that just because there happened to be politicians on the train that there is a response, but there were a number of Members there who were able to give first-hand testimony, and I took it very seriously, and particularly the accounts of members of the public not able to attend a funeral and having trouble with their jobs. So, Transport for Wales are taking this very seriously. There was a problem with the train leaving a maintenance depot—not a TfW maintenance depot—but then it ceased to function once it hit a certain point, and that caused then a cascade of problems. So, I'm very keen, as are they, to use the exercise to learn lessons, particularly around the communications. There do seem to be some significant failings in the way the messaging was dealt with. So, I've had a very constructive and robust conversation with TfW about this, and we are both keen to learn from it to make sure we can try and prevent this from happening again. And I'd like to reiterate the apology that I gave to all members of the public who were on that train. Things will happen from time to time on the railways, but it's how we respond to them, I think, is the mark of it, and I hope that we can certainly learn the lessons from that.
On the issue of energy security, I must disagree with the characterisation of Janet Finch-Saunders of the UK Government's response. The way we develop energy security is not just to wean ourselves off Russian oil, but to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. We not only face a short-term energy crisis, we face a parallel climate crisis, and digging more oil out of the North sea, which is what the UK Government is proposing to do, flies in the face of all the science, flies in the face of what the Prime Minister was saying not months ago in Glasgow. All of a sudden, his video-tape memory has been wiped clean yet again and he's learned none of the lessons of the past. What we need is a rapid deployment of renewables across the UK, both at a housing level—to have solar energy on every house, on every building, as well as energy efficiency—and the range of micro, hydro and generation technologies that we know work, we know are cost-effective, and we know are making a greater part of the energy mix. That is a major mistake.
In terms of her criticism that our moves on marine are not quick, then the idea that deploying nuclear energy is going to happen at speed is rather fanciful. It is neither cheap nor clean nor quick, I would say to her. We take a pragmatic view on nuclear. In north Wales, we know it provides innovation and economic development, and is part of the energy mix whilst we scale up renewables rapidly. But it is a short-term fix. For the UK Government to seize on that as a response to the energy crisis I think is misguided. I'll repeat what I said to Altaf Hussain earlier: the removal by the UK Government of the feed-in tariff in 2019, the moratorium on onshore wind, and the failure to support the Swansea tidal lagoon are historic errors. We've had a lost decade. Rather than getting ourselves resilient with true energy security and a renewable system, they've continued our dependence on Russian oil and gas, and look where it's got us.
Wel, Lywydd, mae dau bwynt ar wahân i'w hateb, a cheisiaf ateb y ddau ohonynt. Ar y cyntaf, roeddwn yn bresennol brynhawn ddoe yn ystod y cwestiynau busnes, a chlywais gan yr Aelod am y profiad dirdynnol a gafodd hi a’i chyd-deithwyr, ac roedd yn ddrwg iawn gennyf glywed am hynny. Cyfarfûm â chadeirydd a phrif weithredwr Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn syth ar ôl hynny i drafod y mater. Yn amlwg, nid yw'n iawn mai'r rheswm y cafwyd ymateb oedd am fod gwleidyddion ar y trên, ond roedd nifer o Aelodau yno a oedd yn gallu rhoi tystiolaeth uniongyrchol, ac fe'i cymerais o ddifrif, yn enwedig sylwadau aelodau o'r cyhoedd nad oeddent wedi gallu mynd i angladdau ac a gafodd helynt gyda'u swyddi. Felly, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru o ddifrif ynglŷn â hyn. Roedd problem gyda’r trên wrth iddo adael y depo cynnal a chadw—nid depo cynnal a chadw Trafnidiaeth Cymru—ond yna, methodd weithio ar ôl ychydig, ac achosodd hynny lu o broblemau dilynol. Felly, rwy'n awyddus iawn, fel y maent hwy, i ddefnyddio'r digwyddiad i ddysgu gwersi, yn enwedig ynghylch y cyfathrebu. Ymddengys y bu rhai methiannau sylweddol yn y ffordd yr ymdriniwyd â'r negeseuon. Felly, rwyf wedi cael sgwrs adeiladol a chadarn iawn gyda Trafnidiaeth Cymru ynglŷn â hyn, ac maent hwy a minnau'n awyddus i ddysgu o'r profiad i sicrhau y gallwn geisio atal hyn rhag digwydd eto. A hoffwn ailadrodd yr ymddiheuriad a roddais i'r Aelodau y bore yma i bob aelod o'r cyhoedd a oedd ar y trên hwnnw. Bydd pethau’n digwydd o bryd i’w gilydd ar y rheilffyrdd, ond credaf mai sut rydym yn ymateb iddynt sy'n bwysig, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gallwn yn bendant ddysgu’r gwersi o hynny.
Ar fater diogelu ffynonellau ynni, mae'n rhaid imi anghytuno â'r ffordd y mae Janet Finch-Saunders wedi disgrifio ymateb Llywodraeth y DU. Y ffordd i ddiogelu ffynonellau ynni yw nid yn unig drwy ddiddyfnu ein hunain oddi ar olew o Rwsia, ond diddyfnu ein hunain oddi ar danwydd ffosil. Nid yn unig ein bod yn wynebu argyfwng ynni yn y tymor byr, rydym yn wynebu argyfwng hinsawdd ar yr un pryd, ac mae cloddio mwy o olew o fôr y Gogledd, sef yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn cynnig ei wneud, yn mynd yn gwbl groes i'r hyn y mae'r wyddoniaeth yn ei ddweud, yn gwbl groes i'r hyn a ddywedodd Prif Weinidog y DU ychydig fisoedd yn ôl yn Glasgow. Yn sydyn iawn, mae ei gof wedi'i ddileu'n llwyr unwaith eto ac nid yw wedi dysgu unrhyw beth o wersi'r gorffennol. Yr hyn sydd ei angen arnom yw ynni adnewyddadwy ar waith ledled y DU ar unwaith, ar lefel tai—cael ynni solar ar bob tŷ, ar bob adeilad, yn ogystal ag effeithlonrwydd ynni—a’r ystod o dechnolegau micro, ynni dŵr a chynhyrchu ynni y gwyddom eu bod yn gweithio, y gwyddom eu bod yn gosteffeithiol, ac y gwyddom eu bod yn fwy o ran o'r cymysgedd ynni. Mae hynny’n gamgymeriad mawr.
Ar ei beirniadaeth nad ydym yn mynd ati'n ddigon cyflym i fanteisio ar ynni'r môr, a’r syniad y gellir cyflwyno ynni niwclear yn gyflym braidd yn obeithiol. Byddwn yn dweud wrthi nad yw'n rhad nac yn lân nac yn gyflym. Mae gennym safbwynt pragmatig ar ynni niwclear. Yng ngogledd Cymru, gwyddom ei fod yn darparu arloesedd a datblygu economaidd, a’i fod yn rhan o’r cymysgedd ynni wrth inni gynyddu'r defnydd o ynni adnewyddadwy yn gyflym. Ond mae'n ateb tymor byr. Credaf y byddai'n annoeth i Lywodraeth y DU fanteisio ar hynny fel ymateb i’r argyfwng ynni. Ailadroddaf yr hyn a ddywedais wrth Altaf Hussain yn gynharach: mae’r ffaith bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi dileu’r tariff cyflenwi trydan yn 2019, y moratoriwm ar ynni gwynt ar y tir, a’r methiant i gefnogi morlyn llanw Abertawe yn gamgymeriadau hanesyddol. Rydym wedi colli degawd. Yn hytrach na sicrhau ein bod yn gydnerth gyda diogelwch gwirioneddol o ran ffynonellau ynni a system adnewyddadwy, maent wedi parhau â'n dibyniaeth ar olew a nwy o Rwsia, ac edrychwch lle mae hynny wedi ein harwain.
I thank the Deputy Minister for both responses. In addition to driving forward the work on meeting the recommendations of the deep dive, you could act on the majority will of the Senedd. Whilst the deep dive recommends publication of guidance to signpost appropriate and inappropriate areas for development of different renewable energy technologies, the Senedd gave its full support to my legislative proposal, which did call for legal levers such as a duty for the Welsh Government to facilitate the creation of a national marine development plan. As the RSPB have stated, the lack of robust statutory weighted development control and spatial policies to steer development away from environmentally sensitive areas from the outset creates uncertainty for all. And as is highlighted in the report on the Welsh Government's marine policies, environmental stakeholders called for a cross-sector statutory spatial plan that does address the cumulative impacts of marine developments. So, rather than leave the siting of much-needed renewable schemes to guidance and the Crown Estate, will you follow up on our successful legislative proposal by creating a national marine development plan? Thank you.
Diolch i’r Dirprwy Weinidog am y ddau ymateb. Yn ogystal â bwrw ymlaen â’r gwaith o gyflawni argymhellion yr archwiliad dwfn, gallech weithredu ar ewyllys mwyafrifol y Senedd. Er bod yr archwiliad dwfn yn argymell cyhoeddi canllawiau i gyfeirio at feysydd priodol ac amhriodol ar gyfer datblygu gwahanol dechnolegau ynni adnewyddadwy, rhoddodd y Senedd ei chefnogaeth lawn i fy nghynnig deddfwriaethol, a oedd yn galw am ysgogiadau cyfreithiol megis dyletswydd ar Lywodraeth Cymru i hwyluso’r gwaith o greu cynllun datblygu morol cenedlaethol. Fel y mae’r RSPB wedi’i nodi, mae diffyg polisïau gofodol a rheolaethau datblygu statudol cadarn wedi'u pwysoli i lywio datblygiadau oddi wrth ardaloedd amgylcheddol sensitif o’r cychwyn yn creu ansicrwydd i bawb. Ac fel yr amlygir yn yr adroddiad ar bolisïau morol Llywodraeth Cymru, mae rhanddeiliaid amgylcheddol wedi galw am gynllun gofodol statudol traws-sector sy’n mynd i’r afael ag effeithiau cronnol datblygu morol. Felly, yn hytrach na gadael y gwaith o leoli cynlluniau ynni adnewyddadwy mawr eu hangen i ganllawiau ac Ystad y Goron, a wnewch chi ymateb i'n cynnig deddfwriaethol llwyddiannus drwy greu cynllun datblygu morol cenedlaethol? Diolch.
The Member is rehearsing arguments we had not a matter of weeks ago in the Senedd Chamber, and I don't intend to go through them all again, other than to say we are satisfied, as we set out in that debate, that we have a mechanism to do that, we have a long-term plan, and there are already policies and actions in place that will do that. As she mentioned, the deep dive was conducted to look at any short-term barriers. One of the things we did identify was the need to review the marine licensing and consents process, and we're doing that now with Natural Resources Wales. The proposal is to look at it from the view of a developer, and go step by step through what might be slowing it down, any points of friction, and to blast them away. I think that has been widely welcomed by stakeholders, and I think it will make a significant difference.
Mae’r Aelod yn ailadrodd dadleuon a gawsom ychydig wythnosau yn ôl yn Siambr y Senedd, ac nid wyf yn bwriadu mynd drwyddynt i gyd eto, heblaw dweud ein bod yn fodlon, fel y nodwyd gennym yn y ddadl honno, fod mecanwaith gennym i wneud hynny, mae gennym gynllun hirdymor, ac mae polisïau a chamau gweithredu eisoes ar waith a fydd yn gwneud hynny. Fel y soniodd, cynhaliwyd yr archwiliad dwfn i edrych ar unrhyw rwystrau tymor byr. Un o'r pethau a nodwyd gennym oedd yr angen i adolygu'r broses drwyddedau a chaniatadau morol, ac rydym yn gwneud hynny yn awr gyda Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru. Y cynnig yw edrych arno o safbwynt datblygwr, a mynd gam wrth gam drwy'r hyn a allai fod yn ei arafu, unrhyw beth sy'n achosi gwrthdaro, a chael gwared arno. Credaf fod hynny wedi'i groesawu'n fawr gan y rhanddeiliaid, a chredaf y bydd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth sylweddol.
Thank you. Alongside our joint support of renewable schemes, it is important that we do everything possible to back nuclear. Last week, the Prime Minister hosted a round-table with leaders from the nuclear industry to discuss how to improve domestic energy security and rapidly accelerate nuclear projects in the UK. As the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, our Prime Minister, stated,
'now is the time to make a series of big new bets on nuclear'.
This week, we have learned that the UK Government plans to take a 20 per cent stake in Sizewell C. The Secretary of State for Wales is visiting the US to champion Wylfa. I do appreciate that the Welsh Government has established Cwmni Egino. The leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, has made clear that Plaid Cymru will stick firmly to their anti-nuclear stance. Given their role as co-operation partners, what discussions have you had about the future of nuclear in Wales? Can you clarify whether the Welsh Government does support the development of nuclear projects at both Wylfa and Trawsfynydd, or will your co-operation or coalition agreement change your view on that? Diolch.
Diolch. Ochr yn ochr â’n cefnogaeth ar y cyd i gynlluniau adnewyddadwy, mae’n bwysig inni wneud popeth a allwn i gefnogi ynni niwclear. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cynhaliodd Prif Weinidog y DU gyfarfod bord gron gydag arweinwyr o’r diwydiant niwclear i drafod sut i wella diogelwch ffynonellau ynni domestig a chyflymu prosiectau niwclear yn y DU. Fel y dywedodd y Gwir Anrhydeddus Boris Johnson AS, ein Prif Weinidog,
'nawr yw'r amser i roi cyfres o fetiau mawr newydd ar ynni niwclear'.
Yr wythnos hon, rydym wedi dysgu bod Llywodraeth y DU yn bwriadu cymryd cyfran o 20 y cant yn Sizewell C. Mae Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru yn ymweld â’r Unol Daleithiau i hyrwyddo Wylfa. Rwy’n gwerthfawrogi bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi sefydlu Cwmni Egino. Mae arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, wedi dweud yn glir y bydd Plaid Cymru yn glynu’n gadarn at eu safbwynt gwrth-niwclear. O ystyried eu rôl fel partneriaid cydweithio, pa drafodaethau a gawsoch am ddyfodol niwclear yng Nghymru? A allwch egluro a yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi'r gwaith o ddatblygu prosiectau niwclear yn Wylfa a Thrawsfynydd, neu a fydd eich cytundeb cydweithio neu gytundeb clymblaid yn newid eich barn ar hynny? Diolch.
Well, my favourite right honourable is the Rt Hon Elin Jones, and I'd much prefer that she were our focus, rather than Boris Johnson.
I really feel the UK Government are not learning the mistakes of the past. You've just criticised the energy system for being dependent on Russian oil and gas and we're now racing into the arms of Chinese investors to be committed to large nuclear builds. They're the only game in town hitherto when it comes to nuclear. Do we really want to put ourselves in the hands of yet another volatile international partner? I suggest that we don't.
As I've said, our nuclear policy is well-established. We do have proposals through Cwmni Egino and preceding that to look at the development of new nuclear technology at existing sites, and we've set up a company to explore that. We do think there are economic advantages to doing that in the short term. But, as I said, our energy policy focuses primarily on renewables because we think that has both a minimal environmental impact as well as producing energy resilience. And if we do it right, we'll capture the economic benefits entirely in Wales, rather than continuing to leak out funding, as indeed nuclear risks doing.
I fear that the party opposite, despite their commitment to net zero and commitment to economic development in Wales, are making all the same mistakes all over again.
Wel, fy hoff wir anrhydeddus yw’r Gwir Anrhydeddus Elin Jones, a byddai’n llawer gwell gennyf pe baem yn canolbwyntio arni hi, yn hytrach nag ar Boris Johnson.
Rwy'n teimlo o ddifrif nad yw Llywodraeth y DU yn dysgu o gamgymeriadau’r gorffennol. Rydych newydd feirniadu'r system ynni am fod yn ddibynnol ar olew a nwy o Rwsia, ac rydym yn awr yn rhuthro i ddenu buddsoddwyr o Tsieina i ymrwymo i adeiladu gorsafoedd niwclear mawr. Hwy yw'r unig fuddsoddwyr sydd ar gael hyd yn hyn mewn perthynas ag ynni niwclear. A ydym o ddifrif am roi ein hunain yn nwylo partner rhyngwladol anwadal arall? Awgrymaf nad ydym.
Fel y dywedais, mae ein polisi niwclear wedi'i hen sefydlu. Mae gennym gynigion drwy Gwmni Egino a chyn hynny i edrych ar ddatblygiad technoleg niwclear newydd ar safleoedd presennol, ac rydym wedi sefydlu cwmni i archwilio hynny. Credwn fod manteision economaidd i wneud hynny yn y tymor byr. Ond fel y dywedais, mae ein polisi ynni'n canolbwyntio'n bennaf ar ynni adnewyddadwy gan y credwn fod effaith amgylcheddol hynny'n fach iawn a'i fod hefyd yn cynhyrchu cydnerthedd ynni. Ac os byddwn yn ei wneud yn iawn, byddwn yn cadw'r holl fanteision economaidd yng Nghymru, yn hytrach na pharhau i golli cyllid, fel y mae ynni niwclear, yn wir, mewn perygl o'i wneud.
Ofnaf fod y blaid gyferbyn, er gwaethaf eu hymrwymiad i sero net a’u hymrwymiad i ddatblygu economaidd yng Nghymru, yn gwneud yr un hen gamgymeriadau eto.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth—
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth—
Had you finished? Yes.
A oeddech chi wedi gorffen? Iawn.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth Jewell.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, around Wales we have many important ecological sites in very low-lying coastal areas. Sites such as RSPB Newport in the Gwent levels, RSPB Conwy, WTT Llanelli wetlands centre and RSPB Ynyshir near Machynlleth are all vitally important sites for coastal birds, which are unfortunately already endangered. Even a small amount of sea level rise would spell certain doom for species like the sandpiper, the oystercatcher, and numerous other species as well, like otters and rare insects. Even lizards could go extinct in Wales if we lost our unique wetlands. I'm concerned that focusing only on preventing further climate change and sea level rises may not be enough to save our beautiful bird species. Constructing coastal flood defences to protect ecological sites should surely be part of our effort to reverse biodiversity decline. Minister, I know that the Welsh Government has announced a deep dive to look at effective implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity's global biodiversity framework 30 by 30 target, which is a very long title, saying that that would be initiated after the February half term and in-depth discussions completed by mid May. Given the importance of this ahead of this year's COP15 summit, could you give us some more detail please on when the deep dive discussions are going to start and when the terms of reference will be clarified?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, ledled Cymru, mae gennym lawer o safleoedd ecolegol pwysig mewn ardaloedd arfordirol isel iawn. Mae safleoedd fel RSPB Casnewydd ar wastadeddau Gwent, RSPB Conwy, canolfan gwlyptiroedd Ymddiriedolaeth Adar y Gwlyptir Llanelli a RSPB Ynys-hir ger Machynlleth i gyd yn safleoedd hanfodol bwysig i adar yr arfordir, sydd eisoes mewn perygl, yn anffodus. Byddai hyd yn oed ychydig o gynnydd yn lefel y môr yn drychinebus i rywogaethau fel pibydd y dorlan, y bioden fôr, a nifer o rywogaethau eraill hefyd, fel dyfrgwn a thrychfilod prin. Gallai hyd yn oed madfallod ddiflannu yng Nghymru pe baem yn colli ein gwlyptiroedd unigryw. Rwy'n pryderu efallai na fydd canolbwyntio'n unig ar atal newid hinsawdd pellach a chynnydd pellach yn lefel y môr yn ddigon i achub ein rhywogaethau adar hardd. Dylai adeiladu amddiffynfeydd ar yr arfordir i warchod safleoedd ecolegol rhag llifogydd fod yn rhan o’n hymdrech i wrthdroi’r dirywiad mewn bioamrywiaeth. Weinidog, gwn fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyhoeddi archwiliad dwfn i edrych ar weithredu targed 30 erbyn 30 fframwaith bioamrywiaeth byd-eang y Confensiwn ar Amrywiaeth Fiolegol, sy’n deitl hir iawn, gan ddweud y byddai hynny’n cychwyn ar ôl hanner tymor mis Chwefror, gyda thrafodaethau manwl wedi'u cwblhau erbyn canol mis Mai. O ystyried pwysigrwydd hyn cyn uwchgynhadledd COP15 eleni, a allwch roi rhagor o fanylion i ni, os gwelwch yn dda, ynghylch pryd y bydd trafodaethau'r archwiliad dwfn yn dechrau a phryd y bydd y cylch gorchwyl yn cael ei bennu?
The purpose of these deep dives—and I must say I'm rather going off the title as it's beginning to sound a little pretentious; as I've said, if we keep having deep dives like these, we'll end up with the bends—is a rapid review of barriers, and they start as an open-ended process. In the ones that I've carried out on woodland creation and renewable energy, and I'm now doing something similar on town centres, it's the process rather than the outcome that starts off predesigned. So, we get a range of people in a room, and we meet intensively over a short period. We have a mix of voices. We have people who are practitioners, we have people who are academics and policy experts, and we have some deliberately awkward characters—and I think this is a really important part of the mix—to really create some challenge and some tension. Then we ask them to go with us to identify what they believe, given their experience, are the principal barriers and the main issues. And then, the key challenge from the Minister to them—and it'll be Julie James leading the biodiversity one—is to get them to translate their criticism into practical action. It's very easy for observers to tell us what's wrong; what is harder is to come up with practical policies that can make a difference. That's what we've done successfully, I think, in the other deep dives, and that's what we'll be seeking to do with this one that Julie James will be leading. So, it's impossible to anticipate what it'll come up with, because that is the whole point—we don't know. But we will be relying on an alliance for change to work with us to identify practical steps.
Diben yr archwiliadau dwfn hyn yw creu adolygiad cyflym o rwystrau, ac maent yn dechrau fel proses benagored. Yn y rhai a gynhaliais ar greu coetir ac ynni adnewyddadwy, ac rwy'n gwneud rhywbeth tebyg ar hyn o bryd ar ganol trefi, y broses yn hytrach na'r canlyniad sy'n dechrau wedi'i chynllunio ymlaen llaw. Felly, rydym yn dod ag amrywiaeth o bobl ynghyd mewn ystafell, ac rydym yn cyfarfod yn ddwys dros gyfnod byr. Mae gennym gymysgedd o leisiau. Mae gennym bobl sy'n ymarferwyr, mae gennym bobl sy'n academyddion ac yn arbenigwyr polisi, ac mae gennym rai cymeriadau sy'n fwriadol lletchwith—a chredaf fod hyn yn rhan wirioneddol bwysig o'r cymysgedd—i greu rhywfaint o her a thensiwn. Yna, gofynnwn iddynt ddod gyda ni i nodi'r hyn y credant, o ystyried eu profiad, yw'r prif rwystrau a'r prif faterion sy'n codi. Ac yna, yr her allweddol gan y Gweinidog iddynt—a Julie James fydd yn arwain yr un ar fioamrywiaeth—yw eu cael i droi eu beirniadaeth yn gamau ymarferol. Mae'n hawdd iawn i arsylwyr ddweud wrthym beth sy'n bod; yr hyn sy'n anos yw llunio polisïau ymarferol a all wneud gwahaniaeth. Dyna rydym wedi'i wneud yn llwyddiannus, yn fy marn i, yn yr archwiliadau dwfn eraill, a dyna fyddwn yn ceisio ei wneud â'r archwiliad hwn y bydd Julie James yn ei arwain. Felly, mae'n amhosibl rhagweld beth fydd yn codi ohono, gan mai dyna'r holl bwynt—nid ydym yn gwybod. Ond byddwn yn dibynnu ar gynghrair dros newid i weithio gyda ni i nodi camau ymarferol.
Thank you for that, Minister. Obviously, I hope that coastal flood defences will form part of that work, but I look forward to finding out more as time progresses on it.
Turning, secondly and finally, to the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee's annual report on NRW, it has highlighted widespread concern among stakeholders about NRW's ability to effectively carry out its roles and responsibilities because of a lack of capacity and resources. That includes its ability to monitor and assess the condition of terrestrial and marine protected sites for nature. Could you, therefore, Minister, give us an update, please, on any assessments that have been made of the capacity and resource needed for an adequate programme of monitoring for these sites, and how this compares with the capacity and resource that is currently available?
Diolch, Weinidog. Yn amlwg, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd amddiffyn yr arfordir yn rhan o’r gwaith hwnnw, ond edrychaf ymlaen at ddarganfod mwy wrth i amser fynd rhagddo.
Gan droi, yn ail ac yn olaf, at adroddiad blynyddol y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, yr Amgylchedd a Seilwaith ar CNC, mae wedi tynnu sylw at bryder eang ymhlith rhanddeiliaid ynghylch gallu CNC i gyflawni ei rolau a’i gyfrifoldebau’n effeithiol oherwydd diffyg capasiti ac adnoddau. Mae hynny’n cynnwys ei allu i fonitro ac asesu cyflwr ardaloedd gwarchodedig morol ac ar y tir ar gyfer natur. Felly, Weinidog, a wnewch chi roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni, os gwelwch yn dda, am unrhyw asesiadau a wnaed o’r capasiti a’r adnoddau sydd eu hangen ar gyfer rhaglen fonitro ddigonol ar gyfer y safleoedd hyn, a sut y mae hyn yn cymharu â’r capasiti a’r adnoddau sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd?
Well, after more than 10 years of austerity, there isn't a single public body in Wales that has the capacity that they would wish to have, and I think that is just a fact that we have to deal with. NRW is no different from Conwy council or from any other public body, and we, all of us, have to live within our means. There are discussions going on with NRW about how we prioritise. For example, in the hitherto referred to deep dive that I did on woodland creation, one of the things we identified there is that there were 82 people where part of their jobs on woodland creation was about erecting barriers to planting trees. So, that wasn't a capacity issue; that was how we use the capacity we have to align it to our policy outcomes. What we want to do in that case is to recalibrate that effort so that those same people are focused on pursing a different policy outcome. It's not about extra people; it's about using the people you have in a different way. So, there's that discussion to have with NRW across the piece, but there's also prioritisation to have. We've done a baseline budget exercise with them. We're going through that with them now as part of the budget-setting exercise, and we're having other discussions with them about how we treat different forms of spending in order to enable them to do the task that we all want them to do.
Wel, ar ôl mwy na 10 mlynedd o gyni, nid oes gan yr un corff cyhoeddus yng Nghymru y capasiti y byddent yn dymuno'i gael, a chredaf fod honno'n ffaith y mae'n rhaid i ni ei derbyn. Nid yw CNC yn wahanol i gyngor Conwy nac i unrhyw gorff cyhoeddus arall, ac mae’n rhaid i ni, bob un ohonom, fyw o fewn ein gallu. Mae trafodaethau'n mynd rhagddynt gydag CNC ynghylch sut rydym yn blaenoriaethu. Er enghraifft, yn yr archwiliad dwfn y cyfeiriwyd ato eisoes a wneuthum ar greu coetir, un o’r pethau a nodwyd gennym yno yw bod yna 82 o bobl yr oedd rhan o’u swyddi creu coetir yn ymwneud â chodi rhwystrau rhag plannu coed. Felly, nid mater o gapasiti oedd hynny; roedd yn ymwneud â sut rydym yn defnyddio’r capasiti sydd gennym i’w alinio â’n canlyniadau polisi. Yr hyn yr ydym am ei wneud yn yr achos hwnnw yw ailgalibro’r ymdrech honno fel bod yr un bobl yn canolbwyntio ar sicrhau canlyniad polisi gwahanol. Nid yw'n ymwneud â phobl ychwanegol; mae'n ymwneud â defnyddio'r bobl sydd gennych mewn ffordd wahanol. Felly, mae'r drafodaeth honno i'w chael gydag CNC yn gyffredinol, ond mae angen blaenoriaethu hefyd. Rydym wedi cynnal ymarfer cyllideb sylfaenol gyda hwy. Rydym yn mynd drwy hynny gyda hwy ar hyn o bryd fel rhan o’r ymarfer gosod cyllideb, ac rydym yn cael trafodaethau eraill gyda hwy ynglŷn â sut rydym yn trin gwahanol fathau o wariant er mwyn eu galluogi i wneud y dasg y mae pob un ohonom am iddynt ei gwneud.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar gynllun atal llifogydd bae Hirael, Bangor? OQ57867
3. Will the Minister provide an update on the flood prevention plan for Hirael bay, Bangor? OQ57867
Diolch. Gwynedd Council are designing a scheme to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion at Hirael bay. Natural Resources Wales are also reviewing the modelling data of the Afon Adda. The review will confirm the current standard of protection and consider the potential future risk associated with climate change.
Diolch. Mae Cyngor Gwynedd yn llunio cynllun i leihau'r perygl o lifogydd ac erydu arfordirol ym mae Hirael. Mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru hefyd yn adolygu data modelu afon Adda. Bydd yr adolygiad yn cadarnhau'r safon warchodaeth bresennol ac yn ystyried y peryglon posibl yn y dyfodol sy'n gysylltiedig â newid hinsawdd.
Diolch yn fawr. Mae nifer o ffactorau yn dod at ei gilydd i greu'r risg ym mae Hirael, yn cynnwys cynnydd yn lefelau'r môr, bwrdd dŵr uchel a'r ffordd mae'r Afon Adda yn tywallt i'r môr. Dwi'n hynod o falch bod yna arian sylweddol yn cael ei neilltuo i gynllun amddiffyn. Dwi'n ymwybodol bod yna gynllun arall ar droed yn yr ardal yma, sef cynllun i ymestyn llwybr yr arfordir. Felly, hoffwn i ddeall sut bydd y ddau gynllun yma yn plethu i'w gilydd, a sut byddwch chi'n sicrhau bod y gwaith yn digwydd ar y cyd ac yn brydlon.
Thank you very much. A number of factors are converging to create the risk in Hirael bay, including the increasing sea level, high water table and the way that the Afon Adda enters the sea. I am very pleased that significant funds are being allocated to a flood defence scheme. I'm aware that there is another scheme in the pipeline in this area, namely a plan to extend the coastal path. So, I would like to understand how the two schemes will dovetail, and how you will ensure that the work does happen jointly and promptly.
The Member is right; the Hirael is challenged with being at risk from a combination of tidal, pluvial and fluvial sources—from the sea, the river and the sky. This will get worse as climate change intensifies—we know this is the case—and Hirael is particularly vulnerable. So, we are investing, as she mentions, £213 million in flood schemes, and this includes a scheme in Hirael bay. It is currently at the detailed design stage with Gwynedd Council, and construction is designed to begin this coming financial year. NRW are also updating the modelling of fluvial flood risk for the Afon Adda system. On the specific point about how we can maximise the advantages of two separate schemes, I think that is an excellent point, and if she doesn't mind, I'll reflect on that and write to her, rather than make something up on the spot.FootnoteLink
Mae’r Aelod yn iawn; mae ardal Hirael yn wynebu peryglon gan ei bod yn agored i gyfuniad o ffynonellau llanw, glawog ac afonol—o'r môr, yr afon a'r awyr. Bydd hyn yn gwaethygu wrth i’r newid yn yr hinsawdd ddwysáu—gwyddom fod hyn yn wir—ac mae Hirael yn arbennig o agored i niwed. Felly, rydym yn buddsoddi, fel y nododd, £213 miliwn mewn cynlluniau llifogydd, ac mae hyn yn cynnwys cynllun ym mae Hirael. Mae ar y cam dylunio manwl gyda Chyngor Gwynedd ar hyn o bryd, ac mae'r gwaith adeiladu wedi'i gynllunio i ddechrau yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf sydd ar fin dechrau. Mae CNC hefyd yn diweddaru’r gwaith o fodelu perygl llifogydd afonol ar gyfer system afon Adda. Ar y pwynt penodol ynglŷn â sut y gallwn sicrhau'r manteision mwyaf posibl o ddau gynllun ar wahân, credaf fod hwnnw’n bwynt rhagorol, ac os nad oes ots ganddi, fe ystyriaf hynny ac ysgrifennu ati, yn hytrach na rhoi ateb gwag.FootnoteLink
Thank you, Deputy Minister, for your response to the important issue raised by the Member for Arfon. The issue raised there can be repeated in many areas across Wales, particularly my region of north Wales, where there's a particular risk of coastal flooding. In the Chamber earlier this month, I did welcome your statement, or Welsh Government's statement, on flood and coastal erosion risk management. In this statement, Deputy Minister, you suggested that NRW had a lot to do, and you mentioned it just a few moments ago, in terms of the resources and the stretching of the resources. So, in light of this, and with flooding being so detrimental to our communities and such a risk, especially with the climate change risk that you mentioned also, what considerations have you given to developing a national flood agency to deal specifically with these risks?
Weinidog, diolch am eich ymateb i’r mater pwysig a godwyd gan yr Aelod dros Arfon. Gellir ailadrodd y mater a godwyd yno mewn llawer o ardaloedd ledled Cymru, yn enwedig fy rhanbarth i yn y gogledd, lle mae perygl arbennig o lifogydd arfordirol. Yn y Siambr yn gynharach y mis hwn, croesawais eich datganiad, neu ddatganiad Llywodraeth Cymru, ar reoli perygl llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol. Yn y datganiad hwn, Ddirprwy Weinidog, fe awgrymoch chi fod gan CNC lawer i’w wneud, ac fe sonioch chi am hynny ychydig funudau yn ôl, o ran yr adnoddau a'r ffaith bod yr adnoddau o dan bwysau. Felly, yn wyneb hyn, a chyda llifogydd mor niweidiol i’n cymunedau ac yn peri’r fath risg, yn enwedig gyda risg newid hinsawdd a grybwyllwyd gennych hefyd, pa ystyriaethau a roddwyd gennych i ddatblygu asiantaeth llifogydd genedlaethol i ymdrin yn benodol â’r risgiau hyn?
Well, Sam Rowlands will know about the pressure on resources and that's pressure that has intensified as a result of the spring budget where we are £600 million less well off in this budget round than we were anticipating over the next three years, because of cuts made by the Chancellor. So, we simply do not have the money to do all the things that we would like to do. So, the creation of additional public bodies is not something that we will enter lightly into; we'll want to first look at how we can collaborate with local government. And I know as a former leader of a local authority, he will be a champion, I'm sure, of making sure that we use local government to their maximum when we are committed to a partnership with them on that. And we set out last night, for example, on building safety, that rather than creating additional bodies, as they are in England, we are putting some of those responsibilities on local authorities.
So, the same will be true of how we tackle climate change across the piece. We're going to look, first of all, at the bodies that we have—the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and the local authorities, as well as partnerships with other flood management authorities—to see how we can make the most of those before we start thinking about additional institutions to create and run.
Wel, bydd Sam Rowlands yn gwybod am y pwysau ar adnoddau a'r pwysau sydd wedi dwysáu o ganlyniad i gyllideb y gwanwyn lle bydd gennym £600 miliwn yn llai yn y cylch cyllidebol hwn nag yr oeddem yn ei ragweld dros y tair blynedd nesaf, oherwydd toriadau a wnaed gan y Canghellor. Felly, nid oes gennym arian i wneud yr holl bethau yr hoffem eu gwneud. Felly, nid yw creu cyrff cyhoeddus ychwanegol yn rhywbeth y byddwn yn ymrwymo'n ysgafn iddo; byddwn am edrych yn gyntaf ar sut y gallwn gydweithio â llywodraeth leol. Ac fel cyn-arweinydd awdurdod lleol, fe fydd, rwy'n siŵr, yn sicrhau ein bod yn defnyddio llywodraeth leol i'r eithaf a ninnau wedi ymrwymo i bartneriaeth gyda hwy ar hynny. A neithiwr, er enghraifft, ar ddiogelwch adeiladau, yn hytrach na chreu cyrff ychwanegol, fel y maent yn ei wneud yn Lloegr, fe wnaethom nodi ein bod yn rhoi rhai o'r cyfrifoldebau hynny i awdurdodau lleol.
Felly, bydd yr un peth yn wir am y ffordd yr awn i'r afael â newid hinsawdd yn gyffredinol. Byddwn yn edrych, yn gyntaf oll, ar y cyrff sydd gennym—Llywodraeth Cymru, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru a'r awdurdodau lleol, yn ogystal â phartneriaethau ag awdurdodau rheoli llifogydd eraill—i weld sut y gallwn wneud y gorau o'r rheini cyn inni ddechrau meddwl am sefydliadau ychwanegol i'w creu a'u rhedeg.
4. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i sicrhau diogelwch ynni? OQ57890
4. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure energy security? OQ57890
The UK Government has a legal duty to ensure the UK's energy security, and we expect bold action in its upcoming energy security strategy, which, I understand, has been delayed again. In Wales we are accelerating renewable energy deployment, supporting local energy markets, planning and piloting innovation, to build a net-zero energy system for the future.
Mae gan Lywodraeth y DU ddyletswydd gyfreithiol i sicrhau diogelwch ffynonellau ynni'r DU, a disgwyliwn weld gweithredu beiddgar yn ei strategaeth diogelu ffynonellau ynni sydd ar y ffordd, ac sydd, yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, wedi'i gohirio eto. Yng Nghymru, rydym yn cyflymu'r defnydd o ynni adnewyddadwy, gan gefnogi marchnadoedd ynni lleol, cynllunio a threialu arloesedd, i adeiladu system ynni sero net ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Thank you for that answer, Deputy Minister. Our reliance on imported fuel and even energy leaves us vulnerable to external threats. Vladimir Putin has, for years, used the threat of cutting supplies to apply pressure on its European neighbours. Even now, with EU nations sanctioning the Russian federation, they are still pumping billions into Putin's war machine, because they need the gas and oil. Thankfully, we are not as vulnerable, but the knock-on effects have doubled our energy bills. Deputy Minister, this situation has highlighted the need for energy independence, including the need for new nuclear power, as mentioned in previous questions. Of course, much of the work needed will require the lead from the UK Government, however the Welsh Government can take the lead when it comes to energy storage, enabling better utilisation of our renewables. How is your Government working with the industry to create better energy storage solutions here in Wales?
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Mae ein dibyniaeth ar danwydd a fewnforiwyd a hyd yn oed ynni yn ein gadael yn agored i fygythiadau allanol. Mae Vladimir Putin, ers blynyddoedd, wedi defnyddio'r bygythiad o dorri cyflenwadau i roi pwysau ar ei gymdogion Ewropeaidd. Hyd yn oed yn awr, gyda gwledydd yr UE yn gosod sancsiynau ar ffederasiwn Rwsia, maent yn dal i bwmpio biliynau i beiriant rhyfel Putin am fod angen y nwy a'r olew arnynt. Diolch byth, nid ydym mor agored i hynny, ond mae'r sgil-effeithiau wedi dyblu ein biliau ynni. Ddirprwy Weinidog, mae'r sefyllfa hon wedi tynnu sylw at yr angen am ffynonellau ynni annibynnol, gan gynnwys yr angen am bŵer niwclear newydd, fel y soniwyd mewn cwestiynau blaenorol. Wrth gwrs, bydd llawer o'r gwaith sydd ei angen yn galw am arweiniad gan Lywodraeth y DU, ond gall Llywodraeth Cymru arwain ar storio ynni, gan alluogi gwell defnydd o'n hynni adnewyddadwy. Sut y mae eich Llywodraeth yn gweithio gyda'r diwydiant i greu gwell atebion storio ynni yma yng Nghymru?
Well, I agree that battery energy storage is definitely one of the things that we need to be speeding up, and certainly there is potential from green hydrogen to act as a source for holding that stored energy. But, again, we have a contribution from the Conservatives this afternoon that is focusing on nuclear and there has been very little emphasis on renewables. There was a mention of battery storage, but not on renewable technologies, and I find this very puzzling, given what we've been hearing from them on the need both for energy security and for meeting net zero.
I do hope that there isn't an ideological blinder when it comes to renewables; we've seen that in practice with the moratorium on onshore wind that's been in place over the last 10 years, which has been a massive missed opportunity. Had that been in place now, we would not be facing the same vulnerability to the Ukrainian war that we are facing, so there's some culpability on the part of the UK Government for its blindness on renwewables there. The same, as I mentioned, on the ending of the feed-in tariff in 2019—a significant mistake that now gives us extra ground to catch up. As well as the failure to back the Swansea bay tidal lagoon, which was backed by Charles Hendry, the former Conservative energy Minister, and nothing has been done. So, we're now hearing the Chancellor talking about a rapid deployment of nuclear. If they'd had that same attitude about the rapid deployment of renewables, we would not be facing the energy crisis that we now are.
And, again, in the budget, the spring statement, we heard the Chancellor announce a cut in fuel duty, which is a fossil fuel tax cut, on the same day as the Welsh Government announced a £31 million investment in a renewable energy project on Ynys Môn—the last large grant from EU structural funds, which many in the party opposite have voted to end. So, they have not put us in the position to be able to face this energy crisis with confidence, and I hope they will recognise the error of their ways.
Wel, cytunaf fod storio ynni batri yn sicr yn un o'r pethau y mae angen inni fod yn ei gyflymu, ac yn sicr mae potensial gan hydrogen gwyrdd i weithredu fel ffynhonnell ar gyfer dal a storio'r ynni hwnnw. Ond unwaith eto, mae gennym gyfraniad gan y Ceidwadwyr y prynhawn yma sy'n canolbwyntio ar niwclear ac ychydig iawn o bwyslais a gafwyd ar ynni adnewyddadwy. Roedd sôn am storio ynni batris, ond nid am dechnolegau adnewyddadwy, ac mae hyn yn peri dryswch i mi, o ystyried yr hyn a glywsom ganddynt am yr angen i ddiogelu ffynonellau ynni ac am gyrraedd sero net.
Rwy'n gobeithio nad oes blinder ideolegol mewn perthynas ag ynni adnewyddadwy; rydym wedi gweld hynny'n ymarferol gyda'r moratoriwm ar wynt ar y tir sydd wedi bod ar waith dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, ac a fu'n gyfle enfawr a gollwyd. Pe bai hynny wedi bod ar waith yn awr, ni fyddem yr un mor agored i'r rhyfel yn Wcráin ag yr ydym, felly mae rhywfaint o euogrwydd ar ran Llywodraeth y DU am ei dallineb ar ynni adnewyddadwy. Felly hefyd, fel y soniais, gyda rhoi diwedd ar y tariff cyflenwi trydan yn 2019—camgymeriad o bwys sydd bellach yn ein gadael ymhellach byth ar ôl. Yn ogystal â'r methiant i gefnogi morlyn llanw bae Abertawe, a gefnogwyd gan Charles Hendry, cyn Weinidog ynni'r Ceidwadwyr, ac nid oes dim wedi'i wneud. Felly, clywn y Canghellor yn awr yn sôn am roi ffynonellau niwclear ar waith yn gyflym. Pe byddent wedi mabwysiadu'r un agwedd tuag at ddefnyddio ynni adnewyddadwy'n gyflym, ni fyddem yn wynebu'r argyfwng ynni yn awr.
Ac unwaith eto, yn y gyllideb, datganiad y gwanwyn, clywsom y Canghellor yn cyhoeddi toriad yn y dreth ar danwydd, sy'n doriad treth ar danwydd ffosil, ar yr un diwrnod ag y cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru fuddsoddiad o £31 miliwn mewn prosiect ynni adnewyddadwy ar Ynys Môn—y grant mawr olaf o gronfeydd strwythurol yr UE, y pleidleisiodd llawer yn y blaid gyferbyn dros ddod â hwy i ben. Felly, nid ydynt wedi ein rhoi mewn sefyllfa i allu wynebu'r argyfwng ynni hwn yn hyderus, a gobeithio y byddant yn cydnabod eu camgymeriad.
Could I, through the Deputy Minister, suggest to colleagues on Conservative benches here that it is not too late to put pressure on the UK Government to invest in marine and tidal technology in Wales, including lagoon technology? It was a terrible, terrible day for Wales when Charles Hendry, who I have a lot of respect for, said it was a no-brainer to invest in the tidal lagoon in Swansea. We're playing catch-up when we could have dealt with that energy security issue. But could I ask him: does he think it is right that what we should be doing now, faced with not just an energy security crisis, but still the long, ongoing—and it'll be with us for generations to come—climate change crisis, is to tackle the two together? And that means doubling down on renewables, and battery storage and so on, but not doubling down on reopening fossil fuels and fracking in North sea oil—doubling down on renewables, hydrogen technology and so on? That's the way that Wales should lead the field.
A gaf fi, drwy'r Dirprwy Weinidog, awgrymu wrth gyd-Aelodau ar feinciau Ceidwadol yma nad yw'n rhy hwyr i roi pwysau ar Lywodraeth y DU i fuddsoddi mewn technoleg forol a llanw yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys technoleg môr-lynnoedd? Diwrnod ofnadwy iawn i Gymru oedd yr un pan ddywedodd Charles Hendry, y mae gennyf lawer o barch tuag ato, fod buddsoddi yn y morlyn llanw yn Abertawe yn rhywbeth amlwg i'w wneud. Rydym ar ei hôl hi pan allem fod wedi ymdrin â mater diogelu ffynonellau ynni. Ond a gaf fi ofyn iddo: a yw'n credu ei bod yn iawn mai'r hyn y dylem fod yn ei wneud yn awr, wrth inni wynebu nid yn unig argyfwng o ran diogelu ffynonellau ynni, ond yr argyfwng hir, parhaus—a bydd gyda ni am genedlaethau i ddod—newid hinsawdd, yw mynd i'r afael â'r ddau gyda'i gilydd? Ac mae hynny'n golygu dyblu ymdrechion mewn perthynas ag ynni adnewyddadwy, a storio ynni batris ac yn y blaen, ond heb fynd ati i ailagor tanwydd ffosil a ffracio olew môr y Gogledd—dyblu ein hymdrechion gydag ynni adnewyddadwy, technoleg hydrogen ac yn y blaen? Dyna'r ffordd y dylai Cymru arwain y maes.
Well, Huw Irranca-Davies will remember that, at the Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, we were the only Government in the UK that stood alongside Denmark and Sweden and New Zealand and others to establish the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, pledging not to extract further oil and gas. Wales has significant resources, potentially, of both, but we have taken a clear principled decision that that is not consistent in meeting our net-zero obligations, and even in the face of a crisis, we are not going to resile from that. The UK Government, who talked big at Glasgow, have quickly forgotten those commitments and are now turning back to fossil fuels, not learning any of the lessons of the past, and also not sticking to their commitments on net zero. It is not going to be possible to reach net zero by 2050 if we are increasing our emissions from North sea oil. That is a significant mistake and more short-termism by the UK Government.
Huw Irranca-Davies is right: there is an opportunity here to meet our climate change emergency while also increasing energy resilience, cutting down on fuel poverty, and increasing local wealth by harnessing the economic potential of renewables for the Welsh economy, and that's what we're focused on.
Wel, bydd Huw Irranca-Davies yn cofio mai ni, yng Nghynhadledd y Partïon yn Glasgow, oedd yr unig Lywodraeth yn y DU a safodd ochr yn ochr â Denmarc a Sweden a Seland Newydd ac eraill i sefydlu Cynghrair Tu Hwnt i Olew a Nwy, gan addo peidio ag echdynnu rhagor o olew a nwy. Mae gan Gymru gyflenwad sylweddol o'r ddau, o bosibl, ond rydym wedi gwneud penderfyniad egwyddorol clir nad yw hynny'n gyson â'n nod o gyrraedd ein rhwymedigaethau sero net, a hyd yn oed yn wyneb argyfwng, nid ydym yn mynd i gilio rhag hynny. Mae Llywodraeth y DU, a wnaeth lawer o siarad mawr yn Glasgow, wedi anghofio'r ymrwymiadau hynny'n gyflym ac maent bellach yn troi'n ôl at danwydd ffosil, heb ddysgu dim o wersi'r gorffennol, a hefyd heb gadw at eu hymrwymiadau sero net. Ni fydd yn bosibl cyrraedd sero net erbyn 2050 os ydym yn cynyddu ein hallyriadau o olew môr y Gogledd. Mae hynny'n gamgymeriad sylweddol ac yn ymagwedd dymor byr eto fyth gan Lywodraeth y DU.
Mae Huw Irranca-Davies yn iawn: mae cyfle yma i ymateb i'r argyfwng newid hinsawdd tra byddwn hefyd yn cynyddu cydnerthedd ffynonellau ynni, gan leihau tlodi tanwydd, a chynyddu cyfoeth lleol drwy harneisio potensial economaidd ynni adnewyddadwy i economi Cymru, a dyna rydym yn canolbwyntio arno.
Cwestiwn 5, Jane Dodds.
Question 5, Jane Dodds.
Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Deputy Minister. If I could continue the theme of renewable energy.
Diolch, Lywydd, a phrynhawn da, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Os caf barhau â thema ynni adnewyddadwy.
5. Pa gymorth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i brosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy bach a chymunedol? OQ57877
5. What support is the Welsh Government providing to small and community-owned renewable energy projects? OQ57877
Thank you for the question. We've successfully supported community energy since 2010. We currently provide support through the Welsh Government energy service and by grant funding Community Energy Wales. We are scaling up our support for local and community energy by implementing the recommendations of the renewable energy deep dive.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rydym wedi llwyddo i gefnogi ynni cymunedol ers 2010. Ar hyn o bryd rydym yn darparu cymorth drwy wasanaeth ynni Llywodraeth Cymru a thrwy gyllid grant Ynni Cymunedol Cymru. Rydym yn cynyddu ein cefnogaeth i ynni lleol a chymunedol drwy weithredu argymhellion yr archwiliad dwfn ar ynni adnewyddadwy.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Last year I had the opportunity to visit Hafod y Llan hydroelectric project, the National Trust's first large-scale renewable energy project. On my visit, the project team highlighted that the financial opportunities available to small schemes like theirs in Scotland would really help boost the sector here in Wales. The Scottish Government established the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme to encourage local and community ownership of renewable energy projects across Scotland and to help maximise the benefits of renewable energy systems, whether commercial or community owned. May I therefore ask what financial support will you look to bring forward for small renewable energy projects, such as those in Hafod y Llan, to deliver the programme for government commitment to expand renewable energy generation by public bodies and community groups in Wales? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Y llynedd cefais gyfle i ymweld â phrosiect trydan dŵr Hafod y Llan, prosiect ynni adnewyddadwy mawr cyntaf yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol. Ar fy ymweliad, tynnodd tîm y prosiect sylw at y ffaith y byddai'r cyfleoedd ariannol sydd ar gael i gynlluniau bach fel eu rhai yn yr Alban yn helpu i roi hwb gwirioneddol i'r sector yma yng Nghymru. Sefydlodd Llywodraeth yr Alban y Cynllun Ynni Cymunedol ac Adnewyddadwy i annog perchnogaeth leol a chymunedol ar brosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy ledled yr Alban ac i helpu i hybu manteision systemau ynni adnewyddadwy i'r eithaf, boed yn eiddo masnachol neu gymunedol. A gaf fi ofyn felly pa gymorth ariannol y byddwch yn ceisio'i gyflwyno ar gyfer prosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy bach, megis y rhai yn Hafod y Llan, i gyflawni ymrwymiad y rhaglen lywodraethu i ehangu cynhyrchiant ynni adnewyddadwy gan gyrff cyhoeddus a grwpiau cymunedol yng Nghymru? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Well, as Jane Dodds rightly mentioned, we have that target to increase energy generation by over 100 MW between now and 2026 by public bodies. We've seen the excellent example of Morriston Hospital, where a solar farm has now been opened that is powering the hospital entirely for a significant amount of time. We are very committed to working with community energy groups, because, as I said, the principle coming out of the deep dive was that not only do we need to meet our climate change targets, but we need to do it in a way that retains wealth within our local economy, and we don't want to see a repeat of extractive economic development that we've seen in previous industrial revolutions happen this time. So, community energy is essential to that. And there is much to admire about the Scottish Community and Renewable Energy Scheme. We have our own scheme, the Welsh Government's energy service, which provides technical and commercial support to community-led projects. We've recently awarded £2.35 million to the Egni Co-op to deliver another phase of its excellent rooftop solar programme, which I visited in Caerleon recently, and that will be delivering a further 2 MW of locally owned capacity and providing, crucially, a community share offer. So, not only are these public buildings getting cheap and free electricity, they're also getting a share in the co-op. It's an excellent example.
So, in terms of the Scottish example, our own local energy grant and our local energy loan funds, in fact, offer more generous support than the Scottish scheme does. But I think their community outreach model is a very interesting one, and one I'd certainly be interested in looking at further myself. So, thank you for bringing that to our attention.
Wel, fel y soniodd Jane Dodds yn gywir, mae gennym darged i sicrhau cynnydd o 100 MW yn yr ynni a gynhyrchir gan gyrff cyhoeddus rhwng yn awr a 2026. Rydym wedi gweld enghraifft ragorol Ysbyty Treforys, lle mae fferm solar bellach wedi'i hagor sy'n pweru'r ysbyty'n gyfan gwbl am ran sylweddol o'r amser. Rydym wedi ymrwymo'n llwyr i weithio gyda grwpiau ynni cymunedol, oherwydd fel y dywedais, yr egwyddor a ddaeth allan o'r archwiliad dwfn oedd bod angen inni nid yn unig gyrraedd ein targedau newid hinsawdd, ond bod angen inni wneud hynny mewn ffordd sy'n cadw cyfoeth o fewn ein heconomi leol, ac nid ydym am weld datblygiad economaidd echdynnol fel y gwelsom ar adegau blaenorol o chwyldro diwydiannol yn digwydd y tro hwn. Felly, mae ynni cymunedol yn hanfodol i hynny. Ac mae llawer i'w edmygu am Gynllun Ynni Cymunedol ac Adnewyddadwy yr Alban. Mae gennym ein cynllun ein hunain, sef gwasanaeth ynni Llywodraeth Cymru, sy'n darparu cymorth technegol a masnachol i brosiectau a arweinir gan y gymuned. Yn ddiweddar, rydym wedi dyfarnu £2.35 miliwn i Gydweithfa Egni i gyflwyno cam arall o'u rhaglen solar ardderchog ar doeon, cynllun yr ymwelais ag ef yng Nghaerllion yn ddiweddar, a bydd hwnnw'n darparu 2 MW arall o gapasiti mewn dwylo lleol ac yn hollbwysig, fe fydd yn darparu cynnig cyfranddaliad cymunedol. Felly, nid yn unig y mae'r adeiladau cyhoeddus hyn yn cael trydan rhad ac am ddim, maent hefyd yn cael cyfran yn y gydweithfa. Mae'n esiampl wych.
Felly, o ran esiampl yr Alban, mae ein grant ynni lleol ein hunain a'n cronfeydd benthyciadau ynni lleol mewn gwirionedd yn cynnig cymorth mwy hael nag y mae cynllun yr Alban yn ei wneud. Ond rwy'n credu bod eu model allgymorth cymunedol yn un diddorol iawn, ac yn un y byddwn yn sicr â diddordeb mewn edrych arno ymhellach fy hun. Felly, diolch ichi am dynnu ein sylw at hynny.
In preparation for this supplementary question, I thought I'd take myself to the Welsh Government's community energy webpage to see what the latest information and guidance was for the people of Wales who are looking to play their part in developing green and renewable energy for themselves and their communities. And given that, in the response to the Member for Mid and West Wales, the Deputy Minister said community energy is being scaled up, I was expecting a website full of all the latest and most up-to-date information, given the urgency we need to transition to renewable energy. Cue my surprise, then, when your website, the Welsh Government's own website aimed at supporting the people to develop community energy, hasn't been updated since September 2019, with some information such as feed-in tariff guidance and renewable heat incentive guidance stemming all the way back to 2015, before the Deputy Minister was even elected to this place. You may talk a good game, Deputy Minister, but isn't it the truth that what this Government says and what this Government does are two very different things?
Wrth baratoi ar gyfer y cwestiwn atodol hwn, roeddwn i'n meddwl yr awn i dudalen we ynni cymunedol Llywodraeth Cymru i weld beth oedd yr wybodaeth a'r canllawiau diweddaraf ar gyfer pobl Cymru sy'n awyddus i chwarae eu rhan drwy ddatblygu ynni gwyrdd ac adnewyddadwy iddynt hwy eu hunain a'u cymunedau. Ac o gofio bod y Dirprwy Weinidog, yn yr ymateb i'r Aelod dros Ganolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru, wedi dweud bod ynni cymunedol yn cael ei gynyddu, roeddwn yn disgwyl gwefan sy'n llawn o'r holl wybodaeth ddiweddaraf a mwyaf cyfredol, o gofio'r brys sydd yna i newid i ynni adnewyddadwy. Cefais syndod, felly, o weld nad yw eich gwefan chi, gwefan Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun sydd â'r nod o gefnogi'r bobl i ddatblygu ynni cymunedol, wedi'i diweddaru ers mis Medi 2019, gyda pheth gwybodaeth megis canllawiau ar y tariff cyflenwi trydan a chanllawiau ar y cymhelliad gwres adnewyddadwy yn mynd yr holl ffordd yn ôl i 2015, cyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog gael ei ethol i'r lle hwn hyd yn oed. Efallai eich bod yn siarad yn dda, Ddirprwy Weinidog, ond onid y gwir amdani yw bod yr hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn ei ddweud a'r hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn ei wneud yn ddau beth gwahanol iawn?
Well, I very much enjoyed the Member's meanderings through the information superhighway. I'm not sure it entirely hits the point, though, but I'm willing to look at that, because, obviously, that does need updating. But as I mentioned in my answer to Jane Dodds, we are funding Community Energy Wales to be the focal point of providing advice on how to take forward community energy schemes, and their website, I'm pleased to tell the Member, is fully up to date.
Wel, mwynheais yn fawr y ffordd yr ymlwybrodd yr Aelod ar hyd yr uwchbriffordd wybodaeth. Nid wyf yn siŵr a yw'n taro'r pwynt yn llwyr, serch hynny, ond rwy'n barod i edrych ar hynny, oherwydd yn amlwg, mae angen ei ddiweddaru. Ond fel y soniais yn fy ateb i Jane Dodds, rydym yn ariannu Ynni Cymunedol Cymru i fod yn ganolbwynt i ddarparu cyngor ar sut i fwrw ymlaen â chynlluniau ynni cymunedol, ac rwy'n falch o ddweud wrth yr Aelod fod eu gwefan hwy yn gwbl gyfredol.
6. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi unigolion i yrru cerbydau gwyrddach? OQ57872
6. How is the Welsh Government supporting individuals to drive greener vehicles? OQ57872
We're investing in rolling out publicly accessible charge points to support the switch to electric vehicles in line with our EV charging strategy. We're also mapping plans with industry to transition to zero-emission buses, piloting taxi and private hire vehicle schemes, piloting e-bike schemes and investing in zero-emission car clubs.
Rydym yn buddsoddi mewn cyflwyno pwyntiau gwefru sy'n hygyrch i'r cyhoedd i gefnogi'r newid i gerbydau trydan yn unol â'n strategaeth wefru cerbydau trydan. Rydym hefyd yn mapio cynlluniau gyda'r diwydiant i newid i fysiau dim allyriadau, treialu cynlluniau tacsis a cherbydau hurio preifat, treialu cynlluniau e-feiciau a buddsoddi mewn clybiau ceir dim allyriadau.
E-car sales are steadily increasing across the UK, as car manufactures perfectly promote the benefits of ditching diesel and petrol. On the continent, Germany doubled incentives for EVs in 2020, offering a €3,000 bonus for fully electrical vehicles and €2,250—Euros I might add—towards hybrids, as well as a 10-year tax exemption and lower VAT rates. France has also joined the list of European countries to provide EV incentives, offering national producers such as Renault a support package to encourage greater EV production. The French Government is also offering consumers carbon dioxide-related tax exemptions and subsidies of up to €7,000 and a scrappage scheme for old, traditionally fuelled cars. Will the Minister back calls for such a scrappage scheme to take place here in Wales, and will you subsequently work with EV companies so that they might move their production operations here so that we can energise highly skilled green sector jobs and promote Wales as a global green market leader and industry?
Mae gwerthiant e-geir yn cynyddu'n gyson ledled y DU, wrth i weithgynhyrchwyr ceir hyrwyddo'n berffaith y manteision o gefnu ar ddiesel a phetrol. Ar y cyfandir, dyblodd yr Almaen gymhellion ar gyfer cerbydau trydan yn 2020, gan gynnig bonws o €3,000 ar gyfer cerbydau trydanol llawn a €2,250—Ewros, gallwn ychwanegu—tuag at gerbydau hybrid, yn ogystal ag esemptiad treth 10 mlynedd a chyfraddau TAW is. Mae Ffrainc hefyd wedi ymuno â'r rhestr o wledydd Ewropeaidd sy'n darparu cymhellion cerbydau trydan, gan gynnig pecyn cymorth i gynhyrchwyr cenedlaethol fel Renault i'w hannog i gynhyrchu mwy o gerbydau trydan. Mae Llywodraeth Ffrainc hefyd yn cynnig esemptiadau treth sy'n gysylltiedig â charbon deuocsid i ddefnyddwyr a chymorthdaliadau o hyd at €7,000 a chynllun sgrapio hen geir tanwydd traddodiadol. A wnaiff y Gweinidog gefnogi galwadau i gynnal cynllun sgrapio o'r fath yma yng Nghymru, ac a wnewch chi wedyn weithio gyda chwmnïau cerbydau trydan fel y gallent symud eu gweithgareddau cynhyrchu yma inni allu ysgogi swyddi medrus iawn yn y sector gwyrdd a hyrwyddo Cymru fel arweinydd a diwydiant marchnad werdd fyd-eang?
Well, we did publish an action plan in October last year, and I'm pleased that, last Friday, the UK Government eventually published its long-awaited EV charging strategy. That set a target for a tenfold increase in public charging across the UK by 2030, so we welcome that. The UK Government holds mainly the levers on this, and we are supporting local authorities to apply for the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles fund for public charging. Now, unfortunately, the Member's own authority of Conwy has failed to engage with this fund, but we will pursue this further, because there's an opportunity for her constituents to benefit from this. And, indeed, when I was looking to drive to Llandudno myself recently in an EV, I could find very few sites on the Zap-Map app, so I do hope she'll persuade her own authority, which I believe she's still a member of, or until last week—[Interruption.] Until last week, apologies. So, it's—
Wel, fe wnaethom gyhoeddi cynllun gweithredu ym mis Hydref y llynedd, ac rwy'n falch fod Llywodraeth y DU, ddydd Gwener diwethaf, wedi cyhoeddi ei strategaeth hirddisgwyliedig ar gyfer gwefru cerbydau trydan o'r diwedd. Roedd honno'n gosod targed ar gyfer deg gwaith yn fwy o wefru cyhoeddus ledled y DU erbyn 2030, felly rydym yn croesawu hynny. Llywodraeth y DU sydd â'r dulliau o wneud hyn yn bennaf, ac rydym yn cefnogi awdurdodau lleol i wneud cais i gronfa'r Swyddfa Cerbydau Dim Allyriadau ar gyfer gwefru cyhoeddus. Nawr, yn anffodus, mae awdurdod yr Aelod ei hun yng Nghonwy wedi methu ymgysylltu â'r gronfa hon, ond byddwn yn mynd ar drywydd hyn ymhellach, oherwydd mae cyfle i'w hetholwyr elwa o hyn. Ac yn wir, pan oeddwn yn bwriadu gyrru i Landudno fy hun yn ddiweddar mewn cerbyd trydan, ychydig iawn o safleoedd y gallwn ddod o hyd iddynt ar yr ap Zap-Map, felly rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn perswadio ei hawdurdod ei hun, a chredaf ei bod yn dal yn aelod ohono, neu tan yr wythnos diwethaf—[Torri ar draws.] Tan yr wythnos diwethaf, mae'n ddrwg gennyf. Felly, mae—
Point of order—
Pwynt o drefn—
No, you don't need to make a point of order. I don't think Janet Finch-Saunders is a councillor any longer.
Na, nid oes angen i chi wneud pwynt o drefn. Nid wyf yn meddwl bod Janet Finch-Saunders yn gynghorydd mwyach.
No, indeed, until last week. Forgive me, Llywydd, I keep hearing her declarations of interest in my head, so it stuck.
We have funded a green taxi pilot in Denbighshire, in Pembrokeshire and in Cardiff to 'try before you buy' and we've installed rapid chargers in those areas, and we're planning rapid charging points on the strategic road network this year, as well as, as I mentioned, the electric bike pilot project, one of which is in Rhyl, and I was very pleased to take part in myself, which is an excellent project with great enthusiasm.
On her point on scrappage schemes, it's an interesting point and one we've got an open mind about. I think this is best done at a UK level. There is a risk here, I think, because most people are not going to be able to afford electric cars for some time, until a robust second-hand car market emerges. We see around a quarter of households without access to any car at all, and there's a judgment for us of where we put scarce resources. Do we do it in serving people who already have access to cars to give them a nice green car, or do we do it to improve public transport, to give people on low incomes who don't have access to transport to have that? So, that is the dilemma for us. There's a very interesting scheme in Birmingham as part of their clean air zone, which I know you oppose, looking at a scrappage scheme to incentivise people to drive into the city centre in clean vehicles. So, I think there's an ongoing debate for us all to have about the right balance to reach these necessary targets.
Na, yn wir, tan yr wythnos diwethaf. Maddeuwch imi, Lywydd, rwy'n dal i glywed ei datganiadau o fuddiant yn fy mhen, felly maent wedi aros yno.
Rydym wedi ariannu cynllun peilot tacsis gwyrdd yn sir Ddinbych, yn sir Benfro ac yng Nghaerdydd i 'brofi cyn prynu' ac rydym wedi gosod pwyntiau gwefru cyflym yn yr ardaloedd hynny, ac rydym yn cynllunio pwyntiau gwefru cyflym ar y rhwydwaith ffyrdd strategol eleni, yn ogystal â'r prosiect peilot beiciau trydan, fel y soniais, gydag un ohonynt yn y Rhyl, ac roeddwn yn falch iawn o gymryd rhan yn hwnnw fy hun, gan ei fod yn brosiect rhagorol sy'n ennyn brwdfrydedd mawr.
Ar ei phwynt am gynlluniau sgrapio, mae'n bwynt diddorol ac yn un y mae gennym feddwl agored yn ei gylch. Rwy'n credu mai'r ffordd orau o'i wneud yw ar lefel y DU. Mae perygl yma, rwy'n credu, oherwydd ni fydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn gallu fforddio ceir trydan am beth amser, nes y daw marchnad geir ail-law gadarn i'r amlwg. Rydym yn gweld tua chwarter yr aelwydydd heb fynediad at unrhyw gar o gwbl, ac mae angen inni benderfynu lle'r ydym yn rhoi adnoddau prin. A ydym yn gwneud hynny drwy wasanaethu pobl sydd eisoes â ffordd o gael car a rhoi car gwyrdd braf iddynt, neu a ydym yn ei wneud i wella trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, a rhoi hynny i bobl ar incwm isel nad oes ganddynt fynediad at drafnidiaeth? Felly, dyna'r cyfyng-gyngor sydd gennym. Mae cynllun diddorol iawn ar waith yn Birmingham fel rhan o'u parth aer glân, y gwn eich bod yn ei wrthwynebu, sy'n edrych ar gynllun sgrapio i gymell pobl i yrru i ganol y ddinas mewn cerbydau glân. Felly, credaf fod dadl barhaus i bawb ohonom ei chael am y cydbwysedd cywir i'w daro er mwyn cyrraedd y targedau angenrheidiol hyn.
7. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng ynni? OQ57875
7. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to tackle the energy crisis? OQ57875
The UK Government’s failure to step up will be devastating for households across the UK. We've taken swift action—doubling the winter fuel payment to £200 for this year and next, introducing a more generous council tax rebate than the UK Government and increasing our discretionary fund for householders who are struggling.
Bydd methiant Llywodraeth y DU i gamu i'r adwy yn ddinistriol i aelwydydd ledled y DU. Rydym wedi rhoi camau cyflym ar waith—gan ddyblu'r taliad tanwydd y gaeaf i £200 ar gyfer eleni a'r flwyddyn nesaf, cyflwyno ad-daliad treth gyngor mwy hael na Llywodraeth y DU a chynyddu ein cronfa ddewisol ar gyfer deiliaid tai sy'n ei chael yn anodd.
Minister, you're right in one thing: the war in Ukraine, as you said earlier, has brought the importance of energy independence into sharp focus. As it's in your control, and out of interest, as a Government, will you now be reconsidering your stance on fracking?
Weinidog, rydych yn iawn ynglŷn ag un peth: mae'r rhyfel yn Wcráin, fel y dywedoch chi'n gynharach, wedi rhoi ffocws clir i bwysigrwydd ffynonellau ynni annibynnol. Gan ei fod o fewn eich rheolaeth, ac o ran diddordeb, fel Llywodraeth a fyddwch chi yn awr yn ailystyried eich safbwynt ar ffracio?
No.
Na fyddwn.
8. Pa gamau mae'r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i sicrhau tai addas i ateb galw cymunedol? OQ57882
8. What steps is the Government taking to ensure that appropriate housing is available to meet community need? OQ57882
We exceeded our previous housing commitment in Wales and we continue to build on this. Our 20,000 homes target focuses on increasing homes within the social sector. We've allocated record levels of investment in housing for the next three years to support the need for homes across Wales.
Gwnaethom ragori ar ein hymrwymiad tai blaenorol yng Nghymru ac rydym yn parhau i adeiladu ar hyn. Mae ein targed o 20,000 o gartrefi yn canolbwyntio ar gynyddu nifer y cartrefi yn y sector cymdeithasol. Rydym wedi dyrannu'r lefelau uchaf erioed o fuddsoddiad mewn tai am y tair blynedd nesaf i gefnogi'r angen am gartrefi ledled Cymru.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am yr ateb hwnna. Dwi'n croesawu'r cynnydd sydd wedi cael ei weld yn y gyllideb tuag at dai cymdeithasol. Os ydyn ni i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng tai, yna mae'n rhaid, wrth gwrs, wrth rhagor o dai cymdeithasol, ond mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw hefyd fod yn addas i bwrpas. Dwi wedi mynd i weld nifer fawr o etholwyr yn ddiweddar sydd yn gorfod byw mewn tai anaddas. Cymerwch Claire, er enghraifft. Mae hi'n fam i bedwar o blant bach, dwy ohonyn nhw'n fabanod, ac mae hithau'n byw ar y fflat uchaf ac yn gorfod cario'r goetsh i fyny, gadael y baban i fyny'r staer, yna mynd i lawr staer i gario'r goetsh, yna mynd â'r ail faban, ac yna'n ôl lawr staer eto am y trydydd neu'r pedwerydd gwaith i fynd i nôl ei siopa—tŷ cwbl anaddas ar ei chyfer hi, a'r tŷ hefyd yn oer ac yn damp. Un enghraifft ydy Claire o nifer fawr yn fy etholaeth i, heb sôn am enghreifftiau ym mhob etholaeth arall.
Rydyn ni'n gwybod hefyd fod yna alw am fyngalos ar gyfer pobl ag anghenion symudedd neu bobl oedrannus, ac mae yna alw cynyddol am dai un llofft ar gyfer haen o bobl benodol o fewn ein cymdeithas ni. Pa gamau, felly, ydych chi fel Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd, nid yn unig i adeiladu mwy o dai ond i adnabod anghenion pobl a sicrhau bod y tai newydd naill ai yn cyfarch y galw neu'n medru cael eu haddasu'n hawdd ac yn rhad i gyfarch anghenion penodol?
I thank the Deputy Minister for that response. I welcome the progress that's been made and the additional budget towards social housing. If we're to tackle the housing crisis, then of course we must have more social housing available, but they must also be fit for purpose. I've been to see a number of constituents recently who have to live in inappropriate accommodation. Take Claire, for example, a mother of four, two of them babies, and she lives in the uppermost flat and has to carry the pram up, leave the baby upstairs, then go back down, get the other pram and so on and so forth, and then has to go down for the third or fourth time then to get the shopping. It's totally inappropriate housing for her, and the flat is also cold and damp. Claire is one example of many in my constituency, never mind examples in every other constituency too.
We also know that there is demand for bungalows for people with mobility needs or elderly people, and there's increasing demand for one-bedroomed housing for a particular group of people within our society. What steps are you taking as a Government, then, not only to build more homes but also to identify people's needs and ensure that those new homes either meet that need or can easily be adapted, and cheaply, to meet specific needs?
Well, Mabon ap Gwynfor makes a number of fair points there, and he makes two essential criticisms that the social housing system has not kept up with demand for many decades, which is correct, and that the private sector housing is providing too many of the same types of houses and not catering to the range of needs, such as bungalows, and there's a complex set of problems beneath both of those issues.
We are addressing the first with a very ambitious stretch target of 20,000 low-carbon social homes, which will make a significant difference, and there's progress being made this year in Gwynedd. I'm pleased to see seven housing schemes being funded for social rent, which has the potential to provide 88 homes in the coming years, which will make some difference in those communities. In terms of the broader critique of the way the market can provide a mono approach to housing, a large-volume approach, and not the variety that an ageing population requires, then that does require further disruption to the market model. And we are, as he knows, through our co-operation agreement, trialling a range of different approaches, as well as our modern methods of construction suite of reforms, to encourage well-designed and a greater diversity of houses to replenish the housing stock.
But, ultimately, this is market failure, and we do need, through our foundational economy projects, working with registered social landlords, to stimulate local supply chains and get local small and medium-sized enterprise builders to step back into the housing market rather than doing extensions and garages, which they primarily focus on at the moment because it provides a reliable and quick return. We do need to have a different approach from the market to meet the need he rightly addresses.
Wel, mae Mabon ap Gwynfor yn gwneud nifer o bwyntiau teg yno, ac mae'n gwneud dwy feirniadaeth hanfodol nad yw'r system tai cymdeithasol wedi bwydo'r galw ers degawdau lawer, sy'n gywir, a bod tai'r sector preifat yn darparu gormod o'r un mathau o dai ac nad ydynt yn darparu ar gyfer yr ystod o anghenion, megis byngalos, a cheir set gymhleth o broblemau o dan y ddau fater hynny.
Rydym yn mynd i'r afael â'r cyntaf gyda tharged uchelgeisiol iawn o 20,000 o gartrefi cymdeithasol carbon isel, a fydd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth sylweddol, ac mae cynnydd yn cael ei wneud eleni yng Ngwynedd. Rwy'n falch o weld saith cynllun tai yn cael eu hariannu ar gyfer rhent cymdeithasol, sydd â'r potensial i ddarparu 88 o gartrefi yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, gan wneud peth gwahaniaeth yn y cymunedau hynny. O ran y feirniadaeth ehangach o'r ffordd y gall y farchnad ddarparu dull mono o ymdrin â thai, dull gweithredu ar raddfa fawr, ac nid yr amrywiaeth sydd ei hangen ar boblogaeth sy'n heneiddio, mae hynny'n galw am darfu pellach ar fodel y farchnad. Ac fel y gŵyr, drwy ein cytundeb cydweithio, rydym yn treialu amrywiaeth o wahanol ddulliau, yn ogystal â'n cyfres o ddiwygiadau dulliau modern o adeiladu, er mwyn annog adeiladu tai sydd wedi'u cynllunio'n dda ac amrywiaeth ehangach o dai i ailgyflenwi'r stoc dai.
Ond yn y pen draw, methiant y farchnad yw hyn, a thrwy ein prosiectau economi sylfaenol, mae angen inni weithio gyda landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig, ysgogi cadwyni cyflenwi lleol a chael cwmnïau adeiladu bach a chanolig lleol i gamu'n ôl i'r farchnad dai yn hytrach na gwneud estyniadau a garejys fel y maent yn canolbwyntio'n bennaf arnynt ar hyn o bryd am fod hynny'n darparu elw dibynadwy a chyflym. Mae angen inni gael dull o weithredu sy'n wahanol i'r farchnad er mwyn diwallu'r angen y mae'n ei grybwyll.
Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am yr eitem yna.
I thank the Deputy Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf fydd y cwestiynau i Weinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Samuel Kurtz.
We will now move to our next item, questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, and the first question is from Samuel Kurtz.
1. Pa gymorth sydd ar gael i fyfyrwyr ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yng Ngorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro? OQ57891
1. What support is available for students with additional learning needs in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ57891

We are committed to ensuring learners across Wales can access a high standard of education and reach their full potential. The new additional learning needs system ensures that all children and young people that require additional support to meet an ALN have the support properly planned for and protected.
Rydym wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod dysgwyr ledled Cymru yn gallu cael mynediad at addysg o safon uchel a chyrraedd eu potensial llawn. Mae'r system anghenion dysgu ychwanegol newydd yn sicrhau bod yr holl blant a phobl ifanc sydd angen cymorth ychwanegol i ddiwallu angen dysgu ychwanegol yn cael y cymorth wedi'i gynllunio'n briodol a'i ddiogelu.
Diolch, Weinidog, and I refer Members to my register of interests. I've recently successfully helped a constituent family, based in Pembrokeshire, who have had to fight for their child to be able to join their sister in attending the Canolfan Elfed inclusion unit based in Queen Elizabeth High School in neighbouring Carmarthenshire. This unit provides excellent service and provision for a range of secondary school age children with additional learning needs. However, without my intervention, this child would not have been able to join their sister, sharing the same taxi to and from school, and receive the educational support that he needs. There was a lack of communication or understanding between the two local authorities, and common sense was ignored. What I'd like to know, Minister, is: why is it so difficult for pupils with ALN to receive the support they need if it means crossing a county boundary? And what actions are you and your Government taking to ensure ALN support isn't a postcode lottery? Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Weinidog, a chyfeiriaf yr Aelodau at fy nghofrestr buddiannau. Yn ddiweddar, rwyf wedi llwyddo i helpu teulu etholwr yn sir Benfro sydd wedi gorfod ymladd er mwyn i'w plentyn allu ymuno â'u chwaer a mynychu uned gynhwysiant Canolfan Elfed yn Ysgol Uwchradd y Frenhines Elizabeth dros y ffin yn sir Gaerfyrddin. Mae'r uned hon yn darparu gwasanaeth a darpariaeth ragorol ar gyfer ystod o blant oedran ysgol uwchradd ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Fodd bynnag, heb fy ymyrraeth i, ni fyddai'r plentyn wedi gallu ymuno â'u chwaer, gan rannu'r un tacsi i ac o'r ysgol, a chael y cymorth addysgol y maent ei angen. Roedd diffyg cyfathrebu neu ddealltwriaeth rhwng y ddau awdurdod lleol, ac anwybyddwyd synnwyr cyffredin. Yr hyn yr hoffwn ei wybod, Weinidog, yw: pam ei bod mor anodd i ddisgyblion ag angen dysgu ychwanegol gael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt os yw'n golygu croesi ffin sirol? A pha gamau yr ydych chi a'ch Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i sicrhau nad yw cymorth anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn loteri cod post? Diolch, Lywydd.
Well, I thank the Member for that supplementary. I can't comment on the specifics of his constituents' situation for reasons that he will understand, but, if he writes to me about that particular situation, I'll be very happy to have my officials look into it.
Wel, diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn atodol hwnnw. Ni allaf wneud sylw am fanylion sefyllfa ei etholwyr am resymau y bydd yn eu deall, ond os gwnaiff ysgrifennu ataf am y sefyllfa benodol honno, byddaf yn hapus iawn i gael fy swyddogion i ymchwilio i'r mater.
2. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi myfyrwyr safon uwch eleni o ystyried effaith y pandemig ar eu haddysg? OQ57864
2. How is the Welsh Government supporting A-level students this year given the impact of the pandemic on their education? OQ57864
The WJEC have announced adaptations to exams, with reductions to content and advance information to help learners prepare. We've provided £24 million of exam-year funding to provide attendance, teaching, revision and transition support to enable A-level students to progress. A communications campaign signposting learners to useful revision and well-being resources has begun.
Mae CBAC wedi cyhoeddi addasiadau i arholiadau, gan leihau cynnwys a darparu gwybodaeth ymlaen llaw i helpu dysgwyr i baratoi. Rydym wedi darparu £24 miliwn o gyllid ar gyfer y flwyddyn arholiadau i ddarparu cymorth gyda phresenoldeb, addysgu, adolygu a phontio i alluogi myfyrwyr Safon Uwch i symud ymlaen. Mae ymgyrch gyfathrebu sy'n cyfeirio dysgwyr at adnoddau adolygu a llesiant defnyddiol wedi dechrau.
Thank you, Minister, for your answer. I recently met with A-level students at Llanidloes High School in my own constituency following one particular student contacting me. I met up with a number of students. They outlined their concerns to me. I followed up with mentioning much of what you've just said now, Minister—I talked about the support package you announced before Christmas. But one particular student came back to me, and I'll relay what he said. I'm hoping you can help answer him directly. What this particular student says is 'educational support should be equally available and accessible to all students, regardless of who the Government deems more disadvantaged.' I think he's making that point because you're very much targeting disadvantaged pupils. Well, they want to know who is disadvantaged and how you define that.
The student goes on to say, 'How are the Welsh Government engaging with the ways factors, such as attendance, affect pupils negatively?' And he goes on to talk about there could be 100 per cent attendance from pupils themselves, but it could be that teachers are not in due to the pandemic, and how does that affect their educational learning as well. He also talks about how 'the content changing or being cut does not provide many marks, based on our knowledge of past papers.' And these are factors that the Welsh Government don't seem to be taking into consideration when offering support. So, I'm hoping, Minister, that you can help directly reply to this particular student that has these particular concerns and the particular points that they've mentioned to me.
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Yn ddiweddar, cyfarfûm â myfyrwyr Safon Uwch yn Ysgol Uwchradd Llanidloes yn fy etholaeth fy hun wedi i fyfyriwr penodol gysylltu â mi. Cyfarfûm â nifer o fyfyrwyr. Fe wnaethant amlinellu eu pryderon. Soniais am lawer o'r hyn yr ydych newydd ei ddweud yn awr, Weinidog—soniais am y pecyn cymorth a gyhoeddwyd gennych cyn y Nadolig. Ond daeth un myfyriwr penodol yn ôl ataf, ac fe nodaf yr hyn a ddywedodd. Rwy'n gobeithio y gallwch chi helpu i'w ateb yn uniongyrchol. Yr hyn y mae'r myfyriwr penodol hwn yn ei ddweud yw y 'dylai cymorth addysgol fod yr un mor hygyrch i bob myfyriwr, ni waeth pwy y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei ystyried yn fwy difreintiedig.' Credaf ei fod yn gwneud y pwynt hwnnw oherwydd eich bod yn targedu disgyblion difreintiedig yn fawr iawn. Wel, maent am wybod pwy sy'n ddifreintiedig a sut rydych chi'n diffinio hynny.
Mae'r myfyriwr yn mynd rhagddo i ddweud, 'Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymwneud â'r ffyrdd y mae ffactorau megis presenoldeb yn effeithio'n negyddol ar ddisgyblion?' Ac mae'n mynd rhagddo i ddweud y gallai fod 100 y cant o'r disgyblion yn bresennol, ond efallai nad yw athrawon i mewn oherwydd y pandemig, a sut y mae hynny'n effeithio ar eu dysgu addysgol hefyd. Mae hefyd yn sôn sut 'nad yw newid neu dorri cynnwys yn darparu llawer o farciau, yn seiliedig ar ein gwybodaeth am bapurau'r gorffennol.' Ac mae'r rhain yn ffactorau nad yw'n ymddangos bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu hystyried wrth gynnig cymorth. Felly, Weinidog, rwy'n gobeithio y gallwch helpu i ymateb yn uniongyrchol i'r myfyriwr penodol hwn sydd â'r pryderon penodol hyn a'r pwyntiau penodol y maent wedi'u crybwyll wrthyf.
Yes, of course I can. The support that is available is available to students in all parts of Wales, and is available equally. And I would ask your student to look at the Power Up website, which the Welsh Government launched some weeks ago, which has a suite of resources to support learners with their examinations as well as a comprehensive indication of what the changes are to course content, what the advance notice is of each of the areas of examination, and the suite of resources available to support them with well-being and mental health issues, and that is available to every single learner in Wales.
The grade boundaries for examinations this summer, as the Member knows, will be at a point between 2019 and 2021, and that will apply to all students equally. The £7.5 million of funding allocated to support learners to develop their core skills in qualifications such as maths and English are available to all students. In particular—as his constituent mentioned the concern in relation to those who've lost out in terms of school attendance—£7 million of the funding I announced before Christmas will be to support those whose attendance has been particularly low, and a further £9.5 million will be to support all students transitioning from school to further education or sixth-form colleges. So, that suite of support is available to all students in Wales. There is additional support available to students who have particular needs, but that builds very much on the approach that this Government has taken throughout, which is providing a universal level of support, but targeting additional support at those who need it most.
Gallaf, wrth gwrs. Mae'r cymorth sydd ar gael yno i fyfyrwyr ym mhob rhan o Gymru, ac mae ar gael yn gyfartal. A hoffwn ofyn i'ch myfyriwr edrych ar wefan Lefel Nesa, a lansiwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru rai wythnosau'n ôl, sydd â chyfres o adnoddau i gefnogi dysgwyr gyda'u harholiadau yn ogystal â dynodiad cynhwysfawr o beth yw'r newidiadau i gynnwys cyrsiau, beth yw'r rhybudd ymlaen llaw ynglŷn â phob un o'r meysydd arholi, a'r gyfres o adnoddau sydd ar gael i'w cefnogi gyda materion llesiant ac iechyd meddwl, ac mae hynny ar gael i bob dysgwr unigol yng Nghymru.
Bydd y ffiniau graddau ar gyfer arholiadau yr haf hwn, fel y gŵyr yr Aelod, ar bwynt rhwng 2019 a 2021, a bydd hynny'n berthnasol i bob myfyriwr yn gyfartal. Mae'r £7.5 miliwn o gyllid a ddyrannwyd i gefnogi dysgwyr i ddatblygu eu sgiliau craidd mewn cymwysterau fel mathemateg a Saesneg ar gael i bob myfyriwr. Yn benodol—gan fod ei etholwr wedi nodi'r pryder ynglŷn â'r rhai y bu'n rhaid iddynt golli llawer o ysgol—bydd £7 miliwn o'r cyllid a gyhoeddais cyn y Nadolig yn cefnogi'r rheini y mae eu lefelau presenoldeb wedi bod yn arbennig o isel, a £9.5 miliwn arall i gefnogi pob myfyriwr sy'n pontio o'r ysgol i addysg bellach neu golegau chweched dosbarth. Felly, mae'r pecyn hwnnw o gymorth ar gael i bob myfyriwr yng Nghymru. Mae cymorth ychwanegol ar gael i fyfyrwyr sydd ag anghenion penodol, ond mae hynny'n adeiladu i raddau helaeth ar y dull y mae'r Llywodraeth hon wedi'i fabwysiadu drwy gydol y broses, sef darparu lefel gyffredinol o gymorth, ond targedu cymorth ychwanegol at y rhai sydd fwyaf o'i angen.
My question was going to be very similar to Russell George's, so I'll adjust it slightly to say that I've had the same kind of representations. One constituent particularly has asked for exams not to take place this year. Now, that's not a view that I actually support, because I think if we're going to move away from exams it needs to be done in a strategic and planned way. But certainly it represents the anxiety that that parent is feeling for their children, and how their children are feeling. So, you've outlined some of the additional support. In future, would you be considering looking at exams as an approach to assessment, and maybe, in those subjects that don't lend themselves to exams, moving to a more balanced form of assessment that might take some of the stress out of that time of the year for students?
Roedd fy nghwestiwn yn mynd i fod yn debyg iawn i gwestiwn Russell George, felly fe wnaf ei addasu ychydig i ddweud fy mod innau wedi cael yr un math o sylwadau. Mae un etholwr yn benodol wedi gofyn am beidio â chynnal arholiadau eleni. Nawr, nid yw honno'n farn rwy'n ei chefnogi mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd os ydym am symud oddi wrth arholiadau credaf fod angen ei wneud mewn ffordd strategol ac wedi'i chynllunio. Ond yn sicr mae'n dynodi'r pryder y mae'r rhiant dan sylw'n ei deimlo dros eu plant, a sut y mae eu plant yn teimlo. Felly, rydych wedi amlinellu peth o'r cymorth ychwanegol. Yn y dyfodol, a wnewch chi ystyried edrych ar arholiadau fel dull o asesu, ac efallai, mewn pynciau nad yw arholiadau yn ddull mor addas o'u hasesu, yn ystyried symud at fath mwy cytbwys o asesu a allai ddileu peth o'r straen ar yr adeg honno o'r flwyddyn i fyfyrwyr?
Well, on the point in relation to exams, I do understand, obviously, that there'll be students this year sitting external exams for the first time, and some of the support that I've outlined in my answer to Russell George is intended specifically to support those students. The challenge that we have been wrestling with throughout, really, is the loss of teaching time. That's the fundamental question that learners are themselves struggling with, and the judgment to pursue exams this year was partly reflecting the position across the UK, and I didn't want learners in Wales to be disadvantaged by that, but, equally, the experience of centre-determined grades for last year meant even less teaching time was available, because teachers' time was taken up in actually making the assessment. So, that's part of the thinking behind the decision to pursue exams for this summer.
The longer term question is an important question. I do think that, in the last two years, we've understood that different means of assessment have a different contribution to make. As he will know, Qualifications Wales are undertaking a review at the moment of examinations generally at GCSE. Some of that is around course content, but actually there's a very important discussion to be had about the balance between examination and non-examination, and also the points in the year at which assessments take place, and I hope that that process, that review process, which is open for everyone to contribute to, will lead to ambitious reform in that space.
Wel, ar y pwynt ynglŷn ag arholiadau, rwy'n deall, yn amlwg, y bydd myfyrwyr eleni yn sefyll arholiadau allanol am y tro cyntaf, ac mae rhywfaint o'r cymorth a amlinellais yn fy ateb i Russell George wedi'i fwriadu'n benodol ar gyfer cefnogi'r myfyrwyr hynny. Yr her y buom yn ymgodymu â hi drwy gydol y broses mewn gwirionedd yw colli amser addysgu. Dyna'r cwestiwn sylfaenol y mae dysgwyr eu hunain yn ymgodymu ag ef, ac roedd y penderfyniad i gynnal arholiadau eleni yn adlewyrchu'n rhannol y sefyllfa ledled y DU, ac nid oeddwn am i ddysgwyr yng Nghymru fod o dan anfantais oherwydd hynny, ond yn yr un modd, roedd y profiad o bennu graddau gan ganolfannau ar gyfer y llynedd yn golygu bod hyd yn oed llai o amser addysgu ar gael, oherwydd cafodd amser athrawon ei dreulio'n gwneud yr asesiad mewn gwirionedd. Felly, mae hynny'n rhan o'r meddwl y tu ôl i'r penderfyniad i gynnal arholiadau yr haf hwn.
Mae'r cwestiwn mwy hirdymor yn gwestiwn pwysig. Credaf ein bod, yn ystod y ddwy flynedd diwethaf, wedi deall bod gan wahanol ddulliau asesu gyfraniad gwahanol i'w wneud. Fel y gŵyr, mae Cymwysterau Cymru yn cynnal adolygiad ar hyn o bryd o arholiadau TGAU yn gyffredinol. Mae rhywfaint o hynny'n ymwneud â chynnwys cyrsiau, ond mewn gwirionedd mae trafodaeth bwysig iawn i'w chael am y cydbwysedd rhwng dulliau arholi a dulliau nad ydynt yn cynnwys arholiadau, a hefyd yr adegau o'r flwyddyn y caiff asesiadau eu cynnal, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y broses honno, y broses adolygu honno, sy'n agored i bawb gyfrannu ati, yn arwain at ddiwygio uchelgeisiol yn hynny o beth.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Laura Anne Jones.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Conservative spokesperson, Laura Anne Jones.
Diolch, Presiding Officer. Minister, I could ask you a myriad of things today, on free school meals, the Queen's jubilee book, exams, as my colleague just outlined, or anything, but I have some really pressing matters I wish you to address. It has come to light during our peer-on-peer sexual harassment review that we're holding currently in the Children, Young People, and Education Committee that there has been no-one commissioned by this Government to collect evidence on the impact that it's had on home-schooled children. This obviously started alarm bells ringing with me, as Wales has seen an uptake in home-schooled children over the past two years. So, one could say that this evidence is actually vital, and leads to further questions on what evidence there is on home-schooled children full stop. So, Professor Renold, who was commissioned by your Government, made it clear that there is no evidence, and, to quote her, she said there absolutely needs to be. So, do you have evidence, Minister, on home-schooled children and how they've been affected, not just by peer-on-peer sexual harassment, but by the pandemic and more generally? And what protections are there in place for these children whilst being home schooled?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, gallwn ofyn myrdd o bethau ichi heddiw, ar brydau ysgol am ddim, llyfr jiwbilî'r Frenhines, arholiadau, fel yr amlinellodd fy nghyd-Aelod, neu unrhyw beth, ond mae gennyf faterion gwirioneddol bwysig yr hoffwn ichi roi sylw iddynt. Mae wedi dod i'r amlwg yn ystod ein hadolygiad o aflonyddu rhywiol gan gyfoedion a gynhelir gennym ar hyn o bryd yn y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg nad oes neb wedi'i gomisiynu gan y Llywodraeth hon i gasglu tystiolaeth ar yr effaith y mae wedi'i chael ar blant sy'n cael eu haddysg gartref. Dechreuodd hyn ganu larymau yn fy meddwl wrth gwrs, gan fod Cymru wedi gweld nifer y plant sy'n cael eu haddysgu gartref yn cynyddu dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf. Felly, gellid dweud bod y dystiolaeth hon yn hanfodol mewn gwirionedd, ac mae'n arwain at gwestiynau pellach ynglŷn â pha dystiolaeth sy'n bodoli ar blant a addysgir gartref. Felly, eglurodd yr Athro Renold, a gomisiynwyd gan eich Llywodraeth, nad oes tystiolaeth ar gael, ac os caf ei dyfynnu hi, dywedodd fod gwir angen ei chael. Felly, a oes gennych dystiolaeth, Weinidog, am blant sy'n cael eu haddysgu gartref a sut yr effeithiwyd arnynt, nid yn unig gan aflonyddu rhywiol gan gyfoedion, ond gan y pandemig ac yn fwy cyffredinol? A pha amddiffyniadau sydd ar waith ar gyfer y plant hyn tra'u bod yn cael eu haddysg gartref?
The Member asks a very important question about a very serious matter. And she's right, obviously, to identify the fact that it is more challenging to be able to understand the experience of home-schooled children, which is why we are keen to make sure that children are being taught in school with their peers, subject to the safeguarding regime that all schools operate.
She will know that the work that we had in train to bring forward legislation to update the home-schooling laws has been postponed effectively, or paused effectively, due to COVID. But I can say that we are looking to bring forward legislation in this space—hopefully to be bringing forward legislation this summer—which would have the intention that it would be in place by next year, which would strengthen the tools available to local authorities in this area.
Mae'r Aelod yn gofyn cwestiwn pwysig iawn am fater difrifol iawn. Ac mae hi'n iawn, yn amlwg, i nodi'r ffaith ei bod yn fwy heriol ceisio deall profiad plant sy'n cael eu haddysgu gartref, a dyna pam ein bod yn awyddus i sicrhau bod plant yn cael eu haddysgu yn yr ysgol gyda'u cyfoedion, yn ddarostyngedig i'r drefn ddiogelu y mae pob ysgol yn ei gweithredu.
Bydd yn gwybod bod y gwaith a oedd gennym ar y gweill i gyflwyno deddfwriaeth i ddiweddaru'r deddfau addysgu gartref wedi'i ohirio, neu wedi'i oedi i bob pwrpas, oherwydd COVID. Ond gallaf ddweud ein bod yn bwriadu cyflwyno deddfwriaeth yn y maes hwn—gobeithio y byddwn yn cyflwyno deddfwriaeth yr haf hwn—gyda'r bwriad o'i roi ar waith erbyn y flwyddyn nesaf, a fyddai'n cryfhau'r offer sydd ar gael i awdurdodau lleol yn y maes hwn.
Thank you, Minister. As you know, Minister, the Welsh Government announced an independent review of educational leadership last year. The leadership review was completed last autumn, only it hasn't been published. Minister, simply: when will you be releasing this report and why have you been sitting on it for so long?
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Fel y gwyddoch, Weinidog, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru adolygiad annibynnol o arweinyddiaeth addysgol y llynedd. Cwblhawyd yr adolygiad arweinyddiaeth yr hydref diwethaf, ond nid yw wedi'i gyhoeddi. Weinidog, yn syml: pryd y byddwch yn rhyddhau'r adroddiad hwn a pham y buoch yn ei ddal yn ôl cyhyd?
Well, I have not been sitting on it. The point that the Member makes is very important. We know—and she will recall from my statement last week in relation to ensuring that we have a system that delivers high standards and aspirations for all our learners—that one of the key contributors to that is school leadership and that good leadership in schools is able to make a significant difference. So, this Government absolutely sets that as a priority. The work with the National Academy for Educational Leadership in this space is testament to that. I will be bringing forward further statements in relation to leadership in the summer term.
Wel, nid wyf wedi bod yn ei ddal yn ôl. Mae'r pwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud yn bwysig iawn. Fe wyddom—a bydd yn cofio o fy natganiad yr wythnos diwethaf ynglŷn â sicrhau bod gennym system sy'n cyflawni safonau a dyheadau uchel ar gyfer ein holl ddysgwyr—mai un o'r pethau sy'n cyfrannu'n allweddol at hynny yw arweinyddiaeth ysgolion ac mae arweinyddiaeth dda mewn ysgolion yn gallu gwneud gwahaniaeth sylweddol. Felly, mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn nodi hynny fel blaenoriaeth. Mae'r gwaith gyda'r Academi Genedlaethol ar gyfer Arweinyddiaeth Addysgol yn y lle hwn yn dystiolaeth o hynny. Byddaf yn cyflwyno datganiadau pellach mewn perthynas ag arweinyddiaeth yn ystod tymor yr haf.
Minister, it isn't good enough that this report has been sat on and hidden away for so long. We were told during the announcement of the review that the
'Leadership Review will inform future developments and provide clarity on the support we have for school leaders across the system, and the support they will need to enable them to realise the new curriculum.'
We were also told that it would be released late last year, right here in your Government's own press release—this particular report, Minister. Why has it not been released, Minister? Is it because the report is pretty damning about the regional consortia and thus, by association, this Government's leadership of education in Wales? Minister, it's a simple 'yes' or 'no' on this one: will you commit to releasing that particular report immediately?
Weinidog, nid yw'n ddigon da eich bod wedi bod yn dal yr adroddiad hwn yn ôl cyhyd. Dywedwyd wrthym yn ystod y cyhoeddiad am yr adolygiad:
'Bydd yr Adolygiad Arweinyddiaeth hwn yn llywio datblygiadau yn y dyfodol ac yn rhoi eglurder ar y cymorth sydd gennym i arweinwyr ysgolion ar draws y system, a'r cymorth y bydd ei angen arnynt i'w galluogi i wireddu'r cwricwlwm newydd.'
Dywedwyd wrthym hefyd y byddai'n cael ei ryddhau ddiwedd y llynedd, yma yn natganiad eich Llywodraeth eich hun i'r wasg—yr adroddiad penodol hwn, Weinidog. Pam nad yw wedi'i ryddhau, Weinidog? Ai oherwydd bod yr adroddiad yn eithaf damniol ynglŷn â'r consortia rhanbarthol ac felly, drwy gysylltiad, ynglŷn ag arweinyddiaeth y Llywodraeth hon ar addysg yng Nghymru? Weinidog, mae'n fater o 'ie' neu 'na' syml ar hyn: a wnewch chi ymrwymo i ryddhau'r adroddiad penodol hwnnw ar unwaith?
As I said to the Member in my earlier response, I plan to bring forward a statement in the summer term on leadership and that will lay out our position at that time.
Fel y dywedais wrth yr Aelod yn fy ymateb cynharach, bwriadaf gyflwyno datganiad yn nhymor yr haf ar arweinyddiaeth a bydd hwnnw'n nodi ein safbwynt bryd hynny.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Heledd Fychan.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Heledd Fychan.
Diolch, Llywydd. Weinidog, mae adroddiad blynyddol diweddaraf 'Cymraeg 2050', a gyhoeddwyd mis diwethaf, yn nodi bod yna bellach 19 o ganolfannau trochi a thair canolfan uwchradd ar draws 10 sir yng Nghymru, gyda siroedd yn darparu cymorth trochi hwyr i ddysgwyr o ystod o oedrannau. Hefyd, mis diwethaf, cyhoeddodd Estyn adroddiad thematig o ran addysg drochi Cymraeg, ac mae hwn yn rhestri'r canolfannau trochi Cymraeg yng Nghymru ac mae'n gwneud yn glir bod diffyg canolfannau trochi mewn 12 awdurdod lleol—a hyd yn oed pan fod yna ganolfan, nifer bach o ganolfannau trochi sydd.
Fel mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i gydnabod, mae darpariaeth trochi hwyr yn hanfodol wrth inni weithio tuag at greu miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg, ac er bod £2.2 miliwn wedi cael ei gyhoeddi i gefnogi trochi yn y Gymraeg, a bod wyth ardal awdurdod lleol wedi creu canolfannau trochi hwyr Cymraeg cyntaf, mae yna'n dal angen dirfawr ledled Cymru. Pa gynnydd sydd wedi ei wneud, felly, Weinidog, yn sgil hyn, o ran ehangu nifer y canolfannau trochi ar draws awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, ac ydy'r £2.2 miliwn o gyllid a ddyrannwyd yn mynd i fod yn ddigon i ddiwallu'r angen a hynny mewn modd sy'n gyfartal a chyson ledled Cymru?
Thank you, Llywydd. Minister, the most recent annual report on 'Cymraeg 2050', published last month, notes that there are now 19 immersion centres and three secondary centres across 10 counties in Wales, with counties providing late immersion support for learners across a range of ages. Also, last month, Estyn published a thematic report on Welsh immersion education, and this lists the Welsh language immersion centres in Wales and makes clear that there is a lack of immersion centres in 12 local authorities—and even where there are such centres, the overall number of the centres is small.
As the Minister has acknowledged, late immersion provision is vital as we work towards creating a million Welsh speakers, and even though £2.2 million has been announced to support immersion in the Welsh language, and eight local authority areas have created their first late immersion centres, there is still a great need in this regard across Wales. So, what progress has been made, Minister, following this, in terms of increasing the number of immersion centres across local authorities in Wales, and is the £2.2 million allocated going to be enough to meet the need in a way that is equal and consistent across Wales?
Wel, mae'r cwestiwn—. Diolch i'r Aelod am y gydnabyddiaeth o'r buddsoddiad o £2.2 miliwn eleni. Mae'r buddsoddiad hwnnw, wrth gwrs, yn gam mawr ymlaen. Rwy wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau ein bod ni'n cefnogi'r sector drochi oherwydd y rôl greiddiol sydd gan drochi yn darparu mynediad hafal at addysg Gymraeg.
Mae amryw o gyfleodd fan hyn. Beth rŷn ni wedi'i weld gyda dyraniad y grant o jest dros £2 filiwn yw bod diddordeb ym mhob rhan o Gymru i allu cynyddu'r gallu i ddarparu. Dyw pob un awdurdod ddim yn yr un man o ran eu llwybr tuag at hynny. Mae rhai, wrth gwrs, yn arloesi ac yn arwain y ffordd, ac yn dangos esiampl efallai i rannau eraill o Gymru i ddysgu. Felly, mae hynny'n beth calonogol yn ei hunan, ond mae pob rhan, pob awdurdod lleol, wedi dangos diddordeb, ond efallai diddordeb o wahanol fath. Mae rhai'n ehangu darpariaeth, mae rhai yn ehangu cyflogi staff i allu dechrau ar y llwybr, ond mae'r darlun o gynnydd yn gyffredin ar draws Cymru.
Well, the question—. I thank the Member for the recognition of that investment of £2.2 million this year. That investment, of course, is a major step forward. I have committed to ensuring that we support the immersion sector because of the crucial role that immersion has in providing equal access to Welsh-medium education.
There are a number of opportunities here. What we have seen with the allocation of the grant of just over £2 million is that there is interest in all parts of Wales to increase provision. Not all authorities are in the same place in terms of their pathway towards that. Some are innovating and leading the way, and providing an example perhaps to other parts of Wales so that they can learn those lessons. And that's encouraging in and of itself, but every local authority has shown an interest, but perhaps the interest differs from one area to another. Some are expanding provision, others are employing more staff so that they can start on that journey, but the picture of progress is shared across Wales.
Diolch, Weinidog. On a similar theme, Samuel Kurtz referenced his constituent earlier, describing ALN as 'a postcode lottery', and, as you will be fully aware, one of the core aims of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 is for a bilingual system. Concerns were raised during the Act's journey through the Senedd, primarily on the availability of ALN services through the medium of Welsh and the capacity of the system to meet demand. That is to say whether the necessary workforce is in place to ensure equal access to Welsh-medium ALN provision.
In terms of current provision, where more specialist support is required, such as that from educational psychologists or speech and language therapists, this is not always available in Welsh, due to a lack of sufficient numbers of trained professionals in a given local area. Again, this differs between different local authorities. I welcome the funding that's been provided for ALN, including the £18 million additional funding for this financial year, but I'd like to ask the Minister: how much investment is being put into ensuring that the ALN system is truly bilingual, by increasing the capacity of educational centres and boosting the Welsh-medium ALN workforce?
Diolch, Weinidog. Ar thema debyg, cyfeiriodd Samuel Kurtz at ei etholwr yn gynharach, gan ddisgrifio ADY fel 'loteri cod post', ac fel y gwyddoch yn iawn, un o nodau craidd Deddf Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol a'r Tribiwnlys Addysg (Cymru) 2018 yw system ddwyieithog. Codwyd pryderon yn ystod taith y Ddeddf drwy'r Senedd, yn bennaf ynghylch argaeledd gwasanaethau ADY drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg a gallu'r system i ateb y galw. Hynny yw, a yw'r gweithlu angenrheidiol ar waith i sicrhau mynediad cyfartal at ddarpariaeth ADY cyfrwng Cymraeg.
O ran y ddarpariaeth bresennol, lle mae angen cymorth mwy arbenigol, fel cymorth gan seicolegwyr addysg neu therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith, nid yw hyn bob amser ar gael yn Gymraeg, oherwydd diffyg niferoedd digonol o weithwyr proffesiynol hyfforddedig mewn ardal leol benodol. Unwaith eto, mae hyn yn amrywio rhwng gwahanol awdurdodau lleol. Rwy'n croesawu'r cyllid sydd wedi'i ddarparu ar gyfer ADY, gan gynnwys y £18 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol hon, ond hoffwn ofyn i'r Gweinidog: faint o fuddsoddiad sy'n cael ei wneud i sicrhau bod y system ADY yn wirioneddol ddwyieithog, drwy gynyddu capasiti canolfannau addysgol a chynyddu'r gweithlu ADY cyfrwng Cymraeg?
Well, I think the point the Member makes about the—. Clearly, it is essential to be able to provide additional learning needs services and support in both Welsh and in English. So, the question about recruitment is part of a broader set of challenges that we've discussed previously in the Chamber, and that is part of the recruitment plan that we will be bringing forward in the next few weeks.
In relation to the question of educational psychologists in particular, we've been keen to make sure that the funding provided to support that study in Wales also encourages those who practice it through study to remain practising in Wales, and we hope that will attract Welsh speakers as well obviously, and to make sure they continue to work and practise in Wales, because the challenge that the Member describes in that area is a genuine challenge.
In relation to—.
Wel, credaf fod y pwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud am y—. Yn amlwg, mae'n hanfodol gallu darparu gwasanaethau a chymorth anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg. Felly, mae'r cwestiwn am recriwtio yn rhan o gyfres ehangach o heriau yr ydym wedi'u trafod yn y Siambr yn y gorffennol, ac mae hynny'n rhan o'r cynllun recriwtio y byddwn yn ei gyflwyno yn ystod yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf.
Ar fater seicolegwyr addysg yn benodol, rydym wedi bod yn awyddus i sicrhau bod yr arian a ddarperir i gefnogi'r maes yng Nghymru hefyd yn annog y rhai sy'n ei ymarfer drwy astudio i barhau i ymarfer yng Nghymru, a gobeithiwn y bydd hynny'n denu siaradwyr Cymraeg hefyd yn amlwg, ac i sicrhau eu bod yn parhau i weithio ac ymarfer yng Nghymru, oherwydd mae'r her y mae'r Aelod yn ei disgrifio yn y maes hwnnw yn her wirioneddol.
Mewn perthynas â—.
O edrych ar yr adnoddau sydd ar gael i gefnogi'r ddarpariaeth, fel rhan o'u cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg, mae'n ofynnol ar bob awdurdod lleol ddisgrifio'r hyn maen nhw'n ei wneud er mwyn sicrhau bod adnoddau ar gael yn y Gymraeg, yn seiliedig ar y review bydd pob awdurdod wedi ei wneud o dan y Ddeddf anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Felly, mae hynny'n rhan o'r cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg. Ac, yn fwy eang na hynny, mae gwaith eisoes ar y gweill i sicrhau cytundeb trwyddedu gyda chwmnïau cyhoeddi masnachol i gael fersiynau Cymraeg o adnoddau ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, fel profion dyslecsia ac adnoddau therapi iaith a lleferydd. Felly, mae'r gwaith yna yn digwydd ar hyn o bryd.
In looking at the resources available to support provision, as part of their Welsh in education strategic plans, it is a requirement on all local authorities to describe what they are doing in order to ensure that resources are available through the medium of Welsh, based on the review carried out by all authorities under the additional learning needs legislation. So, that's part of the WESPs. And, more broadly, work is already in train to ensure a licensing agreement with commercial publishing companies to get Welsh versions of ALN resources, such as dyslexia tests and speech and language therapy resources. So, that work is ongoing at the moment.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am lefel y cronfeydd ariannol wrth gefn sydd gan ysgolion? OQ57873
3. Will the Minister make a statement on the level of financial reserves held by schools? OQ57873
The high level of reserves last year came as no surprise, due to many activities being paused and additional funding provided during the pandemic. We know that this is a temporary position, and we support local authorities in working with their schools to manage any surplus balances flexibly in the current circumstances.
Nid oedd y lefel uchel o gronfeydd wrth gefn y llynedd yn syndod, oherwydd bod llawer o weithgareddau wedi cael eu gohirio a bod arian ychwanegol wedi cael ei ddarparu yn ystod y pandemig. Gwyddom mai sefyllfa dros dro yw hon, ac rydym yn cynorthwyo awdurdodau lleol i weithio gyda'u hysgolion i reoli unrhyw arian dros ben yn hyblyg o dan yr amgylchiadau presennol.
Yes, they're quite concerning, really, when the latest data on the level of reserves held by schools shows an apparent sharp rise from £32 million, which is £70 per pupil, in March 2020, to £181 million, which is £393 per pupil in March 2021. These are reserves. That money is sitting there. Now, as we anticipate the arrival of Ukrainian children to Wales, and with these funds in these bank accounts within this area of schooling, is it likely that some of these reserves could be freed up to accommodate young Ukrainians coming to Wales, so that we can ensure, as Members here, their well-being, being in our care, and that our own schooling system is not put under any undue pressure?
Ydynt, maent yn eithaf pryderus, mewn gwirionedd, pan fo'r data diweddaraf ar lefel y cronfeydd wrth gefn a ddelir gan ysgolion yn dangos cynnydd ymddangosiadol sydyn o £32 miliwn, sef £70 y disgybl, ym mis Mawrth 2020, i £181 miliwn, sef £393 y disgybl ym mis Mawrth 2021. Cronfeydd wrth gefn yw'r rhain. Mae'r arian hwnnw'n eistedd yno. Nawr, wrth inni ragweld dyfodiad plant o Wcráin i Gymru, a chyda'r cronfeydd hyn yn y cyfrifon banc o fewn y maes addysg hwn, a yw'n debygol y gellid rhyddhau rhai o'r cronfeydd wrth gefn hyn i ddarparu ar gyfer Wcreiniaid ifanc sy'n dod i Gymru, fel y gallwn sicrhau eu llesiant, fel Aelodau yma, gan y byddant yn ein gofal, a sicrhau nad yw ein system addysg ein hunain yn cael ei rhoi o dan unrhyw bwysau gormodol?
Well, I think the Member will be very well aware of why schools are carrying reserves. We've had significant challenges over the last two years—[Interruption.]—and it has been our judgment as a Government that we should continue funding schools in order to provide the flexibility that they need to respond to the pressures of COVID in the interests of their learners. So, the additional funding into the system will have affected those balances, and we expect to see that position continue when we have the next report, which I think will be in October this year.
I think schools have been prudent in their approach to this, and I think local authorities are able to make judgments as to what is appropriate in the individual circumstances of each school. And schools that have those surpluses will, and should be, obviously, subject to ongoing monitoring by their local authorities to ensure that approved plans to spend those balances are delivered within timescales agreed with the authority.
In relation to the point that the Member rightly makes about making sure that we are able to provide the education that children coming to Wales from Ukraine are able to get, there is a lot of work going on at the moment with our partners in local government to understand how best to do that. Obviously, which parts of Wales people end up coming to live in, and therefore the needs of children in those areas for local schooling, is something that is obviously outside our control, and not entirely clear at this point, but there is a very live set of discussions happening across the school system to make sure that we can support those children as they come to Wales.
Wel, credaf y bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol iawn o'r rhesymau pam fod gan ysgolion gronfeydd wrth gefn. Rydym wedi cael heriau sylweddol dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf—[Torri ar draws.]—a'n barn ni fel Llywodraeth yw y dylem barhau i ariannu ysgolion er mwyn darparu'r hyblygrwydd sydd ei angen arnynt i ymateb i bwysau COVID er budd eu dysgwyr. Felly, bydd yr arian ychwanegol i'r system wedi effeithio ar y balansau hynny, a disgwyliwn weld y sefyllfa honno'n parhau pan gawn yr adroddiad nesaf, a bydd hynny, rwy'n credu, ym mis Hydref eleni.
Credaf fod ysgolion wedi bod yn ddarbodus mewn perthynas â hyn, a chredaf fod awdurdodau lleol yn gallu penderfynu ynghylch yr hyn sy'n briodol i amgylchiadau unigol pob ysgol. A dylai. ac fe fydd ysgolion sydd ag arian dros ben yn amlwg yn cael eu monitro'n barhaus gan eu hawdurdodau lleol er mwyn sicrhau bod cynlluniau cymeradwy i wario'r balansau hynny'n cael eu cyflawni o fewn yr amserlenni y cytunwyd arnynt gyda'r awdurdod.
Ar y pwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud, a hynny'n briodol, ynghylch sicrhau ein bod yn gallu darparu addysg y gall plant sy'n dod i Gymru o Wcráin ei chael, mae llawer o waith yn mynd rhagddo ar hyn o bryd gyda'n partneriaid mewn llywodraeth leol i ddeall y ffordd orau o wneud hynny. Yn amlwg, mae pa rannau o Gymru y mae pobl yn dod i fyw ynddynt, ac felly anghenion plant yn yr ardaloedd hynny am addysg leol, yn rhywbeth sydd yn amlwg y tu hwnt i'n rheolaeth, ac nid yw'n gwbl glir ar hyn o bryd, ond mae cyfres fyw iawn o drafodaethau'n digwydd ar draws y system ysgolion i sicrhau y gallwn gefnogi'r plant hynny wrth iddynt ddod i Gymru.
4. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau cymorth i ddisgyblion ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yng Ngogledd Cymru? OQ57868
4. How is the Welsh Government ensuring support for pupils with additional learning needs in North Wales? OQ57868
Local authorities are responsible for securing suitable education for children and young people, including those with additional learning needs. And the new ALN system will drive improvements in the way learners across Wales are supported to ensure that they can achieve their full potential.
Mae awdurdodau lleol yn gyfrifol am sicrhau addysg addas i blant a phobl ifanc, gan gynnwys y rhai ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. A bydd y system ADY newydd yn ysgogi gwelliannau yn y ffordd y caiff dysgwyr ledled Cymru eu cefnogi i sicrhau y gallant gyflawni eu potensial llawn.
Well, I recently met a Flintshire mum and dad whose son was denied autism diagnosis because he doesn't present autistic traits in school, masking and suppressing most of his tics and anxieties. They told me:
'He's well behaved in school, but will have a meltdown when he comes home after having a bad day.'
The same day, I wrote to you on behalf of a different constituent whose daughter with similar behaviours is under the care of Flintshire County Council, contributing to the shocking reality that Wales has the highest proportion of children in the UK being cared for by the state.
I've acted over many years and I'm still currently acting in a representative capacity on behalf of numerous separate families who have encountered similar barriers. Each case involves children with lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum conditions, denied diagnosis, and/or understanding and support because of coping and masking strategies by the pupils to conceal their autistic traits in school, copying the behaviours of those around them to fit in, with anxiety then kicking in when they arrive home. And each case has involved implied or actual parent blaming. When are you going to act to end this tragic scandal, because too many of these families are in agony?
Wel, yn ddiweddar cyfarfûm â mam a thad o sir y Fflint a ddywedodd na chafodd eu mab ddiagnosis o awtistiaeth am nad oedd yn arddangos nodweddion awtistig yn yr ysgol, gan ei fod yn celu ac yn atal y rhan fwyaf o'i diciau a'i bryderon. Roeddent yn dweud wrthyf:
'Mae'n ymddwyn yn dda yn yr ysgol, ond mae'n chwalu pan ddaw adref ar ôl cael diwrnod gwael.'
Yr un diwrnod, ysgrifennais atoch ar ran etholwr gwahanol y mae ei ferch, sy'n arddangos ymddygiad tebyg, o dan ofal Cyngor Sir y Fflint, gan gyfrannu at y realiti brawychus mai Cymru, o bob gwlad yn y DU, sydd â'r gyfran uchaf o blant yn derbyn gofal gan y wladwriaeth.
Rwyf wedi gweithredu dros nifer o flynyddoedd ac rwy'n dal i weithredu mewn swydd gynrychioliadol ar ran nifer o deuluoedd gwahanol sydd wedi wynebu rhwystrau tebyg. Mae pob achos yn cynnwys plant â chyflyrau niwroddatblygiadol gydol oes, gan gynnwys cyflyrau sbectrwm awtistiaeth, lle nad ydynt wedi cael diagnosis, a/neu ddealltwriaeth a chefnogaeth oherwydd bod y disgyblion yn mabwysiadu strategaethau ymdopi a chelu i guddio eu nodweddion awtistig yn yr ysgol, gan ddynwared ymddygiad y rhai o'u cwmpas i allu ffitio i mewn, gyda gorbryder yn taro wedyn pan fyddant yn cyrraedd adref. Ac mae pob achos naill ai wedi awgrymu neu wedi dweud bod bai ar riant. Pryd y bwriadwch weithredu i roi diwedd ar y sgandal drasig hon, oherwydd mae gormod o'r teuluoedd hyn yn dioddef?
I share the Member's concern about the circumstances that he's described in his question, and, as he knows, the purpose of the reforms that we're introducing is to be able to address the very real range of challenges that he's described in his question. These are very significant reforms, and I know the Member has previously challenged us in relation to the support for the system to deliver these reforms effectively. I hope he'll acknowledge that, over the course of the last six months or so, we've been able to provide further resources into the system to be able to respond to the kinds of challenges that he's describing in his question. And I've been continuing to do that in recent weeks, both in relation to the impact of the pandemic, but also the costs of the transformation itself in the system.
Rwy'n rhannu pryder yr Aelod am yr amgylchiadau y mae wedi'u disgrifio yn ei gwestiwn, ac fel y gŵyr, diben y diwygiadau yr ydym yn eu cyflwyno yw mynd i'r afael â'r ystod wirioneddol o heriau y mae wedi'u disgrifio yn ei gwestiwn. Mae'r rhain yn ddiwygiadau arwyddocaol iawn, a gwn fod yr Aelod wedi ein herio o'r blaen mewn perthynas â'r gefnogaeth i'r system i gyflawni'r diwygiadau hyn yn effeithiol. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn cydnabod, yn ystod y chwe mis diwethaf, ein bod wedi gallu darparu adnoddau pellach i'r system er mwyn gallu ymateb i'r mathau o heriau y mae'n eu disgrifio yn ei gwestiwn. Ac rwyf wedi bod yn parhau i wneud hynny yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf, mewn perthynas ag effaith y pandemig, a chostau trawsnewid y system hefyd.
5. Pa asesiad y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'i wneud o effaith amser chwarae yn ystod y diwrnod ysgol ar iechyd meddwl plant? OQ57883
5. What assessment has the Government made of the impact of play time during the school day on children's mental health? OQ57883
In March 2021 we published statutory guidance for schools on supporting the well-being needs of the whole school population. The guidance promotes and recognises the impact that freely chosen, self-directed play makes to children’s health and well-being, and our work will be subject to full evaluation in coming years.
Ym mis Mawrth 2021, cyhoeddwyd canllawiau statudol gennym ar gyfer ysgolion ar gefnogi anghenion llesiant poblogaeth yr ysgol gyfan. Mae'r canllawiau'n hyrwyddo ac yn cydnabod yr effaith y mae chwarae hunangyfeiriedig a ddewisir yn rhydd yn ei chael ar iechyd a llesiant plant, a bydd ein gwaith yn cael ei werthuso'n llawn yn y blynyddoedd i ddod.
Thank you, Minister. As you will be aware, play is fundamental to children's health and well-being, and a necessary part of their social development because it helps develop skills in coping with challenge, facing uncertainty, and how to be flexible and adaptable to different circumstances. Since 1995, research has shown that break times in the school day have been reduced per week by up to 45 minutes for children aged between five and seven, and reduced by 65 minutes for those aged between 11 and 16. This has resulted in eight out of 10 children now having less than one hour of physical activity per day. Research has also shown that, outside school, children are now 50 per cent less likely to meet up with friends in person, with 31 per cent of children reporting that they seldom get to meet peers and friends, compared to 15 per cent in 2006. I'm sure my colleagues will agree that trends like this are worrying because they alter the way children develop into adulthood and can have unforeseen consequences, particularly in terms of mental health. Minister, firstly, what assessment has the Welsh Government made of the health implications due to the loss of playtime for schoolchildren, and what plans do you have in place to increase playtime for children across Wales? Thank you.
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Fel y gwyddoch, mae chwarae'n hanfodol i iechyd a llesiant plant, ac yn rhan angenrheidiol o'u datblygiad cymdeithasol gan ei fod yn helpu i ddatblygu sgiliau i ymdopi â heriau, wynebu ansicrwydd, a sut i fod yn hyblyg ac addasu i amgylchiadau gwahanol. Ers 1995, mae ymchwil wedi dangos bod amseroedd egwyl yn y diwrnod ysgol wedi gostwng hyd at 45 munud yr wythnos i blant rhwng pump a saith oed, ac wedi gostwng 65 munud i rai rhwng 11 ac 16 oed. Mae hyn wedi golygu bod wyth o bob 10 plentyn bellach yn cael llai nag awr o weithgarwch corfforol y dydd. Mae ymchwil hefyd wedi dangos bod plant y tu allan i'r ysgol 50 y cant yn llai tebygol o gyfarfod â ffrindiau wyneb yn wyneb, gyda 31 y cant o blant yn dweud nad ydynt yn aml yn cwrdd â chyfoedion a ffrindiau, o'i gymharu â 15 y cant yn 2006. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd fy nghyd-Aelodau yn cytuno bod tueddiadau fel hyn yn peri pryder gan eu bod yn newid y ffordd y mae plant yn datblygu'n oedolion ac yn gallu arwain at ganlyniadau annisgwyl, yn enwedig o ran iechyd meddwl. Weinidog, yn gyntaf, pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r goblygiadau i iechyd plant ysgol o ganlyniad i golli amser chwarae, a pha gynlluniau sydd gennych ar waith i gynyddu amser chwarae i blant ledled Cymru? Diolch.
That's a set of very important points that the Member is making in his supplementary question. He will know that, as part of their play sufficiency duties, under the 2010 Measure, every local authority will be submitting to the Deputy Minister for Social Services their play sufficiency assessments this year, which will enable us to undertake a review of those. Play Wales is already working with local authorities in preparation for those assessments and the early action plan. In recognition of the extra burdens on authorities, we've extended the deadline in order to allow those assessments to be brought forward somewhat later than otherwise they would have been, to reflect the impact in school. We've asked Play Wales to scope playtime interventions in schools, and they'll be taking forward a programme of support, to help schools take a whole-school approach to provide the children's right to play. He will also know, of course, of the work that the Deputy Minister for Social Services has been funding in relation to the Playworks holiday project, the Summer of Fun, and the Winter of Well-being, which comes to an end tomorrow.
Mae'r Aelod yn codi pwyntiau pwysig iawn yn ei gwestiwn atodol. Bydd yn gwybod, fel rhan o'u dyletswyddau yn ymwneud â digonolrwydd cyfleoedd chwarae, o dan Fesur 2010, y bydd pob awdurdod lleol yn cyflwyno eu hasesiadau o ddigonolrwydd cyfleoedd chwarae eleni i'r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, a fydd yn ein galluogi i gynnal adolygiad o'r rheini. Mae Chwarae Cymru eisoes yn gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i baratoi ar gyfer yr asesiadau hynny a'r cynllun gweithredu cynnar. Er mwyn cydnabod y baich ychwanegol ar awdurdodau, rydym wedi ymestyn y dyddiad cau er mwyn caniatáu i'r asesiadau hynny gael eu cyflwyno ychydig yn hwyrach nag y byddent wedi cael eu cyflwyno fel arall, i adlewyrchu'r effaith yn yr ysgol. Rydym wedi gofyn i Chwarae Cymru gwmpasu ymyriadau amser chwarae mewn ysgolion, a byddant yn datblygu rhaglen gymorth i helpu ysgolion i fabwysiadu dull ysgol gyfan i ddarparu hawl y plant i chwarae. Fe fydd yn gwybod hefyd wrth gwrs am y gwaith y mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol wedi bod yn ei ariannu mewn perthynas â'r prosiect gwyliau Gwaith Chwarae, Haf o Hwyl, a Gaeaf Llawn Lles, sy'n dod i ben yfory.
Minister, last week, I met with Ruby, who is a sixth form pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda and a young member of the Senedd for Rhondda. I know the Minister will be visiting the school soon, following the exciting plans to build a brand-new, twenty-first century school, and I'm sure Ruby would love to give you a tour. We discussed a range of issues relating to day-to-day school life, but the one clear message throughout was the significant effect poverty has on our young people. Poverty, undoubtedly, affects home and school life, from digital inclusion anxieties to period poverty. This takes its toll on our young people's mental health. What measures is the education Minister taking to support the mental health of the most disadvantaged young people in Rhondda, especially now through the cost-of-living crisis?
Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, cyfarfûm â Ruby, sy'n ddisgybl chweched dosbarth yn Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda ac yn aelod ifanc o'r Senedd dros y Rhondda. Gwn y bydd y Gweinidog yn ymweld â'r ysgol yn fuan, yn dilyn y cynlluniau cyffrous i adeiladu ysgol newydd sbon ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddai Ruby wrth ei bodd yn rhoi taith o'r ysgol ichi. Buom yn trafod amrywiaeth o faterion yn ymwneud â bywyd ysgol o ddydd i ddydd, ond yr un neges glir drwyddi draw oedd yr effaith sylweddol y mae tlodi'n ei chael ar ein pobl ifanc. Mae tlodi, yn ddi-os, yn effeithio ar fywyd y cartref a'r ysgol, o bryderon ynghylch cynhwysiant digidol i dlodi mislif. Mae hyn yn effeithio ar iechyd meddwl ein pobl ifanc. Pa gamau y mae'r Gweinidog addysg yn eu cymryd i gefnogi iechyd meddwl y bobl ifanc fwyaf difreintiedig yn y Rhondda, yn enwedig yn awr gyda'r argyfwng costau byw?
It's a very, very important question that the Member raises. She will know that we published our framework for a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being last year. And, this year, I'm pleased to say that the budget for that has been significantly extended in order to be able to provide additional counselling, to be able to provide an extension of the in-school child and adolescent mental health services in-reach support, as well as to train teachers to be able to identify well-being and mental health needs in their pupils, and also to provide support directly to those pupils themselves. She will also know, of course, of the work that we are doing to trial additional activities in schools at the moment, and the reports that we are getting in real time from those trials is that they are very beneficial in terms of the well-being and mental health, perhaps, often, of some of our most disadvantaged pupils. So, we look forward very much to seeing the outcomes of those trials in a few weeks' time.
Mae'r Aelod yn codi cwestiwn pwysig iawn. Fe fydd yn gwybod ein bod wedi cyhoeddi ein fframwaith ar gyfer dull ysgol gyfan o ymdrin ag iechyd meddwl a llesiant y llynedd. Ac eleni, rwy'n falch o ddweud bod y gyllideb ar gyfer hynny wedi cael ei hymestyn yn sylweddol er mwyn gallu darparu cwnsela ychwanegol, er mwyn gallu darparu estyniad i'r mewngymorth gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl plant a'r glasoed a ddarperir yn yr ysgol, yn ogystal â hyfforddi athrawon i allu nodi anghenion llesiant ac iechyd meddwl eu disgyblion, a hefyd i ddarparu cymorth i'r disgyblion hynny yn uniongyrchol. Fe fydd hefyd yn gwybod, wrth gwrs, am y gwaith a wnawn ar dreialu gweithgareddau ychwanegol mewn ysgolion ar hyn o bryd, ac mae'r adroddiadau amser real yr ydym wedi'u cael o'r treialon hynny yn dweud eu bod yn fuddiol iawn o ran llesiant ac iechyd meddwl rhai o'n disgyblion mwyaf difreintiedig, efallai, yn aml iawn. Felly, edrychwn ymlaen yn fawr at weld canlyniadau'r treialon hynny ymhen ychydig wythnosau.

6. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am uno Ysgol Gynradd Evenlode ac Ysgol Feithrin Bute Cottage ym Mhenarth? OQ57893
6. Will the Minister make a statement on the merger of Evenlode Primary School and Bute Cottage Nursery School in Penarth? OQ57893
The objection period for the proposal by the Vale of Glamorgan Council ended on 16 March. In accordance with the school organisation code, the council must consider objections conscientiously alongside arguments in respect of the proposal and determine whether or not to approve the proposal within 16 weeks of that date.
Daeth y cyfnod cyflwyno gwrthwynebiadau i'r cynnig gan Gyngor Bro Morgannwg i ben ar 16 Mawrth. Yn unol â'r cod trefniadaeth ysgolion, rhaid i'r cyngor ystyried gwrthwynebiadau'n gydwybodol ochr yn ochr â dadleuon mewn perthynas â'r cynnig a phenderfynu a ddylid cymeradwyo'r cynnig ai peidio o fewn 16 wythnos i'r dyddiad hwnnw.
Minister, as part of, obviously, the proposals is a consultation exercise, undertaken by—and I declare an interest as a member of the local authority, the Vale of Glamorgan Council—the council. In this particular case, 238 responses came in to that consultation. Over 70 per cent of those responses were supporting the current status quo and not to change the current dynamic of the two schools. So, what weight, as Minister, would you place on the consultation exercise and in particular any authority, but in this case the Vale of Glamorgan Council, paying due regard to the overwhelming wishes of the community to keep the status quo when it comes to these two important provisions in their community?
Weinidog, yn rhan o'r cynigion, ceir ymarfer ymgynghori a gynhelir gan y cyngor wrth gwrs—ac rwy'n datgan buddiant fel aelod o'r awdurdod lleol, Cyngor Bro Morgannwg. Yn yr achos penodol hwn, daeth 238 o ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw. Roedd dros 70 y cant o'r ymatebion yn cefnogi'r sefyllfa bresennol ac nid oeddent eisiau newid dynameg bresennol y ddwy ysgol. Felly, fel Gweinidog pa bwysau y byddech yn ei roi i'r ymarfer ymgynghori, ac unrhyw awdurdod yn benodol, ond yn yr achos hwn, Cyngor Bro Morgannwg, gan roi sylw dyledus i ddymuniadau llethol y gymuned i gynnal y sefyllfa bresennol a chadw'r ddwy ddarpariaeth bwysig hyn yn eu cymuned?
As the Member said, the purpose of a consultation is to elicit the views of the public and others in relation to a particular reorganisation proposal, and the school organisation code of course sets out what the council needs to take into account when it receives those consultation responses. As I know that he's aware, proposals which that either approved or rejected by a local authority can then be referred to Welsh Minister for consideration if some limited parties decide to take that step within the 28-day period from the decision. So, given that Ministers have a role in that statutory process, I can't comment specifically on the merits or otherwise of that proposal, but the school organisation code itself is very clear, I think.
Fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, diben ymgynghoriad yw cael barn y cyhoedd ac eraill mewn perthynas â chynnig ad-drefnu penodol, ac mae'r cod trefniadaeth ysgolion wrth gwrs yn nodi'r hyn y mae angen i'r cyngor ei ystyried pan fydd yn cael yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad. Gwn ei fod yn ymwybodol y gellir cyfeirio cynigion sydd naill ai wedi'u cymeradwyo neu eu gwrthod gan awdurdod lleol at Weinidog Cymru i'w hystyried os bydd rhai partïon cyfyngedig yn penderfynu cymryd y cam hwnnw o fewn y cyfnod o 28 diwrnod ar ôl i'r penderfyniad gael ei wneud. Felly, o gofio bod gan Weinidogion rôl yn y broses statudol honno, ni allaf wneud sylw penodol am rinweddau neu ddiffyg rhinweddau'r cynnig hwnnw, ond mae'r cod trefniadaeth ysgolion ei hun yn glir iawn, rwy'n credu.
7. Pa gymorth y mae'r Gweinidog yn ei roi ar waith i gefnogi disgyblion sy'n byw mewn tlodi dros wyliau ysgol y Pasg? OQ57885
7. What assistance is the Minister putting in place to support pupils who are living in poverty over the Easter school holidays? OQ57885
Tackling the impact of poverty is a key priority for us. As part of a wider package of support to help struggling families, an additional £4.4 million in 2022-23 has been made available to support the cost of holiday meals for free-school-meal-eligible pupils during the Easter holidays in this academic year.
Mae mynd i'r afael ag effaith tlodi yn flaenoriaeth allweddol i ni. Fel rhan o becyn cymorth ehangach i helpu teuluoedd sy'n cael trafferthion, mae £4.4 miliwn ychwanegol wedi'i ddarparu ar gyfer 2022-2023 i gefnogi cost prydau gwyliau i ddisgyblion sy'n gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim yn ystod gwyliau'r Pasg yn y flwyddyn academaidd hon.
I'm grateful to you for that, Minister. We all want children to look forward to their holidays. We want them to look forward to spending time with their families. We want them to look forward to being able to relax without a care in world, to be able to enjoy themselves over the holiday period. It's an absolute tragedy—it's an absolute tragedy—that there are children that you represent, that I represent, that we all represent, who look towards these holidays with a sense of fear and dread, and parents and families in this country who'll be losing sleep over the next couple of weeks knowing of the financial pressures that they will be facing over the holidays, which are far more intense than during term time. It is all the more tragic that this is happening because we have a UK Government that really doesn't care about the impact of their policies and the policies that they've been pursuing on some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in this country. Minister, I'm grateful that the Welsh Government has stepped into this breach and is providing help and support for some of the poorest families in this country. Can you guarantee to this Parliament this afternoon that this Government will continue to provide all the support it can to children and to families in this country to ensure that the spectre of poverty doesn't disfigure their lives in the way it's disfigured the lives of generations before us because of a UK Government that doesn't care about them and their communities?
Rwy'n ddiolchgar ichi am hynny, Weinidog. Rydym i gyd eisiau i blant edrych ymlaen at eu gwyliau. Rydym eisiau iddynt edrych ymlaen at dreulio amser gyda'u teuluoedd. Rydym eisiau iddynt edrych ymlaen at allu ymlacio heb ofal yn y byd, a gallu mwynhau eu hunain dros gyfnod y gwyliau. Mae'n drasiedi lwyr—mae'n drasiedi lwyr—fod yna blant yr ydych chi'n eu cynrychioli, rwyf fi'n eu cynrychioli, yr ydym ni i gyd yn eu cynrychioli, sy'n teimlo ofn a diflastod wrth feddwl am y gwyliau, a rhieni a theuluoedd yn y wlad hon a fydd yn colli cwsg dros yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf wrth wybod am y pwysau ariannol y byddant yn ei wynebu dros y gwyliau, sy'n llawer gwaeth nag yn ystod y tymor. Mae'n fwy trasig byth fod hyn yn digwydd oherwydd bod gennym Lywodraeth y DU nad yw'n poeni o gwbl am effaith eu polisïau, a'r polisïau y maent wedi bod yn eu dilyn, ar rai o'r bobl dlotaf a mwyaf agored i niwed yn y wlad hon. Weinidog, rwy'n ddiolchgar fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi camu i'r adwy a'u bod yn rhoi cymorth a chefnogaeth i rai o'r teuluoedd tlotaf yn y wlad hon. A wnewch chi warantu i'r Senedd hon y prynhawn yma y bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn parhau i ddarparu'r holl gymorth y gall ei roi i blant ac i deuluoedd yn y wlad hon er mwyn sicrhau nad yw bwgan tlodi yn amharu ar eu bywydau yn y ffordd y mae wedi amharu ar fywydau cenedlaethau o bobl o'n blaenau oherwydd Llywodraeth y DU nad yw'n poeni amdanynt hwy a'u cymunedau?
I thank Alun Davies for that, and I think the bleak situation he describes is the reality for constituents of his and of mine and for other colleagues in the Chamber today. This Government, the Welsh Government, will do everything that we can to support families in Wales. You will know of the announcements that the Minister for Social Justice made a few weeks ago. You will recall the announcement I made a week ago in relation to supporting families who need particular support with the costs of school uniform, school kit, school trips and so on. But, at the end of the day, there is a responsibility on the United Kingdom Government to recognise the consequence of the choices it is making. And we all know that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he should have been looking out for people who are struggling the most, chose to look away.
Diolch i Alun Davies am hynny, a chredaf mai'r sefyllfa lom y mae'n ei disgrifio yw'r realiti i'w etholwyr ef a minnau a chyd-Aelodau eraill yn y Siambr heddiw. Bydd y Llywodraeth hon, Llywodraeth Cymru, yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i gefnogi teuluoedd yng Nghymru. Fe wyddoch am y cyhoeddiadau a wnaeth y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ychydig wythnosau'n ôl. Fe fyddwch yn cofio'r cyhoeddiad a wneuthum wythnos yn ôl ynglŷn â chefnogi teuluoedd sydd angen cymorth penodol gyda chostau gwisg ysgol, cit ysgol, tripiau ysgol ac yn y blaen. Ond yn y pen draw, mae gan Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig gyfrifoldeb i gydnabod canlyniad y dewisiadau y mae'n eu gwneud. Ac rydym i gyd yn gwybod bod Canghellor y Trysorlys, pan ddylai fod wedi bod yn helpu'r bobl sy'n ei chael hi'n fwyaf anodd, wedi dewis troi llygad ddall.
Minister, sport and physical activity play a huge part in developing young children, and for some of the most vulnerable children in our communities living in poverty being in school is the only opportunity they have to access sport and sports facilities. So, Minister, can you outline what support the Welsh Government will be putting in place during the Easter holidays to support those children in poverty to have great access to sports facilities? Diolch, Llywydd.
Weinidog, mae chwaraeon a gweithgarwch corfforol yn chwarae rhan enfawr yn natblygiad plant ifanc, ac i rai o'r plant mwyaf agored i niwed sy'n byw mewn tlodi yn ein cymunedau, yr ysgol yw'r unig gyfle sydd ganddynt i gael mynediad at chwaraeon a chyfleusterau chwaraeon. Felly, Weinidog, a wnewch chi amlinellu pa gymorth y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi ar waith yn ystod gwyliau'r Pasg i gefnogi plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi i gael mynediad gwych at gyfleusterau chwaraeon? Diolch, Lywydd.
The Member will know of the announcement that I made in relation to community-focused schools last week, which recognises the important point that he makes, which is that one of the key contributions that we can make to support disadvantaged learners in their schooling is to enable schools to have a community focus in what they do and how they operate. And he will have heard me say that we are investing £25 million in this financial year to help schools expand their offer to the community, and that will also include funding to support schools in their outreach to families in their school community who are particularly disadvantaged, where their children have challenges with their attendance. So, this Government will do everything we can to support disadvantaged learners in our schools. What we need is a partner at the other end of the M4 who is also prepared to do that.
Bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod am y cyhoeddiad a wneuthum mewn perthynas ag ysgolion bro yr wythnos diwethaf, sy'n cydnabod y pwynt pwysig y mae'n ei wneud, sef mai un o'r cyfraniadau allweddol y gallwn ei wneud i gefnogi dysgwyr difreintiedig yn eu haddysg yw galluogi ysgolion i gael ffocws ar y gymuned yn yr hyn a wnânt a sut y maent yn gweithredu. A bydd wedi fy nghlywed yn dweud ein bod yn buddsoddi £25 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon i helpu ysgolion i ehangu eu cynnig i'r gymuned, a bydd hynny hefyd yn cynnwys cyllid i gefnogi ysgolion yn eu gwaith allgymorth i deuluoedd yn eu cymuned ysgol sydd o dan anfantais arbennig, lle mae eu plant yn wynebu heriau gyda'u presenoldeb. Felly, bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i gefnogi dysgwyr difreintiedig yn ein hysgolion. Yr hyn sydd ei angen arnom yw partner ar ben arall yr M4 sy'n barod i wneud hynny hefyd.
8. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn hyrwyddo perthnasoedd iach yng nghwricwlwm yr ysgol? OQ57899
8. How is the Welsh Government promoting healthy relationships in the school curriculum? OQ57899
There is a strong focus on developing healthy relationships within the health and well-being area of the new curriculum. Becoming healthy, confident individuals is one of the four purposes of the new curriculum, and learners will be supported to understand that healthy relationships are fundamental to our well-being.
Mae ffocws cryf ar ddatblygu perthnasoedd iach ym maes iechyd a llesiant y cwricwlwm newydd. Mae tyfu'n unigolion iach a hyderus yn un o bedwar diben y cwricwlwm newydd, a chaiff dysgwyr eu cefnogi i ddeall bod perthnasoedd iach yn hanfodol i'n llesiant.
Thank you, Minister. I also really want to thank you for your recent trip to Coychurch Primary School in Bridgend to see pupils take part in a Spectrum Cymru session to learn about feeling safe and expressing emotions. As a relatively new Member of the Senedd, one of my favourite parts of my role is visiting schools and talking to young people about their priorities, and in the last few weeks I have visited both Coychurch Primary School with you and Porthcawl Primary School, and it was a delight to hear about their projects around inclusiveness, from learning about LGBT rights to Black Lives Matter. The world is changing, and it is our job to provide the tools to enable young people to understand the world around them by celebrating difference, rather than fearing it. Understanding healthy relationships is crucial if we are to build a tolerant and inclusive Wales, and I also believe that including healthy relationships in the new curriculum can play a major role in tackling societal issues such as misogyny. From understanding what makes a healthy relationship to consent, children of all ages should be respected and made aware of boundaries. The tools we provide for our children will inevitably shape the society they grow into. Therefore, could the Minister inform us how he is working with the Minister for Social Justice to tackle these very issues, such as misogyny and consent, through the new curriculum, please?
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Hoffwn ddiolch yn fawr iawn i chi hefyd am eich taith ddiweddar i Ysgol Gynradd Llangrallo ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr i weld disgyblion yn cymryd rhan mewn sesiwn Sbectrwm Cymru i ddysgu am deimlo'n ddiogel a mynegi emosiynau. Fel Aelod cymharol newydd o'r Senedd, un o fy hoff rannau o fy swyddogaeth yw ymweld ag ysgolion a siarad â phobl ifanc am eu blaenoriaethau, ac yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf rwyf wedi ymweld ag Ysgol Gynradd Llangrallo gyda chi ac Ysgol Gynradd Porthcawl, ac roedd yn bleser clywed am eu prosiectau ar gynwysoldeb, o ddysgu am hawliau LHDT i Mae Bywydau Du o Bwys. Mae'r byd yn newid, a'n gwaith ni yw darparu'r offer i alluogi pobl ifanc i ddeall y byd o'u cwmpas drwy ddathlu gwahaniaeth, yn hytrach na'i ofni. Mae deall perthnasoedd iach yn hanfodol os ydym am adeiladu Cymru oddefgar a chynhwysol, a chredaf hefyd y gall cynnwys perthnasoedd iach yn y cwricwlwm newydd chwarae rhan bwysig wrth fynd i'r afael â phroblemau cymdeithasol megis casineb at fenywod. O ddeall yr hyn sy'n gwneud perthynas iach i gydsyniad, dylid parchu plant o bob oedran a'u gwneud yn ymwybodol o ffiniau. Mae'n anochel y bydd yr offer a ddarparwn ar gyfer ein plant yn llunio'r gymdeithas y byddant yn tyfu i mewn iddi. Felly, a wnaiff y Gweinidog roi gwybod inni sut y mae'n gweithio gyda'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ar fynd i'r afael â'r union faterion hyn, megis casineb at fenywod a chydsyniad, drwy'r cwricwlwm newydd, os gwelwch yn dda?
Yes. We strongly believe that every young person should have the right to access information, support and learning that keeps them safe from harm, and that includes—and I know that the Member has an interest in this area in particular—online safety and knowing what's right and wrong so that they can raise issues with responsible adults. On the particular point that she raises in her question, the new mandatory code for relationships and sexuality education and the guidance that goes with that underpin learners' rights to enjoy fulfilling, healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives, and contributes to the aims and objectives set out by the Minister for Social Justice in the new draft violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence strategy. I enjoyed very much the visit that we made to Coychurch Primary School, and I think it was great to see the work that Spectrum is doing, focusing on healthy relationships. I know that she shared my excitement at seeing the way in which the children really embraced and engaged with the learning that they had. And I think, as well as the boys and girls learning from it, I felt certainly that there were some things that we as grown-ups could learn from it as well.
Gwnaf. Credwn yn gryf y dylai fod gan bob person ifanc hawl i gael gafael ar wybodaeth, cymorth ac adnoddau dysgu sy'n eu cadw'n ddiogel rhag niwed, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys—a gwn fod gan yr Aelod ddiddordeb arbennig yn y maes hwn—diogelwch ar-lein a gwybod beth sy'n gywir ac yn anghywir fel y gallant godi materion gydag oedolion cyfrifol. Ar y pwynt penodol y mae'n ei godi yn ei chwestiwn, mae'r cod gorfodol newydd ar gyfer addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb a'r canllawiau sy'n cyd-fynd â hynny yn sail i hawliau dysgwyr i fwynhau perthnasoedd boddhaus, iach a diogel drwy gydol eu bywydau, ac yn cyfrannu tuag at y nodau a'r amcanion a nodwyd gan y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn y strategaeth ddrafft newydd ar drais yn erbyn menywod, cam-drin domestig a thrais rhywiol. Mwynheais ein hymweliad ag Ysgol Gynradd Llangrallo, ac roedd yn wych gweld y gwaith y mae Sbectrwm yn ei wneud, gan ganolbwyntio ar berthnasoedd iach. Gwn ei bod yn rhannu fy nghyffro wrth weld y ffordd yr oedd y plant yn croesawu ac yn ymgysylltu'n wirioneddol â'r addysg a gaent. Ac yn ogystal â bod y bechgyn a'r merched yn dysgu ohoni, teimlwn yn sicr fod yna rai gwersi y gallem ni fel oedolion eu dysgu ohoni hefyd.
Good afternoon, Minister. The Welsh Government has been clear that RSE should support learners to develop the knowledge, skills and values to understand how relationships and sexuality shape their own lives and the lives of others. Learners should be equipped and enabled to seek support on issues related to RSE and to educate themselves and others. On developing healthy relationships, I would like to know how Welsh Ministers will ensure that we do more to support cultural understanding and respect, recognising the beauty of our diversity. Thank you, Minister.
Prynhawn da, Weinidog. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn glir y dylai addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb gefnogi dysgwyr i ddatblygu'r wybodaeth, y sgiliau a'r gwerthoedd i ddeall sut y mae perthnasoedd a rhywioldeb yn siapio eu bywydau eu hunain a bywydau pobl eraill. Dylai dysgwyr gael eu harfogi a'u galluogi i geisio cymorth ar faterion sy'n ymwneud ag addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb ac i addysgu eu hunain ac eraill. Ar ddatblygu perthnasoedd iach, hoffwn wybod sut y bydd Gweinidogion Cymru yn sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud mwy i gefnogi dealltwriaeth a pharch diwylliannol, gan gydnabod harddwch ein hamrywiaeth. Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog.
Well, I think that's a very important question, and the basis on which the relationship and sexuality education code and guidance were developed was an inclusive process, which involved a number of groups and community representatives, so that we could make certain that the code and resources, when they are in our schools, are helpful and supportive and deliver the outcomes that I know that he cares about very much as well. RSE has a positive and protective role in our young people's education, and I think, as I was saying in my answer to Sarah Murphy, when you see the kind of activities in classrooms that are there to support our learners understand the nature of their own rights, but also the importance of healthy relationships, seeing that delivered in a very inclusive way is very rewarding and very reassuring as well.
Wel, credaf fod hwnnw'n gwestiwn pwysig iawn, ac roedd y sail y datblygwyd y cod addysg a'r canllawiau ar addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb arni yn broses gynhwysol, a oedd yn cynnwys nifer o grwpiau a chynrychiolwyr cymunedol, fel y gallem sicrhau bod y cod a'r adnoddau, pan fyddant yn ein hysgolion, yn ddefnyddiol ac yn gefnogol ac yn cyflawni'r canlyniadau y gwn ei fod yn poeni amdanynt yn fawr iawn hefyd. Mae gan addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb rôl gadarnhaol ac amddiffynnol i'w chwarae yn addysg ein pobl ifanc, ac fel yr oeddwn yn ei ddweud yn fy ateb i Sarah Murphy, pan welwch y math o weithgareddau sydd mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth i gefnogi ein dysgwyr i ddeall natur eu hawliau eu hunain, ond hefyd pwysigrwydd perthnasoedd iach, credaf fod gweld hynny'n cael ei ddarparu mewn ffordd gynhwysol iawn yn rhoi boddhad ac yn calonogi'n fawr hefyd.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 9, Jane Dodds.
And finally, question 9, Jane Dodds.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd, a phrynhawn da, Gweinidog.
Thank you very much, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister.
9. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am effaith y penderfyniad i gau ysgolion ym Mhowys a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar ar dargedau Llywodraeth Cymru i ehangu addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg? OQ57888
9. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of recently announced school closures in Powys on the Welsh Government's targets to expand Welsh-medium education? OQ57888
Powys commits to improving access to Welsh-medium education across all key stages, and their recently submitted Welsh in education strategic plans propose to introduce new Welsh-medium primary provision across four areas within the first five years, contributing to their overall target to increase the percentage of learners in Welsh-medium education to at least 36 per cent by 2032.
Mae Powys yn ymrwymo i wella mynediad at addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg ar draws pob cyfnod allweddol, ac mae eu cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg a gyflwynwyd yn ddiweddar yn cynnig cyflwyno darpariaeth gynradd cyfrwng Cymraeg newydd ar draws pedair ardal o fewn y pum mlynedd gyntaf, gan gyfrannu at eu targed cyffredinol i gynyddu canran y dysgwyr mewn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg i o leiaf 36 y cant erbyn 2032.
Diolch, Weinidog. You will be aware of the decision of Powys County Council to close rural schools in the area, which has been a devastating blow for many communities. I am increasingly concerned about the impact this so-called transformation programme will have on Welsh-medium education in Powys, so thank you for your response. The commitment of many of these rural schools to Welsh education is impressive, and I know you share my concerns that this programme of closing schools may mean that these communities will have the Welsh language decimated and, potentially, disappearing. So, may I ask what additional attention you'll be giving to ensure that Welsh education programmes can thrive in rural schools? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch, Weinidog. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol o benderfyniad Cyngor Sir Powys i gau ysgolion gwledig yn yr ardal, sydd wedi bod yn ergyd drom i lawer o gymunedau. Rwy’n poeni fwyfwy am yr effaith y bydd y rhaglen trawsnewid hon fel y'i gelwir yn ei chael ar addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg ym Mhowys, felly diolch am eich ymateb. Mae ymrwymiad llawer o’r ysgolion gwledig hyn i addysg Gymraeg yn galonogol, a gwn eich bod yn rhannu fy mhryderon y gallai’r rhaglen hon o gau ysgolion olygu y bydd y Gymraeg yn dirywio, ac o bosibl, yn diflannu yn y cymunedau hyn. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn pa sylw ychwanegol y byddwch yn ei roi i sicrhau bod rhaglenni addysg Gymraeg yn gallu ffynnu mewn ysgolion gwledig? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Well, just with the caveat that I gave to Andrew R.T. Davies about being able to comment on specific proposals, on the broader question that the Member makes about Welsh-medium education in Powys, I should say that I'm currently assessing all of the Welsh in education strategic plans at the moment. I'll be making an announcement on whether to approve, approve with modifications or reject those plans before the end of the summer term. She may know that Powys has committed, as I mentioned earlier, to those four new Welsh-medium primary provisions that will benefit Crickhowell, Hay-on-Wye, Presteigne and the north Powys area. There is also a commitment in the WESP to supporting dual stream English-medium primary schools to move along the language continuum, and to do that using immersion practices. There's a pilot in Ysgol y Cribarth that I'm sure she will be aware of, which is a great example of this, and I'm looking forward to visiting there in May. I've also, as we were discussing earlier in this session, announced £2.2 million in the Welsh immersion grant last September. Powys has benefited from that grant to pilot a new Welsh-language immersion centre at Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd in Newtown. The Welsh in education strategic plan in Powys is ambitious, as it is in other parts of Wales, and as Minister I fully expect those ambitions to be met.
Wel, gyda'r cafeat a roddais i Andrew R.T. Davies ynghylch gallu gwneud sylwadau ar gynigion penodol, ar y cwestiwn ehangach y mae'r Aelod yn ei ofyn am addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg ym Mhowys, dylwn ddweud fy mod yn asesu pob un o'r cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg ar hyn o bryd. Byddaf yn gwneud cyhoeddiad ynglŷn ag a ddylid cymeradwyo, cymeradwyo gydag addasiadau neu wrthod y cynlluniau hynny cyn diwedd tymor yr haf. Efallai y bydd yn gwybod bod Powys wedi ymrwymo, fel y soniais yn gynharach, i'r pedair darpariaeth addysg gynradd cyfrwng Cymraeg newydd yng Nghrucywel, y Gelli Gandryll, Llanandras ac ardal gogledd Powys. Ceir ymrwymiad hefyd yn y cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg i gefnogi ysgolion cynradd cyfrwng Saesneg dwy ffrwd i symud ar hyd y continwwm iaith, ac i wneud hynny gan ddefnyddio arferion trochi. Ceir cynllun peilot yn Ysgol y Cribarth, y bydd yn ymwybodol ohono, rwy’n siŵr, sy’n enghraifft wych o hyn, ac edrychaf ymlaen at ymweld â hwy ym mis Mai. Rwyf hefyd, fel y buom yn ei drafod yn gynharach yn y sesiwn hon, wedi cyhoeddi £2.2 miliwn ar gyfer y grant trochi Cymraeg fis Medi diwethaf. Mae Powys wedi elwa o’r grant hwnnw i dreialu canolfan drochi Gymraeg newydd yn Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd yn y Drenewydd. Mae cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg Powys yn uchelgeisiol, fel sy'n wir mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru, ac fel Gweinidog, rwy’n llwyr ddisgwyl i’r uchelgeisiau hynny gael eu gwireddu.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, fydd y cwestiynau amserol. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf i'w ateb gan y Gweindog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, ac i'w ofyn gan Russell George.
The next item therefore is the topical questions. The first question is to be answered by the Minister for Health and Social Services, and is to be asked by Russell George.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y ffaith bod Ysbyty Athrofaol y Faenor wedi datgan rhybudd du neithiwr? TQ615
1. Will the Minister make a statement on the Grange University Hospital’s declaration of a black alert last night? TQ615

In the light of exceptional pressures and despite efforts to stabilise its services, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board declared a business continuity incident at the Grange University Hospital on the afternoon of 29 March. This is the highest level of escalation available, and clearly indicates the severe pressure being experienced by our health and care services.
Yng ngoleuni pwysau eithriadol ac er gwaethaf ymdrechion i sefydlogi eu gwasanaethau, cyhoeddodd Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Aneurin Bevan ddigwyddiad parhad busnes yn Ysbyty Athrofaol y Faenor ar brynhawn 29 Mawrth. Dyma’r lefel uwchgyfeirio uchaf sydd ar gael, ac mae’n dangos yn glir y pwysau difrifol y mae ein gwasanaethau iechyd a gofal yn ei wynebu.
Thank you for your answer, Minister. For a major hospital to declare a black alert on a weekday evening, of course, indicates that the NHS in Wales is ill-prepared to support those who need it the most. I'm particularly concerned, of course, for the staff at the hospital, who are under significant pressure, and, I'm sure, will be feeling a sense of being let down themselves. I would like to know, Minister, the urgent assessment that you have made of the black alert at the Grange hospital's A&E department. The hospital was, of course, supposed to be the flagship hospital, and it was of course opened early. So, I would ask you for your assessment on whether it was correct to open the hospital early. Understaffing has been an ongoing and huge issue at the hospital since it opened. There have been sustained reports of understaffing since the hospital first opened. So, can I ask you, Minister, did you see this coming, and what support can you now offer? What is your plan to support the hospital and particularly support the workforce that are under so much pressure at the hospital?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mae’r ffaith bod ysbyty mawr yn datgan rhybudd du ar noson yn ystod yr wythnos, wrth gwrs, yn dangos nad yw’r GIG yng Nghymru yn barod i gefnogi’r rheini sydd ei angen fwyaf. Rwy'n arbennig o bryderus, wrth gwrs, am y staff yn yr ysbyty, sydd o dan bwysau sylweddol ac sy'n teimlo eu bod hwy eu hunain wedi cael cam, rwy'n siŵr. Hoffwn wybod, Weinidog, am yr asesiad brys a wnaethoch o’r rhybudd du yn adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys ysbyty'r Faenor. Roedd yr ysbyty i fod yn ysbyty blaenllaw, wrth gwrs, ac fe’i hagorwyd yn gynnar. Felly, hoffwn ofyn am eich asesiad chi ynglŷn ag a oedd agor yr ysbyty’n gynnar yn benderfyniad cywir ai peidio. Mae prinder staff wedi bod yn broblem barhaus ac enfawr yn yr ysbyty ers iddo agor. Ceir adroddiadau parhaus o brinder staff ers i'r ysbyty agor gyntaf. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn i chi, Weinidog, a welsoch chi hyn yn dod, a pha gymorth y gallwch ei gynnig yn awr? Beth yw eich cynllun i gefnogi’r ysbyty, ac yn benodol, i gefnogi’r gweithlu sydd o dan gymaint o bwysau yn yr ysbyty?
Thanks very much. There is a difficult—an extremely difficult—situation that's confronting not just Aneurin Bevan health board but also health boards across the whole of Wales at the moment. We've always been open about the challenges that NHS Wales and emergency departments are under, and they're under pressure like they haven't seen during the whole of the pandemic. COVID rates have never been higher in our communities. We have 1,468 people in hospital with COVID. That's the highest number in a year. During the last six weeks, we've been at the highest level of bed occupancy in the NHS since the beginning of the pandemic. We have 900 more patients in hospital today than we did a year ago. Was it right to open the hospital early? Damn right it was, because imagine if we hadn't. We needed those beds. This is not a situation that is unique to Wales, but it's absolutely clear that this is a pressure that's facing people across the United Kingdom as well.
One of the issues that we are having to confront is the fact that there are very high numbers of patients who are ready to be discharged from hospital but they're unable to do so because of the fragility of our care services. I know that the Deputy Minister for Social Services is working incredibly hard on making sure that we get a better flow through our systems. The fact is that in Aneurin Bevan we have around 270 patients who are ready to leave, but it's been impossible for many of them to leave because 70 of our care homes in Aneurin Bevan were closed because of COVID. Can you prepare for those kinds of things? We have been trying to prepare, but we are in an extremely difficult situation at the moment and I think it is absolutely right for us to understand the kind of pressure that our staff is under. And on top of that, let's think about the staff, because actually, a lot of them are going down with COVID as well, which obviously increases the pressure even more on those who are left in the hospitals.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae sefyllfa anodd—hynod o anodd—yn wynebu nid yn unig bwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan ond byrddau iechyd ledled Cymru gyfan ar hyn o bryd. Rydym bob amser wedi bod yn agored ynglŷn â'r heriau y mae GIG Cymru ac adrannau brys yn eu hwynebu, ac maent o dan bwysau nas gwelwyd ei debyg drwy gydol y pandemig. Nid yw cyfraddau COVID erioed wedi bod yn uwch yn ein cymunedau. Mae gennym 1,468 o bobl yn yr ysbyty gyda COVID. Dyna'r nifer mwyaf mewn blwyddyn. Yn y chwe wythnos diwethaf, rydym wedi bod ar y lefel uchaf o welyau llawn yn y GIG ers dechrau'r pandemig. Mae gennym 900 yn rhagor o gleifion yn yr ysbyty heddiw nag a oedd gennym flwyddyn yn ôl. A oedd hi'n iawn agor yr ysbyty'n gynnar? Oedd wrth gwrs ei bod, oherwydd dychmygwch pe na baem wedi gwneud hynny. Roedd angen y gwelyau hynny arnom. Nid yw hon yn sefyllfa sy’n unigryw i Gymru, ond mae’n gwbl amlwg fod hwn yn bwysau sy’n wynebu pobl ledled y Deyrnas Unedig hefyd.
Un mater yr ydym yn gorfod mynd i'r afael ag ef yw'r ffaith bod niferoedd uchel iawn o gleifion yn barod i gael eu rhyddhau o'r ysbyty ond nid ydynt yn gallu gwneud hynny oherwydd breuder ein gwasanaethau gofal. Gwn fod y Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yn gweithio’n anhygoel o galed i sicrhau ein bod yn cael gwell llif drwy ein systemau. Y gwir amdani yw bod gennym, ym mwrdd Aneurin Bevan, oddeutu 270 o gleifion sy’n barod i adael, ond mae wedi bod yn amhosibl i lawer ohonynt adael gan fod 70 o’n cartrefi gofal ym mwrdd Aneurin Bevan wedi cau oherwydd COVID. A allwch chi baratoi ar gyfer y mathau hynny o bethau? Rydym wedi bod yn ceisio paratoi, ond rydym mewn sefyllfa hynod o anodd ar hyn o bryd a chredaf ei bod yn gwbl briodol inni ddeall y math o bwysau sydd ar ein staff. Ac ar ben hynny, gadewch inni feddwl am y staff, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, mae llawer ohonynt hwythau'n dal COVID hefyd, sy'n amlwg yn cynyddu'r pwysau hyd yn oed yn fwy ar y rheini sydd ar ôl yn yr ysbytai.
Diolch, Weinidog, am eich ateb hyd yn hyn.
Thank you, Minister, for your responses so far.
During my numerous street surgeries throughout the region, a common complaint has been the service that patients have experienced at the Grange. This has been the case across the region. It seems people have difficulties in terms of site accessibility, the lack of adequate public transport, and the long waits to be seen when they eventually get there. Things have clearly come to a head in the last few days. Having a brand new facility is all well and good, but doesn't the brief history of the Grange hospital show that a new hospital is nothing without its staff? The NHS's greatest strength is its people, and we are in danger of forcing them out of the sector unless we improve their working conditions. We also risk the health of patients wherever crisis points like this are reached. What lessons have been learnt from the opening of the Grange, and what plans are in place to put the hospital on a healthier footing? This situation must be rectified as soon as possible, for the sake of patients and the staff. Diolch yn fawr.
Yn ystod fy nghymorthfeydd stryd niferus ar draws y rhanbarth, cwyn gyffredin fu’r gwasanaeth y mae cleifion wedi’i gael yn ysbyty'r Faenor. Mae hyn wedi bod yn wir ar draws y rhanbarth. Ymddengys bod pobl yn cael anawsterau i gyrraedd safleoedd, diffyg trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ddigonol, a’r amseroedd aros hir i gael eu gweld pan fyddant yn cyrraedd yno yn y pen draw. Mae pethau’n amlwg wedi mynd o ddrwg i waeth yn ystod y dyddiau diwethaf. Mae cael cyfleuster newydd sbon yn un peth, ond onid yw hanes byr ysbyty'r Faenor yn dangos nad yw ysbyty newydd yn ddim heb ei staff? Cryfder mwyaf y GIG yw ei bobl, ac rydym mewn perygl o’u gorfodi allan o’r sector oni bai ein bod yn gwella eu hamodau gwaith. Rydym hefyd yn peryglu iechyd cleifion pan gyrhaeddir pwynt o argyfwng fel hyn. Pa wersi sydd wedi’u dysgu o agor ysbyty'r Faenor, a pha gynlluniau sydd ar waith i roi’r ysbyty ar sylfaen iachach? Mae'n rhaid unioni’r sefyllfa hon cyn gynted â phosibl, er lles y cleifion a’r staff. Diolch yn fawr.
Diolch yn fawr. Of course there were lessons to be learnt from the opening of the Grange. We opened it because, frankly, we were in the middle of a pandemic and we needed all the help that we could get. So, it was absolutely the right thing to do, but obviously it meant that we didn't have time to do the preparations that we would have done had we not been in that situation. I'm very pleased to say that the Royal College of Physicians made a visit to the Grange University Hospital a while ago. They were quite critical, frankly, of the services there, but they have now produced a follow-up review that's been published today, and they are actually endorsing a lot of the actions that have been undertaken by the health board. So, I'm very pleased to see that.
What else can we do to help? Well, frankly, we can all help in these circumstances. We are in a situation where we all need to see if there's anything more we can do as citizens. Our priority, of course, is to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of healthcare services to anyone, but I would appeal to members of the public: if you are able to help with the discharge of your family from hospital if they are ready to be discharged, then please help us out and come and help us to discharge them from hospital and give them that support, so that we can get more urgent cases into the hospital at this extreme time.
Diolch yn fawr. Wrth gwrs, roedd gwersi i’w dysgu o agor ysbyty'r Faenor. Fe wnaethom ei agor oherwydd, a dweud y gwir, roeddem yng nghanol pandemig, ac roeddem angen yr holl gymorth y gallem ei gael. Felly, dyna oedd y peth iawn i'w wneud yn bendant, ond yn amlwg, golygodd na chawsom amser i wneud y paratoadau y byddem wedi'u gwneud pe na baem yn y sefyllfa honno. Rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud bod Coleg Brenhinol y Meddygon wedi ymweld ag Ysbyty Athrofaol y Faenor beth amser yn ôl. Roeddent yn eithaf beirniadol, a bod yn onest, o’r gwasanaethau yno, ond maent bellach wedi llunio adolygiad dilynol a gyhoeddwyd heddiw, ac maent yn cymeradwyo llawer o’r camau gweithredu a gyflawnwyd gan y bwrdd iechyd. Felly, rwy’n falch iawn o weld hynny.
Beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i helpu? Wel, a dweud y gwir, gall pob un ohonom fod o gymorth o dan yr amgylchiadau hyn. Rydym mewn sefyllfa lle mae angen i bob un ohonom weld a oes unrhyw beth arall y gallwn ei wneud fel dinasyddion. Ein blaenoriaeth, wrth gwrs, yw sicrhau bod gwasanaethau gofal iechyd yn cael eu darparu’n ddiogel ac yn effeithlon i bawb, ond hoffwn apelio ar aelodau’r cyhoedd: os gallwch helpu gyda rhyddhau aelodau o'ch teulu o’r ysbyty os ydynt yn barod i gael eu rhyddhau, dewch i'n helpu i'w rhyddhau o'r ysbyty a rhoi'r gefnogaeth honno iddynt, fel y gallwn gael mwy o achosion brys i mewn i'r ysbyty ar yr adeg anodd hon.
I'm grateful to you, Minister, for those responses. It's important that we recognise what is actually happening in the Grange, rather than simply listening to hearsay. There are some significant successes from the centralisation of services in the Grange, and I've spoken to constituents in the last week who have been through some excellent treatment and have received superb levels of care within the Grange. I think it's important that we recognise that and recognise the hard work that is going on in the Grange and the other hospitals in the Aneurin Bevan network.
The issues that I'm dealing with are the issues, Minister, that I've brought to your attention already in the last few weeks, which are about unscheduled care, which are about emergency access, and those issues are very real issues. There is an issue with the ability of the Grange to deal with the pressures it's under, and there is a significant issue where sometimes some very vulnerable patients have not received the treatment that they require urgently. I brought a constituent's situation to your attention last week, where she did not receive the treatment that she needed, and that was a very urgent cancer requirement. So, we need to look at the reality of what is happening in the Grange and deal with the real issues.
Minister, is it possible for the Welsh Government to provide the Aneurin Bevan health board with resources, or work with the health board, to enable them to overcome the issues that you've described that we're all familiar with, that will enable them to deal with the current pressures, to enable them to build the sort of sustainable services that we require in the hospital and in the network of hospitals, but also to ensure that we have the different health boards that provide services to people in Blaenau Gwent talking to each other, so that where a patient is taken, for example, to Prince Charles Hospital, that their treatment plans are recognised by staff in Prince Charles, and that they are able to receive the treatment that they require?
Like others in the Chamber this afternoon, I think we should all pay tribute to the hard work that is being done by members of staff in the Grange under the most extraordinary pressures that the Minister has already described. I think as politicians, what we need to do is to ensure that we put in place the structures that are required to support those staff, to support those services, and to deliver the treatment that people need and require at the time they need it.
Diolch am eich ymatebion, Weinidog. Mae'n bwysig ein bod yn cydnabod yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn ysbyty'r Faenor, yn hytrach na gwrando ar sïon. Cafwyd rhai llwyddiannau sylweddol yn sgil canoli gwasanaethau yn ysbyty'r Faenor, ac rwyf wedi siarad ag etholwyr dros yr wythnos ddiwethaf sydd wedi cael triniaethau rhagorol ac sydd wedi cael lefelau gwych o ofal yn ysbyty'r Faenor. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig inni gydnabod hynny a chydnabod y gwaith caled sy’n mynd rhagddo yn ysbyty'r Faenor a’r ysbytai eraill yn rhwydwaith Aneurin Bevan.
Weinidog, y materion rwy'n ymdrin â hwy yw’r materion rwyf wedi’u dwyn i’ch sylw eisoes dros yr ychydig wythnosau diwethaf, sy’n ymwneud â gofal heb ei drefnu, sy’n ymwneud â mynediad brys, ac mae’r materion hynny’n faterion real iawn. Mae problem gyda gallu ysbyty’r Faenor i ymdopi â’r pwysau sydd arno, ac mae problem sylweddol lle nad yw rhai cleifion agored iawn i niwed weithiau wedi cael y driniaeth sydd ei hangen arnynt ar frys. Tynnais eich sylw at sefyllfa etholwr yr wythnos diwethaf, lle na chafodd y driniaeth yr oedd ei hangen, sef galw brys mewn perthynas â chanser. Felly, mae angen inni edrych ar realiti’r hyn sy’n digwydd yn ysbyty'r Faenor a mynd i'r afael â’r problemau go iawn.
Weinidog, a oes modd i Lywodraeth Cymru ddarparu adnoddau i fwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan, neu weithio gyda’r bwrdd iechyd, i’w galluogi i oresgyn y problemau yr ydych wedi’u disgrifio ac y mae pob un ohonom yn gyfarwydd â hwy, a fydd yn eu galluogi i ymdopi â’r pwysau presennol, i’w galluogi i adeiladu’r math o wasanaethau cynaliadwy sydd eu hangen arnom yn yr ysbyty ac yn y rhwydwaith o ysbytai, ond hefyd i sicrhau bod y gwahanol fyrddau iechyd sy’n darparu gwasanaethau i bobl ym Mlaenau Gwent yn siarad â'i gilydd, er mwyn sicrhau, pan eir â chlaf, er enghraifft, i Ysbyty’r Tywysog Siarl, fod eu cynllun triniaeth yn cael eu cydnabod gan staff yn Ysbyty’r Tywysog Siarl, a’u bod yn gallu cael y driniaeth sydd ei hangen arnynt?
Fel eraill yn y Siambr y prynhawn yma, credaf y dylai pob un ohonom dalu teyrnged i'r gwaith caled y mae staff yn ysbyty'r Faenor yn ei wneud o dan y pwysau mwyaf eithriadol y mae’r Gweinidog eisoes wedi’i ddisgrifio. Fel gwleidyddion, credaf mai'r hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud yw sicrhau ein bod yn rhoi’r strwythurau ar waith sy’n ofynnol i gefnogi’r aelodau staff hynny, i gefnogi’r gwasanaethau hynny, ac i ddarparu’r driniaeth sydd ei hangen ar bobl ar yr adeg y maent ei hangen.
Diolch yn fawr, Alun. I think you're absolutely right, it's important that we don't just act on hearsay, but there are lots of individual patient experiences that are frankly heartbreaking. I've received e-mails over the weekend with people just desperate, frankly, because they have been waiting for hours on end.
We are in an extreme situation at the moment. I'm confident that we won't continue to be in this situation, but that's where we're at at the moment. I think it's really important for people to understand that the NHS is still very much open for business. We're seeing 200,000 patients a month still, in terms of outpatients. I think it's important also to respond to the fact that actually, the RCP is saying that things are improving. It's just that we are in these intensely difficult situations at the moment.
The flow is part of the problem. How do people get access to A&E if all the beds are full? As you've heard, because of the situation in terms of getting people out of hospitals because those care homes are shut, that is creating a real problem for us. It's very difficult to know what do you do in those circumstances, and that's why we are appealing to people to come and fetch their loved ones from hospital and look after them if they can, because we can get them out of hospital, and we can help support other members of their family who may need more urgent treatment as well.
We have given significant additional support to the ambulance service. We've recruited hundreds of new people in our service. We've given £250 million extra to relieve pressure last year. We're giving £170 million additional funding in the next financial year. And we are, actually—. Aneurin Bevan is being absolutely clear that, under these extreme circumstances, they are diverting patients and helping patients to go to other health boards that are perhaps not quite under the same pressure.
Diolch yn fawr, Alun. Credaf eich bod yn llygad eich lle, mae'n bwysig nad ydym yn gweithredu ar sail sïon yn unig, ond mae llawer o brofiadau cleifion unigol yn dorcalonnus a bod yn onest. Cefais e-byst dros y penwythnos gan bobl a oedd yn anobeithio am eu bod wedi bod yn aros am oriau maith.
Rydym mewn sefyllfa eithafol ar hyn o bryd. Rwy’n hyderus na fyddwn yn parhau i fod yn y sefyllfa hon, ond dyna lle'r ydym arni ar hyn o bryd. Credaf ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig i bobl ddeall bod y GIG yn dal i fod ar agor ac yn weithredol. Rydym yn gweld 200,000 o gleifion y mis o hyd, fel cleifion allanol. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig ymateb i'r ffaith hefyd fod Coleg Brenhinol y Meddygon yn dweud bod pethau'n gwella. Y broblem yw ein bod yn y sefyllfaoedd hynod anodd hyn ar hyn o bryd.
Mae'r llif yn rhan o'r broblem. Sut y gall pobl gael eu derbyn i adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys os yw'r holl welyau'n llawn? Fel y clywsoch, oherwydd y sefyllfa gyda chael pobl allan o ysbytai am fod cartrefi gofal ar gau, mae hynny’n creu problem wirioneddol i ni. Mae’n anodd iawn gwybod beth i'w wneud o dan yr amgylchiadau hynny, a dyna pam ein bod yn galw ar bobl i ddod i nôl eu hanwyliaid o’r ysbyty a gofalu amdanynt os gallant, fel y gallwn eu cael allan o’r ysbyty, a gallwn helpu i gefnogi aelodau eraill o'u teulu a allai fod angen triniaeth ar fwy o frys hefyd.
Rydym wedi rhoi cymorth ychwanegol sylweddol i’r gwasanaeth ambiwlans. Rydym wedi recriwtio cannoedd o bobl newydd i'n gwasanaeth. Rydym wedi rhoi £250 miliwn yn ychwanegol i leddfu pwysau y llynedd. Rydym yn rhoi £170 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Ac mewn gwirionedd, rydym—. Mae bwrdd Aneurin Bevan yn dweud yn gwbl glir eu bod, o dan yr amgylchiadau eithafol hyn, yn dargyfeirio cleifion ac yn helpu cleifion i fynd i fyrddau iechyd eraill nad ydynt, efallai, o dan yr un pwysau.
Back in the autumn when I was taken ill, I spent 22 hours in an A&E department, and I know the pressure full well that staff feel, but also the hopelessness that patients feel as well. I'd be most grateful to understand from the Minister the staffing ratios in the A&E department at the Grange, and if she hasn't got that information, could she provide that in a letter form that could be placed in the library? And importantly, on those staff ratios, how many are core staff and how many are bank? Because the one thing that became evident to me in the A&E department that I was in for a considerable period of time was that there were a lot of bank staff there that weren't familiar with the settings and the procedures that that department required to use on a day-to-day basis, and that caused a lot of problems in discharging and the flow of patients that the Minister's referred to. So, could she provide that information, accepting if she hasn't got that with her today, she could place it in the library and we could all see it?
Yn ôl yn yr hydref pan euthum yn sâl, treuliais 22 awr mewn adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys, ac rwy'n gwbl ymwybodol o'r pwysau sydd ar staff, ond hefyd yr anobaith y mae cleifion yn ei deimlo. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn i gael gwybod gan y Gweinidog beth yw'r cymarebau staffio yn yr adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys yn ysbyty'r Faenor, ac os nad yw’r wybodaeth honno ganddi, a allai ddarparu hynny ar ffurf llythyr y gellid ei roi yn y llyfrgell? Ac yn bwysig, ar y cymarebau staff hynny, faint sy'n staff craidd a faint sy'n staff banc? Oherwydd yr un peth a ddaeth yn amlwg i mi yn yr adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys y bûm ynddi am gyfnod sylweddol o amser oedd fod llawer o staff banc yno nad oeddent yn gyfarwydd â’r lleoliadau a’r gweithdrefnau yr oedd angen i’r adran honno eu defnyddio o ddydd i ddydd, ac roedd hynny'n achosi llawer o broblemau wrth ryddhau cleifion a chyda llif cleifion y cyfeiriodd y Gweinidog ato. Felly, a wnaiff hi ddarparu'r wybodaeth honno, gan dderbyn, os nad yw ganddi heddiw, y gallai ei rhoi yn y llyfrgell a gallai pob un ohonom ei gweld?
Absolutely. And, no, I don't have the specific information, but, obviously, I'd be willing to look at that. There are always issues about pressures in hospital, and if people are off sick, obviously—and there are a lot of people off sick; we all know somebody who is suffering with COVID at the moment—clearly that is affecting hospital staff as well, which is why you then have to go to those bank staff.
What we're trying to do, and we have been doing for a long time now, is recruiting additional staff. We've recruited 53 per cent more staff than we did 20 years ago. That is a massive increase. You look at our recruitment and our training when it comes to nurses and midwives—significant increases: 73 per cent and 92 per cent; huge increases in the number of people that we're training. But it is difficult, and we've never seen pressure like this before.
Yn sicr. A na, nid yw'r wybodaeth benodol gennyf, ond yn amlwg, rwy'n fwy na pharod i edrych ar hynny. Ceir problemau bob amser gyda phwysau yn yr ysbyty, ac os yw pobl gartref yn sâl, yn amlwg—ac mae llawer o bobl gartref yn sâl; mae pob un ohonom yn adnabod rhywun sydd â COVID ar hyn o bryd—yn amlwg, mae’n effeithio ar staff ysbytai hefyd, a dyna pam fod yn rhaid ichi ddibynnu wedyn ar y staff banc hynny.
Yr hyn y ceisiwn ei wneud, ac rydym wedi bod yn ei wneud ers peth amser bellach, yw recriwtio staff ychwanegol. Rydym wedi recriwtio 53 y cant yn fwy o staff nag y gwnaethom 20 mlynedd yn ôl. Mae hwnnw’n gynnydd aruthrol. Rydych yn edrych ar ein recriwtio a'n hyfforddiant i nyrsys a bydwragedd—cynnydd sylweddol: 73 y cant a 92 y cant; cynnydd aruthrol yn nifer y bobl yr ydym yn eu hyfforddi. Ond mae'n anodd, ac nid ydym erioed wedi gweld pwysau fel hyn o'r blaen.
Minister, since the Grange opened, it's been plagued with overcrowding and long waits, and, as we've been hearing, this isn't fair to patients or staff. The fact that there were 14-hour waits in A&E last night is indicative of a serious problem. I know, last October—you've been referring to the fact that there were reports of trainee doctors and consultants being scared to go into work, which the Royal College of Physicians was reporting. When other hospitals like the miners' hospital in Caerphilly closed, patients were promised that there would be no disruption to their care, but overcentralisation of services is leading to just that. So, we have staff who are, at times, near breaking point, and patients who aren't getting the care they need.
But, Minister, as well as what you're saying that the Government obviously will be doing to change this, you've just said that we all know someone who is suffering with COVID at the moment. Now, I'm asking this sincerely, I'm not asking this glibly at all: do you really think that now is the time to remove legal requirements over self-isolation and COVID mask wearing in retail and transport? Won't more COVID cases make a dire situation even worse?
Weinidog, ers i ysbyty'r Faenor agor, mae wedi’i lethu gan orlenwi ac amseroedd aros hir, ac fel rydym wedi'i glywed eisoes, nid yw hyn yn deg i gleifion nac i staff. Mae'r ffaith bod amseroedd aros 14 awr yn yr adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys neithiwr yn arwydd o broblem ddifrifol. Fis Hydref diwethaf—rydych wedi bod yn cyfeirio at adroddiadau Coleg Brenhinol y Meddygon am feddygon dan hyfforddiant a meddygon ymgynghorol yn ofni mynd i'r gwaith. Pan gaeodd ysbytai eraill fel ysbyty’r glowyr yng Nghaerffili, cafodd y cleifion addewid na fyddai unrhyw darfu ar eu gofal, ond mae gorganoli gwasanaethau yn arwain at hynny. Felly, mae gennym staff sydd, ar brydiau, bron â chyrraedd pen eu tennyn, a chleifion nad ydynt yn cael y gofal y maent ei angen.
Ond Weinidog, yn ogystal â’r hyn y dywedwch y bydd y Llywodraeth yn amlwg yn ei wneud i newid hyn, rydych newydd ddweud bod pob un ohonom yn adnabod rhywun sy’n dioddef o COVID ar hyn o bryd. Nawr, rwy'n gofyn hyn yn ddiffuant, nid wyf yn gofyn hyn yn slic o gwbl: a ydych chi'n meddwl o ddifrif mai yn awr yw'r amser i gael gwared ar ofynion cyfreithiol i hunanynysu a gwisgo masgiau COVID mewn siopau ac ar drafnidiaeth? Oni fydd mwy o achosion o COVID yn gwneud sefyllfa enbyd hyd yn oed yn waeth?
Thanks very much. Well, I would urge you—and you're quite right, there was some extreme criticism about what happened in the Grange by places like the Royal College of Physicians—to read the follow-up review, which does suggest that there have been many improvements since that initial inspection took place. I would also ask people to make use of the now all-Wales 111 telephone services, which provide access to out-of-hours and urgent primary care services, making sure that you get the right support at the right place at the right time. So, there are alternatives to A&E, and it's really important that people make use of those.
Also, you talked about the legal requirements. Well, let me tell you that your sister party in Scotland never had a legal requirement when it came to self-isolation, and it seems to have worked quite well for them. So, we're actually in a position now where we are giving responsibility back to the public. And I've got to tell you, in Wales, the public have been marvellous. They have followed our advice, and we are now trusting them to continue to do the good work that they know should be done. When they know rates are at the highest levels within their community, I'm sure they will continue to do the right thing, to wear face coverings when appropriate, to make sure that they're testing if appropriate and to make sure, also, that they're self-isolating if they catch COVID.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, hoffwn eich annog—ac rydych yn llygad eich lle, bu rhywfaint o feirniadaeth eithafol ynglŷn â'r hyn a oedd yn digwydd yn ysbyty'r Faenor gan leoedd fel Coleg Brenhinol y Meddygon—i ddarllen yr adolygiad dilynol, sy'n awgrymu y bu llawer o welliannau ers yr arolygiad cychwynnol hwnnw. Hoffwn ofyn hefyd i bobl ddefnyddio’r gwasanaethau ffôn 111, sydd ar gael ar gyfer Cymru gyfan bellach, ac sy’n darparu mynediad at wasanaethau y tu allan i oriau a gwasanaethau gofal sylfaenol brys, gan sicrhau eich bod yn cael y cymorth iawn yn y lle iawn ar yr amser iawn. Felly, mae dewisiadau amgen i'w cael yn lle adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, ac mae'n bwysig iawn fod pobl yn eu defnyddio.
Hefyd, fe sonioch chi am y gofynion cyfreithiol. Wel, gadewch imi ddweud wrthych nad oedd gan eich chwaer blaid yn yr Alban erioed unrhyw ofyniad cyfreithiol i hunanynysu, ac ymddengys bod hynny wedi gweithio’n eithaf da iddynt hwy. Felly, rydym mewn sefyllfa bellach lle rydym yn rhoi cyfrifoldeb yn ôl i'r cyhoedd. Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud wrthych, yng Nghymru, mae'r cyhoedd wedi bod yn wych. Maent wedi dilyn ein cyngor, ac rydym bellach yn ymddiried ynddynt i barhau i wneud y gwaith da y maent yn gwybod y dylid ei wneud. Pan fyddant yn gwybod bod cyfraddau ar y lefelau uchaf yn eu cymuned, rwy’n siŵr y byddant yn parhau i wneud y peth iawn, i wisgo gorchuddion wyneb pan fo’n briodol, i sicrhau eu bod yn profi os yw’n briodol ac i sicrhau, hefyd, eu bod yn hunanynysu os ydynt yn dal COVID.
Yn olaf, Jane Dodds.
Finally, Jane Dodds.
Diolch, Llywydd, a diolch, Weinidog, a diolch i Russell am godi'r mater yma.
Thank you, Llywydd, and thank you, Minister, and thank you to Russell for asking this question.
It's just a very short point. Many residents in south Powys attend Nevill Hall Hospital in Aneurin Bevan health board in Abergavenny. In the statement last night from Aneurin Bevan on the Grange, there was a recommendation that patients are diverted to other hospitals like Nevill Hall. I'm sure this has been considered, but could you just reassure us that additional support is being offered to hospitals like Nevill Hall that will be put under additional stress in the short term from the situation in the Grange? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Dim ond pwynt byr iawn. Mae llawer o drigolion de Powys yn mynd i Ysbyty Nevill Hall ym mwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan yn Y Fenni. Yn y datganiad neithiwr gan fwrdd Aneurin Bevan ar ysbyty'r Faenor, cafwyd argymhelliad fod cleifion yn cael eu dargyfeirio i ysbytai eraill fel ysbyty Nevill Hall. Rwy’n siŵr fod hyn wedi’i ystyried, ond a wnewch chi roi sicrwydd i ni fod cymorth ychwanegol yn cael ei gynnig i ysbytai fel ysbyty Nevill Hall, a fydd yn wynebu straen ychwanegol yn y tymor byr yn sgil y sefyllfa yn ysbyty'r Faenor? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thank you. Well, there is stress across the whole system. The Grange is experiencing it in particular, but this is a stress that is happening across the whole of Wales, indeed across the whole of the United Kingdom. And I'm informed by my officials that sites, for example, in England, also declared major incidents last night, including Hereford hospital and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, which led to handover delays of up to 20 hours for Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust vehicles conveying patients from Wales to those sites. So, it's not just in Wales that these pressures are happening, they are happening across the whole of the United Kingdom. Obviously, we will give as much support as we can to the system, but there are levels of escalation that the health boards know that they need to use and implement, and we're at a particular level of escalation in Aneurin Bevan, which is the highest level of escalation, and that means that they stop doing the routine work and they focus on their really urgent work. And I'm sure that you'll understand the need to do that.
Diolch. Wel, mae straen ar draws y system gyfan. Mae'n effeithio'n arbennig ar ysbyty'r Faenor, ond mae hwn yn straen sy'n bodoli ledled Cymru, ac yn wir, ledled y Deyrnas Unedig gyfan. A dywed fy swyddogion wrthyf fod safleoedd, er enghraifft, yn Lloegr, hefyd wedi datgan digwyddiadau mawr neithiwr, gan gynnwys ysbyty Henffordd ac Ysbyty Brenhinol Amwythig, a arweiniodd at oedi cyn trosglwyddo gofal o hyd at 20 awr i gerbydau Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru a oedd yn cludo cleifion o Gymru i’r safleoedd hynny. Felly, nid yng Nghymru yn unig y mae’r pwysau'n bodoli, ond ledled y Deyrnas Unedig gyfan. Yn amlwg, byddwn yn rhoi cymaint o gefnogaeth ag y gallwn i’r system, ond mae yna lefelau uwchgyfeirio y mae’r byrddau iechyd yn gwybod bod angen iddynt eu defnyddio a’u gweithredu, ac rydym ar lefel benodol o uwchgyfeirio ym mwrdd Aneurin Bevan, sef y lefel uwchgyfeirio uchaf, a golyga hynny eu bod yn rhoi’r gorau i wneud y gwaith rheolaidd ac yn canolbwyntio ar eu gwaith brys. Ac rwy’n siŵr y byddwch yn deall yr angen i wneud hynny.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog. Mae'r cwestiwn nesaf i'w ateb gan Weinidog yr Economi a'i ofyn gan Rhun ap Iorwerth.
I thank the Minister. The next question is to be answered by the Minister for Economy and is to be asked by Rhun ap Iorwerth.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y cyhoeddiad fod Orthios wedi cael ei roi yn nwylo'r gweinyddwyr ac effaith hynny ar y 120 o swyddi yn lleol? TQ616
2. Will the Minister make a statement on the announcement that Orthios has been placed in administration and the impact of that on the 120 local jobs? TQ616

Apologies, I don't have my translation, but it's written down. Can I get a headset for the follow-up? Sorry.
Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, nid oes gennyf fy nghyfieithiad, ond mae wedi'i ysgrifennu. A gaf fi glustffon ar gyfer y cwestiwn dilynol? Mae'n ddrwg gennyf.

Do you want to borrow mine?
A hoffech chi fenthyg fy un i?
No, it'll go in my ears.
Thank you for the question. I understand that this will be a deeply concerning time for workers, their families and the wider Holyhead community. My officials have reached out to the company and stand ready to offer support to those affected at this distressing time.
I'll have to wait for the headset for the moment, because he asked the question in Welsh.
Na, bydd yn mynd i mewn i fy nghlustiau.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Deallaf y bydd hwn yn gyfnod pryderus iawn i weithwyr, eu teuluoedd a chymuned ehangach Caergybi. Mae fy swyddogion wedi estyn llaw i'r cwmni ac yn barod i gynnig cymorth i'r bobl yr effeithir arnynt ar yr adeg drallodus hon.
Bydd yn rhaid imi aros am y clustffon am y tro, gan iddo ofyn y cwestiwn yn Gymraeg.
Mae'n iawn.
It's okay.
I think the question is in English.
Credaf fod y cwestiwn yn Saesneg.
This has come as a terrible blow to the island's economy, and I'll say more about that in a moment, but more immediately, of course, to the workforce, and my thoughts are with them today. One told me they'd been informed through a WhatsApp message group. A member of my team has been taking part this afternoon in a meeting of a taskforce set up to help workers, and I'm grateful to Citizens Advice for convening that, to Anglesey council and other agencies for the part that they're playing too.
Now, one obvious priority is to make sure that staff get paid. I understand that it was tomorrow that they were due to be paid. Some say they won't be able to pay their rents next month. Now, will the Minister make this a priority in discussions with administrators and will he outline other steps that Government officials are ready to take to support the workforce at this time? The other element here is the importance of this site—the old Anglesey Aluminium site and its jetty for cruise liners, a rail hub, a power hub, so many aspects to it. We're told that the problems we're facing today are linked to the financing of the Orthios project. We'll no doubt come to understand more and be able to talk more about those issues in due course. So, (a) can I ask the Minister if he will meet with me to discuss the current situation and the future of the site? And (b) can I have an undertaking that no stone will be left unturned, working with Orthios, its investors and other partners to ensure that the potential of this site can be maximised and in a sustainable way? There have been many questions asked and real frustrations at the pace of development since Orthios took over the site, but more recently, there had been investment and jobs created. But in seeking a way forward now and seeking the re-employment of the workers very, very soon, we owe it to them to ensure that there is genuine sustainability to development going forward.
Mae hon wedi bod yn ergyd ofnadwy i economi’r ynys, a byddaf yn dweud mwy am hynny mewn eiliad, ond yn fwy uniongyrchol, wrth gwrs, i'r gweithlu, ac rwy'n cydymdeimlo â hwy heddiw. Dywedodd un wrthyf eu bod wedi cael gwybod drwy grŵp negeseuon WhatsApp. Mae aelod o fy nhîm wedi bod yn cymryd rhan y prynhawn yma mewn cyfarfod tasglu a sefydlwyd i helpu gweithwyr, ac rwy’n ddiolchgar i Cyngor ar Bopeth am ei gynnull, i gyngor Ynys Môn ac i asiantaethau eraill am y rhan y maent yn ei chwarae hefyd.
Nawr, un flaenoriaeth amlwg yw sicrhau bod staff yn cael eu talu. Deallaf mai yfory yr oedd disgwyl iddynt gael eu talu. Dywed rhai na fyddant yn gallu talu eu rhenti y mis nesaf. Nawr, a wnaiff y Gweinidog wneud hyn yn flaenoriaeth mewn trafodaethau â'r gweinyddwyr ac a wnaiff amlinellu camau eraill y mae swyddogion y Llywodraeth yn barod i’w cymryd i gefnogi’r gweithlu ar yr adeg hon? Yr elfen arall yma yw pwysigrwydd y safle hwn—hen safle Alwminiwm Môn a’i lanfa ar gyfer llongau mordeithio, canolbwynt rheilffyrdd, canolbwynt pŵer, mae cymaint o agweddau iddo. Dywedir wrthym fod y problemau sy'n ein hwynebu heddiw yn gysylltiedig ag ariannu prosiect Orthios. Yn ddiau, byddwn yn dod i ddeall mwy ac yn gallu siarad mwy am y materion hynny maes o law. Felly, (a) a gaf fi ofyn i’r Gweinidog a wnaiff gyfarfod â mi i drafod y sefyllfa bresennol a dyfodol y safle? A (b) a wnaiff ymrwymo i wneud popeth sy'n bosibl wrth weithio gydag Orthios, eu buddsoddwyr a phartneriaid eraill i sicrhau y gellir manteisio i'r eithaf ar botensial y safle hwn, ac mewn ffordd gynaliadwy? Mae llawer o gwestiynau wedi’u gofyn a rhwystredigaeth wirioneddol ynghylch cyflymder datblygu ers i Orthios ddod yn gyfrifol am y safle, ond yn fwy diweddar, cafwyd buddsoddiad a chrëwyd swyddi. Ond wrth geisio dod o hyd i ffordd ymlaen yn awr a cheisio ailgyflogi'r gweithwyr yn fuan iawn, mae'n ddyletswydd arnom i sicrhau bod datblygu'n wirioneddol gynaliadwy yn y dyfodol.
Thank you for the question and the series of points. Starting with what I said in my opening response, my thoughts are with workers at what will be a distressing time. It's always difficult when you lose a job when you don't want to, but in particular to lose a job in dramatic circumstances, where you're unsighted and not forewarned. And there's a good reason why employment law in this country requires employers to consult with the workforce before redundancies are made. Now, we've had other examples of really poor employment practice. I'm keen to understand what has happened here. Has there really been an event that has taken place so rapidly that there could not have been consultation? I'd be very surprised at that. And I think that also turns on your second point about pay. In a former life, what I used to know at the redundancy payments office was the sorts of claims you could have if you didn't receive pay, but, actually, that isn't the same as receiving your contractual pay, and workers could well lose out on money if they do need to fall back on the statutory provision that is available as well. And that often takes time, and that is almost always not likely to happen unless people do have the support of their trade union. I understand Unite is the on-site union. It's worth pointing out that Welsh Government officials are also looking to have conversations with the trade union, to gain their understanding of what has happened on the site too.
On the point about no stone being unturned, I'm more than happy to confirm that that will certainly be the approach of this Government, working together with the council and the Department for Work and Pensions. There's a multi-agency team that is already being co-ordinated to look at the different sorts of support that the two national Governments can provide, together with the council, to support workers to look to find alternative and sustainable employment.
And I think that goes on to your final point, where I'm happy to meet the Member to discuss not just the current situation, but, actually, the longer term for this site. It is a key employment site, with the power connections and our ambitions for the future economy in this area, with good employment that we think could and should be created, and I'm keen that the site isn't lost to fruitful future development, as well as trying to address the current situation. My office will be happy to be in touch to arrange a convenient time for us to meet.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn a’r gyfres o bwyntiau. Gan ddechrau gyda’r hyn a ddywedais yn fy ymateb agoriadol, rwy'n cydymdeimlo gyda gweithwyr ar adeg drallodus. Mae bob amser yn anodd pan fyddwch yn colli swydd pan nad ydych eisiau gwneud hynny, ond yn enwedig colli swydd mewn amgylchiadau dramatig, lle nad ydych wedi gweld hynny'n dod a heb unrhyw rybudd ymlaen llaw. Ac mae rheswm da pam fod cyfraith cyflogaeth yn y wlad hon yn ei gwneud yn ofynnol i gyflogwyr ymgynghori â'r gweithlu cyn dileu swyddi. Nawr, rydym wedi cael enghreifftiau eraill o arferion cyflogaeth gwirioneddol wael. Rwy'n awyddus i ddeall beth sydd wedi digwydd yma. A yw'n wir fod rhywbeth wedi digwydd mor gyflym fel na ellid bod wedi ymgynghori? Byddai hynny'n fy synnu. A chredaf fod hynny hefyd yn cyffwrdd ar eich ail bwynt ynglŷn â chyflogau. Mewn bywyd blaenorol, yr hyn yr arferwn ei weld yn y swyddfa taliadau dileu swydd oedd y mathau o hawliadau y gallech eu cael pe na baech yn cael tâl, ond mewn gwirionedd, nid yw hynny yr un fath â chael eich cyflog cytundebol, a gallai gweithwyr golli arian pe bai angen iddynt ddibynnu ar y ddarpariaeth statudol sydd ar gael hefyd. Ac mae hynny'n aml yn cymryd amser, a bron bob amser yn annhebygol o ddigwydd oni bai bod pobl yn cael cymorth eu hundeb llafur. Deallaf mai undeb Unite yw'r undeb ar y safle. Mae'n werth nodi bod swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn bwriadu cael sgyrsiau â'r undeb llafur, i gael eu dealltwriaeth o'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd ar y safle hefyd.
Ar y pwynt ynghylch gwneud popeth sy'n bosibl, rwy'n fwy na pharod i gadarnhau mai dyna fydd ymagwedd y Llywodraeth hon yn sicr, gan weithio gyda'r cyngor a'r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau. Mae tîm amlasiantaethol eisoes yn cael ei gydlynu i edrych ar y gwahanol fathau o gymorth y gall y ddwy Lywodraeth genedlaethol ei ddarparu, gyda'r cyngor, i gynorthwyo gweithwyr i chwilio am gyflogaeth amgen gynaliadwy.
A chredaf fod hynny'n dod â ni at eich pwynt olaf, lle rwy'n hapus i gyfarfod â'r Aelod i drafod nid yn unig y sefyllfa bresennol, ond y tymor hwy ar gyfer y safle hwn. Mae’n safle allweddol o ran cyflogaeth, gyda’r cysylltiadau â pŵer a’n huchelgeisiau ar gyfer economi’r dyfodol yn yr ardal hon, gyda chyflogaeth dda y credwn y gellid ac y dylid ei chreu, ac rwy’n awyddus i sicrhau nad yw’r safle’n cael ei golli i ddatblygiadau ffrwythlon yn y dyfodol, yn ogystal â cheisio mynd i’r afael â’r sefyllfa bresennol. Bydd fy swyddfa'n hapus i gysylltu i drefnu amser cyfleus inni gyfarfod.
Thank you to the Member, also, from Ynys Môn for putting this really important question forward today—not just the effect in Holyhead and Ynys Môn, but the north Wales region, because of the significance and the potential significance of the site. The announcement that Orthios has been placed into administration is clearly extremely worrying, and I fully share the concerns made by the Member for Ynys Môn, and by you, Minister, as well. This will and has come as a shock to many people, and it's so sad seeing the potential of many people losing their jobs. And the significance of the site has been mentioned already, and I'd certainly like to join the calls from the Member for Ynys Môn to see a real clear plan made for that site, because the opportunities are incredible there, and it's a shame they haven't been realised yet. There's a huge amount of work that can be done.
But, Minister, you know you have obviously responsibility in terms of support and advice for business growth and development of business, business information, business support, so in light of this, I'd be grateful to understand what support the Welsh Government has provided to Orthios over recent months, before this announcement was made, and what steps had you made to reach out to them over recent months as well. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch i’r Aelod o Ynys Môn hefyd am gyflwyno’r cwestiwn hynod bwysig hwn heddiw—nid yn unig yr effaith yng Nghaergybi ac Ynys Môn, ond yn rhanbarth gogledd Cymru, oherwydd arwyddocâd ac arwyddocâd posibl y safle. Mae’r cyhoeddiad fod Orthios wedi’i roi yn nwylo’r gweinyddwyr yn amlwg yn peri cryn bryder, ac rwy’n rhannu'r pryderon a leisiodd yr Aelod dros Ynys Môn, a gennych chi, Weinidog, yn gyfan gwbl. Bydd hyn, ac mae wedi bod, yn sioc i lawer o bobl, ac mae mor drist gweld y posibilrwydd y bydd llawer o bobl yn colli eu swyddi. Ac mae arwyddocâd y safle wedi'i grybwyll eisoes, ac yn sicr, hoffwn ymuno â'r galwadau gan yr Aelod dros Ynys Môn i weld cynllun clir ac addas yn cael ei wneud ar gyfer y safle hwnnw, gan fod cyfleoedd anhygoel i'w cael yno, ac mae'n drueni nad ydynt wedi'u gwireddu eto. Mae llawer iawn o waith y gellir ei wneud.
Ond Weinidog, fe wyddoch, yn amlwg, fod gennych gyfrifoldeb mewn perthynas â chymorth a chyngor ar gyfer twf busnes a datblygu busnes, gwybodaeth busnes, cymorth busnes, felly yng ngoleuni hyn, byddwn yn falch o ddeall pa gymorth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i ddarparu i Orthios dros y misoedd diwethaf, cyn i’r cyhoeddiad hwn gael ei wneud, a pha gamau a gymerwyd gennych i estyn llaw iddynt dros y misoedd diwethaf hefyd. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Well, there have been regular attempts to reach out to the company, and we've had conversations with them about the jetty and the position for cruise ships. You will recall that we reached an alternative arrangement to make sure that the season wasn't cancelled last year. Our challenge is in ensuring that the conversation is a genuine dialogue rather than an offer of support, where there isn't—. We can't force the company to take up support, so they do need to respond to us, and my officials are waiting to hear from the company. There have been regular attempts to call the company over the recent months and recent days, and I'd say again we'd want the company to engage with us on what they propose to do, what they propose to do with the workforce, and how we can actually look at the site to make sure that the significant opportunities—and I recognise right across north Wales, and across parties for this site—are actually realised, and I don't want to lose sight of either of those, the immediate position, but also the longer term potential for the site.
Wel, gwnaed ymdrechion cyson i estyn llaw i'r cwmni, ac rydym wedi cael sgyrsiau gyda hwy am y lanfa a'r sefyllfa i longau mordeithio. Fe gofiwch inni gytuno ar drefniant amgen i sicrhau na chafodd y tymor ei ganslo y llynedd. Yr her i ni yw sicrhau bod y sgwrs yn ddeialog wirioneddol yn hytrach na chynnig o gymorth, lle nad oes—. Ni allwn orfodi'r cwmni i dderbyn cymorth, felly mae angen iddynt ymateb i ni, ac mae fy swyddogion yn aros i glywed gan y cwmni. Gwnaed ymdrechion cyson i gysylltu â'r cwmni dros y misoedd diwethaf a’r dyddiau diwethaf, ac rwy'n dweud eto y byddem am i’r cwmni ymgysylltu â ni ynglŷn â'r hyn y maent yn bwriadu ei wneud, yr hyn y maent yn bwriadu ei wneud gyda’r gweithlu, a sut y gallwn edrych ar y safle i sicrhau bod y cyfleoedd sylweddol—ac rwy'n cydnabod, ar draws gogledd Cymru, ac ar draws y partïon ar gyfer y safle hwn—yn cael eu gwireddu, ac nid wyf am golli golwg ar y naill na'r llall, y sefyllfa uniongyrchol, ond hefyd y potensial mwy hirdymor ar gyfer y safle.
I thank the Member, Rhun ap Iorwerth, for tabling this important question today, and I'm very much in line with what he has said already. Minister, can I slightly change the question a bit? And the announcement is clearly worrying for many individuals and many families across north Wales, and these are quite clearly tough times, and it's very difficult to absorb shocks like this in the current climate. But can I ask you what support and advice the Welsh Government can offer to businesses who are owed money by Orthios, like the one in my own constituency that has contacted me and Carolyn Thomas, in her role as Member of the Senedd for North Wales, just this week?
Diolch i’r Aelod, Rhun ap Iorwerth, am gyflwyno’r cwestiwn pwysig hwn heddiw, ac rwy’n cytuno'n fawr iawn â’r hyn y mae wedi’i ddweud eisoes. Weinidog, a gaf fi newid y cwestiwn ychydig? Ac mae'r cyhoeddiad yn amlwg yn peri cryn bryder i lawer o unigolion a llawer o deuluoedd ar draws gogledd Cymru, ac mae'n amlwg fod hwn yn gyfnod anodd, ac mae'n anodd iawn ymdopi ag ergydion fel hyn yn yr hinsawdd sydd ohoni. Ond a gaf fi ofyn i chi pa gymorth a chyngor y gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cynnig i fusnesau y mae arian yn ddyledus iddynt gan Orthios, fel yr un yn fy etholaeth i sydd wedi cysylltu â mi a Carolyn Thomas, yn ei rôl fel Aelod o'r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, yr wythnos hon?
Thank you. It's an important point. It's often the case that, when larger businesses do cease or significantly reduce their operation, there are often other businesses in their supply chain who are left in financial distress as well. So, the ripple effect from a significant event like this can be sometimes hidden. So, I'm grateful to the Member for raising it.
In terms of practical support, I'd be very interested if he could share the details with us. Other businesses, they can always contact Business Wales in terms of the advice and support that we can provide to make sure they get to the right point, depending on what's happened in the supply chain and what the contractual arrangements are in place between them and the main company. But I'm acutely aware this will likely affect a number of other businesses, not just the more than 100 workers who appear to have lost their jobs overnight.
Diolch. Mae'n bwynt pwysig. Yn aml, pan fydd busnesau mwy yn rhoi'r gorau i weithredu neu'n lleihau eu gweithgarwch yn sylweddol, mae'n aml yn wir fod busnesau eraill yn eu cadwyn gyflenwi yn cael eu gadael mewn trafferthion ariannol hefyd. Felly, mae effaith ganlyniadol digwyddiad arwyddocaol fel hwn yn gallu bod yn gudd weithiau. Felly, rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Aelod am ei godi.
O ran cymorth ymarferol, byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mawr pe gallai rannu'r manylion gyda ni. Gall busnesau eraill bob amser gysylltu â Busnes Cymru i gael y cyngor a'r cymorth y gallwn eu darparu i sicrhau eu bod yn cyrraedd y pwynt cywir, yn dibynnu ar yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd yn y gadwyn gyflenwi a beth yw'r trefniadau cytundebol sydd ar waith rhyngddynt hwy a'r prif gwmni. Ond rwy'n ymwybodol iawn y bydd hyn yn debygol o effeithio ar nifer o fusnesau eraill, nid yn unig y dros 100 o weithwyr sydd wedi colli eu swyddi dros nos.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf felly yw'r datganiadau 90 eiliaid, ac mae'r datganiad cyntaf gan Mark Isherwood.
The next item therefore is the 90-second statements, and the first statement is from Mark Isherwood.
Diolch, Llywydd. Sorry, hearing aids and masks don't go together.
Diolch, Lywydd. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, nid yw cymhorthion clywed a masgiau'n mynd gyda'i gilydd.
I know. And glasses.
Rwy'n gwybod. Na sbectol.