Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
05/10/2022Cynnwys
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. Dyma ni'n cychwyn ar ein cyfarfod ni heddiw. Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Huw Irranca-Davies.
Good afternoon. Welcome to today's Plenary session. The first item on our agenda is questions to the Minister for Social Justice, and the first question is from Huw Irranca-Davies.
1. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda Gweinidogion y DU sydd newydd eu penodi ynghylch gallu Llywodraeth Cymru i gyflawni ei blaenoriaethau cyfiawnder cymdeithasol? OQ58494
1. What discussions has the Minister had with newly appointed UK Ministers regarding the Welsh Government’s ability to deliver on its social justice priorities? OQ58494
Thank you for that question. I've written to the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for levelling-up, with the Scottish Minister Neil Gray MSP, about Ukraine, and also to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about uprating welfare benefits, and I was pleased to receive a letter from Chloe Smith MP yesterday.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Rwyf wedi ysgrifennu at yr Ysgrifennydd Cartref a’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros ffyniant bro, gyda Gweinidog yr Alban, Neil Gray MSP, ynghylch Wcráin, ac at yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Waith a Phensiynau ynglŷn â chynyddu budd-daliadau lles, ac roeddwn yn falch o gael llythyr gan Chloe Smith AS ddoe.
Well, I'm pleased to hear that—that you've had a response, particularly in writing, on increasing the £350 support payment for UK host families for Ukrainian refugees. I know from my involvement with local groups in Ogmore and covering the Bridgend area how important this has been and how they’re looking forward to continuing to host families, but that they are pushing quite hard to make sure that that support continues and also can be extended. But could you also make contact with the Secretary of State about removing the benefit cap and the two-child benefit payment, bearing in mind the cost-of-living crisis that we’re currently faced with, and also, I have to say, upgrading benefits with inflation in line with the promise that the previous Conservative Prime Minister gave?
Wel, rwy'n falch o glywed hynny—eich bod wedi cael ymateb, yn enwedig yn ysgrifenedig, ar gynyddu'r taliad cymorth o £350 i deuluoedd yn y DU sy'n cynnig llety i ffoaduriaid o Wcráin. Gwn o’m gwaith â grwpiau lleol yn Ogwr ac ar draws ardal Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr pa mor bwysig yw hyn wedi bod a'u bod yn edrych ymlaen at barhau i gynnig llety i deuluoedd, ond hefyd eu bod yn gwthio’n eithaf caled i sicrhau bod y cymorth hwnnw’n parhau ac y gellir ei ymestyn. Ond a wnewch chi gysylltu â’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol ynglŷn â chael gwared ar y cap ar fudd-daliadau a’r taliad budd-dal dau blentyn, gan gofio’r argyfwng costau byw yr ydym yn ei wynebu ar hyn o bryd, a hefyd, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, cynyddu budd-daliadau yn unol â chwyddiant ac yn unol â'r addewid a wnaed gan Brif Weinidog Ceidwadol diwethaf y DU?
Thank you very much, Huw Irranca-Davies, for those two really important points in my portfolio for different Ministers in the UK Government. I met with the Scottish Government Minister Neil Gray earlier on today, and we now understand that there’s a new Minister for refugees in the department for levelling-up, so we’re writing to him today to again call for an increase in the £350 payment, which actually was called for by the previous Conservative refugee Minister, Richard Harrington. He said it should be doubled; we said at least £500, because so many of the host families want to continue, and also we have new host families coming forward. But also we’re writing to them about many other issues to do with the fact that there’s no guarantee of money for the next two years. We still have no money from the Government for English-for-speakers-of-other-languages provision or for health services.
Now, very important is the point that you make, and not just in terms of uprating benefits in line with inflation. Let’s wait and see if this Government actually does stand by that commitment made by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak that they would uprate welfare benefits in line with inflation. I hope we have a strong message from this Chamber today, on which we expect and we hope that our Conservative colleagues will back us. Hearing Iain Duncan Smith saying, ‘Well, obviously, it makes sense, doesn’t it, because they actually spend money in their communities’, was quite interesting yesterday.
But I have to say, we have also written—I’ve written, with the Scottish Minister for social justice and the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for social justice—about this important issue of abolishing the benefit cap, which undermines so many in their living costs, and also the two-child limit, saying that we should uplift the UK universal credit to £25 per week, not the £20 that we lost before. So, there is a lot for us to do in taking this forward with the UK Government.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Huw Irranca-Davies, am y ddau bwynt gwirioneddol bwysig hynny yn fy mhortffolio i wahanol Weinidogion yn Llywodraeth y DU. Cyfarfûm â Gweinidog Llywodraeth yr Alban, Neil Gray, yn gynharach heddiw, ac rydym yn deall bellach fod Gweinidog newydd dros ffoaduriaid yn yr adran ffyniant bro, felly rydym yn ysgrifennu ato heddiw i alw eto am gynnydd yn y taliad o £350, sy'n rhywbeth y galwodd y Gweinidog Ceidwadol blaenorol dros ffoaduriaid, Richard Harrington, amdano hefyd. Dywedodd y dylid ei ddyblu; fe ddywedom ni o leiaf £500, gan fod cymaint o'r teuluoedd sy'n cynnig llety'n awyddus i barhau, ac mae gennym deuluoedd newydd hefyd yn dweud eu bod yn awyddus i gynnig llety. Ond rydym hefyd yn ysgrifennu atynt ynglŷn â llawer o faterion eraill sy’n ymwneud â’r ffaith nad oes sicrwydd o ran arian ar gyfer y ddwy flynedd nesaf. Rydym yn dal i fod heb gael arian gan y Llywodraeth ar gyfer darpariaeth Saesneg ar gyfer siaradwyr ieithoedd eraill, nac ar gyfer gwasanaethau iechyd.
Nawr, mae’r pwynt a wnewch yn bwysig iawn, ac nid yn unig o ran cynyddu budd-daliadau yn unol â chwyddiant. Gadewch inni weld a yw’r Llywodraeth hon yn cadw at yr ymrwymiad hwnnw a wnaed gan Boris Johnson a Rishi Sunak y byddent yn cynyddu budd-daliadau lles yn unol â chwyddiant. Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn anfon neges gref gan y Siambr hon heddiw, neges yr ydym yn disgwyl ac yn gobeithio y bydd ein cyd-Aelodau Ceidwadol yn ei chefnogi. Roedd clywed Iain Duncan Smith yn dweud ddoe, ‘Wel, yn amlwg, mae’n gwneud synnwyr, onid yw, oherwydd maent yn gwario arian yn eu cymunedau’, yn eithaf diddorol.
Ond mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, rydym hefyd wedi ysgrifennu—rwyf fi wedi ysgrifennu, gyda Gweinidog cyfiawnder cymdeithasol yr Alban a Gweinidog cyfiawnder cymdeithasol Gweithrediaeth Gogledd Iwerddon—ynglŷn â'r mater pwysig o gael gwared ar y cap ar fudd-daliadau, sy'n amharu ar gymaint o bobl o ran eu costau byw, a hefyd y terfyn dau blentyn, gan ddweud y dylem godi lefel credyd cynhwysol y DU £25 yr wythnos, nid yr £20 a gollwyd o'r blaen. Felly, mae llawer i ni ei wneud ar fwrw ymlaen â hyn gyda Llywodraeth y DU.
As social justice Minister, you're responsible for community safety. I'm sure you will agree with me that organisations working in our communities with the police as part of our community safety partnerships are absolutely vital if we are to tackle those concerns that matter the most to people. What discussions have you had with the police and crime commissioners about the effectiveness of those partnerships and the importance of focusing on those concerns where they can have the biggest impact? Thank you.
Fel y Gweinidog cyfiawnder cymdeithasol, chi sy'n gyfrifol am ddiogelwch cymunedol. Rwy’n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno â mi fod sefydliadau sy’n gweithio yn ein cymunedau gyda’r heddlu fel rhan o’n partneriaethau diogelwch cymunedol yn gwbl hanfodol os ydym am fynd i’r afael â’r pryderon sydd bwysicaf i bobl. Pa drafodaethau a gawsoch chi gyda’r comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu ynglŷn ag effeithiolrwydd y partneriaethau hynny a phwysigrwydd canolbwyntio ar y pryderon hynny lle gallant gael yr effaith fwyaf? Diolch.
Thank you very much to Altaf Hussain. I’m obviously working very closely with the police and crime commissioners and chief constables in the Policing Partnership Board for Wales. Of course, policing is reserved; it’s not devolved yet—that’s what we want to see. And we’re working very closely on issues around community cohesion. I hope you will join me in looking at the issues that will arise tomorrow, as we hear about hate crime statistics, and we need to move forward with our Hate hurts Wales campaign. This is a question about engagement with the UK Government Ministers and, I have to say, I have been very concerned about the Home Secretary's open letter to leaders of the police for England and Wales, saying that,
'there is a perception that the police have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures, than actually fighting criminals. This must change. Initiatives on diversity and inclusion should not take precedence over common sense policing.'
I absolutely abhor that sentiment, because, actually, our Wales anti-racist action plan and our work with disabled people and tackling hate crime is all about community cohesion.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i Altaf Hussain. Rwy’n amlwg yn gweithio’n agos iawn gyda’r comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu a phrif gwnstabliaid ar Fwrdd Partneriaeth Plismona Cymru. Wrth gwrs, mae plismona'n fater a gedwir yn ôl; nid yw wedi’i ddatganoli eto—dyna yr hoffem ei weld. Ac rydym yn gweithio’n agos iawn ar faterion sy'n ymwneud â chydlyniant cymunedol. Rwy'n gobeithio y gwnewch chi ymuno â mi i edrych ar y materion a fydd yn codi yfory, wrth inni glywed am ystadegau troseddau casineb, ac mae angen inni fwrw ymlaen â’n hymgyrch Mae Casineb yn Brifo Cymru. Mae hyn ym ymwneud ag ymgysylltu â Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, rwyf fi wedi bod yn bryderus iawn ynglŷn â llythyr agored yr Ysgrifennydd Cartref at arweinwyr heddlu Cymru a Lloegr, sy'n dweud,
'mae canfyddiad fod yr heddlu wedi gorfod treulio gormod o amser ar weithredoedd symbolaidd, yn hytrach nag ymladd troseddwyr. Mae'n rhaid i hyn newid. Ni ddylid blaenoriaethu cynlluniau amrywiaeth a chynhwysiant dros blismona synnwyr cyffredin.'
Rwy’n casáu’r ensyniad hwnnw, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, mae ein cynllun gweithredu Cymru wrth-hiliol a’n gwaith gyda phobl anabl a mynd i’r afael â throseddau casineb yn ymwneud yn llwyr â chydlyniant cymunedol.
2. Beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â thlodi? OQ58491
2. What is the Government doing to address poverty? OQ58491
We will be spending £1.6 billion on targeted cost-of-living support and universal programmes to tackle poverty and to put money back in people's pockets. A new cost-of-living Cabinet committee, chaired by the First Minister, has been set up to focus Welsh Government efforts on supporting people through the cost-of-living crisis.
Byddwn yn gwario £1.6 biliwn ar gymorth costau byw wedi'i dargedu a rhaglenni cyffredinol i drechu tlodi ac i roi arian yn ôl ym mhocedi pobl. Mae pwyllgor Cabinet newydd ar gostau byw, dan gadeiryddiaeth y Prif Weinidog, wedi’i sefydlu i ganolbwyntio ymdrechion Llywodraeth Cymru ar gefnogi pobl drwy’r argyfwng costau byw.
Diolch am yr ateb, Weinidog.
Thank you for the answer, Minister.
It's been five years since a decision was taken to close Communities First, the Government's anti-poverty programme. Following this decision, the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee produced a report, which recommended, and I quote,
'a clear tackling poverty strategy is published, which brings together the many strands of poverty reduction work to help provide clear direction and to help the Assembly scrutinise the Government's approach.'
It also recommended that performance indicators be embedded within the strategy. We are the only UK nation where child poverty has been found to be increasing. Thanks to the Tories in Westminster, poverty is set to get much worse. Why are we still waiting for an anti-poverty strategy in Wales, when it's needed more than ever?
Mae pum mlynedd wedi bod ers y penderfyniad i ddod â Cymunedau yn Gyntaf, rhaglen wrthdlodi’r Llywodraeth, i ben. Yn dilyn y penderfyniad hwn, lluniodd y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb, Llywodraeth Leol a Chymunedau adroddiad, a oedd yn argymell, a dyfynnaf,
'bod strategaeth glir ar gyfer trechu tlodi yn cael ei chyhoeddi, un sy’n dwyn ynghyd yr elfennau niferus o waith i leihau tlodi i helpu i ddarparu cyfeiriad clir ac i helpu’r Cynulliad i graffu ar ddull y Llywodraeth.'
Argymhellodd hefyd y dylai'r strategaeth gynnwys dangosyddion perfformiad. Ni yw’r unig wlad yn y DU lle canfuwyd bod tlodi plant ar gynnydd. Diolch i’r Torïaid yn San Steffan, mae tlodi ar fin mynd yn llawer gwaeth. Pam ein bod yn dal i aros am strategaeth wrthdlodi yng Nghymru, pan fo'i hangen yn fwy nag erioed?
Thank you very much, Peredur. Of course, that report by the former equality and local government committee was an important report, with recommendations that we agreed to take forward. And I hope that you were able to see the report that was produced, which we commissioned—it's a review from the Wales Centre for Public Policy—to understand the best levers and means that we have to address poverty in Wales, clearly, as so many of the tax and benefits policies, which have such an impact on poverty, are so key. The report was actually published last week, and I hope you will have seen that. And I think what was interesting about the report is that it had four key areas that we are focusing on and mobilising a Wales-wide response in terms of tackling poverty. And the first one is reducing costs and maximising income. Now, I won't go into all of the responses in that report, because it looked at evidence from across the world—it included the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, the London School of Economics, the New Policy Institute—to ensure that we can, with our powers and levers, make the right decisions in tackling poverty in Wales. But I do believe that the focus at the moment is on the cost-of-living payments and what we're going to do in terms of, as you say, the assault on the poorest people in Wales as a result of the UK Government's most recent so-called mini budget.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Peredur. Wrth gwrs, roedd yr adroddiad gan y cyn bwyllgor cydraddoldeb a llywodraeth leol yn un pwysig, gydag argymhellion y gwnaethom gytuno i fwrw ymlaen â hwy. Ac rwy'n gobeithio eich bod wedi gallu gweld yr adroddiad a gynhyrchwyd, a gomisiynwyd gennym—adolygiad gan Ganolfan Polisi Cyhoeddus Cymru—i ddeall yr ysgogiadau a’r dulliau gorau sydd gennym i fynd i’r afael â thlodi yng Nghymru, yn amlwg, gan fod cymaint o’r polisïau treth a budd-daliadau, sy’n cael cymaint o effaith ar dlodi, mor allweddol. Cyhoeddwyd yr adroddiad yr wythnos diwethaf, ac rwy'n gobeithio y byddwch wedi'i weld. A chredaf mai’r hyn a oedd yn ddiddorol am yr adroddiad yw ei fod yn cynnwys pedwar maes allweddol yr ydym yn canolbwyntio arnynt ac ysgogi ymateb Cymru gyfan o ran trechu tlodi. A'r cyntaf yw lleihau costau a chynyddu incwm. Nawr, nid wyf am drafod holl ymatebion yr adroddiad hwnnw, gan ei fod yn ystyried tystiolaeth o bob rhan o'r byd—roedd yn cynnwys y Ganolfan Dadansoddi Allgáu Cymdeithasol, Ysgol Economeg Llundain, y Sefydliad Polisi Newydd—i sicrhau y gallwn, gyda’n pwerau a’n hysgogiadau, wneud y penderfyniadau cywir ar gyfer trechu tlodi yng Nghymru. Ond credaf ein bod yn canolbwyntio ar hyn o bryd ar y taliadau costau byw a’r hyn a wnawn, fel y dywedwch, ynglŷn â'r ymosodiad ar y bobl dlotaf yng Nghymru o ganlyniad i gyllideb fach ddiweddaraf Llywodraeth y DU, fel y'i gelwir.
Would the Minister agree that outcomes are what matters, and Wales, sadly, has the worst child poverty rate of all the UK nations? To add to this picture, I'm sure you're aware of a recent report by Loughborough University that showed child poverty in Wales had risen by 5 per cent between 2019-20 and 2020-21. On the other hand, the picture in the UK as a whole is a 4 per cent drop. So, why is this Welsh Labour Government continuing to fail so miserably when it comes to tackling child poverty?
A fyddai'r Gweinidog yn cytuno mai canlyniadau yw’r hyn sy’n bwysig, a Chymru, yn anffodus, sydd â’r cyfraddau tlodi plant gwaethaf o holl wledydd y DU? I ychwanegu at y darlun hwn, rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn ymwybodol o adroddiad diweddar gan Brifysgol Loughborough, a ddangosodd fod tlodi plant yng Nghymru wedi codi 5 y cant rhwng 2019-20 a 2020-21. Ar y llaw arall, mae’r lefel ar gyfer y DU gyfan wedi gostwng 4 y cant. Felly, pam fod y Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru hon yn parhau i fethu mor druenus mewn perthynas â threchu tlodi plant?
Well, you know perfectly well that the key levers for tackling poverty are powers over the tax and welfare system, which sit with the UK Government. [Interruption.] Can I just remind the Member that child poverty fell year after year under the Labour Government—year after year under the Labour Government—thanks to Gordon Brown's intervention? Tax credits, interestingly, he said—. He introduced tax credits. Now, Joe Biden—[Interruption.] Can I speak, please?
Wel, fe wyddoch yn iawn mai’r ysgogiadau allweddol ar gyfer trechu tlodi yw pwerau dros y system dreth a lles, a gedwir yn ôl gan Lywodraeth y DU. [Torri ar draws.] A gaf fi atgoffa’r Aelod fod tlodi plant wedi gostwng flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn o dan y Llywodraeth Lafur—flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn o dan y Llywodraeth Lafur—diolch i ymyrraeth Gordon Brown? Yn ddiddorol, fe soniodd am gredydau treth—. Fe gyflwynodd gredydau treth. Nawr, mae Joe Biden—[Torri ar draws.] A gaf fi siarad, os gwelwch yn dda?
Yes. The Minister needs to be heard, rather than discussions between backbenchers. Can we hear the Minister, please?
Cewch. Mae angen inni glywed y Gweinidog, yn hytrach na thrafodaethau rhwng Aelodau ar y meinciau cefn. A gawn ni glywed y Gweinidog, os gwelwch yn dda?
Can I just say that tax credits, in terms of the UK Government responses, are crucial in terms of tackling poverty? Joe Biden's doing that now and actually making an impact in the States. Child poverty came down under a Labour Government; child poverty has risen under both the coalition and Tory Governments, and through direct and deliberate policies, including the ones that I've just addressed with Huw Irranca-Davies. It's shameful about the benefit package, it's shameful about the two-child limit, it's shameful that they're not committing today to uprating benefits in line with inflation.
A gaf fi ddweud bod credydau treth, o ran ymatebion Llywodraeth y DU, yn hollbwysig ar gyfer trechu tlodi? Mae Joe Biden yn gwneud hynny yn awr ac yn cael effaith gadarnhaol yn yr Unol Daleithiau. Gostyngodd lefelau tlodi plant o dan Lywodraeth Lafur; mae tlodi plant wedi codi o dan y Llywodraeth glymblaid ac o dan Lywodraethau Torïaidd, a thrwy bolisïau uniongyrchol a bwriadol, gan gynnwys y rhai yr wyf newydd sôn amdanynt gyda Huw Irranca-Davies. Mae'r sefyllfa gyda'r pecyn budd-daliadau'n gywilyddus, mae'r terfyn dau blentyn yn gywilyddus, mae'n gywilyddus nad ydynt yn ymrwymo heddiw i gynyddu budd-daliadau yn unol â chwyddiant.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Mark Isherwood.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Mark Isherwood.
Responsibilities as Minister for Social Justice include the living wage in Wales. Welsh Conservatives have been calling for the Welsh Government to align social care staff pay with NHS pay scales, an investment of just £9 million. How, therefore, do you respond to the care home director in north Wales who has asked me to raise a question in the Senedd regarding the Welsh Government's commitment to ensuring all the social care workers in Wales are paid the real living wage, when the Living Wage Foundation expects that the increase announced on 22 September should be paid to employees as soon as possible after the announcement? He added,
'The Welsh Government has not made funds available to providers via the local authorities to enable them to pay this increase, and many of our dedicated workers simply don't have enough money to put on their freezers, to pay their increasing energy bills. We're already seeing a mass exodus of care workers out of the sector. I fear we'll see many more unless providers can increase their wages in line with the Living Wage Foundation's expectations. We simply cannot afford to lose any more.'
So, I'd be grateful for your response to his question, which is specific to social care staff.
Mae cyfrifoldebau Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn cynnwys y cyflog byw yng Nghymru. Mae’r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi bod yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gysoni cyflogau staff gofal cymdeithasol â graddfeydd cyflog y GIG, buddsoddiad o £9 miliwn yn unig. Sut, felly, rydych yn ymateb i’r cyfarwyddwr cartrefi gofal yng ngogledd Cymru sydd wedi gofyn imi ofyn cwestiwn yn y Senedd ynghylch ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod holl weithwyr gofal cymdeithasol Cymru yn cael y cyflog byw gwirioneddol, pan fo'r Living Wage Foundation yn disgwyl y dylid talu’r cynnydd a gyhoeddwyd ar 22 Medi i weithwyr cyn gynted â phosibl ar ôl y cyhoeddiad? Ychwanegodd,
'Nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi sicrhau bod cyllid ar gael i ddarparwyr drwy eu hawdurdodau lleol i’w galluogi i dalu’r cynnydd hwn, ac yn syml iawn, mae llawer o’n gweithwyr ymroddedig heb ddigon o arian i dalu eu biliau ynni cynyddol. Rydym eisoes yn gweld llu o weithwyr gofal yn gadael y sector. Rwy'n ofni y bydd rhagor yn gadael oni bai bod darparwyr yn gallu cynyddu eu cyflogau yn unol â disgwyliadau'r Living Wage Foundation. Yn syml, ni allwn fforddio colli rhagor.'
Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar am eich ymateb i'w gwestiwn, sy'n ymwneud yn benodol â staff gofal cymdeithasol.
Of course it was a Welsh Labour Government that, in its manifesto, and then delivered through the programme for government and delivered it within its first year, delivered the real living wage for our social care workforce. A real living wage. Also, I have to say, in addition to the living wage, funding has been made available to our social care workforce, as you know, and, indeed, not just in the last year but during the period of the pandemic, because we recognise the devotion, the commitment of the social care workforce at the sharp end. So, we as a Government have done everything we can to support the social care workforce. But, also, clearly we are supporters of the real living wage, and it is actually my Deputy Minister Hannah Blythyn who is particularly taking this forward in her responsibilities for the real living wage.
But it is also clearly a matter for the Government. The Deputy Minister for Social Services is working closely with the social care foundation, and working with all the employers and, indeed, the local authorities in terms of the employment of social care workers. So, we are doing our bit. But what is the UK Government doing, I have to say, Mark Isherwood? Because, actually, we're £600 million down on our budget this year and we're going to be £1.4 billion down next year. Where is that money going to come from, because this is what we want to do in terms of social justice, but we need help from your Government?
Wrth gwrs, Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru, yn ei maniffesto, ac yna drwy’r rhaglen lywodraethu, ac o fewn ei blwyddyn gyntaf, a gyflwynodd y cyflog byw gwirioneddol i’n gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol. Cyflog byw gwirioneddol. Hefyd, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, yn ychwanegol at y cyflog byw, mae cyllid wedi'i ddarparu i'n gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol, fel y gwyddoch, ac yn wir, nid yn unig yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, ond yn ystod cyfnod y pandemig, gan ein bod yn cydnabod ymroddiad ac ymrwymiad y gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol ar y rheng flaen. Felly, rydym ni fel Llywodraeth wedi gwneud popeth a allwn i gefnogi’r gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol. Ond hefyd, yn amlwg, rydym yn cefnogi'r cyflog byw gwirioneddol, a fy Nirprwy Weinidog, Hannah Blythyn sy'n bwrw ymlaen â hyn yn benodol drwy ei chyfrifoldebau am y cyflog byw gwirioneddol.
Ond mae hefyd yn amlwg yn fater i’r Llywodraeth. Mae’r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yn gweithio’n agos gyda’r sefydliad gofal cymdeithasol, ac yn gweithio gyda’r holl gyflogwyr, ac yn wir, yr awdurdodau lleol mewn perthynas â chyflogaeth gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol. Felly, rydym yn chwarae ein rhan. Ond mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, Mark Isherwood, beth y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn ei wneud? Oherwydd, mewn gwirionedd, mae ein cyllideb eleni £600 miliwn yn llai, a bydd £1.4 biliwn yn llai y flwyddyn nesaf. O ble y daw’r arian hwnnw, gan mai dyma y dymunwn ei wneud ar gyfiawnder cymdeithasol, ond mae arnom angen cymorth gan eich Llywodraeth chi?
You haven't answered my question, which was when the Welsh Government will make funding available—
Nid ydych wedi ateb fy nghwestiwn, sef pryd y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod cyllid ar gael—
I'm sorry I'm going to have to intervene, Mark Isherwood. It's not your problem; it's a problem that we seem to have some kind of continuous debate between the Labour backbenchers and the Tory benches at the moment. I could be more specific and name individuals, but I'll keep it general for the moment. But if you carry on, I'm going to start naming you; you know who you are. Mark Isherwood.
Mae’n ddrwg gennyf, rwy'n mynd i orfod ymyrryd, Mark Isherwood. Nid eich problem chi yw hyn; y broblem yw ei bod hi'n ymddangos ein bod yn cael rhyw fath o ddadl barhaus rhwng meinciau cefn Llafur a meinciau’r Torïaid ar hyn o bryd. Gallwn fod yn fwy penodol ac enwi unigolion, ond rwyf am gadw pethau'n gyffredinol am y tro. Ond os ydych chi'n dal ati, rwy'n mynd i ddechrau eich enwi; rydych yn gwybod pwy ydych chi. Mark Isherwood.
Thank you. In my absence, I can't hear that, but thanks for the interruption. The question is: when is the Welsh Government going to make funds available to the local authorities to enable them to pay this increase? The question was for the Welsh Government.
But, moving on, you earlier used the word 'shamefully'. So, shamefully, child poverty in Wales has been rising since 2004, when I first raised this with the Welsh Government. It had already reached the highest level in the UK before the credit crunch in 2008, the year it rose to 32 per cent in Wales. Latest figures now show that 34 per cent of children in Wales are living in poverty, whilst the UK figure fell to 27 per cent. The primary reason for this remains that Wales has had the lowest growth in prosperity per head out of the UK nations since 1999, that, with 5 per cent of the UK population, Wales only produces 3 per cent of the UK's wealth, that Wales has the lowest employment rates in Great Britain, and that pay packets in Wales are the lowest in the UK, and all this despite having received billions in supposedly temporary funding designed to support economic development and reduce inequality between nations and regions.
As I said here in 2009, it is a national tragedy that more children are falling into poverty in Wales and that the Welsh Government's policies to tackle it appear to have failed. After a further 13 years, what action, if any, will you take with your Cabinet colleagues to learn from this experience, change tack and deliver a growth plan with the business and third sectors and our communities to finally build a more prosperous Welsh economy?
Diolch. Yn fy absenoldeb, ni allaf glywed hynny, ond diolch am yr ymyriad. Y cwestiwn yw: pryd y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu cyllid i’r awdurdodau lleol i’w galluogi i dalu’r cynnydd hwn? Roedd y cwestiwn ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru.
Ond i symud ymlaen, fe wnaethoch ddefnyddio'r gair 'cywilyddus' yn gynharach. Felly, yn gywilyddus, mae tlodi plant yng Nghymru wedi bod yn codi ers 2004, pan godais hyn gyntaf gyda Llywodraeth Cymru. Roedd eisoes wedi cyrraedd y lefel uchaf yn y DU cyn y wasgfa gredyd yn 2008, y flwyddyn y cododd i 32 y cant yng Nghymru. Mae’r ffigurau diweddaraf bellach yn dangos bod 34 y cant o blant Cymru yn byw mewn tlodi, tra bo ffigur y DU wedi gostwng i 27 y cant. Y prif reswm am hyn o hyd yw mai yng Nghymru y bu'r twf lleiaf yn lefelau ffyniant y pen gwledydd y DU ers 1999; gyda 5 y cant o boblogaeth y DU, 3 y cant yn unig o gyfoeth y DU y mae Cymru'n ei gynhyrchu; yng Nghymru y mae’r cyfraddau cyflogaeth isaf ym Mhrydain; a phecynnau cyflog Cymru yw'r rhai lleiaf yn y DU, a hyn oll er gwaethaf derbyn biliynau mewn cyllid, a oedd i fod yn gyllid dros dro, ac a gynlluniwyd i gefnogi datblygiad economaidd a lleihau anghydraddoldeb rhwng gwledydd a rhanbarthau.
Fel y dywedais yma yn 2009, mae’n drasiedi genedlaethol fod mwy o blant yn disgyn i dlodi yng Nghymru ac yr ymddengys bod polisïau Llywodraeth Cymru i fynd i’r afael â hynny wedi methu. Ar ôl 13 mlynedd arall, pa gamau, os o gwbl, y byddwch yn eu cymryd gyda’ch cyd-Aelodau o'r Cabinet i ddysgu o’r profiad hwn, newid eich dull gweithredu, a chyflwyno cynllun twf gyda’r sector busnes a’r trydydd sector a’n cymunedau i adeiladu economi fwy llewyrchus yng Nghymru o’r diwedd?
I don't know whether you heard my responses to earlier questions, Mark Isherwood. I did say, and I'll just repeat, that child poverty fell year after year under the Labour Government and it has risen year after year during the last 12 years of coalition and Tory Governments, as a result of direct and deliberate policies. Did you hear Gordon Brown this morning when he said it's been proven economically that you cannot have a growth plan—which is what you're trying to say—based on tax cuts and actually making the poor pay for the benefit of the wealthy? Because this is what is happening as a result of this mini budget. Please, will you have an influence on your Government to make sure that their key levers for tackling child poverty, which sit with them, are actually acted upon?
Nid wyf yn gwybod a glywsoch chi fy ymatebion i gwestiynau cynharach, Mark Isherwood. Fe ddywedais, ac rwyf am ailadrodd, fod lefelau tlodi plant wedi gostwng flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn o dan y Llywodraeth Lafur, a'u bod wedi codi flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn dros y 12 mlynedd diwethaf o dan y Llywodraeth glymblaid a Llywodraethau Torïaidd, o ganlyniad i bolisïau uniongyrchol a bwriadol. A glywsoch chi Gordon Brown y bore yma pan ddywedodd ei fod wedi cael ei brofi’n economaidd na allwch gael cynllun twf—sef yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ceisio’i ddweud—sy'n seiliedig ar doriadau treth a gwneud i'r tlawd dalu er lles y cyfoethog? Oherwydd dyma sy’n digwydd o ganlyniad i’r gyllideb fach hon. Os gwelwch yn dda, a wnewch chi ddylanwadu ar eich Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod yr ysgogiadau allweddol sydd ganddynt ar gyfer trechu tlodi plant yn cael eu defnyddio?
I don't think you were listening earlier to my figures, which were accurate and which I actually put to you 18 years ago. Child poverty in Wales did fall for a few years after the Blair-Brown Government came in, but then it started rising again and had reached the highest level in the UK, not last year but in 2008. And it has risen again, whilst going backwards in the rest of the UK. That is the reality, and the outcome I referred to was consequent upon Welsh Government policies. So, what are you going to do about it? You've had 23 years, the scorebook is atrocious and the impact on people's lives is terrible.
But, moving on, the Local Trust 'Left behind?' report in England evidences that poorer areas with greater community capacity and social infrastructure have better health and well-being outcomes, higher rates of employment and lower levels of child poverty compared to poorer areas without. January's Wales Co-operative Centre discussion paper by Communities Creating Homes states Wales is trailing other nations in the UK when it comes to community ownership rights, adding that policies in Wales do not offer quite the same empowerment as enjoyed by communities in England or, particularly, Scotland.
February's Institute of Welsh Affairs 'Our Land: Communities and Land Use' report found that Welsh communities are the least empowered in Britain. Community groups in Wales told them about an arbitrary, demoralising scenario with little real process for communities to take ownership of public or private assets.
Further research by the Building Communities Trust with community groups across Wales shows they often feel overlooked and under-resourced by local and national government. How, therefore, do you respond to their statements that they believe there's a big opportunity for Welsh Government to develop better support for community-led, long-term, local approaches in Wales?
Ni chredaf eich bod yn gwrando ar fy ffigurau yn gynharach, a oedd yn gywir, ac a roddais i chi 18 mlynedd yn ôl mewn gwirionedd. Gostyngodd tlodi plant yng Nghymru am rai blynyddoedd o dan Lywodraeth Blair-Brown, ond wedyn dechreuodd godi eto, ac roedd wedi cyrraedd y lefel uchaf yn y DU, nid y llynedd ond yn 2008. Ac mae wedi codi eto, gan fynd am yn ôl o gymharu â gweddill y DU. Dyna’r realiti, ac roedd y canlyniad y cyfeiriais ato yn ganlyniad i bolisïau Llywodraeth Cymru. Felly, beth y bwriadwch chi wneud am y peth? Rydych wedi cael 23 mlynedd, mae'r llyfr cadw sgôr yn ofnadwy, ac mae'r effaith ar fywydau pobl yn erchyll.
Ond i symud ymlaen, mae adroddiad 'Left behind?' yr Ymddiriedolaeth Leol yn Lloegr yn dangos bod gan yr ardaloedd tlotach sydd â mwy o gapasiti cymunedol a seilwaith cymdeithasol ganlyniadau iechyd a llesiant gwell, cyfraddau cyflogaeth uwch a lefelau is o dlodi plant o gymharu ag ardaloedd tlotach heb y capasiti hwnnw. Ym mis Ionawr, fe wnaeth papur trafod Canolfan Cydweithredol Cymru gan Cymunedau'n Creu Cartrefi ddatgan bod Cymru ar ei hôl hi o gymharu â gwledydd eraill yn y DU mewn perthynas â hawliau perchnogaeth gymunedol, gan ychwanegu nad yw polisïau yng Nghymru'n grymuso cymunedau i'r un graddau â chymunedau yn Lloegr, neu yn yr Alban yn enwedig.
Canfu adroddiad y Sefydliad Materion Cymreig, 'Ein Tir: Cymunedau a Defnyddio Tir' ym mis Chwefror mai cymunedau Cymru sydd wedi’u grymuso leiaf ym Mhrydain. Dywedodd grwpiau cymunedol yng Nghymru wrthynt am senario fympwyol, dorcalonnus, heb fawr ddim proses wirioneddol i gymunedau gael perchnogaeth dros asedau cyhoeddus neu breifat.
Mae ymchwil pellach gan yr Ymddiriedolaeth Adeiladu Cymunedau gyda grwpiau cymunedol ledled Cymru yn dangos eu bod yn aml yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu hanwybyddu a'u tanariannu gan lywodraeth leol a chenedlaethol. Sut, felly, yr ymatebwch i'w datganiadau eu bod yn credu bod cyfle da i Lywodraeth Cymru ddatblygu gwell cymorth ar gyfer dulliau gweithredu lleol, hirdymor, a arweinir gan y gymuned yng Nghymru?
Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. Before I answer that question, I do want to say, in terms of the programmes that tackle child poverty, that the roll-out of our free school meals for primary school pupils—as part of our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, working with local government—means that the commitment for every primary school pupil to receive a free school meal by 2024 has already, since the start of this term, meant an additional 45,000 pupils becoming immediately eligible for a free meal, and also for free school breakfasts, which you didn't agree to. We're feeding our pupils as a result of our initiatives here in Wales.
But I will answer that third point, because actually I had a really useful meeting last week with Mabon ap Gwynfor and the Building Communities Trust. He asked for a meeting following a very useful debate, which you all contributed to across the Chamber, to talk about community policy, to talk about our community assets' reach. You will be able to engage in that as you do support co-production, Mark Isherwood.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Mark Isherwood. Cyn imi ateb y cwestiwn hwnnw, hoffwn ddweud, o ran y rhaglenni trechu tlodi plant, fod cyflwyno prydau ysgol am ddim i ddisgyblion ysgolion cynradd—fel rhan o’n cytundeb cydweithio â Phlaid Cymru, gan weithio gyda llywodraeth leol—yn golygu bod yr ymrwymiad i bob disgybl ysgol gynradd gael pryd ysgol am ddim erbyn 2024 eisoes wedi golygu, ers dechrau’r tymor hwn, fod 45,000 o ddisgyblion ychwanegol yn dod yn gymwys ar unwaith i gael pryd am ddim, a hefyd i gael brecwast ysgol am ddim, sy’n rhywbeth na wnaethoch chi gytuno iddo. Rydym yn bwydo ein disgyblion o ganlyniad i'n mentrau yma yng Nghymru.
Ond rwyf am ateb eich trydydd pwynt, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, cefais gyfarfod defnyddiol iawn yr wythnos diwethaf gyda Mabon ap Gwynfor a'r Ymddiriedolaeth Adeiladu Cymunedau. Gofynnodd am gyfarfod yn dilyn dadl ddefnyddiol iawn, y gwnaeth pob un ohonoch gyfrannu ati ar draws y Siambr, i drafod polisi cymunedol, i drafod cyrhaeddiad ein hasedau cymunedol. Gallwch gymryd rhan yn hynny gan eich bod yn cefnogi cydgynhyrchu, Mark Isherwood.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru nawr. Sioned Williams.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, yesterday, when asked by the leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, about instituting measures such as those introduced this week by the SNP Scottish Government to protect their people from homelessness this winter, such as temporary rent freezes in the private sector and a ban on evictions, the First Minister said that he didn't think that instituting those measures here in Wales would stand up to examination. So, what will work, Minister? Shelter in Scotland have welcomed the measures, saying that it is great news for tenants and will stop people from losing their homes. But, they quite rightly want protections to go even further, so that those most at risk of becoming homeless are fully protected from rent rises and evictions, and so the housing emergency is brought to a permanent end beyond this cost-of-living crisis.
Emergency solutions to combat the cost-of-living crisis and to combat poverty, such as freezing private rents, have also been called for by Labour mayors. The Labour shadow levelling up and housing Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said she's interested in them, saying that doing nothing is not an option. These must be explored, and, indeed, instituted now. Can you therefore commit today to commissioning urgent research and an evaluation within the next weeks of what would be the best way to prevent the growing threat of homelessness, which is hanging over too many Welsh families this winter because of the cost-of-living crisis? Do you agree with me, Minister, that doing nothing isn't an option, and that it is possible and, in fact, imperative to act swiftly in a crisis? This is a lesson we've learnt from the pandemic. It's what the Scottish Government have done. Minister, what will the Welsh Government do?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, ddoe, pan ofynnwyd iddo gan arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, ynglŷn â chyflwyno mesurau fel y rheini a roddwyd ar waith yr wythnos hon gan Lywodraeth yr SNP yn yr Alban i amddiffyn eu pobl rhag digartrefedd y gaeaf hwn, megis rhewi rhenti dros dro yn y sector preifat a gwaharddiad ar droi allan, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog nad oedd yn credu y byddai rhoi'r mesurau hynny ar waith yma yng Nghymru yn gweithio. Felly, beth fydd yn gweithio, Weinidog? Mae Shelter yn yr Alban wedi croesawu’r mesurau, gan ddweud ei fod yn newyddion gwych i denantiaid, ac y bydd yn atal pobl rhag colli eu cartrefi. Ond yn gwbl briodol, maent am i'r amddiffyniadau fynd hyd yn oed ymhellach, fel bod y rheini sydd fwyaf mewn perygl o fynd yn ddigartref yn cael eu hamddiffyn yn llawn rhag codiadau rhent a chael eu troi allan, ac fel y gellir dod â'r argyfwng tai i ben yn barhaol y tu hwnt i'r argyfwng costau byw hwn.
Mae meiri Llafur hefyd wedi galw am atebion brys i wrthsefyll yr argyfwng costau byw ac i drechu tlodi, megis rhewi rhenti preifat. Dywedodd Lisa Nandy, Ysgrifennydd yr wrthblaid dros ffyniant bro a thai, fod ganddi ddiddordeb ynddynt, gan ddweud nad yw gwneud dim yn opsiwn. Mae'n rhaid archwilio'r rhain, ac yn wir, eu rhoi ar waith ar unwaith. A wnewch chi ymrwymo heddiw felly i gomisiynu gwaith ymchwil brys a gwerthusiad o fewn yr wythnosau nesaf i ganfod y ffordd orau o atal bygythiad cynyddol digartrefedd, sy’n gysgod dros ormod lawer o deuluoedd yng Nghymru y gaeaf hwn oherwydd yr argyfwng costau byw? A ydych yn cytuno â mi, Weinidog, nad yw gwneud dim yn opsiwn, a’i bod yn bosibl, ac mewn gwirionedd yn hanfodol gweithredu’n gyflym mewn argyfwng? Mae hon yn wers yr ydym wedi'i dysgu o'r pandemig. Dyna mae Llywodraeth yr Alban wedi’i wneud. Weinidog, beth fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud?
Thank you very much, Sioned Williams. Of course, the First Minister did answer this question yesterday from your leader, and he did comment on the Scottish Government's Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Bill that is before the Scottish Parliament. Also, he recognised in his response to that that, in respect particularly of protecting social tenants in Wales, for example, over the winter from rent increases, social rents are set annually, with the next change in social rents not due until April 2023. I think the key thing is that the Minister for Climate Change, of course, responsible for housing, will be considering evidence and options for future social rents over the coming weeks to inform us in terms of future decisions.
I went to a cost-of-living event this morning organised by Hafod in my constituency. They were offering financial support and advice to all of their tenants who are struggling in Wales now with the cost-of-living crisis. What they were doing was making sure that they knew about our winter fuel support scheme, the £200 that they can get into people's bank accounts and support them now, making sure that they knew about announcements that we've made as a Welsh Government about not just the income maximisation but the warm hubs, and also my announcement yesterday. I think you will have seen my written statement on more funding for food poverty and making sure that children and parents are aware of the Healthy Start vouchers. So, there's a lot of support, and it's to all generations, in terms of also making sure that older people are aware of pension credit and their entitlements.
Can I just say that we are committed to supporting tenants at this difficult time, supporting them to remain in their homes? We've invested an additional £6 million via our homelessness prevention grant, but we are reviewing with interest the Scottish Government's approach. But clearly, also, as we discuss often with our Scottish Government colleagues, there are different ways to achieve the same objective.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Sioned Williams. Wrth gwrs, atebodd y Prif Weinidog y cwestiwn hwn gan eich arweinydd ddoe, a gwnaeth sylwadau ar Fil Costau Byw (Amddiffyn Tenantiaid) (Yr Alban) Llywodraeth yr Alban, sydd gerbron Senedd yr Alban. A hefyd, roedd yn cydnabod, yn ei ymateb i hynny, yn enwedig mewn perthynas ag amddiffyn tenantiaid cymdeithasol yng Nghymru, er enghraifft, dros y gaeaf rhag codiadau rhent, fod rhenti cymdeithasol yn cael eu gosod yn flynyddol, gyda'r newid nesaf mewn rhenti cymdeithasol ddim tan fis Ebrill 2023. Credaf mai’r peth allweddol yw y bydd y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, sydd wrth gwrs, yn gyfrifol am dai, yn ystyried tystiolaeth ac opsiynau ar gyfer rhenti cymdeithasol yn y dyfodol dros yr wythnosau nesaf i'n cyfeirio mewn perthynas â phenderfyniadau yn y dyfodol.
Bûm mewn digwyddiad costau byw y bore yma a drefnwyd gan Hafod yn fy etholaeth. Roeddent yn cynnig cymorth a chyngor ariannol i bob un o’u tenantiaid sy’n ei chael hi'n anodd ar hyn o bryd yng Nghymru gyda’r argyfwng costau byw. Yr hyn a wnaent oedd sicrhau eu bod yn gwybod am gynllun cymorth tanwydd y gaeaf, y £200 y gall pobl ei gael yn eu cyfrifon banc i'w cefnogi yn awr, sicrhau eu bod yn gwybod am gyhoeddiadau a wnaethom fel Llywodraeth Cymru nid yn unig ynghylch cynyddu incwm ond y canolfannau cynnes, a hefyd fy nghyhoeddiad ddoe. Credaf y byddwch wedi gweld fy natganiad ysgrifenedig ar fwy o gyllid ar gyfer trechu tlodi bwyd a sicrhau bod plant a rhieni'n gwybod am y talebau Cychwyn Iach. Felly, mae yna lawer o gymorth, ac mae ar gael i bob cenhedlaeth i sicrhau hefyd fod pobl hŷn yn ymwybodol o gredyd pensiwn a’u hawliau.
A gaf fi ddweud ein bod wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi tenantiaid ar yr adeg anodd hon, a'u cynorthwyo i aros yn eu cartrefi? Rydym wedi buddsoddi £6 miliwn yn ychwanegol drwy ein grant atal digartrefedd, ond rydym yn adolygu dull gweithredu Llywodraeth yr Alban gyda diddordeb. Ond yn amlwg, hefyd, fel rydym yn ei drafod yn aml gyda’n swyddogion cyfatebol yn Llywodraeth yr Alban, ceir gwahanol ffyrdd o gyflawni’r un amcan.
Thank you. I look forward to seeing the result of that evaluation. We also heard the First Minister rightly condemn the Prime Minister's wish not to increase benefits in line with inflation, the benefits of people who already have almost nothing to live on. They're facing a terrifying winter. And as you know, Minister, Scotland are better able to protect their most vulnerable citizens from the callous and shameful attitude of the Westminster Government, because they have more powers over the administration of welfare payments. The further funding you announced this week you just referred to to help organisations such as foodbanks is, of course, welcome, despicable as it is in twenty-first century Wales that people are struggling to afford food.
You have announced other schemes that you've just referenced, such as the fuel support scheme, to try and lessen the impact of these record levels of need amongst Welsh families. But, we've heard many times from anti-poverty campaigners and support organisations that there is a need for a single streamlined and automatic system to ensure this support gets to those who need it. So, could you please let us know, Minister, whether work on this is happening, and also update us on the commitment in the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government to support the devolution of the administration of welfare?
Diolch. Edrychaf ymlaen at weld canlyniad y gwerthusiad hwnnw. Clywsom hefyd y Prif Weinidog, yn gwbl briodol, yn condemnio dymuniad Prif Weinidog y DU i beidio â chynyddu budd-daliadau yn unol â chwyddiant, budd-daliadau pobl nad oes ganddynt y nesaf peth i ddim i fyw arno yn barod. Maent yn wynebu gaeaf brawychus. Ac fel y gwyddoch, Weinidog, mae’r Alban yn gallu amddiffyn eu dinasyddion mwyaf agored i niwed yn well rhag agwedd ddideimlad a chywilyddus Llywodraeth San Steffan, gan fod ganddynt fwy o bwerau dros weinyddu budd-daliadau lles. Mae’r cyllid pellach yr ydych newydd gyfeirio ato ac a gyhoeddwyd gennych yr wythnos hon i helpu sefydliadau fel banciau bwyd i’w groesawu wrth gwrs, er ei bod yn warthus fod pobl yng Nghymru yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn ei chael hi'n anodd fforddio bwyd.
Rydych wedi cyhoeddi cynlluniau eraill y cyfeirioch chi atynt yn awr, megis y cynllun cymorth tanwydd, i geisio lleihau effaith y lefelau digynsail hyn o angen ymhlith teuluoedd Cymru. Ond rydym wedi clywed droeon gan ymgyrchwyr gwrthdlodi a sefydliadau cymorth fod angen un system symlach ac awtomatig i sicrhau bod y cymorth hwn yn cyrraedd y rhai sydd ei angen. Felly, Weinidog, a wnewch chi roi gwybod i ni, os gwelwch yn dda, a oes gwaith yn mynd rhagddo ar hyn, a rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni hefyd am yr ymrwymiad yn y cytundeb cydweithio rhwng Plaid Cymru a Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi'r gwaith o ddatganoli gweinyddu lles?
Thank you very much, Sioned Williams. These are crucial issues in terms of getting the money into people's pockets and into their accounts. You know that we're developing and working with organisations like the Bevan Foundation on a benefits charter for Wales, and also working with local government to get that passporting of benefits—that streamlining of benefits.
Tomorrow, I'm meeting with all the leaders of local government. We've got an agenda item on the cost of living. They're sharing not only with me, but with each other, the ways they're getting the money out. Speaking to the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf last week, he told me about the thousands that had already gone out as a result of the fact that they've got a close grip on who needs the money and how they can get to that. So, all that work is crucially important for the here and now.
But, yes, we are progressing with looking at the devolution of the administration of benefits. I've met with the Scottish Government Minister to learn from Social Security Scotland about ways, hopefully, we can share. Also, they're very interested in what we're doing with our single advice fund. So, it was a two-way discussion. But, also, we're learning from them in terms of taking the next steps, because, obviously, we are now developing a whole range of benefits and social wage and support services—basic services—for people, which form part of our welfare and social security response. But let's just recognise that, as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said this week, if this goes ahead—if we don’t have and uprating in line with inflation, if it's with earnings—this would be the biggest real-terms cut to benefits on record.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Sioned Williams. Mae’r rhain yn faterion hollbwysig o ran rhoi'r arian ym mhocedi pobl ac yn eu cyfrifon. Fe wyddoch ein bod yn datblygu ac yn gweithio gyda sefydliadau fel Sefydliad Bevan ar siarter fudd-daliadau i Gymru, a hefyd yn gweithio gyda llywodraeth leol i sicrhau bod budd-daliadau'n cael eu pasbortio—fod budd-daliadau'n cael eu symleiddio.
Yfory, byddaf yn cyfarfod â holl arweinwyr llywodraeth leol. Mae gennym eitem ar gostau byw ar yr agenda. Maent yn rhannu, nid yn unig gyda mi, ond gyda'i gilydd, y ffyrdd y maent yn darparu'r arian. Wrth siarad ag arweinydd Rhondda Cynon Taf yr wythnos diwethaf, dywedodd wrthyf am y miloedd o bunnoedd sydd eisoes wedi'i ddarparu o ganlyniad i'r ffaith eu bod yn ymwybodol iawn o bwy sydd angen yr arian a sut y gallant eu cyrraedd. Felly, mae’r holl waith hwnnw’n hollbwysig ar gyfer y sefyllfa sydd ohoni.
Ond rydym yn bwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith o edrych ar ddatganoli gweinyddu budd-daliadau. Cyfarfûm â Gweinidog Llywodraeth yr Alban i ddysgu gan Social Security Scotland ynglŷn â'r ffyrdd, gobeithio, y gallwn rannu. Hefyd, mae ganddynt gryn ddiddordeb yn yr hyn a wnawn gyda'n cronfa gynghori sengl. Felly, roedd yn drafodaeth ddwy ffordd. Ond hefyd, dysgu oddi wrthynt ynghylch cymryd y camau nesaf, oherwydd yn amlwg, rydym yn datblygu ystod gyfan o fudd-daliadau a chyflog cymdeithasol a gwasanaethau cymorth—gwasanaethau sylfaenol—i bobl, sy'n rhan o'n hymateb nawdd cymdeithasol a lles. Ond gadewch inni gydnabod, fel y dywedodd Sefydliad Joseph Rowntree yr wythnos hon, os yw hyn yn digwydd—os nad ydym yn cael cynnydd sy'n unol â chwyddiant, os yw'n unol ag enillion—dyma fyddai'r toriad mwyaf erioed mewn termau real i fudd-daliadau.
3. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i leihau tlodi plant yn Sir Drefaldwyn? OQ58470
3. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce child poverty in Montgomeryshire? OQ58470
Thank you for that question. The key levers for tackling child poverty—they are powers over the tax and welfare system—sit with the UK Government, and we will continue to do all we can with the powers that we have to tackle inequalities and improve outcomes for all children in Wales so they can fulfil their potential.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Llywodraeth y DU sydd â'r ysgogiadau allweddol ar gyfer trechu tlodi plant—sef pwerau dros y system dreth a lles—a byddwn yn parhau i wneud popeth a allwn gyda’r pwerau sydd gennym i fynd i’r afael ag anghydraddoldebau a gwella canlyniadau i holl blant Cymru fel y gallant gyflawni eu potensial.
Thank you for your answer, Minister. My question is very much about the powers that are within your responsibility. Minister, you will recognise, of course, that my own constituency of Montgomeryshire is a predominantly rural area. Your Flying Start programme has been in operation for many years to support households in areas of deprivation. Unfortunately, it can't be accessed in many parts of rural areas and there continues to be that element of a postcode lottery. Do you recognise, Minister, that often there is an area that is not classed as an area of deprivation, but within that area there are pockets of depravation? They are very often in those rural parts of Wales. Can I ask you, in regard to the additional funding you announced last week, I think, how you intend this to focus particularly on the issues that I've outlined? How are you going to ensure that rural local authorities in Wales, particularly Powys, get their fair share of funding to support those particular communities?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mae fy nghwestiwn yn ymwneud â’r pwerau sydd o fewn eich cyfrifoldeb chi. Weinidog, fe fyddwch yn cydnabod, wrth gwrs, mai ardal wledig ar y cyfan yw fy etholaeth i yn sir Drefaldwyn. Mae eich rhaglen Dechrau’n Deg wedi bod ar waith ers blynyddoedd lawer i gefnogi aelwydydd mewn ardaloedd difreintiedig. Yn anffodus, ni ellir cael mynediad at y rhaglen mewn sawl ardal wledig, ac mae'r elfen loteri cod post yn parhau. A ydych yn cydnabod, Weinidog, fod ardaloedd i'w cael nad ydynt yn cael eu hystyried yn ardaloedd difreintiedig, ond bod pocedi o amddifadedd i'w cael o fewn yr ardaloedd hynny? Yn aml iawn, maent i'w gweld mewn rhannau gwledig o Gymru. A gaf fi ofyn i chi, ynghylch y cyllid ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd gennych yr wythnos diwethaf rwy'n credu, sut y bwriadwch iddo ganolbwyntio’n benodol ar y materion a amlinellais? Sut y gwnewch chi sicrhau bod awdurdodau lleol gwledig yng Nghymru, yn enwedig Powys, yn cael eu cyfran deg o gyllid i gefnogi’r cymunedau penodol hynny?
Thank you for those very important questions. The way we try to tackle poverty with our powers is about universal approaches, such as the free schools meals to all pupils, which will help many of those who are on that brink of being disadvantaged or finding it hard at this present financial time. Just to say, in Powys County Council, this actually now includes an additional 1,067 learners universally getting that offer. It's going to widen, of course.
But on your point about Flying Start, the roll-out of the phase 1 expansion of Flying Start began in September. In Powys, this does equate to around 60 more children under four eligible for the programme, and 15 children aged two to three will be eligible for the childcare element. I think, also importantly, that there are other access grants, like the pupil development access grant. Actually, the total of that, alongside the early years pupil development grant for 2023, was £3,148,700.
Diolch am eich cwestiynau pwysig iawn. Mae’r ffordd yr ydym yn ceisio trechu tlodi gyda’n pwerau'n ymwneud â dulliau gweithredu cyffredinol, megis prydau ysgol am ddim i bob disgybl, a fydd yn helpu llawer o’r rheini sydd ar ffin amddifadedd neu sy’n ei chael hi’n anodd ar yr adeg hon yn ariannol. Dylwn ddweud, yng Nghyngor Sir Powys, fod hyn mewn gwirionedd bellach yn golygu bod 1,067 o ddysgwyr ychwanegol yn cael y cynnig cyffredinol hwnnw. Mae'n mynd i ehangu, wrth gwrs.
Ond ar eich pwynt ynglŷn â Dechrau'n Deg, dechreuodd cam 1 y gwaith o ehangu Dechrau'n Deg ym mis Medi. Ym Mhowys, mae hyn yn gyfystyr ag oddeutu 60 yn rhagor o blant dan bedair oed yn gymwys ar gyfer y rhaglen, a bydd 15 o blant dwy i dair oed yn gymwys ar gyfer yr elfen gofal plant. Credaf hefyd, yn bwysig, fod yna grantiau mynediad eraill, fel elfen mynediad y grant datblygu disgyblion. Mewn gwirionedd, roedd cyfanswm hynny, ochr yn ochr â grant datblygu disgyblion y blynyddoedd cynnar ar gyfer 2023, yn £3,148,700.
Good afternoon, Minister. There is, as we know, a significant rise in foodbanks across mid and west Wales, and in Montgomeryshire, and I thank Russell George for raising this very important issue within Montgomeryshire. It is an absolute disgrace, and I would agree with Sioned Williams in this regard. Having spoken to a foodbank in Montgomeryshire recently, they were clear that there were two challenges they face this autumn and winter, given the cost-of-living crisis. One is that they are receiving fewer donations and the other, sadly, is an increased demand. Over the school holidays, a local fish and chip shop in Newtown started providing free meals to children, because families simply didn't have enough money to feed themselves when free school dinners stopped for the summer. I know that you will agree with me that it is a disgrace that, in the world's fifth largest economy, families are struggling to survive. And I'm sure that you'll agree that the Conservative Party has a lot to answer for in this regard, so I really do hope, Russell, that you will take this further within your party, because we do need your support. Focusing on what the Welsh Government can do, could you just outline how you would continue to support community groups, foodbanks, and small independent businesses, like the ones I've spoken to in Montgomeryshire, that are trying to do their best to shield young families from the excesses of the cost-of-living crisis? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Prynhawn da, Weinidog. Fel y gwyddom, mae cynnydd sylweddol mewn banciau bwyd ar draws canolbarth a gorllewin Cymru, ac yn sir Drefaldwyn, a diolch i Russell George am godi’r mater hynod bwysig hwn yn sir Drefaldwyn. Mae’n gwbl warthus, a byddwn yn cytuno â Sioned Williams yn hyn o beth. Ar ôl siarad â banc bwyd yn sir Drefaldwyn yn ddiweddar, dywedasant yn glir fod dwy her yn eu hwynebu dros yr hydref a’r gaeaf, o ystyried yr argyfwng costau byw. Un yw eu bod yn cael llai o roddion, a'r llall, yn anffodus, yw galw cynyddol. Dros wyliau’r ysgol, dechreuodd siop bysgod a sglodion leol yn y Drenewydd ddarparu prydau am ddim i blant, oherwydd yn syml iawn, nid oedd gan deuluoedd ddigon o arian i fwydo eu hunain pan ddaeth cinio ysgol am ddim i ben dros yr haf. Gwn y byddwch yn cytuno â mi ei bod yn warthus fod teuluoedd, ym mhumed economi fwyaf y byd, yn ei chael hi'n anodd goroesi. Ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno bod gan y Blaid Geidwadol lawer i ateb drosto yn hyn o beth, felly rwy'n mawr obeithio, Russell, y byddwch yn mynd â hyn ymhellach o fewn eich plaid, gan fod angen eich cefnogaeth arnom. Gan ganolbwyntio ar yr hyn y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud, a wnewch chi amlinellu sut y byddech yn parhau i gefnogi grwpiau cymunedol, banciau bwyd, a busnesau bach annibynnol, fel y rhai y siaradais â hwy yn sir Drefaldwyn, sy'n ceisio gwneud eu gorau i warchod teuluoedd ifanc rhag elfennau gwaethaf yr argyfwng costau byw? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch yn fawr, Jane Dodds. I think it is important that we see this now as all-Wales—rural, urban, and not just the most deprived, but all families experiencing poverty and disadvantage. It does go back to this huge question of where this £45 billion for tax cuts, which are going to benefit the most wealthy, is going to come from, because if it comes from public services or welfare benefits, this is just going to deepen and deepen.
But just to say, in terms of tackling food poverty, I did announce another £1 million yesterday, but it builds on £3.9 million already allocated this year, and it's actually by working with local authorities, as you know, to develop and strengthen food partnerships. It's very good to hear about businesses getting involved; they want to get involved, some of them, in our warm hubs initiative that the First Minister announced a couple of days ago. You might have heard on Radio 4, on the food programme at the weekend, about Big Bocs Bwyd and the fact that this is also spreading throughout Wales where schools are involved with community food organisations as well. But we're actually saying in my statement that we want to help social supermarkets, community cafes, lunch clubs, cookery classes; we're also talking about making sure that people can have access to things like slow burners. People are actually already not being able to feed their meters, so we have got our Fuel Bank Foundation partnership as well. But I do think—and the Deputy Minister for Social Services is here as well—that all the work that we're doing with the early years and the roll-out of the £100 million is going to make such a difference in terms of reaching out to those younger people and babies. But you know, baby milk, hot water bottles—I mean, this is the day and age we're living in with foodbanks in Wales.
Diolch yn fawr, Jane Dodds. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig ein bod yn ystyried hwn yn fater i Gymru gyfan—cefn gwlad, trefol, ac nid y rhai mwyaf difreintiedig yn unig, ond pob teulu sy'n profi tlodi ac anfantais. Mae'n mynd yn ôl i'r cwestiwn enfawr hwn sef o ble y daw'r £45 biliwn ar gyfer toriadau treth, sy'n mynd i fod o fudd i'r mwyaf cyfoethog, oherwydd os daw o wasanaethau cyhoeddus neu fudd-daliadau lles, bydd y sefyllfa'n mynd o ddrwg i waeth.
Ond hoffwn ddweud, ar drechu tlodi bwyd, fe gyhoeddais £1 filiwn arall ddoe, ond mae'n adeiladu ar £3.9 miliwn sydd eisoes wedi'i ddyrannu eleni, ac mae'n ymwneud â gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol, fel y gwyddoch, i ddatblygu a chryfhau partneriaethau bwyd. Mae'n dda iawn clywed am fusnesau'n cymryd rhan; maent eisiau cymryd rhan, rai ohonynt, yn ein menter canolfannau cynnes a gyhoeddodd y Prif Weinidog ychydig ddyddiau yn ôl. Efallai eich bod chi wedi clywed, ar y rhaglen fwyd ar Radio 4 dros y penwythnos, am Big Bocs Bwyd a'r ffaith bod hyn hefyd yn lledaenu drwy Gymru lle mae ysgolion yn cymryd rhan gyda sefydliadau bwyd cymunedol hefyd. Ond rydym yn dweud yn y datganiad ein bod eisiau helpu archfarchnadoedd cymdeithasol, caffis cymunedol, clybiau cinio, dosbarthiadau coginio; rydym hefyd yn siarad am sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu cael mynediad at bethau fel coginwyr araf. Nid yw pobl yn gallu bwydo eu mesuryddion yn barod, felly mae gennym ein partneriaeth Sefydliad Banc Tanwydd hefyd. Ond rwy'n credu—ac mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yma hefyd—y bydd yr holl waith a wnawn gyda'r blynyddoedd cynnar a chyflwyno'r £100 miliwn yn gwneud cymaint o wahaniaeth mewn perthynas ag estyn allan at y bobl iau a'r babanod hynny. Ond wyddoch chi, llaeth babi, poteli dŵr poeth—hynny yw, dyma'r oes yr ydym yn byw ynddi gyda banciau bwyd yng Nghymru.
4. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi'r sector wirfoddol? OQ58469
4. What is the Welsh Government doing to support the voluntary sector? OQ58469
Thank you, Paul, for the question. I've provided Third Sector Support Wales with a three-year funding agreement of £6.98 million per year. And in response to the cost-of-living crisis, today I can announce an additional £2.2 million to continue supporting infrastructure over the next three years to help protect the most vulnerable people in Wales.
Diolch am y cwestiwn, Paul. Rwyf wedi rhoi cytundeb ariannu tair blynedd o £6.98 miliwn y flwyddyn i Cefnogi Trydydd Sector Cymru. Ac mewn ymateb i'r argyfwng costau byw, gallaf gyhoeddi £2.2 miliwn ychwanegol heddiw i barhau i gefnogi'r seilwaith dros y tair blynedd nesaf i helpu i ddiogelu'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yng Nghymru.
Thank you for that response, Minister. Now, as you know, funding from the equality and inclusion funding programme has made a real difference for individuals and communities in Pembrokeshire and across Wales, and I'm sure that you'll appreciate that the renewal of this funding is crucial to a lot of the work done by the third sector. Now, as you know, voluntary organisations and groups are under unprecedented pressures, with some organisations struggling to retain staff. So, can you provide an update on the funding of the equality and inclusion funding programme? And what assurances can you offer to voluntary sector organisations in Wales that this funding will be forthcoming as soon as possible?
Diolch am yr ymateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Nawr, fel y gwyddoch, mae cyllid o'r rhaglen gyllido cydraddoldeb a chynhwysiant wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i unigolion a chymunedau yn sir Benfro a ledled Cymru, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn deall bod adnewyddu'r cyllid hwn yn hanfodol i lawer o'r gwaith sy'n cael ei wneud gan y trydydd sector. Nawr, fel y gwyddoch, mae sefydliadau gwirfoddol a grwpiau o dan bwysau digynsail, gyda rhai sefydliadau'n cael trafferth cadw staff. Felly, a wnewch chi roi diweddariad ar gyllido'r rhaglen gyllido cydraddoldeb a chynhwysiant? A pha sicrwydd y gallwch ei gynnig i sefydliadau'r sector gwirfoddol yng Nghymru y bydd yr arian hwn ar gael cyn gynted â phosibl?
Thank you very much. I welcome the fact that you focused on the equality and inclusion grant. We have consulted widely about this to make sure that we can reach those. Of course, there are many organisations that would like to benefit from the equality and inclusion programme, so I can assure you that this is now being taken forward and bidding arrangements and timelines will be made available.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith eich bod wedi canolbwyntio ar y grant cydraddoldeb a chynhwysiant. Rydym wedi ymgynghori'n eang ynglŷn â hyn er mwyn gwneud yn siŵr ein bod yn gallu cyrraedd y rheini. Wrth gwrs, mae yna lawer o sefydliadau a hoffai elwa o'r rhaglen cydraddoldeb a chynhwysiant, felly gallaf eich sicrhau ein bod yn bwrw ymlaen â hyn ac y bydd trefniadau ymgeisio ac amserlenni'n cael eu cyhoeddi.
5. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r effaith y bydd datganiad cyllidol Llywodraeth y DU yn ei gael ar allu pobl i dalu am filiau ynni? OQ58477
5. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact that the UK Government’s fiscal statement will have on people's ability to pay for energy bills? OQ58477
Thank you for the question. The measures announced in the Chancellor's statement are unfair. They fail to target support for the most vulnerable, whilst providing significant benefit to the richest. This will mean that more households in Wales will struggle to meet the cost of energy and other essential items, resulting in increased levels of poverty.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Mae'r mesurau a gyhoeddwyd yn natganiad y Canghellor yn annheg. Maent yn methu darparu cefnogaeth i'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed, gan ddarparu budd sylweddol i'r bobl gyfoethocaf ar yr un pryd. Bydd hyn yn golygu y bydd mwy o gartrefi yng Nghymru yn ei chael hi'n anodd talu costau ynni ac eitemau hanfodol eraill, gan arwain at lefelau uwch o dlodi.
Thank you for that answer, Minister, and I agree with your conclusion. These plans will do little to support families through this difficult time and instead focus on putting more money in the hands of the rich. This makes the support from Welsh Government even more vital, and I appreciate that the Government has given out far more in cost-of-living grants than it has received from the UK Government for this purpose. There are concerns, however, that these grants may be inaccessible to those who need them most, due to digital exclusion or lack of access to public services. It was raised recently at a cost-of-living summit that I attended at Plas Madoc, with my colleague Ken Skates.
During the pandemic, the Welsh Government wrote to every household to ensure that everyone had access to the information that they needed. Minister, do you agree with me that a similar campaign is needed, as we face the height of this cost-of-living crisis, so that everyone is aware of the financial support available here in Wales and how they can access it?
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog, ac rwy'n cytuno â'ch casgliad. Ni fydd y cynlluniau hyn yn gwneud fawr ddim i gefnogi teuluoedd drwy'r cyfnod anodd hwn ac yn hytrach, maent yn canolbwyntio ar roi mwy o arian yn nwylo'r cyfoethog. Mae hyn yn golygu bod y gefnogaeth gan Lywodraeth Cymru hyd yn oed yn fwy hanfodol, ac rwy'n derbyn bod y Llywodraeth wedi rhoi llawer mwy mewn grantiau costau byw nag y mae wedi ei gael gan Lywodraeth y DU at y diben hwn. Mae pryderon, fodd bynnag, y gallai'r grantiau hyn fod yn anhygyrch i'r rhai sydd eu hangen fwyaf, oherwydd allgáu digidol neu ddiffyg mynediad at wasanaethau cyhoeddus. Fe'i codwyd yn ddiweddar mewn uwchgynhadledd costau byw a fynychais ym Mhlas Madoc, gyda fy nghyd-Aelod, Ken Skates.
Yn ystod y pandemig, ysgrifennodd Llywodraeth Cymru at bob cartref i sicrhau bod gan bawb fynediad at yr wybodaeth yr oeddent ei hangen. Weinidog, a ydych yn cytuno â mi fod angen ymgyrch debyg, wrth inni wynebu anterth yr argyfwng costau byw hwn, fel bod pawb yn ymwybodol o'r cymorth ariannol sydd ar gael yma yng Nghymru a sut y gallant gael mynediad ato?
Well, that's a really important question, Carolyn Thomas, and it follows on from what Russell George was saying earlier on: how do we actually make sure that the benefits that we've got reach the people who are entitled to them? We know that many already—I've said, I think, that some of the £200 fuel support grant is going straight into accounts, because people are digitally engaged and they've got accounts for their council tax reduction scheme. So, we are looking at ways in which, with our partners in local government, our registered social landlords, the third sector, Citizens Advice, how we can make sure that we can, if necessary, help face-to-face, and train more people in benefits advice. Certainly, Jenny Rathbone shared a similar meeting last week in Llanedeyrn, where health visitors said, 'Yes, they can say, "You might be entitled to this", but people then need help with filling in application forms, et cetera'. So, this is a crucial practical thing that we need to do and we will do, but I want to just say that our winter campaign 'Claim what's yours', the next stage—we need you all to help us with this—is going to target homes through radio, television adverts, calls to the Advicelink campaign phone number. Everybody here has constituents, you want them to claim what's theirs. And, just to say that 9,000 people have responded to the campaign call to action to contact Advicelink Cymru, and that has helped people to claim over £2.6 million of additional income.
I did ask Chloe Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, as did my colleagues from Scotland and Northern Ireland, whether they will join us, the UK Government, in a UK-wide take-up campaign, and I'm sure that you would agree that this is the way forward.
Wel, mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn pwysig iawn, Carolyn Thomas, ac mae'n dilyn yr hyn yr oedd Russell George yn ei ddweud yn gynharach: sut y gallwn wneud yn siŵr fod y budd-daliadau sydd gennym yn cyrraedd y bobl sydd â hawl iddynt? Rydym yn gwybod bod llawer eisoes—rwyf wedi dweud, rwy'n credu, fod rhywfaint o'r grant cymorth tanwydd gwerth £200 yn mynd yn syth i gyfrifon, oherwydd bod pobl wedi ymgysylltu'n ddigidol ac oherwydd bod ganddynt gyfrifon ar gyfer cynllun gostyngiadau'r dreth gyngor. Felly, rydym yn edrych i weld sut y gallwn, gyda'n partneriaid llywodraeth leol, ein landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig, y trydydd sector, Cyngor ar Bopeth, helpu wyneb yn wyneb os oes angen, a hyfforddi mwy o bobl ym maes cyngor ar fudd-daliadau. Yn sicr, rhannodd Jenny Rathbone gyfarfod tebyg yr wythnos diwethaf yn Llanedeyrn, lle dywedodd ymwelwyr iechyd, 'Gallant ddweud, "Efallai fod gennych hawl i hyn", ond mae angen help ar bobl i lenwi ffurflenni cais ac yn y blaen'. Felly, dyma rywbeth ymarferol hanfodol sydd angen inni ei wneud, ac fe fyddwn yn ei wneud, ond rwyf eisiau dweud y bydd ein hymgyrch gaeaf 'Hawliwch yr hyn sy'n ddyledus i chi', y cam nesaf—mae angen i chi i gyd ein helpu gyda hyn—yn targedu cartrefi drwy hysbysebion radio, teledu, galwadau i rif ffôn ymgyrch Advicelink. Mae gan bawb yma etholwyr yr ydych eisiau iddynt hawlio'r hyn y mae ganddynt hawl iddo. Mae 9,000 o bobl wedi ymateb i'r alwad i gysylltu ag Advicelink Cymru, ac mae hynny wedi helpu pobl i hawlio dros £2.6 miliwn o incwm ychwanegol.
Gofynnais i Chloe Smith, yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Waith a Phensiynau, fel y gwnaeth fy nghyd-Aelodau o'r Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon, a fyddai Llywodraeth y DU yn ymuno â ni mewn ymgyrch i gynyddu hawliadau ar draws y DU, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno mai dyma'r ffordd ymlaen.
Well, on a more positive note than my colleague, I'm actually quite pleased with the steps that the UK Government are taking. Everything that we're doing now, it's a mini budget for growth, it's a mini budget to get people back into work. And I have to ask, following a COVID pandemic and the fact that we've got a shocking war in Ukraine, exactly how would you do it and how would Labour do it. You have no solutions, just criticisms. And I tell you what, the people have seen through it. The Prime Minister's speech today has gone down fantastically, and there are positive comments everywhere. So, anyway, we've also taken—and when I say 'we', the UK Government has taken a number of steps that will benefit the people of Wales: energy bills capped at £2,500 when they could have been £6,000—this, in addition to the £400 discount for each household—[Interruption.]
Wel, ar nodyn mwy cadarnhaol na fy nghyd-Aelod, rwy'n eithaf bodlon mewn gwirionedd gyda'r camau y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn eu cymryd. Popeth a wnawn yn awr, mae'n gyllideb fach ar gyfer twf, mae'n gyllideb fach i gael pobl yn ôl mewn gwaith. Ac mae'n rhaid i mi ofyn, yn dilyn pandemig COVID a'r ffaith bod gennym ryfel dychrynllyd yn Wcráin, sut yn union y byddech chi'n ei wneud a sut y byddai Llafur yn ei wneud. Nid oes gennych unrhyw atebion, dim ond beirniadaeth. Ac rwy'n dweud wrthych, mae'r bobl wedi gweld drwy hynny. Mae araith y Prif Weinidog heddiw wedi cael derbyniad gwych, ac mae sylwadau cadarnhaol ym mhobman. Felly, beth bynnag, rydym ni hefyd wedi cymryd—a phan ddywedaf 'ni', mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cymryd nifer o gamau a fydd o fudd i bobl Cymru: capio biliau ynni ar £2,500 pan allent fod wedi bod yn £6,000—hyn, yn ychwanegol at y gostyngiad o £400 i bob aelwyd—[Torri ar draws.]
No point of order. Carry on with your question, Janet.
Dim pwynt o drefn. Parhewch â'ch cwestiwn, Janet.
I am. Thank you, Llywydd. And additional payments for the most vulnerable. In the mini budget, it was announced that 1.2 million people would benefit from the cut to the basic rate of income tax and 2 million are going to get a national insurance cut of £235—[Interruption.]
Iawn. Diolch, Lywydd. A thaliadau ychwanegol i'r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed. Yn y gyllideb fach, cyhoeddwyd y byddai 1.2 miliwn o bobl yn elwa o'r toriad i gyfradd sylfaenol y dreth incwm a bydd 2 filiwn yn cael toriad yswiriant cenedlaethol o £235—[Torri ar draws.]
No, no point of order. I'm sure that the Minister will respond.
Na, dim pwynt o drefn. Rwy'n siŵr y gwnaiff y Gweinidog ymateb.
These measures show that it is the UK Conservative Government that's trying to ease the burdens on our households here in Wales. Due to the cut to stamp duty in England, the Welsh Government is now set to receive an additional £70 million. So, will the Minister tell me exactly how you are going to spend that money?
Mae'r mesurau hyn yn dangos mai Llywodraeth Geidwadol y DU sy'n ceisio lleddfu'r baich ar ein haelwydydd ni yma yng Nghymru. Oherwydd y toriad i'r dreth stamp yn Lloegr, mae disgwyl i Lywodraeth Cymru dderbyn £70 miliwn yn ychwanegol yn awr. Felly, a wnaiff y Gweinidog ddweud wrthyf sut yn union y bwriadwch wario'r arian hwnnw?
I'm absolutely astonished that you can stand there and have the gall to talk in that way, Janet Finch-Saunders, about the situation where we have people in Wales now who have not got their electricity on, who do not know where they're going to get their next meal from, as a result of your Government [Interruption.] I'm not going to repeat everything—I'm sure that the Llywydd will stop me anyway—but where are they going to get the £45 billion from? They've already had two u-turns. Where are they—? So, I'll tell you where—the Resolution Foundation says that it's either cutting public services, or it's going to cut welfare benefits, which will cause more poverty and destitution.
We've just got to recognise that uprating benefits, including the state pension, by earnings instead of inflation—. A 4 per cent real-terms cut would actually cost a typical low-income working family with two children over £1,000 a year. What are you going to do with those constituents, Janet Finch-Saunders? Can I just say that Wales Fiscal Analysis has noted that in Wales, nearly 90 per cent of the gains will go to households in the top 50 per cent? Do you agree with that? Ninety per cent of your policies, fiscally, will go to the top 50 per cent here in Wales; 40 per cent will go to households in the top 10 per cent in your constituency. Why can't the UK Government get its priorities right? They should target the windfall tax to pay for this, in order to pay for their tax-cutting budget. It is not going to deliver growth; it's going to deliver poverty and destitution, and that's a tragedy for the people we represent in Wales.
Rwy'n rhyfeddu bod gennych wyneb i siarad yn y ffordd honno, Janet Finch-Saunders, pan fo gennym ni bobl yng Nghymru nawr nad ydynt yn gallu rhoi eu trydan ymlaen, nad ydynt yn gwybod o ble y byddant yn cael eu pryd nesaf, o ganlyniad i'ch Llywodraeth [Torri ar draws.] Nid wyf am ailadrodd popeth—rwy'n siŵr y bydd y Llywydd yn fy atal beth bynnag—ond ble y maent hwy am ddod o hyd i'r £45 biliwn? Maent wedi cael dau dro pedol yn barod. Ble maent—? Felly, rwyf am ddweud wrthych ble—mae'r Resolution Foundation yn dweud ei fod naill ai'n golygu torri gwasanaethau cyhoeddus neu dorri budd-daliadau lles, a fydd yn achosi mwy o dlodi ac amddifadedd.
Mae'n rhaid inni gydnabod bod cynyddu budd-daliadau, gan gynnwys pensiwn y wladwriaeth, drwy enillion yn lle chwyddiant—. Byddai toriad o 4 y cant mewn termau real yn costio dros £1,000 y flwyddyn i deulu incwm isel nodweddiadol gyda dau o blant. Beth a wnewch gyda'r etholwyr hynny, Janet Finch-Saunders? A gaf fi ddweud bod Dadansoddi Cyllid Cymru wedi nodi y bydd bron i 90 y cant o'r enillion yng Nghymru yn mynd i aelwydydd yn y 50 y cant uchaf? A ydych chi'n cytuno gyda hynny? Bydd 90 y cant o'ch polisïau, yn gyllidol, yn mynd i'r 50 y cant uchaf yma yng Nghymru; bydd 40 y cant yn mynd i gartrefi yn y 10 y cant uchaf yn eich etholaeth chi. Pam na all Llywodraeth y DU gael ei blaenoriaethau'n iawn? Dylent dargedu'r dreth ffawdelw i dalu am hyn, er mwyn talu am eu cyllideb sy'n torri trethi. Nid fydd yn sicrhau twf; bydd yn creu tlodi ac amddifadedd, ac mae hynny'n drasiedi i'r bobl a gynrychiolwn yng Nghymru.
Cwestiwn 6, i'w ateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog. James Evans.
Question 6, to be answered by the Deputy Minister. James Evans.
6. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am waith Comisiynydd Cyn-filwyr Cymru? OQ58474
6. Will the Minister provide an update on the work of the Veterans' Commissioner for Wales? OQ58474
The Veterans' Commissioner for Wales is a UK Government appointment and is therefore not directly accountable to Welsh Government. However, the commissioner is an important advocate for veterans in Wales. I have met him a number of times and look forward to working in partnership with him for the benefit of our veterans.
Mae Comisiynydd Cyn-filwyr Cymru yn cael ei benodi gan Lywodraeth y DU ac felly nid yw'n atebol yn uniongyrchol i Lywodraeth Cymru. Fodd bynnag, mae'r comisiynydd yn eiriolwr pwysig dros gyn-filwyr yng Nghymru. Rwyf wedi ei gyfarfod nifer o weithiau ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio mewn partneriaeth ag ef er budd ein cyn-filwyr.
Thank you for that, Deputy Minister. I'm sure that you're pleased, as I am, that the work that he is doing is well under way, and I'm sure that you'd welcome Sarah Atherton to her position in the UK Government, as the Minister for veterans. You did say that it is the responsibility of the UK Government, but there are matters that are devolved here, and hopefully we can get some answers on those—I know that the Government here don't like answering on devolved issues. So, can the Deputy Minister outline what discussions you've had with the Deputy Minister for mental health around providing mental health support for veterans to make sure that, when they do ask for support, it is there, and supported, for them in their time of need? Thank you, Llywydd.
Diolch am hynny, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn falch, fel finnau, fod y gwaith y mae'n ei wneud wedi hen ddechrau, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddech yn croesawu Sarah Atherton i'w swydd fel y Gweinidog cyn-filwyr yn Llywodraeth y DU. Fe ddywedoch chi mai cyfrifoldeb Llywodraeth y DU ydyw, ond mae yna faterion sydd wedi eu datganoli yma, a gobeithio y gallwn gael atebion ar y rheini—rwy'n gwybod nad yw'r Llywodraeth yma yn hoffi ateb ar faterion datganoledig. Felly, a wnaiff y Dirprwy Weinidog amlinellu pa drafodaethau a gawsoch chi gyda'r Dirprwy Weinidog iechyd meddwl ynghylch darparu cymorth iechyd meddwl i gyn-filwyr i wneud yn siŵr fod cymorth ar gael iddynt pan fyddant yn gofyn amdano a'u bod yn cael eu cefnogi pan fyddant mewn angen? Diolch, Lywydd.
I thank the Member for his question. My point, in terms of the Wales veterans commissioner is that it is an appointment of the UK Government, and therefore not directly accountable to the Welsh Government. As I said, I have met him a number of times, it's still early days; he came into post in June and it's a part-time position. In fact, I was with the veterans commissioner just this morning at our armed forces expert group, where Darren Millar was in attendance too, on behalf of the cross-party group, and so we are committed to working very closely. And also, I've arranged for the commissioner to meet a number of my Government colleagues to understand better about those areas that are devolved in which we support veterans, such as health and education, and their families as well, and how we can work collaboratively and move forward, so that we make sure that we can build on the work that we've already done. And we look forward to introducing our armed forces annual report in the next month to this place, and we'll be able to debate that.
But, in Wales, we are very pleased to have Veterans NHS Wales, which supports veterans and is unique to Wales. Actually, just this morning at the armed forces expert group, we discussed how we can make sure that there is initial support, and there are some research projects going on at the moment that we are contributing to around making sure that, out of hours, how veterans can access those services. There is a helpline already that they can access, but it's how we can make sure that the first point of contact is a positive one, when they go, perhaps, to their GP surgery or a service, but also considering out of hours. So, we're proud of the work that we've done in Wales, and we're committed to working together to do the best by our veterans and their families in the service community in Wales.
Diolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiwn. Ar fater comisiynydd cyn-filwyr Cymru, fy mhwynt yw mai penodiad gan Lywodraeth y DU ydyw, ac felly nid yw'n atebol yn uniongyrchol i Lywodraeth Cymru. Fel y dywedais, rwyf wedi ei gyfarfod nifer o weithiau, mae'n dal yn ddyddiau cynnar; daeth i'r swydd ym mis Mehefin ac mae'n swydd ran-amser. Yn wir, roeddwn gyda'r comisiynydd cyn-filwyr y bore yma yn ein grŵp arbenigol ar y lluoedd arfog, ac roedd Darren Millar yn bresennol hefyd, ar ran y grŵp trawsbleidiol, ac felly rydym wedi ymrwymo i weithio'n agos iawn. Ac rwyf hefyd wedi trefnu i'r comisiynydd gyfarfod â nifer o fy nghyd-Aelodau yn y Llywodraeth i gael gwell dealltwriaeth o'r meysydd sydd wedi'u datganoli lle rydym yn cefnogi cyn-filwyr, fel iechyd ac addysg, a'u teuluoedd hefyd, a sut y gallwn weithio ar y cyd a symud ymlaen, fel ein bod yn gwneud yn siŵr ein bod yn gallu adeiladu ar y gwaith a wnaethom eisoes. Ac rydym yn edrych ymlaen at gyflwyno ein hadroddiad blynyddol ar y lluoedd arfog i'r lle hwn fis nesaf, a byddwn yn gallu trafod hynny.
Ond yng Nghymru, rydym yn falch iawn o gael GIG Cymru i Gyn-filwyr, sy'n cefnogi cyn-filwyr ac sy'n unigryw i Gymru. Mewn gwirionedd, yng nghyfarfod grŵp arbenigol y lluoedd arfog y bore yma, fe wnaethom drafod sut y gallwn ni wneud yn siŵr fod yna gefnogaeth ar y cychwyn, ac rydym yn cyfrannu at brosiectau ymchwil sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd i sicrhau sut y gall cyn-filwyr gael mynediad at y gwasanaethau hynny y tu allan i oriau. Mae llinell gymorth ar gael at eu defnydd eisoes, ond mae'n ymwneud â sut y gallwn sicrhau bod y pwynt cyswllt cyntaf yn un cadarnhaol, pan fyddant yn mynd, efallai, i'w meddygfa neu wasanaeth, a hefyd yn ystyried gwasanaethau y tu allan i oriau. Felly, rydym yn falch o'r gwaith a wnaethom yng Nghymru, ac rydym wedi ymrwymo i gydweithio i wneud y gorau dros ein cyn-filwyr a'u teuluoedd yng nghymuned y lluoedd arfog yng Nghymru.
7. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n gweithio gyda Chomisiynydd Heddlu a Throsedd Gogledd Cymru i leihau troseddu ac ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol ar draws Gogledd Cymru? OQ58499
7. How is the Welsh Government working with the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across North Wales? OQ58499
Thank you for the question. We are committed to working in partnership to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in north Wales. While policing is currently a reserved matter, we work closely with policing colleagues on strategic issues and fund 600 police community support officers to protect communities across Wales.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i weithio mewn partneriaeth i leihau troseddu ac ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol yng ngogledd Cymru. Er bod plismona'n fater a gedwir yn ôl ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn gweithio'n agos â chydweithwyr plismona ar faterion strategol ac yn ariannu 600 o swyddogion cymorth cymunedol yr heddlu i ddiogelu cymunedau ar draws Cymru.
Thank you for your response, Minister. I'm sure that you would agree with me that one of the best ways of reducing crime and anti-social behaviour is to ensure that our hard-working police officers and PCSOs that you mentioned are able to fully focus their time and efforts on their very clear areas of responsibility. Minister, you'll recall, back in July, I raised the issue that police forces are facing across Wales at the moment of often being distracted from their clear priorities and focus as police officers to have to deal with work that usually sits in other public service areas, such as in health or in social services. Back in July, you stated that many of these issues are being raised through the policing partnership board whilst working with policing colleagues. So, in light of this, Minister, I was wondering whether you have an update on what efforts are being made to reduce police time having to focus on non-policing issues to enable them and allow them to focus on reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.
Diolch am eich ymateb, Weinidog. Rwy'n siŵr y byddech chi'n cytuno â mi mai un o'r ffyrdd gorau o leihau troseddu ac ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol yw sicrhau bod ein swyddogion heddlu gweithgar a'r swyddogion cymorth cymunedol yr heddlu y gwnaethoch chi sôn amdanynt yn gallu canolbwyntio eu hamser a'u hymdrechion ar eu meysydd cyfrifoldeb clir iawn. Weinidog, yn ôl ym mis Gorffennaf, fe gofiwch imi godi'r ffaith bod heddluoedd ledled Cymru yn methu canolbwyntio ar eu blaenoriaethau clir fel swyddogion heddlu am eu bod yn gorfod ymdrin â gwaith sydd fel arfer yn gyfrifoldeb i feysydd gwasanaethau cyhoeddus eraill, megis ym maes iechyd neu wasanaethau cymdeithasol. Yn ôl ym mis Gorffennaf, fe ddywedoch chi fod nifer o'r materion hyn yn cael eu codi drwy'r bwrdd partneriaeth plismona wrth weithio gyda chydweithwyr plismona. Felly, yn sgil hyn, Weinidog, roeddwn yn meddwl tybed a oes gennych chi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ynglŷn â pha ymdrechion sy'n cael eu gwneud i leihau'r amser y mae'r heddlu'n gorfod ei dreulio'n canolbwyntio ar faterion nad ydynt yn faterion plismona er mwyn iddynt allu canolbwyntio ar leihau troseddu ac ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol.
Thank you, Sam Rowlands. As you say, PCSOs play such a crucial role in promoting community safety and tackling anti-social behaviour and acting as ears and eyes on the ground for police forces. But it's also about local relationships and so many of those local relationships are with local authorities, with their social services, housing, youth workers et cetera, as well as with health colleagues. It is very interrelated in terms of tackling crime, preventing crime and engaging in a holistic way, which we do with our policing partnership board and with the work that we do with our police and crime commissioners.
So, at the last meeting, for example, we had Lynne Neagle speaking about substance misuse, which is a crucial issue that health, of course, is involved in; public health was there. We also did have the Secretary of State for Wales; Sir Robert Buckland joined us at that meeting and he engaged as well. We take a public health approach in terms of trying to ensure that we have community safety and community cohesion, so it's about interaction, diversionary schemes. You'll be very interested to hear that the police and crime commissioner funded a boxing club in Buckley, a safe location, diversion, interaction scheme. So, it's not about saying less on liaising with health and social services; it's actually engaging for a purpose. But, obviously, that's something that we regularly discuss at that board.
Diolch, Sam Rowlands. Fel y dywedwch, mae swyddogion cymorth cymunedol yr heddlu yn chwarae rhan mor hanfodol yn hyrwyddo diogelwch cymunedol a mynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol a gweithredu fel clustiau a llygaid ar lawr gwlad i heddluoedd. Ond mae hefyd yn ymwneud â chysylltiadau lleol ac mae cymaint o'r cysylltiadau lleol hynny gydag awdurdodau lleol, gyda'u gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, tai, gweithwyr ieuenctid ac yn y blaen, yn ogystal â chydweithwyr iechyd. Mae'n gydgysylltiedig iawn o ran mynd i'r afael â throseddu, atal troseddu ac ymgysylltu mewn ffordd gyfannol, ac rydym yn gwneud hynny gyda'n bwrdd partneriaeth plismona a chyda'r gwaith a wnawn gyda'n comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu.
Felly, yn y cyfarfod diwethaf, er enghraifft, roedd gennym Lynne Neagle yn siarad am gamddefnyddio sylweddau, sy'n fater hanfodol y mae'r maes iechyd, wrth gwrs, yn ymwneud ag ef; roedd iechyd y cyhoedd yno. Hefyd, roedd gennym Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru; ymunodd Syr Robert Buckland â ni yn y cyfarfod hwnnw ac fe ymgysylltodd â ni hefyd. Rydym wedi mabwysiadu agwedd iechyd y cyhoedd o ran ceisio sicrhau bod gennym ddiogelwch cymunedol a chydlyniant cymunedol, felly mae'n ymwneud â rhyngweithio a chynlluniau dargyfeiriol. Bydd gennych ddiddordeb mawr mewn clywed bod y comisiynydd heddlu a throseddu wedi ariannu clwb bocsio ym Mwcle, cynllun lleoliad diogel, dargyfeirio, rhyngweithio. Felly, nid yw'n ymwneud â dweud llai am gysylltu ag iechyd a'r gwasanaethau chymdeithasol; mae'n ymwneud ag ymgysylltu i bwrpas mewn gwirionedd. Ond yn amlwg, mae hynny'n rhywbeth yr ydym yn ei drafod yn rheolaidd ar y bwrdd hwnnw.
8. A wnaiff y Gweinidog datganiad ynglŷn â chynnydd gyda'r cynllun gweithredu cydraddoldeb hiliol? OQ58481
8. Will the Minister make a statement on progress in relation to the race equality action plan? OQ58481
Diolch, Rhys ab Owen. Our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' was launched in June. I've asked the Welsh public and third sectors to work with us in delivering the plan and we've established a race disparity unit as one of our first actions.
Diolch, Rhys ab Owen. Cafodd ein 'Cynllun Gweithredu Cymru Wrth-hiliol' ei lansio ym mis Mehefin. Rwyf wedi gofyn i'r cyhoedd a'r trydydd sector yng Nghymru weithio gyda ni i gyflawni'r cynllun ac rydym wedi sefydlu uned gwahaniaethau ar sail hil fel un o'n camau gweithredu cyntaf.
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. We cannot separate today from history. We must recognise some of the terrible miscarriages of justice faced by communities so close to the Senedd here. The other week, when mentioning the sad passing of Tony Paris, I raised the issue about his daughter wanting a street in his beloved Butetown named after him. Minister, will you support me in supporting a campaign to commemorate the miscarriage of justice faced by those communities by the justice system here in Wales—Tony Paris, the Cardiff Five, the Cardiff newsagent three, Mahmood Mattan, amongst others? We need to learn from the past if we're going to avoid it again in the future. Diolch.
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Ni allwn wahanu heddiw oddi wrth hanes. Mae'n rhaid inni gydnabod rhywfaint o'r camweinyddiadau cyfiawnder ofnadwy y mae cymunedau sydd mor agos i'r Senedd hon wedi eu hwynebu. Yr wythnos o'r blaen, wrth sôn am farwolaeth drist Tony Paris, nodais fod ei ferch eisiau enwi stryd ar ei ôl yn ei annwyl Butetown. Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i gefnogi ymgyrch i gofio am y camweinyddiadau cyfiawnder y mae'r cymunedau hynny wedi eu hwynebu dan law'r system gyfiawnder yma yng Nghymru—Tony Paris, Pump Caerdydd, y tri a gafodd eu cyhuddo ar gam o lofruddio gwerthwr papurau newydd yng Nghaerdydd, Mahmood Mattan, ymhlith eraill? Mae angen inni ddysgu o'r gorffennol os ydym am ei osgoi eto yn y dyfodol. Diolch.
Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. I have to say that there is much that's being done that is not just in my portfolio, but certainly in Dawn Bowden's portfolio as well in terms of heritage, culture, art and sport. I don't know whether you were able to visit the Reframing Picton exhibition that was at the national museum, and, on Saturday, I opened a launch event of Black History 365. It was important it was in a museum, but also the Windrush exhibition that was held. We do need to not only honour those with black, Asian, minority ethnic heritage and their contribution, but also recognise these issues in terms of mishandling of justice.
Diolch yn fawr, Rhys ab Owen. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod yna lawer sy'n cael ei wneud, nid yn unig yn fy mhortffolio i, ond yn sicr ym mhortffolio Dawn Bowden hefyd yng nghyd-destun treftadaeth, diwylliant, celf a chwaraeon. Nid wyf yn gwybod a lwyddoch chi i ymweld ag arddangosfa Ailfframio Picton yn yr amgueddfa genedlaethol, a ddydd Sadwrn, agorais ddigwyddiad lansio Hanes Pobl Dduon 365. Roedd yn bwysig ei fod yn cael ei gynnal mewn amgueddfa, yn ogystal â'r arddangosfa Windrush a oedd yn cael ei chynnal. Mae angen inni anrhydeddu'r rhai sydd â threftadaeth ddu, Asiaidd, lleiafrifol ethnig a'u cyfraniad, a chydnabod y materion hyn yng ngoleuni camweinyddu cyfiawnder hefyd.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a Gweinidog y Cyfansoddiad, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Carolyn Thomas.
The next item is questions to the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, and the first question is from Carolyn Thomas.
1. Pa sgyrsiau diweddar y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'u cael gyda swyddogion eraill y gyfraith ynglŷn â datganoli cyfiawnder? OQ58479
1. What recent conversations has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the devolution of justice? OQ58479
Thank you for your question. I have an introductory meeting with the new Attorney-General soon, and I also hope to meet the Lord Chancellor and Ministry of Justice ministerial team in due course. I will, of course, be making the case for devolution of justice during these discussions.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Mae gennyf gyfarfod rhagarweiniol gyda'r Twrnai Cyffredinol newydd yn fuan, ac rwyf hefyd yn gobeithio cyfarfod â thîm gweinidogol yr Arglwydd Ganghellor a'r Weinyddiaeth Gyfiawnder maes o law. Wrth gwrs, byddaf yn gwneud yr achos dros ddatganoli cyfiawnder yn ystod y trafodaethau hyn.
Thank you for your answer. I have recently been contacted by a constituent who, sadly, lost her son and is now part of a group seeking coroners to be held accountable to a public body. Should justice be devolved to the Senedd? I believe it should. What considerations have you given to this issue? Thank you.
Diolch am eich ateb. Yn ddiweddar cysylltodd etholwr â mi a oedd, yn anffodus, wedi colli ei mab ac sydd bellach yn rhan o grŵp sy'n ymgyrchu dros wneud crwneriaid yn atebol i gorff cyhoeddus. A ddylai cyfiawnder gael ei ddatganoli i Senedd Cymru? Rwy'n credu y dylai. Pa ystyriaethau a roddwyd gennych i'r mater hwn? Diolch.
Thank you for that supplementary question. The issue of coroners' courts is an important one, and it's one that I think I've raised in this Chamber several times, but it was also considered in the Thomas commission and is also referred to in 'Delivering Justice for Wales'. Can I say, first of all, in terms of your constituent—and I know as someone who represented many people in coroners' courts over the years—that my heart goes out? I know the impact of such tragedies on people, on families, which stay with them for all of their lives. I suppose the starting point, in terms of accountability, is, of course, as with all processes—and, of course, the coroner's court is a court of record, so it has a rather unusual but historic origin—the importance of independence and separation from Government, so, obviously not about accountability to us as a Senedd or to public bodies, but rather its role within the judicial system.
Bearing in mind also that coroners' courts, the coroners, are, effectively, fully funded within Wales—they're funded by the local authorities; they are publicly funded in that particular way—and I think there is a natural role for those to be within a devolved justice system in their own right, and that is a case I've made and it's a case that I will continue to put. I think it has an unanswerable case for that in its own right, and bearing in mind the particular purpose of the coroners' courts as well.
Diolch am y cwestiwn atodol hwnnw. Mae mater llysoedd crwneriaid yn un pwysig, ac mae'n un a godwyd gennyf yn y Siambr hon sawl gwaith, ond hefyd fe gafodd ei ystyried yng nghomisiwn Thomas ac fe gyfeirir ato hefyd yng 'Sicrhau Cyfiawnder i Gymru'. A gaf fi ddweud, yn gyntaf oll, o ran eich etholwr—ac rwy'n gwybod fel rhywun sydd wedi cynrychioli llawer o bobl mewn llysoedd crwneriaid dros y blynyddoedd—fy mod yn cydymdeimlo'n fawr? Rwy'n gwybod beth yw effaith trychinebau o'r fath ar bobl, ar deuluoedd, trychinebau sy'n aros gyda hwy drwy gydol eu hoes. Rwy'n tybio mai'r man cychwyn, o ran atebolrwydd, fel gyda phob proses—ac wrth gwrs, llys cofnodi yw llys y crwner, felly mae iddo darddiad eithaf anarferol ond hanesyddol—pwysigrwydd annibyniaeth a gwahanu oddi wrth y Llywodraeth, felly, yn amlwg nid yw'n ymwneud ag atebolrwydd i ni fel Senedd nac i gyrff cyhoeddus, ond yn hytrach ei rôl o fewn y system farnwrol.
Gan gofio hefyd fod llysoedd crwneriaid, y crwneriaid, i bob pwrpas, yn cael eu hariannu'n llawn yng Nghymru—cânt eu hariannu gan yr awdurdodau lleol; cânt eu hariannu'n gyhoeddus yn y ffordd benodol honno—ac rwy'n credu bod rôl naturiol i'r rheini fod o fewn system gyfiawnder ddatganoledig yn eu rhinwedd eu hunain, ac mae honno'n ddadl yr wyf wedi ei gwneud ac mae'n ddadl y byddaf yn parhau i'w gwneud. Rwy'n credu bod ganddo achos diymwad dros hynny yn ei hawl ei hun, o gofio pwrpas penodol llysoedd crwneriaid hefyd.
2. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'u cael gyda'r Weinyddiaeth Gyfiawnder yn dilyn ymddiswyddiad Comisiynydd Dioddefwyr Lloegr a Chymru? OQ58476
2. What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Ministry of Justice following the resignation of the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales? OQ58476
Thank you for the question. Victims policy remains the responsibility of the UK Government. As a Government, we are committed to improving outcomes for victims in Wales. We believe that every victim should be treated with dignity and respect, and with access to the services that they need.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Mae polisi dioddefwyr yn parhau'n gyfrifoldeb i Lywodraeth y DU. Fel Llywodraeth, rydym wedi ymrwymo i wella canlyniadau i ddioddefwyr yng Nghymru. Rydym yn credu y dylai pob dioddefwr gael ei drin ag urddas a pharch, a chael mynediad at y gwasanaethau sydd eu hangen arnynt.
As you well know, many of the services that victims require are actually devolved to Wales and, at the end of June, when I asked the Prif Weinidog whether he was satisfied with the current system, he said that the
'system has so far served us well.'
Well, in the resignation letter of last week by Dame Vera Baird, she complained about a lack of engagement from the very top in the Ministry of Justice. She complained about the priorities of the Westminster Government. She went on to say:
'It is no exaggeration to say that the criminal justice system is in chaos.'
Does the Welsh Government still believe that victims here in Wales are well served by having a victims' commissioner that is answerable and accountable to a Whitehall that doesn't listen?
Fel y gwyddoch yn iawn, mae llawer o'r gwasanaethau y mae dioddefwyr eu hangen wedi eu datganoli i Gymru a phan ofynnais i'r Prif Weinidog ddiwedd mis Mehefin a oedd yn fodlon gyda'r system bresennol, dywedodd fod y system
'wedi ein gwasanaethu'n dda hyd yma.'
Wel, yn llythyr ymddiswyddiad y Fonesig Vera Baird yr wythnos diwethaf, roedd hi'n cwyno am ddiffyg ymgysylltiad o'r brig yn y Weinyddiaeth Gyfiawnder. Cwynodd am flaenoriaethau Llywodraeth San Steffan. Aeth ymlaen i ddweud:
'Nid wyf yn gor-ddweud pan ddywedaf fod y system cyfiawnder troseddol mewn anhrefn.'
A yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn dal i gredu bod dioddefwyr yma yng Nghymru yn cael eu gwasanaethu'n dda drwy gael comisiynydd dioddefwyr sy'n atebol i Whitehall nad yw'n gwrando?
Thank you for the question. I'm aware of the letter that the victims' commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, recently sent. Can I just mention just a couple of points? I think the first one is, in terms of my colleague, the Minister for Social Justice, I know that she had met with Dame Vera Baird on a number of occasions to talk about the issues relating to victims, and also with other bodies. I think what is the case is, in the devolved areas, I think there is an enormous amount of very positive and constructive work that goes on within our devolved responsibilities for victims and for the support of victims, and the work that we do we try to do in actual partnership.
But can I just say that the letter from Dame Vera Baird does raise a number of very serious issues? And I think they really relate to those reserved areas of justice that relate to victims where I think it is clear that there has been failure, and increasing failure. There had been promises, in terms of a victims Bill, which may have positive elements to it, but it's very, very early days on that; I think it is in draft form at the moment, but due to be tabled in the not too distant future. We'll obviously look at that very, very closely. So, we will continue with those areas where we have devolved input, and there are many areas. Many of the functions are reserved, but, of course, the consequences come within devolved capacities, and those are the ones that I know the Minister for Social Justice and others have been working very, very closely on. But it is worth listening to what she said. She did say that the victims Bill remains inadequate; she also referred to the British bill of rights, which has been stayed—it has been delayed, not taken away; and she raised serious concerns about the logjams in the justice system.
But, in particular, what she actually does say is that she considers that at the UK Government level there has been a downgrading of focus on the issue of victims. She says that
'the criminal justice system is in chaos.'
The downgrading of victims’ interests in governmental priorities, along with the sidelining of the victims’ commissioner, are particular areas of critique, and those are areas that we would want to see addressed—areas that we'd want to see addressed differently in a devolved justice system.
In terms of where we go from here, we will, of course, work and liaise with the UK Government in respect of the victims Bill. We will particularly focus on those areas that are not reserved and what the impact might be on those. We remain, as a Government, really committed to improving outcomes for victims and to the full exercise of our devolved responsibilities, but also to greater responsibility in terms of support for victims.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rwy'n ymwybodol o'r llythyr a anfonodd y comisiynydd dioddefwyr, y Fonesig Vera Baird, yn ddiweddar. A gaf fi nodi ambell bwynt? Rwy'n credu mai'r cyntaf, ynghylch fy nghyd-Aelod, y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, yw fy mod yn gwybod ei bod wedi cyfarfod â'r Fonesig Vera Baird ar sawl achlysur i siarad am faterion yn ymwneud â dioddefwyr, a hefyd gyda chyrff eraill. Rwy'n credu bod llawer iawn o waith cadarnhaol ac adeiladol iawn yn digwydd o fewn ein cyfrifoldebau datganoledig i ddioddefwyr ac i gefnogi dioddefwyr, ac rydym yn ceisio gwneud y gwaith a wnawn mewn partneriaeth go iawn.
Ond a gaf fi ddweud bod y llythyr gan y Fonesig Vera Baird yn codi nifer o faterion difrifol iawn? Ac rwy'n credu eu bod yn ymwneud â meysydd cyfiawnder a gedwir yn ôl sy'n ymwneud â dioddefwyr lle rwy'n credu ei bod yn glir fod methiant wedi bod, a methiant cynyddol hefyd. Cafwyd addewidion mewn perthynas â Bil dioddefwyr, a allai fod ag elfennau cadarnhaol iddo, ond mae'n ddyddiau cynnar iawn ar hynny; rwy'n credu ei fod ar ffurf drafft ar hyn o bryd, ond disgwylir y bydd yn cael ei gyflwyno heb fod yn rhy hir. Fe fyddwn yn amlwg yn edrych ar hynny'n agos iawn. Felly, byddwn yn parhau gyda'r meysydd lle mae gennym fewnbwn datganoledig, ac mae yna sawl maes. Cedwir llawer o'r swyddogaethau yn ôl, ond wrth gwrs, daw'r canlyniadau o fewn galluoedd datganoledig, ac rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ac eraill wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos iawn ar y rheini. Ond mae'n werth gwrando ar yr hyn a ddywedodd. Fe ddywedodd fod y Bil dioddefwyr yn parhau i fod yn annigonol; cyfeiriodd hefyd at fil hawliau Prydain, sydd wedi ei oedi—mae wedi'i ohirio, nid yw wedi cael ei ddiddymu; ac fe gododd bryderon difrifol am y tagfeydd yn y system gyfiawnder.
Ond yn fwyaf arbennig, yr hyn y mae'n ei ddweud mewn gwirionedd yw ei bod hi o'r farn fod yna lai o ffocws wedi bod ar fater dioddefwyr ar lefel Llywodraeth y DU. Mae'n dweud bod y
'system gyfiawnder troseddol mewn anhrefn.'
Mae israddio buddiannau dioddefwyr mewn blaenoriaethau llywodraethol, ynghyd â diystyru'r comisiynydd dioddefwyr, yn bethau sy'n haeddu beirniadaeth benodol, ac mae'r rheini'n feysydd y byddem eisiau eu gweld yn cael sylw—meysydd y byddem eisiau eu gweld yn cael sylw mewn ffordd wahanol mewn system gyfiawnder ddatganoledig.
O ran y camau nesaf, byddwn yn gweithio ac yn cysylltu â Llywodraeth y DU mewn perthynas â'r Bil dioddefwyr wrth gwrs. Byddwn yn canolbwyntio'n benodol ar y meysydd hynny nad ydynt wedi'u cadw'n ôl a beth y gallai'r effaith fod ar y rheini. Rydym yn parhau i fod wedi ymrwymo, fel Llywodraeth, i wella canlyniadau i ddioddefwyr ac i arfer ein cyfrifoldebau datganoledig yn llawn, ond hefyd i geisio mwy o gyfrifoldeb mewn perthynas â chefnogaeth i ddioddefwyr.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Darren Millar
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Conservative spokesperson, Darren Millar.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Will the Minister make a statement on the evaluation undertaken by the Electoral Commission into advance voter pilots in Wales?
Diolch. A wnaiff y Gweinidog wneud datganiad ar y gwerthusiad a gynhaliwyd gan y Comisiwn Etholiadol i gynlluniau treialu pleidleisio cynnar yng Nghymru?
Thank you for the question. I have already, actually, made a statement on that—a written statement has been issued. It was a statement that, I think, had quite a number of positives, because it showed that many of the technical issues and problems that would emerge from a digitised electoral system can be overcome and that they can be administered, and those lessons we will learn, I think, when we consider, as we develop the policy in respect of our own electoral reform, legislation. Just to say, on several occasions I've met with the Electoral Commission. We have discussed the report. I have met the new chair of the Electoral Commission as well to discuss that, and the outcome of those discussions, I think, has been very positive.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rwyf eisoes wedi gwneud datganiad ar hynny—mae datganiad ysgrifenedig wedi cael ei gyhoeddi. Credaf ei fod yn ddatganiad a oedd yn cynnwys cryn dipyn o bethau cadarnhaol, oherwydd roedd yn dangos bod modd goresgyn llawer o'r materion technegol a'r problemau a fyddai'n deillio o system etholiadol wedi'i digideiddio a bod modd eu gweinyddu, a chredaf y byddwn yn dysgu'r gwersi hynny pan fyddwn yn ystyried y ddeddfwriaeth wrth inni ddatblygu'r polisi mewn perthynas â'n gwaith diwygio etholiadol ein hunain. Hoffwn ddweud fy mod wedi cyfarfod â'r Comisiwn Etholiadol ar sawl achlysur. Rydym wedi trafod yr adroddiad. Rwyf wedi cyfarfod â chadeirydd newydd y Comisiwn Etholiadol yn ogystal i drafod hynny, ac mae canlyniad y trafodaethau hynny wedi bod yn gadarnhaol iawn yn fy marn i.
Thank you for that response. I notice that you didn't refer to the actual impact on voter turnout, of course, which was the whole primary reason for having these advance voter pilots take place in the local authorities where they did. The Electoral Commission report makes it absolutely clear that the voter turnout in each of the four local authorities—Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly and Torfaen—actually went down; there was no increase whatsoever. It didn't only just go down in line with the national average; it actually went down further than the national average in those local authority elections, which took place across Wales. Do you accept, therefore, that the best way to promote advance voting is, actually, through the existing system that we already have, which is postal votes—that we don't actually need these other so-called innovations, which you believe were necessary?
Diolch am yr ymateb hwnnw. Rwy'n sylwi na wnaethoch gyfeirio at yr effaith ar nifer y pleidleiswyr, wrth gwrs, sef y rheswm pennaf dros gynnal y cynlluniau treialu pleidleisio cynnar yn yr awdurdodau lleol dan sylw. Mae adroddiad y Comisiwn Etholiadol yn ei gwneud yn gwbl glir bod nifer y pleidleiswyr ym mhob un o'r pedwar awdurdod lleol—Blaenau Gwent, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, Caerffili a Thorfaen—wedi gostwng mewn gwirionedd; nid oedd unrhyw gynnydd o gwbl. Nid yn unig y mae wedi gostwng yn unol â'r cyfartaledd cenedlaethol; mae wedi gostwng yn is mewn gwirionedd na'r cyfartaledd cenedlaethol yn yr etholiadau awdurdodau lleol hynny a gynhaliwyd ledled Cymru. A ydych yn derbyn, felly, mai'r ffordd orau o hyrwyddo pleidleisio cynnar yw drwy'r system bresennol sydd gennym eisoes, sef pleidleisiau post—ac nad oes arnom angen y datblygiadau eraill honedig arloesol hyn y credwch fod eu hangen?
No I don't, and I think your premise is, actually, wrong, because the primary reason was not to suddenly show some significant turnaround in voter turnout, because there have been other, similar pilots around the country from time to time that have also been exploring technological options and so on. You do not change the culture of elections and people's perceptions—not without a massive publicity campaign and not without a whole series of educational processes in something that would be an across-the-board change to the electoral system.
These were pilots, and they were very technical pilots and they were pilots that had a very significant focus on (1) putting the legislation in place to enable them to take place; secondly, in terms of the technology and the challenges with regard to the electoral register and so on. The fact of the matter is, and it's shown in the report of the Electoral Commission, that those were very productive and very positive. For me, that was the main experience; there was no indication, in my view, that this was somehow going to result in some massive turnabout. There are important lessons to be learned, and those will feed into the policy discussions and work that is going on at the moment with regard to the reform of our electoral system.
Na, nid wyf yn derbyn hynny, ac rwy'n credu bod eich cynsail yn anghywir mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd nid dangos cynnydd sylweddol yn y nifer a bleidleisiodd oedd y prif reswm dros wneud hyn, oherwydd mae treialon eraill tebyg wedi bod o amgylch y wlad sydd hefyd wedi bod yn archwilio opsiynau technolegol ac yn y blaen. Nid ydych yn newid diwylliant etholiadau a chanfyddiadau pobl—nid heb ymgyrch gyhoeddusrwydd enfawr ac nid heb gyfres gyfan o brosesau addysgol mewn rhywbeth a fyddai'n sbarduno newid cyffredinol yn y system etholiadol.
Treialon oedd y rhain, ac roeddent yn dreialon technegol iawn ac roeddent yn dreialon a oedd â ffocws sylweddol iawn ar (1) rhoi'r ddeddfwriaeth ar waith i'w galluogi i ddigwydd; yn ail, o ran y dechnoleg a'r heriau mewn perthynas â'r gofrestr etholiadol ac yn y blaen. Y gwir amdani, ac mae'n cael ei ddangos yn adroddiad y Comisiwn Etholiadol, yw eu bod yn gynhyrchiol iawn ac yn gadarnhaol iawn. I mi, dyna oedd y prif brofiad; ni chafwyd unrhyw arwydd, yn fy marn i, fod hyn am arwain at gynnydd enfawr yn y nifer sy'n pleidleisio. Mae gwersi pwysig i'w dysgu, a bydd y rheini'n bwydo i mewn i'r trafodaethau polisi a'r gwaith sy'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd ar ddiwygio ein system etholiadol.
The advance voter pilots, Minister, no matter how much gloss you try to put on this, were an unmitigated disaster. They cost over £1.5 million, and the cost of each voter, effectively, if you divide the number of voters who took the opportunity to vote in advance, through the new system that you piloted, was £845 per vote. I think that most people in Wales will think that that is frankly a huge waste of money and that you should therefore abandon any of the sorts of approaches to advance voting that you piloted earlier in the year. Given the excessive costs, the waste to the taxpayers' purse and the fact that it did not deliver the increased turnout that you set out when you made a statement about these advance voter pilots that you were looking for, don’t you accept again that the best way to promote advance voter turnout is through the postal vote system?
Weinidog, roedd y treialon pleidleisio cynnar, ni waeth faint o sglein y ceisiwch ei roi ar hyn, yn drychineb llwyr. Roeddent yn costio dros £1.5 miliwn, ac roedd cost pob pleidleisiwr, i bob pwrpas, os rhannwch nifer y pleidleiswyr a fanteisiodd ar y cyfle i bleidleisio ymlaen llaw, drwy'r system newydd a dreialwyd gennych, yn £845 y bleidlais. Rwy'n credu y bydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl Cymru'n meddwl bod hyn yn wastraff arian enfawr a dweud y gwir ac y dylech gefnu felly ar unrhyw ffyrdd o bleidleisio ymlaen llaw a dreialwyd gennych yn gynharach yn y flwyddyn. O ystyried y costau gormodol, y gwastraff i bwrs y trethdalwr a'r ffaith na wnaeth gyflawni'r cynnydd y gwnaethoch ei nodi ac yr oeddech yn edrych amdano yn nifer y pleidleiswyr pan wnaethoch ddatganiad am y treialon pleidleisio cynnar hyn, onid ydych yn derbyn eto mai'r ffordd orau o gynyddu nifer y pleidleiswyr cynnar yw drwy'r system pleidlais bost?
I think the postal vote system is certainly one system in a whole variety of ways. One of the advantages to digitisation of the electoral register and having different voting systems is of course that it makes voting more accessible. It makes it more accessible to those who have a particular disability—there are far more options there—and it is far more inclusive. And don't forget, at the same time as the pilots were being carried out, of course, there were normal voting systems—traditional voting systems—taking place as well.
I don’t accept your premise. It is the typical sort of Tory response to pilots that are aimed at modernising the electoral system, creating a twenty-first century robust, accessible and modern electoral system. It seems to me that the Conservative approach is to know the price of everything, but the value of absolutely nothing.
Our reform will continue. There will be further debates in this Chamber. You will have the opportunity at that stage to question and to query. But I tell you one thing we will not do: we will not seek to go down the road that the UK Government is going with its elections Bill, which has been to introduce mechanisms that are aimed at actually restricting people from voting, changing voting systems to make them more advantageous to the Conservative Party, as you did with the mayoralties. This is purely about us, taking, I believe, a leading role—an exemplar role—in modernising our electoral system and using technology to make sure that every opportunity is there for those who want to vote and to encourage participation in the voting system.
Rwy'n credu bod y system bleidleisio drwy'r post yn sicr yn un system mewn amrywiaeth o ffyrdd. Un o'r manteision i ddigideiddio'r gofrestr etholiadol a chael systemau pleidleisio gwahanol yw ei fod yn gwneud pleidleisio'n fwy hygyrch wrth gwrs. Mae'n ei wneud yn fwy hygyrch i'r rhai sydd ag anabledd penodol—mae llawer mwy o opsiynau yno—ac mae'n llawer mwy cynhwysol. A pheidiwch ag anghofio, ar yr un pryd ag y câi'r cynlluniau peilot eu cyflawni, wrth gwrs, roedd systemau pleidleisio arferol—systemau pleidleisio traddodiadol—yn digwydd hefyd.
Nid wyf yn derbyn eich cynsail. Dyma ymateb Torïaidd nodweddiadol i gynlluniau peilot sydd â'r nod o foderneiddio'r system etholiadol, gan greu system etholiadol gadarn, hygyrch a modern i'r unfed ganrif ar hugain. Mae'n ymddangos imi mai agwedd y Ceidwadwyr yw gwybod pris popeth, ond gwerth dim byd o gwbl.
Bydd ein diwygio'n parhau. Bydd dadleuon pellach yn y Siambr hon. Fe gewch gyfle bryd hynny i gwestiynu ac i holi. Ond rwyf am ddweud un peth na fyddwn yn ei wneud: ni fyddwn yn dilyn y llwybr y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn ei ddilyn gyda'i Bil etholiadau, sef cyflwyno mecanweithiau sydd â'r nod o gyfyngu ar bobl rhag pleidleisio, gan newid systemau pleidleisio i'w gwneud yn fwy manteisiol i'r Blaid Geidwadol, fel y gwnaethoch gyda'r maeryddiaethau. Mae hyn yn ymwneud â ni'n mabwysiadu rôl flaenllaw yn fy marn i—rôl enghreifftiol—drwy foderneiddio ein system etholiadol a defnyddio technoleg i wneud yn siŵr fod pob cyfle yno i'r rhai sydd am bleidleisio ac annog pobl i gymryd rhan yn y system bleidleisio.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Rhys ab Owen.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Rhys ab Owen.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. On 5 July, the First Minister said that the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill would be used as a practical example with the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. It was for that reason that the Stage 1 process was bypassed. On Monday, in front of the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, the Minister for Climate Change said that it has now been expedited for us to catch up with England and Scotland, and that it wasn't going to be used as a practical example with the UK internal market Act. When I asked her when this reasoning changed, she suggested that I ask you, and now I have an opportunity to ask you, Cwnsler Cyffredinol. So, who is correct: the First Minister, back in July, or the environment Minister on Monday?
Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Ar 5 Gorffennaf, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog y byddai Bil Diogelu'r Amgylchedd (Cynhyrchion Plastig Untro) (Cymru) yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel enghraifft ymarferol gyda Deddf Marchnad Fewnol y Deyrnas Unedig 2020. Am y rheswm hwnnw y cafodd proses Cyfnod 1 ei hosgoi. Ddydd Llun, o flaen y Pwyllgor Deddfwriaeth, Cyfiawnder a'r Cyfansoddiad, dywedodd y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd ei fod wedi ei gyflymu yn awr er mwyn inni ddal i fyny gyda Lloegr a'r Alban, ac nad oedd yn mynd i gael ei ddefnyddio fel enghraifft ymarferol gyda Deddf marchnad fewnol y DU. Pan ofynnais iddi pa bryd y newidiwyd y rhesymeg, awgrymodd fy mod yn gofyn i chi, ac yn awr, rwy'n cael cyfle i ofyn ichi, Gwnsler Cyffredinol. Felly, pwy sy'n gywir: y Prif Weinidog, yn ôl ym mis Gorffennaf, neu Weinidog yr amgylchedd ddydd Llun?
Well, thank you for the question. I’m glad you’ve had the opportunity to ask it, and the simple answer is: they’re both correct, because there are two aspects to this. One, of course, is that we want to expedite for all the reasons that have been outlined in terms of the importance of the single-use plastics Bill, getting that through, and of course in terms of the timescale within the World Trade Organization time limit that’s been set. So, all those things exist and are perfectly valid.
But there is also a very valid role that I’m still keeping under very close consideration in respect of our challenge to the internal market Act. One of the difficulties I have in terms of making a very clear position and a very clear decision as to precisely what steps we will take is that my option to refer doesn’t arise until the legislation has actually been passed. There may be the issue to consider as to whether, in fact, UK Government would choose to refer this. There may also be the alternative in fact that, within perhaps the not-too-distant future, there’ll be a change of Government and we’ll have the abolition of the internal market Act, which would save us an awful lot of trouble and inconvenience.
So, I suppose really what I’m saying is that all those options are there and the reasons for the expedition are there, but they are twofold. It’s just that, in terms of the precise step forward that we take once the legislation is passed, it is a matter for me to consider at that time and I will of course make a statement at that stage.
Wel, diolch am y cwestiwn. Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi cael cyfle i'w ofyn, a'r ateb syml yw: mae'r ddau ohonynt yn gywir, oherwydd ceir dwy agwedd ar hyn. Un, wrth gwrs, yw ein bod am gyflymu oherwydd yr holl resymau sydd wedi'u hamlinellu ynghylch pwysigrwydd y Bil plastigion untro, cael hwnnw drwodd, ac wrth gwrs o ran yr amserlen sydd wedi'i gosod o fewn terfyn amser Sefydliad Masnach y Byd. Felly, mae'r holl bethau hynny'n bodoli ac yn berffaith ddilys.
Ond ceir rôl ddilys iawn yr wyf yn ei hystyried yn fanwl iawn o ran ein her i Ddeddf y farchnad fewnol. Un o'r anawsterau sydd gennyf ynghylch gosod safbwynt clir iawn a gwneud penderfyniad clir iawn ynglŷn â pha gamau'n union y byddwn yn eu cymryd yw nad yw fy opsiwn i gyfeirio'n codi hyd nes bod y ddeddfwriaeth wedi'i phasio. Mae'n bosibl y bydd mater i'w ystyried ynglŷn ag a fyddai Llywodraeth y DU yn dewis cyfeirio hyn mewn gwirionedd. Hefyd, efallai y bydd sefyllfa wahanol mewn gwirionedd, ac yn y dyfodol heb fod yn rhy bell o bosibl, y bydd newid Llywodraeth ac y gwelwn Ddeddf y farchnad fewnol yn cael ei diddymu, a fyddai'n arbed llawer iawn o drafferth ac anghyfleustra inni.
Felly, mae'n debyg mai'r hyn rwy'n ei ddweud yw bod yr holl opsiynau hynny yno ac mae'r rhesymau am y cyflymu yno, ond maent yn ddeublyg. O ran yr union gam ymlaen a gymerwn pan fydd y ddeddfwriaeth wedi'i phasio, mae'n fater i mi ei ystyried bryd hynny ac fe fyddaf yn gwneud datganiad ar y cam hwnnw wrth gwrs.
I'm very pleased to hear that answer, Cwnsler Cyffredinol, because that wasn't the impression given at the committee on Monday. I'm sure you'd agree with me there'll always be some policy importance for any legislation—we wouldn't pass any legislation in this place unless it was important. So, reasons could be used to bypass Stage 1, or whatever stage, at any point. But scrutiny is very important, and the removal of the Stage 1 process in this Bill will lead to less stakeholder engagement. The increased use of legislative consent motions in this place leads to less scrutiny. The behaviour of the Westminster Government, and the lack of inter-governmental relations, has also led to a lack of scrutiny. Now, it's correct that Welsh Bills, Bills affecting Welsh people, should be properly scrutinised here. We have seen time and time again knee-jerk legislation, legislation rushed through in Westminster, which is poor law. Less scrutiny leads to poor law. Do you agree with me, do you share with me the concern about a lack of scrutiny of Welsh law, law that affects Welsh people? And if you do share my concern, what are you going to do to address it?
Rwy'n falch iawn o glywed yr ateb hwnnw, Gwnsler Cyffredinol, oherwydd nid dyna'r argraff a roddwyd yn y pwyllgor ddydd Llun. Rwy'n siŵr y byddech yn cytuno â mi y bydd rhywfaint o bwysigrwydd polisi bob amser i unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth—ni fyddem yn pasio unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth yn y lle hwn oni bai ei bod yn bwysig. Felly, gellid defnyddio rhesymau i osgoi Cyfnod 1, neu ba gyfnod bynnag, ar unrhyw adeg. Ond mae craffu'n bwysig iawn, a bydd cael gwared â'r broses Cyfnod 1 yn y Bil hwn yn arwain at lai o ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid. Mae'r defnydd cynyddol o gynigion cydsyniad deddfwriaethol yn y lle hwn yn arwain at lai o graffu. Mae ymddygiad Llywodraeth San Steffan, a'r diffyg cysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol, hefyd wedi arwain at ddiffyg craffu. Nawr, mae'n gywir y dylid craffu'n iawn ar Filiau Cymru, a Biliau sy'n effeithio ar bobl Cymru, yma. Rydym wedi gweld deddfwriaeth ddifeddwl dro ar ôl tro, deddfwriaeth sy'n cael ei rhuthro drwodd yn San Steffan, sy'n gyfraith wael. Mae llai o graffu yn arwain at gyfraith wael. A ydych yn cytuno â mi, a ydych yn rhannu'r un pryder â mi ynglŷn â diffyg craffu ar gyfraith Cymru, cyfraith sy'n effeithio ar bobl Cymru? Ac os ydych yn rhannu fy mhryder, beth a wnewch i fynd i'r afael â hyn?
Well, listen, I have said many times, and you've heard me say it as well, about the importance of scrutiny, the importance of the role of your committee, which I think does an incredibly important job in terms of the scrutiny of legislation. You heard me also comment on the constitutional anomalies and dysfunctions that exist in our constitutional relationship with the UK Government, in terms of their legislative programme and the impact that has, and the way in which legislation through the legislative consent process can often bypass, and does in fact bypass, what would be proper scrutiny of legislation. So, we're aware of those particular dysfunctions that exist.
Can I just say, if I firstly just go back to the single-use plastics Bill, that I read the transcript of the evidence given? I don't disagree with anything that is set there. I think the difficulty others have, of course, is that, ultimately, the decision on whether to refer the tactical and strategic issues that are around that, of course, will be within my domain, but don't really materialise in full until I've seen the final version of the Bill, and also until it has come to me for that consideration with regard to whether I exercise, or not, my powers to actually refer it.
And of course, irrespective of all of that at the moment, our position remains completely clear that we do not believe the internal market Act overrides our own devolved powers and responsibilities. We had hoped much, much earlier that that would have been clarified and that the Supreme Court would have taken the option, or the opportunity, to clarify that. It hasn't rejected our arguments; it just basically has said that it needs to consider them when it has a practical example for them. When that practical example comes, we need to be ready to actually do that and to deliver that. But that will be a consideration I'll make in due course, once the legislation has been passed. And I will, of course, make sure that there is a proper statement and debate in this Chamber.
Wel, gwrandewch, rwyf wedi dweud sawl gwaith, ac rydych wedi fy nghlywed yn ei ddweud hefyd, am bwysigrwydd craffu, pwysigrwydd rôl eich pwyllgor, sydd, yn fy marn i, yn gwneud gwaith anhygoel o bwysig yn craffu ar ddeddfwriaeth. Fe wnaethoch fy nghlywed hefyd yn gwneud sylwadau ar yr anghysonderau a'r camweithrediadau cyfansoddiadol sy'n bodoli yn ein perthynas gyfansoddiadol â Llywodraeth y DU, mewn perthynas â'u rhaglen ddeddfwriaethol a'r effaith y mae honno'n ei chael, a'r ffordd y gall deddfwriaeth drwy broses y cydsyniad deddfwriaethol osgoi yn aml, ac mae yn osgoi mewn gwirionedd, yr hyn a fyddai'n graffu priodol ar ddeddfwriaeth. Felly, rydym yn ymwybodol o'r camweithrediadau penodol hynny sy'n bodoli.
A gaf fi ddweud, os caf gyfeirio'n ôl yn gyntaf at y Bil plastigion untro, fy mod wedi darllen trawsgrifiad o'r dystiolaeth a roddwyd? Nid wyf yn anghytuno ag unrhyw beth sy'n cael ei nodi yno. Rwy'n credu mai'r anhawster i eraill, wrth gwrs, yw y bydd y penderfyniad ynglŷn ag a ddylid cyfeirio'r materion tactegol a strategol ynghylch hynny yn y pen draw yn gyfrifoldeb i mi, ond na fydd yn cael ei wireddu'n llawn hyd nes i mi weld fersiwn derfynol y Bil, a hefyd hyd nes iddo ddod ataf ar gyfer yr ystyriaeth honno i weld a fyddaf yn arfer fy mhwerau i'w gyfeirio ai peidio.
Ac wrth gwrs, ar wahân i hynny oll ar hyn o bryd, mae ein safbwynt yn parhau i fod yn gwbl glir nad ydym yn credu bod Deddf y farchnad fewnol yn drech na'n pwerau a'n cyfrifoldebau datganoledig ein hunain. Roeddem wedi gobeithio'n llawer iawn cynt y byddai hynny wedi cael ei egluro ac y byddai'r Goruchaf Lys wedi manteisio ar yr opsiwn, neu'r cyfle, i egluro hynny. Nid yw wedi gwrthod ein dadleuon; yn y bôn, mae wedi dweud bod angen iddo eu hystyried pan fydd ganddo enghraifft ymarferol iddynt. Pan ddaw'r enghraifft ymarferol honno, mae angen inni fod yn barod i wneud hynny ac i gyflawni hynny. Ond bydd honno'n ystyriaeth y byddaf yn ei gwneud maes o law, pan fydd y ddeddfwriaeth wedi'i phasio. Ac wrth gwrs, byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr fod datganiad a dadl briodol yn y Siambr hon.
3. Pa asesiad y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i wneud o'r effaith ar Gymru a gaiff Bil Cyfraith yr UE a Ddargedwir (Dirymu a Diwygio) a gyflwynwyd yn ddiweddar? OQ58486
3. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the impact on Wales of the recently introduced Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill? OQ58486
4. Pa asesiad y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i wneud o oblygiadau i Gymru o'r Bil Cyfraith yr UE a Ddargedwir (Dirymu a Diwygio)? OQ58493
4. What assessment has the Counsel General made of the implications for Wales of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill? OQ58493
Thank you for your question. A full copy of the Bill, including new policy content on the sunsetting of retained EU law, was only shared with Welsh Government officials less than 24 hours before its introduction on 22 September. We are giving the Bill due consideration to understand the impact on Wales.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Cafodd copi llawn o'r Bil, yn ogystal â chynnwys polisi newydd ar fachlud cyfraith yr UE a ddargedwir, ei rannu gyda swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru lai na 24 awr cyn ei gyflwyno ar 22 Medi. Rydym yn rhoi ystyriaeth briodol i'r Bil er mwyn deall yr effaith ar Gymru.
I take it that that was said in the positive vein, and that you are actually going to be very positive about bringing more law here that we can all look at. Because as the Counsel General will know, Wales, along with the majority of the British people, voted unreservedly to leave the European Union—I nearly said 'onion' then—and to remove ourselves from the unelected and dysfunctional bureaucracy in Brussels. [Interruption.] The purpose of the Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill is to begin to decide, of course, which parts of former EU law should be retained, and which should expire, in conjunction with the devolved administrations, as outlined by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This legislation was never intended to remain on the statute book permanently. Yet, I do feel that there seems to be some thought by you, Counsel General, that retaining laws introduced by an unelected bureaucracy in a foreign country is indeed preferable to having those laws reviewed by a democratically elected UK Government, of which—[Interruption.]
Rwy'n cymryd bod hynny wedi cael ei ddweud mewn modd cadarnhaol, a'ch bod yn mynd i fod yn gadarnhaol iawn ynghylch cyflwyno mwy o gyfraith yma y gallwn i gyd edrych arni. Oherwydd fel y bydd y Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn gwybod, pleidleisiodd Cymru, ynghyd â mwyafrif pobl Prydain, yn ddiamod o blaid gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd a dros dynnu ein hunain o'r fiwrocratiaeth anetholedig a chamweithredol ym Mrwsel. [Torri ar draws.] Pwrpas Bil Cyfraith yr UE a Ddargedwir (Diwygio a Dirymu) yw dechrau penderfynu, wrth gwrs, pa rannau o hen gyfraith yr UE y dylid eu cadw, a pha rannau a ddylai ddod i ben, ar y cyd â'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig, fel yr amlinellwyd gan yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol. Ni fwriadwyd erioed i'r ddeddfwriaeth hon aros ar y llyfr statud yn barhaol. Eto i gyd, rwy'n teimlo eich bod chi, Gwnsler Cyffredinol, yn rhyw feddwl bod cadw deddfau a gyflwynwyd gan fiwrocratiaeth anetholedig mewn gwlad dramor yn well yn wir na chael y deddfau hynny wedi eu hadolygu gan Lywodraeth y DU a etholwyd yn ddemocrataidd, y mae—[Torri ar draws.]
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
You need to ask—. The Member needs to ask the question, and Members need to allow her to ask the question.
Mae angen ichi ofyn—. Mae angen i'r Aelod ofyn y cwestiwn, ac mae angen i Aelodau ganiatáu iddi ofyn y cwestiwn.
Thank you. Of which, whether you like it or not, Wales—
Diolch. Y mae Cymru, hoffi neu beidio, yn—
But you do need to ask the question, Janet.
Ond mae angen gofyn y cwestiwn, Janet.
—Wales remains a very integral part. Can you confirm why there is this negativity? Diolch.
—y mae Cymru'n parhau i fod yn rhan annatod iawn ohoni. A wnewch chi gadarnhau pam y ceir yr agwedd negyddol hon? Diolch.
Well, can I start by saying that I suppose it's very clear that the Member hasn't read the legislation, otherwise she might have more concerns about the way in which it is proceeding?
The first part of it is to say that I had meetings with Mr Rees-Mogg before the change in Prime Minister, and I've had a recent meeting as well, specifically to discuss the Bill. The issues that I think concern us, first of all, are that what has now appeared—and it appears to be the result of a very unfortunate and ill-thought-out comment that was made during the Prime Ministerial leadership election—is that, suddenly, we would get rid of all this stuff by the end of December 2023, without any real consideration of what the implications of that were. So, that is something that is a major concern because there are 2,400 of these. We could be sitting non-stop, every hour, every second, every minute of the day for the next five years and we would not properly be able to consider 2,400 items of legislation.
Secondly, it does not deal also with the issue of devolved legislation. And, also, what it does not do is actually delineate what the aspects are of those 2,400. All we actually have is a schedule listing all those items. So, firstly, there is an enormous amount of work, which Scotland has also raised, I think, and we have raised, that actually has the potential to derail the whole legislative processes of the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and indeed the UK Government. So, it's most unfortunate that it is being presented in that particular way. Nevertheless, we will be looking at that to address how we might be able to deal with it. We have to do that.
The second thing is that there is some provision for an extension of the sunset in certain areas. At the moment, that is only with the UK Government. So, we have made a number of very important points. Firstly, in respect of the power to extend, it should be one that Welsh Ministers should also have. We've also said that the power to assimilate, restate and revoke, clearly, will be something for Welsh Ministers as well. The ability to actually intervene in any legal proceedings where there's the issue of the status of EU law should also be with Welsh Ministers, both in respect of devolved legislation, but also UK legislation that has an impact on devolved responsibilities.
So, I suppose the other point as well is that, of course, we have an approach that is one where we actually want to know what the implications would be of point-blank revocation in terms of standards in so many areas. And the difficulty is, at this stage, that it is impossible to evaluate what all of those are.
So, having had the meeting with the Minister on 28 September, I've sought assurances. I can say that the meeting was very positive. I think there were very positive commitments that were expressed in respect of this not overturning any devolved powers or responsibilities; that we would be in a position to retain the legislation that we wished to retain; that any changes to legislation in devolved areas will remain with us. Now, as we know with the UK Government, I take that in the spirit in which it has been offered, and we'll wait to see what that means in detail.
But, whatever happens, what it does not do is get us away from the fact that this has an enormous cost in terms of legal resources. It'll have a financial cost, an enormous financial cost, and an enormous legal resource cost as well. We will certainly need to look at whether there are areas whereby—[Interruption.]
Wel, os caf ddechrau drwy ddweud ei bod yn amlwg iawn nad yw'r Aelod wedi darllen y ddeddfwriaeth, neu fel arall, efallai y byddai ganddi fwy o bryderon ynghylch y ffordd y mae'n mynd rhagddi?
Yn gyntaf, rwyf wedi cael cyfarfodydd gyda Mr Rees-Mogg cyn i'r Prif Weinidog newid, ac rwyf wedi cael cyfarfod diweddar hefyd, yn benodol i drafod y Bil. Y materion y credaf eu bod yn ymwneud â ni, yn gyntaf oll, yw bod yr hyn sydd bellach wedi ymddangos—ac mae'n ymddangos bod hynny'n ganlyniad i sylw anffodus ac annoeth iawn a wnaed yn ystod etholiad arweinyddiaeth y Prif Weinidog—sef, yn sydyn, y byddem yn cael gwared â'r holl bethau hyn erbyn diwedd mis Rhagfyr 2023, heb unrhyw ystyriaeth wirioneddol o beth oedd goblygiadau hynny. Felly, mae hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n bryder mawr, gan fod 2,400 o'r rhain. Gallem fod yn cyfarfod yn ddi-baid, bob awr, bob eiliad, bob munud o'r dydd am y pum mlynedd nesaf ac ni fyddem yn gallu ystyried 2,400 eitem o ddeddfwriaeth yn briodol.
Yn ail, nid yw'n ymwneud ychwaith â mater deddfwriaeth ddatganoledig. A'r hyn nad yw'n ei wneud hefyd yw amlinellu beth yw'r agweddau ar y 2,400 hynny. Y cyfan sydd gennym yw amserlen sy'n rhestru'r holl eitemau hynny. Felly, yn gyntaf, ac mae'r Alban hefyd wedi'i godi, rwy'n credu, ac rydym ni wedi'i godi, ceir llawer iawn o waith a allai amharu ar holl brosesau deddfwriaethol Llywodraeth yr Alban, Llywodraeth Cymru, a Llywodraeth y DU yn wir. Felly, mae'n anffodus iawn ei fod yn cael ei gyflwyno yn y ffordd benodol honno. Serch hynny, byddwn yn edrych ar sut y gallem fynd i'r afael â hynny. Mae'n rhaid inni wneud hynny.
Yr ail beth yw bod rhywfaint o ddarpariaeth ar gyfer ymestyn y machlud mewn rhai meysydd. Ar hyn o bryd, dim ond Llywodraeth y DU sydd â'r gallu i wneud hynny. Felly, rydym wedi gwneud nifer o bwyntiau pwysig iawn. Yn gyntaf, ynghylch y pŵer i ymestyn, dylai fod yn un sydd gan Weinidogion Cymru hefyd. Rydym hefyd wedi dweud y bydd y pŵer i gymhathu, ailddatgan a dirymu yn amlwg yn rhywbeth ar gyfer Gweinidogion Cymru hefyd. Dylai Gweinidogion Cymru hefyd fod â'r gallu i ymyrryd mewn unrhyw achos cyfreithiol lle mae mater statws cyfraith yr UE yn codi, a hynny o ran deddfwriaeth ddatganoledig, ond hefyd deddfwriaeth y DU sy'n effeithio ar gyfrifoldebau datganoledig.
Felly, mae'n debyg mai'r pwynt arall hefyd wrth gwrs yw bod gennym agwedd lle rydym am wybod beth fyddai'r goblygiadau o ddirymu uniongyrchol o ran safonau mewn cymaint o feysydd. A'r anhawster, ar hyn o bryd, yw ei bod yn amhosibl gwerthuso beth yw pob un o'r rheini.
Felly, ar ôl cael y cyfarfod gyda'r Gweinidog ar 28 Medi, rwyf wedi gofyn am sicrwydd. Gallaf ddweud bod y cyfarfod yn gadarnhaol iawn. Rwy'n credu bod ymrwymiadau cadarnhaol iawn wedi'u mynegi na fydd hyn yn gwrthdroi unrhyw bwerau na chyfrifoldebau datganoledig; y byddem mewn sefyllfa i gadw'r ddeddfwriaeth y dymunem ei chadw; y byddai unrhyw newidiadau i ddeddfwriaeth mewn meysydd datganoledig yn aros gyda ni. Nawr, fel y gwyddom gyda Llywodraeth y DU, rwy'n derbyn hynny yn yr ysbryd y cafodd ei gynnig, ac fe arhoswn i weld beth y mae hynny'n ei olygu mewn manylder.
Ond beth bynnag sy'n digwydd, ni allwn osgoi'r ffaith bod cost enfawr i hyn mewn adnoddau cyfreithiol. Bydd iddo gost ariannol, cost ariannol enfawr, a chost enfawr mewn adnoddau cyfreithiol hefyd. Yn sicr, bydd angen inni edrych a oes meysydd lle bydd—[Torri ar draws.]
I apologise.
Mae'n ddrwg gennyf.
I thought it was a timely fire alarm.
So, there are very significant implications. With respect to the Member, I just want to say this: what you mustn't do is underestimate the actual impact, the actual challenge, the actual demand that this has. I think there are serious concerns across all the Governments and nations of the UK, in the various departments, even in the UK Government, as to how on earth this can actually be delivered within the timescale that is being suggested. Beware of promises that are made at haste and then repented at leisure.
My approach will be to ensure that, firstly, the promises that have been made in respect of devolved responsibilities are upheld. We will do everything we can to protect the standards that we consider are important within Wales, and this will be a matter that I will, obviously, be making further statements on in due course. Of course, it will engage very much the legislative consent process and also create an enormous amount of work for the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee.
Roeddwn yn meddwl mai larwm tân amserol ydoedd.
Felly, mae goblygiadau sylweddol iawn. Hoffwn ddweud hyn wrth yr Aelod: ni ddylech danbrisio'r wir effaith, y wir her, y gwir alw sydd ynghlwm wrth hyn. Rwy'n credu bod pryderon difrifol ar draws holl Lywodraethau a gwledydd y DU, yn y gwahanol adrannau, hyd yn oed yn Llywodraeth y DU, ynglŷn â sut ar y ddaear y gellir cyflawni hyn o fewn yr amserlen sy'n cael ei hawgrymu. Gochelwch rhag addewidion a wnaed ar frys cyn eu difaru am amser maith.
Yr hyn a wnaf i fydd sicrhau, yn gyntaf, fod yr addewidion sydd wedi'u gwneud mewn perthynas â chyfrifoldebau datganoledig yn cael eu cadw. Fe wnawn bopeth yn ein gallu i warchod y safonau yr ydym yn eu hystyried yn bwysig yng Nghymru, a bydd hwn yn fater y byddaf yn amlwg yn gwneud datganiadau pellach yn ei gylch maes o law. Wrth gwrs, bydd yn cysylltu'n fawr â phroses y cydsyniad deddfwriaethol a hefyd yn creu llawer iawn o waith i'r Pwyllgor Deddfwriaeth, Cyfiawnder a'r Cyfansoddiad.
That reminds us all that we need to check our phones are off or on silent before we enter the Chamber. [Laughter.] Huw Irranca-Davies.
Mae hynny'n ein hatgoffa i gyd fod angen inni wneud yn siŵr fod ein ffonau wedi'u diffodd neu wedi'u distewi cyn inni ddod i mewn i'r Siambr. [Chwerthin.] Huw Irranca-Davies.
Indeed, Dirprwy Lywydd. I don't know whose phone that was that went off, but clearly the Llywydd is going to have a word with them, I'm sure.
Dirprwy Lywydd, can I just check, is this grouped?
Yn wir, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Nid wyf yn gwybod ffôn pwy wnaeth ganu yn y fan honno, ond yn amlwg, bydd y Llywydd yn cael gair â hwy, rwy'n siŵr.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, a gaf fi ofyn, a yw hwn wedi'i grwpio?
It is, thank you very much. Counsel General, the assurance you've given following the meeting you've recently had gives some quiet assurance to us that the UK Government is minded to tread very carefully on devolved competences in this area, but I know you've previously said that this Bill, if we get it wrong, could give UK Ministers unfettered authority to legislate in devolved areas, so it shows the criticality of getting that right and having real respect both up and down the M4 corridor.
So, my query is this, Counsel General: you've just mentioned the workload—we like heavy workloads on our committee—with 2,400 pieces of legislation. We don't know which of those yet actually do trespass on devolved areas and which are within reserved competence. We're going to have to deal with them by the end of next year. Have you got any suggestions how we work that into our programme of work on top of everything else we're doing?
Ydy, diolch yn fawr. Gwnsler Cyffredinol, mae'r sicrwydd a roddwyd gennych yn dilyn y cyfarfod a gawsoch yn ddiweddar yn rhoi rhywfaint o sicrwydd tawel inni fod Llywodraeth y DU yn mynd i droedio'n ofalus iawn o gwmpas cymwyseddau datganoledig yn y maes hwn, ond rwy'n gwybod eich bod wedi dweud yn flaenorol y gallai'r Bil hwn, os ydym yn ei gael yn anghywir, roi awdurdod dilyffethair i Weinidogion y DU ddeddfu mewn meysydd datganoledig, felly mae'n dangos pa mor hanfodol bwysig yw cael hynny'n iawn a chael parch gwirioneddol i fyny ac i lawr coridor yr M4.
Felly, fy nghwestiwn yw hwn, Gwnsler Cyffredinol: rydych newydd sôn am y llwyth gwaith—rydym yn hoffi llwythi gwaith trwm ar ein pwyllgor—gyda 2,400 darn o ddeddfwriaeth. Nid ydym yn gwybod eto pa rai o'r rheini sy'n tresbasu ar feysydd datganoledig a pha rai sydd o fewn cymhwysedd a gadwyd yn ôl. Rydym yn mynd i orfod mynd i'r afael â hwy erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn nesaf. A oes gennych unrhyw awgrymiadau ynglŷn â sut y mae cynnwys hynny yn ein rhaglen waith ar ben popeth arall a wnawn?
Can I perhaps start with the opening of your question, which is your statement that your committee enjoys heavy workloads, because that is something that will be emerging? It is a serious issue and I think we need to give it some very careful thought. We are giving careful thought to whether there are ways in which we can restate, for example, en bloc, legislation and then give us more time that way to do it.
The initial point that I raised, firstly, is that, obviously, we need to have the proper powers. There should be no intrusion into devolved powers. I've been given those assurances. Now, obviously, the devil is always in the detail in legislation, but it is a body of work that could be similar in scale to, and probably even larger than, that we had for the retained EU law in preparation for leaving the European Union. For that, you'll recall Welsh Government made over 75 correcting statutory instruments and consented to over 230 UK Government statutory instruments. Part of the difficulty is that we don't really know, and it is an enormous task just to evaluate those 2,400. The other thing is, of course, the point I've made, and that is the detrimental impact it may have on really important legislation that we are taking through this particular Chamber—Government Bills and also individual Member's Bills as well.
Secondly, the other aspect is that, of course, one of the dangers of a wholesale revocation of legislation is you don't know what the unintended consequences are. Many pieces of legislation have all sorts of interdependencies, and we have to make sure we do our best to try and understand that, but the resource of doing that is basically resource that would be taken away from other areas. There were issues on deregulation. I was given an assurance that although this creates restrictions in terms of issues relating to regulatory burdens, which, I have to say, are defined in a very loose and equivocal way, it does does not actually prevent us from protecting through enforcement and through regulation those areas that we think are important when it comes to maintaining standards.
So, it's an ongoing piece of work. There will be a lot of considerations for your committee. The assurance that I give you is that, of course, I will do everything I can to work as closely as possible with the committee on this process as we go along, and we'll know more in due course.
A gaf fi ddechrau gydag agoriad eich cwestiwn efallai, sef eich datganiad fod eich pwyllgor yn mwynhau llwythi gwaith trwm, oherwydd mae hynny'n rhywbeth a fydd yn dod i'r amlwg? Mae'n fater difrifol ac rwy'n credu bod angen inni feddwl yn ofalus iawn amdano. Rydym yn rhoi ystyriaeth ofalus i weld a oes ffyrdd y gallwn ailddatgan deddfwriaeth en bloc, er enghraifft, a rhoi mwy o amser inni i'w wneud yn y ffordd honno.
Y pwynt cychwynnol a godais, yn gyntaf, yw bod angen inni gael y pwerau priodol, yn amlwg. Ni ddylai fod unrhyw ymyrraeth ar bwerau datganoledig. Rwyf wedi cael y sicrwydd hwnnw. Nawr, yn amlwg, yn y manylion y mae'r cymhlethdodau'n codi mewn deddfwriaeth, ond mae'n gorff o waith a allai fod yn debyg o ran maint i'r hyn a oedd gennym gyda chyfraith yr UE a ddargedwir wrth baratoi ar gyfer gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, a hyd yn oed yn fwy na hynny, mae'n debyg. Ar gyfer hynny, fe gofiwch fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud dros 75 o offerynnau statudol cywirol ac wedi cydsynio i dros 230 o offerynnau statudol Llywodraeth y DU. Rhan o'r anhawster yw nad ydym yn gwybod mewn gwirionedd, ac mae gwerthuso'r 2,400 eitem yn dasg enfawr ynddi'i hun. Y peth arall, wrth gwrs, yw'r pwynt a wneuthum am yr effaith niweidiol bosibl y gallai ei chael ar ddeddfwriaeth wirioneddol bwysig yr ydym yn ei hystyried yn y Siambr hon—Biliau'r Llywodraeth a hefyd Biliau Aelodau unigol hefyd.
Yn ail, yr agwedd arall, wrth gwrs, yw mai un o beryglon dirymu deddfwriaeth yn llwyr yw nad ydych yn gwybod beth yw'r canlyniadau anfwriadol. Mae gan lawer o ddarnau o ddeddfwriaeth bob math o ryngddibyniaethau, ac mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud ein gorau i geisio deall hynny, ond yn y bôn mae'r adnodd i wneud hynny'n adnodd a fyddai'n cael ei dynnu o feysydd eraill. Roedd materion yn codi ynghylch dadreoleiddio. Er bod hyn yn creu cyfyngiadau mewn perthynas â materion yn ymwneud â beichiau rheoleiddiol, sydd, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, yn cael eu diffinio mewn ffordd lac ac amwys iawn, cefais sicrwydd nad yw'n ein hatal rhag diogelu drwy orfodaeth a thrwy reoleiddio'r meysydd hynny y credwn eu bod yn bwysig ar gyfer cynnal safonau.
Felly, mae'n waith sy'n parhau. Bydd llawer o ystyriaethau i'ch pwyllgor. Y sicrwydd a roddaf i chi yw y byddaf, wrth gwrs, yn gwneud popeth yn fy ngallu i weithio mor agos â phosibl gyda'r pwyllgor ar y broses hon wrth inni fynd ymlaen, a byddwn yn gwybod mwy maes o law.
5. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Weinidogion Cymru ynghylch eu gallu i warchod hawliau undebau llafur? OQ58497
5. What legal advice has the Counsel General given to Welsh Ministers regarding their ability to protect trade union rights? OQ58497
Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiwn. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i weithio mewn partneriaeth gymdeithasol gydag undebau llafur. Byddwn ni'n parhau i wneud popeth y gallwn ni i gefnogi'r gwaith pwysig y mae undebau llafur yn ei wneud ar ran eu haelodau.
Thank you for the question. The Welsh Government is committed to working in social partnership with our trade union colleagues. We will continue to do all that we can to support the important work that trade unions undertake on behalf of their members.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Cwnsler am yr ymateb yna. Yn ei hymgyrch ar gyfer arweinyddiaeth y Blaid Geidwadol, fe ddywedodd y Prif Weinidog presennol y byddai hi'n dwyn rheolau llym i fewn ar undebau llafur, gan ymestyn y cyfnod notice, er enghraifft, ar gyfer gweithredu diwydiannol i 28 diwrnod a chynyddu'r rhicyn sydd angen ei gyrraedd er mwyn cael gweithredu diwydiannol er mwyn iddo fo gael mandad—rhicyn, gyda llaw, sydd lawer yn uwch na'r mandad mae hi wedi'i gael o fewn ei phlaid ei hun. Mae'n amlwg nad oes ganddi unrhyw ddealltwriaeth o amgylchiadau ac amodau nifer o bobl yn y gweithlu heddiw—edrychwch ar Amazon, y Post Brenhinol, gweithlu'r trenau, bargyfreithwyr a rŵan y nyrsys yma yng Nghymru yn sôn am weithredu diwydiannol. Ydy'r Gweinidog yn cytuno ei bod hi'n amser datganoli cyfraith cyflogaeth i Gymru neu, yn well byth, i gael annibyniaeth?
I thank the Counsel General for that response. In her campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party, the current Prime Minister said that she would bring strict rules in for trade unions, extending the notice period for industrial action to 28 days and increasing the threshold that needs to be reached to have industrial action so that it has a mandate—a far higher one than the mandate that she has within her own party. It's clear that she has no understanding of the circumstances and conditions of many of those within the workforce today—look at Amazon, the Royal Mail, the train workforce, barristers and now nurses here in Wales suggesting that they will take industrial action. Does the Minister agree that it's time to devolve employment law to Wales or, even better, to have independence for Wales?
Thank you very much for the question, and you covered a number of areas that we have discussed and debated in this Chamber on many occasions. Would I like to see employment law devolved? I think employment law is moving to a situation where more and more of it needs to be devolved. The struggle we have had in terms of how we actually legislate in terms of those economic areas, trade union areas, and so on, has always been one where we've had to tread very, very carefully. The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill, of course, creates what I think is very innovative legislation. I think it is very important in that we would become the first part of the UK to create a statutory framework, a legal framework for partnership between trade unions, Government and business. And I think the partnership arrangements that we have had and developed over the years are an example of why our relationship with organised labour has been so much more effective, and why, in fact, we've avoided strikes within Wales that have occurred in the UK.
Can I also say that this is a response, obviously, to a number of industrial actions that are taking place at the moment, all of which have been obtained with scales of voting that go way above any of those barriers? So, the question is: what is it really about? It's about the UK Government, which, again, is seeking ways to denude and disempower trade unions, and what has become clear during the COVID period and earlier is, of course, the important role that trade unions have played in maintaining standards and conditions of working people. I think it also has a very significant role in terms of the democracy we talk about, and the role of law that we talk about within our society and that we want to have as a standard within Wales. You want to look around the world at any dictatorship. You can judge the quality of democracy, I believe, in any country by the extent of freedom that its trade unions have—the ability of people to organise and stand up to government. Sometimes, that means organisations taking actions that cause inconvenience to others, but it's a fundamental precept of democracy. And I think any move in terms of this particular direction would be anti-democratic. It would be an increasing move, as we have seen with the Tory Government, towards authoritarianism, and I think it's something that we would want to resist at every opportunity possible.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am y cwestiwn, ac fe wnaethoch chi ymdrin â nifer o feysydd yr ydym wedi eu trafod a dadlau yn eu cylch yn y Siambr hon droeon. A fyddwn i'n hoffi gweld cyfraith cyflogaeth yn cael ei datganoli? Rwy'n credu bod cyfraith cyflogaeth yn symud i sefyllfa lle mae angen datganoli mwy a mwy ohoni. Mae'r frwydr a gawsom ynglŷn â sut yr awn ati i ddeddfu yn y meysydd economaidd hynny, meysydd undebau llafur ac yn y blaen, bob amser wedi bod yn un lle'r ydym wedi gorfod troedio'n ofalus iawn. Mae'r Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru), wrth gwrs, yn creu deddfwriaeth arloesol iawn yn fy marn i. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn yn yr ystyr mai ni fyddai rhan gyntaf y DU i greu fframwaith statudol, fframwaith cyfreithiol ar gyfer partneriaeth rhwng undebau llafur, Llywodraeth a busnes. Ac rwy'n credu bod y trefniadau partneriaeth a fu gennym ac a ddatblygwyd gennym dros y blynyddoedd yn enghraifft o'r rheswm pam fod ein perthynas ag undebau llafur wedi bod gymaint yn fwy effeithiol, a pham ein bod ni, mewn gwirionedd, wedi osgoi streiciau yng Nghymru fel sydd wedi digwydd mewn rhannau eraill o'r DU.
A gaf fi ddweud hefyd fod hyn yn amlwg yn ymateb i nifer o achosion o weithredu diwydiannol sy'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd, a phob un wedi'i gael drwy raddfeydd o bleidleisio sy'n mynd ymhell y tu hwnt i unrhyw un o'r rhwystrau hynny? Felly, y cwestiwn yw: ymwneud â beth y mae hyn mewn gwirionedd? Mae'n ymwneud â Llywodraeth y DU, sydd unwaith eto'n ceisio ffyrdd o ddinoethi ac analluogi undebau llafur, a'r hyn a ddaeth yn amlwg yn ystod cyfnod COVID ac yn gynharach wrth gwrs yw'r rôl bwysig y mae undebau llafur wedi'i chwarae yn cynnal safonau ac amodau gweithwyr. Rwy'n meddwl bod ganddynt rôl sylweddol iawn hefyd yn y ddemocratiaeth y siaradwn amdani, a rôl y gyfraith y siaradwn amdani yn ein cymdeithas a'n bod eisiau cael hynny'n safonol yng Nghymru. Edrychwch o gwmpas y byd ar unrhyw unbennaeth. Gallwch farnu ansawdd democratiaeth mewn unrhyw wlad yn ôl maint y rhyddid sydd gan ei hundebau llafur—gallu pobl i drefnu a herio llywodraeth. Weithiau, mae hynny'n golygu bod sefydliadau'n gweithredu mewn modd sy'n achosi anghyfleustra i eraill, ond mae'n braesept sylfaenol mewn democratiaeth. Ac rwy'n credu y byddai unrhyw newid i'r cyfeiriad hwn yn wrth-ddemocrataidd. Byddai'n gam cynyddol, fel y gwelsom gyda'r Llywodraeth Dorïaidd, tuag at awdurdodyddiaeth, ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn rhywbeth y byddem am ei wrthsefyll bob cyfle posibl.
6. A wnaiff y Cwnsler Cyffredinol roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ymdrechion Llywodraeth Cymru i leihau gwahaniaethu ar sail hil o fewn y system gyfiawnder? OQ58495
6. Will the Counsel General provide an update on the Welsh Government’s efforts to reduce racial discrimination within the justice system? OQ58495
Thank you very much for your question. We have worked with the criminal justice board for Wales partners to develop the criminal justice anti-racist plan for Wales, which was published in September. This document sets out seven commitments to realise an anti-racist criminal justice system, complementing our 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan'.
Diolch yn fawr am eich cwestiwn. Rydym wedi gweithio gyda phartneriaid bwrdd cyfiawnder troseddol Cymru i ddatblygu'r cynllun gwrth-hiliaeth cyfiawnder troseddol i Gymru, a gafodd ei gyhoeddi ym mis Medi. Mae'r ddogfen hon yn nodi saith ymrwymiad i wireddu system cyfiawnder troseddol wrth-hiliol, sy'n ategu ein 'Cynllun Gweithredu Cymru Wrth-hiliol'.
Diolch am hwnna, Gweinidog. Mae data diweddar gan Ganolfan Llywodraethiant Cymru yn paentio darlun pryderus o hiliaeth o fewn y system gyfiawnder. Gan nad oedd y wybodaeth yma ar gael yn gyhoeddus, fe wnaethon nhw gasglu hyn trwy geisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth. Fe wnaethon nhw ddarganfod bod pobl ddu a hil gymysg fwy na phedair gwaith yn fwy tebygol o gael eu harestio na phobl wyn, ac mae hwnna’n ddwywaith fwy tebygol na’r ffigwr cyfatebol yn Lloegr. Rwy’n ymwybodol, fel rŷch chi wedi dweud, fod y Llywodraeth yn y broses o ddatblygu'r 'Cynllun Gweithredu Cymru Wrth-hiliol' ac mae’r Llywodraeth, rwy’n gwybod, wedi ymrwymo i fynd i’r afael â hiliaeth systemig. Hoffwn ofyn i chi: ydych chi’n credu bod angen casglu a chyhoeddi data ar y pwnc hwn mewn ffordd systematig er mwyn sicrhau ein bod ni’n deall maint y broblem? Hefyd, pa gamau y bydd y Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i leihau’r broblem? Ac, yn olaf, ydych chi’n credu y byddai’n haws delio gyda’r broblem pe bai'r heddlu a’r system gyfiawnder wedi’u datganoli?
Thank you for that, Minister. Recent data from the Wales Governance Centre paints an extremely worrying picture of racism within the justice system. As this information was not publicly available, they gathered it through freedom of information requests. They found that black and mixed race people are more than four times more likely to be arrested than white people, which is twice as likely as the corresponding figure in England. I’m aware, as you’ve said, that the Government is in the process of developing its 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan', and the Government, I know, is committed to tackling systemic racism. I’d like to ask you: do you believe there is a need to collect and publish data on this subject in a systematic way in order to ensure that we understand the scale of the problem? Also, what steps can the Government take to reduce the problem? Finally, do you believe that it would be easier to deal with the problem if the justice system and policing were devolved?
Thank you for the question. You raise a number of issues that I know are under very serious consideration and, I know, the Minister for Social Justice has been looking at and addressing and working on for a long period of time. The first thing you raised was in terms of data. Well, of course data has been something that has been a massive concern to us—the disaggregation of data, being able to obtain data within Wales with regard to the criminal justice system, to enable us to assess the sort of policy that's needed. You need that database, and so on. Now, that is recognised by many within the justice system, and, of course, I accept that it is not necessarily that easy to suddenly start converting systems to do it. It has started, and there is, of course, a dashboard of information that the Minister for Social Justice has been very engaged in and responsible for delivering, which is giving us much better information.
But the very examples that the Member raised are precisely the reasons why the criminal justice anti-racist plan for Wales was developed, and which the Minister for Social Justice published on 8 September, because this strengthens our commitment—the commitment from devolved and from non-devolved partners to tackle racism in all its forms. I know the Minister for Social Justice will be continuing that particular work. I’m also reassured that an independent oversight and advisory panel has been established and will feed in individual lived experience and provide advice. I think the crux of it now that we actually have the plan is the evaluation of that plan, how it works, what it actually delivers, and the question that’s been asked today is one that I hope will be a question that continues to reappear as we begin to assess the challenges that are faced within not just the criminal justice system, but the justice system overall in terms of the representation and the balance and presentation of the justice system, all of which are things about the diversity of our justice system overall.
In terms of the devolution of justice, well, it’s precisely because of reasons like that, all those devolved responsibilities, that our case has been put together in ‘Delivering Justice for Wales’. The devolution of justice is actually such an important and natural step, because it integrates the delivery of justice with all those devolved social policies and areas that actually can make the delivery of justice better and more effective. Ultimately, that is what it is about.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rydych yn codi nifer o faterion y gwn eu bod yn cael ystyriaeth ddifrifol iawn ac rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi bod yn edrych arnynt ac yn rhoi sylw iddynt ac yn gweithio arnynt ers amser hir. Roedd y peth cyntaf a godwyd gennych yn ymwneud â data. Wel, wrth gwrs, mae data wedi bod yn rhywbeth sydd wedi bod yn bryder enfawr inni—dadgyfuno data, dod o hyd i ddata yng Nghymru mewn perthynas â'r system cyfiawnder troseddol, er mwyn ein galluogi i asesu'r math o bolisi sydd ei angen. Mae angen y gronfa ddata honno, ac yn y blaen. Nawr, mae hynny'n cael ei gydnabod gan lawer o fewn y system gyfiawnder, ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n derbyn nad yw o reidrwydd yn hawdd dechrau trosi systemau er mwyn ei wneud. Mae hynny wedi dechrau, ac wrth gwrs, ceir dangosfwrdd o wybodaeth y mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi bod yn ymwneud yn fawr ag ef ac y bu'n gyfrifol am ei gyflawni, sy'n rhoi gwybodaeth lawer gwell inni.
Ond yr union enghreifftiau a gododd yr Aelod yw'r union resymau pam y datblygwyd y cynllun gwrth-hiliol ar gyfer cyfiawnder troseddol yng Nghymru, ac a gyhoeddodd y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ar 8 Medi, oherwydd bod hyn yn cryfhau ein hymrwymiad—yr ymrwymiad gan bartneriaid datganoledig a phartneriaid nad ydynt wedi'u datganoli i fynd i'r afael â hiliaeth o bob math. Rwy'n gwybod y bydd y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn parhau â'r gwaith penodol hwnnw. Rwy'n dawel fy meddwl hefyd fod panel goruchwylio a chynghori annibynnol wedi'i sefydlu a fydd yn bwydo profiadau byw unigolion i mewn ac yn darparu cyngor. Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn sy'n hanfodol yn awr gan fod gennym y cynllun yw gwerthuso'r cynllun hwnnw, sut y mae'n gweithio, yr hyn y mae'n ei gyflawni mewn gwirionedd, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y cwestiwn a ofynnwyd heddiw yn un sy'n parhau i godi wrth inni ddechrau asesu'r heriau a wynebir, nid yn unig o fewn y system cyfiawnder troseddol, ond o fewn y system gyfiawnder yn gyffredinol o ran y gynrychiolaeth a'r cydbwysedd a chyflwyniad y system gyfiawnder, sydd oll yn bethau sy'n ymwneud ag amrywiaeth ein system gyfiawnder yn gyffredinol.
O ran datganoli cyfiawnder, wel, oherwydd rhesymau fel hynny, yr holl gyfrifoldebau datganoledig, y cafodd ein hachos ei roi at ei gilydd yn 'Sicrhau Cyfiawnder i Gymru'. Mae datganoli cyfiawnder yn gam mor bwysig a naturiol, oherwydd mae'n integreiddio'r broses o ddarparu cyfiawnder â'r holl bolisïau a meysydd cymdeithasol datganoledig a all wneud darparu cyfiawnder yn well ac yn fwy effeithiol mewn gwirionedd. Yn y pen draw, dyna yw hanfod hyn.
7. A wnaiff y Cwnsler Cyffredinol ddatganiad ar rôl y Goruchaf Lys wrth weinyddu cyfiawnder yng Nghymru? OQ58498
7. Will the Counsel General make a statement on the role of the Supreme Court in the administration of justice in Wales? OQ58498
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Rwy’n falch o nodi bod Cymru’n cael ei chynrychioli eto yn y Goruchaf Lys, ar ôl i’r Arglwydd Lloyd-Jones gael ei ailbenodi fis diwethaf. Rwy’n parhau i ddweud wrth yr Arglwydd Ganghellor a Gweinidogion cyfiawnder fod angen cynrychioli barnwriaeth Cymru yn ein llys uchaf mewn ffordd ffurfiol, nid damweiniol.
Thank you for the question. I am pleased to note the resumption of Welsh representation on the Supreme Court following the reappointment of Lord Lloyd-Jones last month. I continue to raise the necessity for formal, rather than fortuitous, representation of the Welsh judiciary in our highest court with the Lord Chancellor and justice Ministers.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Cwnsler am yr ymateb. Bydd y Cwnsler yn ymwybodol o'r achos yn y Goruchaf Lys ynghylch cynlluniau datblygu hanesyddol yn Aberdyfi yn Nwyfor Meirionnydd. Rŵan, dwi'n deall mai nifer fach o achosion o Gymru sydd yn cyrraedd y Goruchaf Lys, ac mae rhai o'r achosion yma yn ymwneud â materion sydd wedi'u datganoli, megis cynllunio. Ond, wrth gwrs, gan fod y Goruchaf Lys yn eistedd yn Llundain, mae yna gwestiwn weithiau ynglylch y ddealltwriaeth o faterion wedi'u datganoli. Fel ddaru'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol ddweud, rwyf innau'n croesawu'r penodiad diweddar. Pan oedd Lady Hale yn llywydd y Goruchaf Lys, mi fyddai hi'n sicrhau bod achosion yn ymwneud â'r gwledydd datganoledig yn cael gwrandawiad yn y gwledydd hynny, ond dydy'r arfer yma ddim wedi parhau, ac mae achos Aberdyfi yn cael gwrandawiad yn Llundain. Ydy'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn cytuno gyda fi y dylid sicrhau bod y Goruchaf Lys yn dod i'r gwledydd datganoledig? Pa drafodaethau mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi eu cael i geisio sicrhau hynny?
I thank the Counsel General for that response. The Counsel General will be aware of the case in the Supreme Court on historical development plans in Aberdyfi in Dwyfor Meirionnydd. Now, I understand that only a few cases from Wales reach the Supreme Court, and some of these cases relate to devolved issues, such as planning. But of course, as the Supreme Court sits in London, there is sometimes a question as to the understanding of devolved issues. As the Counsel General said, I welcome the recent appointment. When Lady Hale was president of the Supreme Court, she would ensure that cases relating to devolved nations were heard in those nations, but this practice hasn't continued, and the case of Aberdyfi is to be heard in London. Does the Counsel General agree with me that we should ensure that the Supreme Court comes to the devolved nations? What discussions has the Counsel General had to secure that?
Firstly, thank you for the question. Again, it is an important point. Of course, I met with Baroness Hale very recently—in fact, earlier this week. I do welcome the steps that are being taken in the Supreme Court to bring justice closer to the communities it serves outside London. There was a sitting here, as you say, in July 2019, and I look forward to there being further sittings of the Supreme Court in Wales. The point you raise, though, is a particularly valid one, and that is that where issues that relate to Wales or Welsh law take place, and if they go to the Supreme Court, they should be heard in Wales. That's something I very much support and will encourage. I'm prepared to look at that further with a view to perhaps further representations being made. I have read the reports on that. I certainly do agree that we want the Supreme Court to deal with Welsh matters in Wales. I don't think there is a closed door on that with regard to the Supreme Court. I suspect it may be, as much as anything, something to do with the lawyers that were engaged. But, it should be, as a matter of principle, that the Supreme Court hears where is appropriate, and it would be appropriate in cases, I believe, that involve Welsh law to be heard in Wales. I think that is a requirement for the future.
Yn gyntaf, diolch am y cwestiwn. Unwaith eto, mae'n bwynt pwysig. Wrth gwrs, cyfarfûm â'r Farwnes Hale yn ddiweddar iawn—yn gynharach yr wythnos hon mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n croesawu'r camau sy'n cael eu cymryd yn y Goruchaf Lys i ddod â chyfiawnder yn agosach at y cymunedau y mae'n eu gwasanaethu y tu allan i Lundain. Cynhaliwyd y llys yma, fel y dywedwch, ym mis Gorffennaf 2019, ac edrychaf ymlaen at gynnal rhagor o wrandawiadau'r Goruchaf Lys yng Nghymru. Ond mae'r pwynt a godwch yn un arbennig o ddilys, sef mai dyna lle mae materion sy'n ymwneud â Chymru neu gyfraith Gymreig yn digwydd, ac os ydynt yn mynd i'r Goruchaf Lys, dylent gael eu clywed yng Nghymru. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth rwy'n ei gefnogi'n fawr ac fe fyddaf yn ei annog. Rwy'n barod i edrych ar hynny ymhellach gyda'r bwriad o gyflwyno sylwadau pellach o bosibl. Rwyf wedi darllen yr adroddiadau ar hynny. Rwy'n sicr yn cytuno ein bod ni'n awyddus i'r Goruchaf Lys ymdrin â materion Cymreig yng Nghymru. Nid wyf yn credu bod drws caeedig ar hynny mewn perthynas â'r Goruchaf Lys. Rwy'n tybio y gallai fod yn rhywbeth i'w wneud â'r cyfreithwyr a ddefnyddiwyd lawn cymaint ag unrhyw beth arall. Ond fel mater o egwyddor, lle sy'n briodol, a byddai'n briodol ar gyfer gwrandawiadau sy'n cynnwys cyfraith Gymreig yn fy marn i, dylai'r Goruchaf Lys glywed yr achosion hynny yng Nghymru. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n ofyniad ar gyfer y dyfodol.
8. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'u cael gyda swyddogion eraill y gyfraith ynghylch yr hawl i brotestio? OQ58478
8. What discussions has the Counsel General had with other law officers in respect of the right to protest? OQ58478
Thank you for the question. It is vital that people have the right to have their voices heard and express their concerns freely in a safe and peaceful way. I will continue to impress upon the UK Government that Wales's views must be heard in respect of the importance of the right to protest.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Mae'n hanfodol fod hawl gan bobl i leisio eu barn a mynegi eu pryderon yn rhydd mewn ffordd ddiogel a heddychlon. Byddaf yn parhau i bwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU i sicrhau bod rhaid clywed safbwyntiau Cymru mewn perthynas â phwysigrwydd yr hawl i brotestio.
Thank you for the answer, Counsel General. Following the proclamation of the ascension of King Charles III, a number of arrests of peaceful protesters were made. A barrister was even threatened with arrest for carrying a blank piece of paper. These incidents are significant because they demonstrate the draconian limits the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 now places on our freedoms in the UK. Counsel General, do you agree with me that the right to protest peacefully is a vital part of our democracy? What representations have you made to the UK Government since these arrests? Thank you.
Diolch am yr ateb, Gwnsler Cyffredinol. Yn dilyn cyhoeddi esgyniad y Brenin Siarl III i'r orsedd, cafodd nifer o brotestwyr heddychlon eu harestio. Bygythiwyd bargyfreithiwr hyd yn oed y byddai'n cael ei arestio am gario dalen wag o bapur. Mae'r digwyddiadau hyn yn arwyddocaol oherwydd eu bod yn dangos y terfynau didostur y mae Deddf yr Heddlu, Troseddu, Dedfrydu a'r Llysoedd 2022 bellach yn eu rhoi ar ein rhyddid yn y DU. Gwnsler Cyffredinol, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi fod yr hawl i brotestio'n heddychlon yn rhan hanfodol o'n democratiaeth? Pa sylwadau a wnaethoch i Lywodraeth y DU ers yr arestiadau hyn? Diolch.
Thank you for the question. I saw some of those events; I saw some of the arrests that took place within London that caused me very serious concerns—concerns because at the same time media were standing up and quite rightly condemning the arrest of people standing up in Red Square, standing up in Moscow, in Russian towns, with blank sheets of paper and being arrested. To see that happening on our streets, I think, was most unfortunate.
I think there was an indication of the lack of understanding of a piece of authoritarian legislation that was brought in, which we actually opposed and refused legislative consent for—the police, crime and sentencing legislation. I think it also reflected what I think was confusion and a lack of understanding on behalf of the police officers themselves as to what, actually, their powers were. So, there's an important issue there that needs to be raised, and I will use every opportunity I can to raise it, in terms of the exercise of power, power of the state, which is exercised through the police, but on the basis of the protection of the rights and civil liberties that we all have.
I appreciate the sensitive and considered approach taken by police forces in Wales, because during the recent period of mourning, I'm very aware that they acted with great tact and consideration in order to ensure that the right to protest and free expression was maintained across that period. That was particularly the case during the visit to Wales by the King on Friday 9 September, where the police were able to support a protest site and maintain public safety as part of their approach to the day. So, even at a time of great national sadness, it's still important for people to be able to maintain the right to protest and the right to free expression of their thoughts and beliefs.
Diolch am y cwestiwn. Gwelais rai o'r digwyddiadau hynny; gwelais rai o'r arestiadau a ddigwyddodd yn Llundain gan beri pryder difrifol iawn i mi—pryder oherwydd ar yr un pryd roedd y cyfryngau'n hollol briodol yn condemnio'r modd yr oedd pobl yn cael eu harestio am sefyll yn y Sgwâr Coch, am sefyll ym Moscow, yn nhrefi Rwsia, gyda dalennau gwag o bapur a chael eu harestio. Roedd gweld hynny'n digwydd ar ein strydoedd yn hynod anffodus yn fy marn i.
Rwy'n credu bod yna awgrym o ddiffyg dealltwriaeth o ddeddfwriaeth awdurdodol a gafodd ei chyflwyno, deddf yr oeddem wedi ei gwrthwynebu ac wedi gwrthod cydsyniad deddfwriaethol ar ei chyfer—y ddeddfwriaeth heddlu, troseddu a dedfrydu. Rwy'n credu ei fod hefyd yn adlewyrchu dryswch a diffyg dealltwriaeth ar ran y swyddogion heddlu eu hunain ynglŷn â beth oedd eu pwerau mewn gwirionedd. Felly, mae yna gwestiwn pwysig yno sydd angen ei godi, a byddaf yn defnyddio pob cyfle a allaf i'w godi, ar fater arfer grym, grym y wladwriaeth, a gaiff ei arfer drwy'r heddlu, ond ar sail diogelu'r hawliau a'r hawliau sifil sydd gan bawb ohonom.
Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r dull sensitif ac ystyriol a welwyd gan heddluoedd yng Nghymru, oherwydd yn ystod y cyfnod diweddar o alaru, rwy'n ymwybodol iawn eu bod wedi gweithredu'n ofalus ac yn ystyriol iawn er mwyn sicrhau bod yr hawl i brotestio a rhyddid mynegiant wedi'i gynnal dros y cyfnod hwnnw. Roedd hynny'n arbennig o wir yn ystod ymweliad y Brenin â Chymru ddydd Gwener 9 Medi, lle gallodd yr heddlu gynnal safle protest a chadw'r cyhoedd yn ddiogel fel rhan o'u dull o weithredu ar y diwrnod. Felly, hyd yn oed ar adeg o dristwch cenedlaethol mawr, mae'n dal i fod yn bwysig i bobl allu cadw'r hawl i brotestio a'r hawl i fynegi eu barn a'u credoau'n rhydd.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 9, James Evans.
And finally, question 9, James Evans.
9. Beth oedd y costau i Lywodraeth Cymru a oedd yn deillio o'r her gyfreithiol i Ddeddf Marchnad Fewnol y Deyrnas Unedig 2020? OQ58472
9. What were the costs to the Welsh Government of the legal challenge to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020? OQ58472
Thank you for your question. The Welsh Government took the important step to challenge the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 because it purports to undermine the devolution settlement. The costs incurred by the Welsh Government for doing so are £132,283.67.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Cymerodd Llywodraeth Cymru y cam pwysig i herio Deddf Marchnad Fewnol y Deyrnas Unedig 2020 oherwydd ei bod yn bygwth tanseilio'r setliad datganoli. Y gost i Lywodraeth Cymru am wneud hynny yw £132,283.67.
Thank you, Counsel General—£132,000. A freedom of information request stated that the Welsh Government have spent over £200,000 in court cases against UK Government, which could far better be used supporting the Welsh people. Will the Counsel General put minds at ease and ensure that Labour Ministers won't waste any more money on politically motivated, self-indulgent legal challenges against the UK Government, and focus more of your time and energies on the real problems that Wales faces, with one fifth of the Welsh population on an NHS waiting list?
Diolch, Gwnsler Cyffredinol—£132,000. Nododd cais rhyddid gwybodaeth fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwario dros £200,000 mewn achosion llys yn erbyn Llywodraeth y DU, arian a allai gael ei ddefnyddio'n llawer gwell yn cefnogi pobl Cymru. A wnaiff y Cwnsler Cyffredinol dawelu meddyliau a sicrhau na fydd Gweinidogion Llafur yn gwastraffu rhagor o arian ar heriau cyfreithiol, hunanfoddog, wedi'u cymell yn wleidyddol yn erbyn Llywodraeth y DU, a chanolbwyntio mwy o'ch amser a'ch egni ar y problemau go iawn y mae Cymru'n eu hwynebu, gydag un rhan o bump o boblogaeth Cymru ar un o restrau aros y GIG?
It really does emphasise that old saying of Nye Bevan that the Tory party know the price of everything and the value of nothing, because one of the functions of any parliamentary democracy and any Government is to ensure that it exercises its responsibilities in terms of its obligations and powers. When it becomes necessary for clarification through the court system, which is the only mechanism for doing so, it is important that that is done. The decision to seek that clarity was absolutely right.
One could turn round and say that the millions of pounds it cost to introduce the internal market Act would have been better spent elsewhere, in which case we wouldn't have needed to challenge it. We have still not got the clarity that we want in terms of the actual functioning of the internal market Act or even the proper rationale and reasoning as to why it was introduced, other than as a sort of backdoor attempt to undermine devolution.
The fact of the matter is that the arguments that were raised were perfectly valid ones. They were ones where legal opinion was taken, legal position was properly considered, the constitutional issues were considered, and it would be irresponsible of us to disregard our responsibilities as a Government. I believe that it is a matter that has, probably, majority support in the Senedd.
Mae o ddifri'n cadarnhau'r hen ddywediad gan Nye Bevan fod y blaid Dorïaidd yn gwybod pris popeth a gwerth dim byd, oherwydd un o swyddogaethau unrhyw ddemocratiaeth seneddol ac unrhyw Lywodraeth yw sicrhau ei bod yn arfer ei chyfrifoldebau mewn perthynas â'i rhwymedigaethau a'i phwerau. Pan ddaw'n angenrheidiol i gael eglurhad drwy system y llysoedd, sef yr unig fecanwaith ar gyfer gwneud hynny, mae'n bwysig fod hynny'n cael ei wneud. Roedd y penderfyniad i geisio'r eglurder hwnnw yn gwbl gywir.
Gallai rhywun ddweud y byddai'r miliynau o bunnoedd a gostiodd i gyflwyno'r Ddeddf marchnad fewnol wedi cael eu gwario'n well ar bethau eraill, ac os felly ni fyddem wedi bod angen ei herio. Rydym yn dal i aros am yr eglurder yr ydym ei eisiau ynghylch gweithrediad Deddf y farchnad fewnol neu hyd yn oed y rhesymeg briodol a'r rhesymau dros ei chyflwyno, heblaw fel rhyw fath o ymgais i danseilio datganoli drwy'r drws cefn.
Y gwir amdani yw bod y dadleuon a godwyd yn rhai cwbl ddilys. Roeddent yn rhai lle cafwyd barn gyfreithiol, cafodd y safbwynt cyfreithiol ei ystyried yn briodol, cafodd y materion cyfansoddiadol eu hystyried, a byddai'n anghyfrifol i ni ddiystyru ein cyfrifoldebau fel Llywodraeth. Credaf ei fod yn fater sydd wedi ennyn cefnogaeth y mwyafrif yn y Senedd yn ôl pob tebyg.
Diolch i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol.
I thank the Counsel General.
Eitem 3 y prynhawn yma yw cwestiynau i Gomisiwn y Senedd. Dim ond un heddiw. Rhys ab Owen.
Item 3 this afternoon is questions to the Senedd Commission. There is only one today. Rhys ab Owen.
1. Pa ddigwyddiadau a fydd yn cael eu cynnal ar ystad y Senedd i gyd-fynd â chwpan pêl-droed y byd? OQ58482
1. What events will be held on the Senedd estate to coincide with the football world cup? OQ58482
Fel rhan o'n strategaeth i ddangos bod y Senedd yn ganolog i fywyd cyhoeddus Cymru, rydym yn trafod cynlluniau i ddathlu a chefnogi tîm dynion Cymru yng Nghwpan y Byd FIFA. Rydym wedi bod yn trafod gyda Chymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru a phartneriaid eraill ers i'r tîm sicrhau lle yn y bencampwriaeth, ac rydym yn ystyried nifer o gyfleoedd. Byddwn yn rhannu'r cynlluniau â’r Senedd hon cyn gynted ag y cânt eu cadarnhau.
As part of our strategy to showcase the Senedd at the heart of Welsh public life, we are discussing plans to celebrate the men's football team at the FIFA World Cup. We have been in discussion with the Football Association of Wales and other partners since the team qualified for the tournament, and we are exploring a number of opportunities. We will be sharing the plans with this Senedd as soon as they're confirmed.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Edrychaf ymlaen at glywed hynny. Dwi'n synnu dim eich bod chi wedi bod yn trafod yn barod. Mae hi mor braf onid yw hi? Dwi wrth fy modd yn gweld plant o ganolfan yr Urdd, nifer ohonyn nhw'n ffoaduriaid, yn chwarae criced a gemau eraill yn erbyn wal y Senedd. Mae hi mor hyfryd, wrth gwrs, gweld yr holl ysgolion sy'n ymweld â'r Senedd. Mae hi mor braf bod gyda ni Senedd-dy yng Nghymru sydd mor agored i'r cyhoedd. Dwi yn gobeithio y bydd cwpan y byd yn rhoi cymaint o blatfform i Gymru a'i fod e'n rhoi cymaint o blatfform i'r Senedd hefyd i ddangos i bobl Cymru, unwaith eto, ein bod ni'n agored iddyn nhw. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you, Llywydd. I very much look forward to hearing about that. I'm not surprised that you've already been having discussions. It delights me to see children from the Urdd centre, many of them refugees, playing cricket and other games against the wall of the Senedd. It's so wonderful to see all the schools that visit the Senedd. It is so wonderful that we have a Parliament in Wales that is so open to the public. I do very much hope that the world cup can give Wales such a platform and it can give the Senedd such a platform too, to demonstrate to the people of Wales, once again, that we are open to them. Thank you.
Fel chi, rôn i wrth fy modd haf y llynedd yn gwylio'r plant bach—y ffoaduriaid o Affganistan—yn chwarae pêl-droed yn erbyn waliau y Senedd yma gyda’r nos. Rŷn ni i gyd, wrth gwrs, yn ymhyfrydu yn llwyddiant y tîm dynion ar gyfer cyrraedd cwpan y byd. Rŷn ni yn gobeithio, ar ôl nos yfory, y bydd tîm menywod Cymru hefyd yn cymryd cam pwysig tuag at wireddu eu breuddwyd nhw. Ac rŷn ni fel Senedd yn gefnogol i hynny i gyd. Rŷn ni eisiau gweld llwyddiant i'r tîm cenedlaethol. Rŷn ni eisiau eu bod nhw'n teimlo bod eu Senedd nhw fel chwaraewyr yn eu cefnogi nhw yn llawn, a byddwn ni'n cymryd pob cam y gallwn ni i wneud hynny. Dwi ddim eisiau eu 'distract-o' nhw yn ormodol drwy fynnu eu bod nhw’n dod yma i'r Senedd cyn y bencampwriaeth hynny. Dwi eisiau iddyn nhw ffocysio ar y cae pêl-droed yn benodol. Yn y pen draw, yn dilyn eu llwyddiant nhw, gobeithio y gallwn ni groesawu gymaint ohonyn nhw, fel chwaraewyr a thîm rheoli, yma, ac y bydd Cymru i gyd yn ymhyfrydu yn llwyddiant ein tîm ni a'r cefnogwyr yn Qatar, ar y cae ac oddi ar y cae.
Like you, I was delighted last summer watching the refugees from Afghanistan playing football against the walls of the Senedd in the evening. Of course, we all take great pride in the success of the men's team, in terms of qualifying for the world cup. We hope, after tomorrow night, that the women's team for Wales will take an important step towards realising their dream as well. And we as a Senedd are very supportive of that. We want to see success for the national team. We want them to feel that their Senedd, as players, supports them fully, and we'll take every action that we can to do so. I don't want to distract them overly by insisting that they come here to the Senedd before the championship. I want them to focus on the football field specifically. Ultimately, following their success, hopefully we will be able to welcome as many of them as possible, players and management team, here, and that all of Wales will take great pride in the success of our team and the supporters in Qatar, on the field and off the field.
Diolch i'r Llywydd.
I thank the Llywydd.
Ni dderbyniwyd unrhyw gwestiynau amserol heddiw.
No topical questions were accepted today.
Eitem 5 yw'r datganiadau 90 eiliad, a galwaf ar Gareth Davies.
Eitem 5 is the 90-second statements, and I call on Gareth Davies.
Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. The annual Denbigh Plum Feast, which takes place on the first Saturday of October, was held last weekend to coincide with the plum's ripeness at this time of year. The Denbigh plum is the only native plum in Wales, dating back to the 1700s, and the event, which takes place at Denbigh town hall every year, is an opportunity for local producers and businesses to show off their products to the public. This year didn't disappoint, with hundreds of people walking through the town hall across the day. It's always a pleasure to go to Denbigh and support local, and the Denbigh Plum Feast provides no better platform to do this.
We are lucky to have so many local food and drink producers and small businesses in Denbighshire. I was so pleased to meet and to sample a few of them, and to see the fantastic turnout of people enjoying themselves and seeing what the area has to offer. Across the day, people have the opportunity to browse the stalls, meet and speak to local producers, sample and purchase the brilliant food and drink on offer, grab a photo or selfie with Peter Plum himself, listen to music from local bands, or even enjoy a tipple at the bar. All in all, the day was a great success, and I wish Nia, Peter Plum, and all the Denbigh plum team and participating local producers all the very best in their future endeavours. And if you, Deputy Llywydd, or any Member of the Senedd, would like to join me next year, I'd be delighted to welcome you to the wonderful medieval town of Denbigh. Diolch yn fawr iawn, and long live the Denbigh plum.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Cynhaliwyd y Wledd Eirin Dinbych flynyddol, sy'n cael ei chynnal ar ddydd Sadwrn cyntaf mis Hydref, y penwythnos diwethaf i gyd-fynd â'r adeg o'r flwyddyn y bydd yr eirin yn aeddfed. Eirin Dinbych yw'r unig eirin brodorol yng Nghymru, ac mae'n dyddio nôl i'r 1700au. Mae'r digwyddiad, sy'n cael ei gynnal yn neuadd y dref Dinbych bob blwyddyn, yn gyfle i gynhyrchwyr a busnesau lleol arddangos eu cynnyrch i'r cyhoedd. Roedd eleni'n llwyddiant, gyda channoedd o bobl yn cerdded drwy neuadd y dref drwy gydol y diwrnod. Mae bob amser yn bleser mynd i Ddinbych a chefnogi'n lleol, ac mae Gwledd Eirin Dinbych yn cynnig llwyfan gwell na'r un i wneud hyn.
Rydym yn lwcus fod gennym gymaint o gynhyrchwyr bwyd a diod lleol a busnesau bach yn sir Ddinbych. Roeddwn mor falch o gael cyfarfod â rhai ohonynt a blasu ambell gynnyrch, a gweld cymaint o bobl yn mwynhau eu hunain a gweld beth sydd gan yr ardal i'w gynnig. Drwy gydol y diwrnod, mae pobl yn cael cyfle i fynd o gwmpas y stondinau, cyfarfod a siarad â chynhyrchwyr lleol, blasu a phrynu'r bwyd a diod gwych sydd ar gael, tynnu llun neu hunlun gyda Peter Plum ei hun, gwrando ar gerddoriaeth bandiau lleol, neu hyd yn oed fwynhau diferyn wrth y bar. Roedd y diwrnod yn llwyddiant mawr, ac rwy'n dymuno'r gorau i Nia, Peter Plum, a holl dîm eirin Dinbych a chynhyrchwyr lleol sy'n cymryd rhan yn eu hymdrechion yn y dyfodol. Ac os hoffech chi, Ddirprwy Lywydd, neu unrhyw Aelod o'r Senedd, ymuno â mi y flwyddyn nesaf, byddwn yn falch iawn o'ch croesawu i dref ganoloesol wych Dinbych. Diolch yn fawr iawn, a hir oes i eirin Dinbych.
Diolch, Gareth.
Thank you, Gareth.
Yr eitem nesaf yw'r ddadl Aelodau o dan Reol Sefydlog 11.21—effaith meigryn ar blant a phobl ifanc. Galwaf ar Mark Isherwood i wneud y cynnig.
The next item is the Member debate under Standing Order 11.21—the impact of migraine on children and young people. I call on Mark Isherwood to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM8074 Mark Isherwood, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Sam Rowlands, Tom Giffard, Mabon ap Gwynfor
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn nodi:
a) yr effaith a gaiff meigryn ar yr 1 ym mhob 10 plentyn a pherson ifanc sy'n byw gyda'r cyflwr, gan gynnwys yn yr ysgol a'u bywydau o ddydd i ddydd;
b) bod pobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt yn aml yn nodi ei fod yn ei gwneud hi'n anoddach i wneud eu gwaith ysgol, gan olygu y gall y cyflwr effeithio ar eu cyrhaeddiad addysgol heb gymorth priodol, yn ogystal ag amharu ar eu bywyd teuluol a chymdeithasol;
c) bod ymchwil gan y Migraine Trust yn awgrymu nad yw gweithwyr addysg a gweithwyr iechyd proffesiynol yn aml yn deall meigryn, ac yn aml nid oes ganddynt fynediad at hyfforddiant ac adnoddau i roi cefnogaeth effeithiol i blant a phobl ifanc y mae'r cyflwr yn effeithio arnynt;
2. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i weithio gyda'r Migraine Trust a chyrff cynrychioliadol ar gyfer ysgolion, gwasanaethau iechyd, a rhieni/gofalwyr er mwyn:
a) cryfhau'r canllawiau;
b) darparu hyfforddiant ar sut i gefnogi a darparu ar gyfer pobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt; a
c) darparu adnoddau i rieni/gofalwyr plant sy'n byw gyda meigryn ac i'r bobl ifanc eu hunain ar sut i gymryd rheolaeth o'u gofal eu hunain.
Motion NDM8074 Mark Isherwood, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Sam Rowlands, Tom Giffard, Mabon ap Gwynfor
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes:
a) the impact that migraine has on the 1 in 10 children and young people who live with it, including at school and their day-to-day lives;
b) that young people who are affected often report that migraine makes it harder to do their schoolwork, meaning that without proper support, the condition can impact their educational attainment, as well as disrupt their family and social life;
c) that research by the Migraine Trust suggests that education and health professionals often do not understand migraine, or have access to training and resources to effectively support children and young people who are impacted;
2. Calls on the Welsh Government to work with The Migraine Trust and representative bodies for schools, health services, and parents/carers to:
a) strengthen guidance;
b) provide training on how to support and accommodate young people impacted by migraine; and
c) provide resources for the parents/carers of children living with migraine and for the young people themselves on how to take control of their own care.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch. Migraine is a common, painful and debilitating condition that affects an estimated one in 10 children and young people. According to Brain Research UK, the working name of the Brain Research Trust, migraine is one of the most common neurological conditions. Whilst migraine has a significant impact on the lives of adults who live with it, its early impact on children and young people can be even more severe.
It is a complex condition, with a wide variety of symptoms. For many people, the main feature is a painful headache. Other symptoms include disturbed vision; sensitivity to light, sounds, and smells; feeling sick; and vomiting. The symptoms will vary from person to person, and individuals may have different symptoms during different attacks. Attacks may differ in length and frequency also. Migraine attacks usually last between four and 72 hours. Migraines can have an enormous impact on work, family and social lives.
The cause of migraine isn't known, but it's believed to be a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. According to US research, if a child has one parent with migraine, they have a 50 per cent chance of developing migraine headaches. This jumps to 75 per cent if both parents are affected. A family history of migraine is also linked to earlier onset of migraine episodes.
Migraine is the third most common disease in the world, behind dental decay and tension-type headache, with an estimated global prevalence of 14.7 per cent—around one in seven people. According to NHS England, approximately 10 million people in the UK live with migraine. Migraine affects three times as many women as men, with the higher rate being most likely hormonally driven. Research suggests that 3,000 migraine attacks occur every day for each million of the general population. This equates to over 190,000 migraine attacks every day in the UK.
There are different treatments available for children with migraine, and the most suitable one will depend on their medical history, age and symptoms. Further, migraine is protected under the law. As such, if a child's migraine recurs over a period of a year and negatively impacts on their ability to carry out their normal day-to-day activities, they may be classed as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, putting an obligation on schools to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled child to ensure that they're not put at a major disadvantage. And if an affected child or young person does not have an individual healthcare plan, it may be necessary to discuss developing a plan that identifies their needs and to make suitable tailored adjustments for them.
Diolch. Mae meigryn yn gyflwr cyffredin, poenus a gwanychol sy'n effeithio ar oddeutu un o bob 10 plentyn neu unigolyn ifanc. Yn ôl Brain Research UK, enw gweithredol Ymddiriedolaeth Ymchwil yr Ymennydd, mae meigryn yn un o'r cyflyrau niwrolegol mwyaf cyffredin. Er bod meigryn yn cael effaith sylweddol ar fywydau oedolion sy'n byw gydag ef, gall ei effaith gynnar ar blant a phobl ifanc fod hyd yn oed yn fwy difrifol.
Mae'n gyflwr cymhleth, gydag amrywiaeth eang o symptomau. I lawer o bobl, y brif nodwedd yw cur pen poenus. Mae symptomau eraill yn cynnwys nam ar y golwg; sensitifrwydd i olau, synau, ac arogleuon; teimlo cyfog; a chyfogi. Bydd y symptomau'n amrywio o berson i berson, ac fe allai unigolion gael symptomau gwahanol yn ystod gwahanol byliau. Gall pyliau amrywio o ran hyd ac amlder hefyd. Mae pyliau meigryn fel arfer yn para rhwng pedair a 72 awr. Gall meigryn effeithio'n helaeth ar waith, teulu a bywyd cymdeithasol.
Ni wyddys beth sy'n achosi meigryn, ond credir ei fod yn gyfuniad o ffactorau genetig, amgylcheddol a ffordd o fyw. Yn ôl ymchwil yn yr Unol Daleithiau, os oes gan blentyn un rhiant sy'n cael pyliau meigryn, mae'r perygl y byddant hwy'n dioddef 50 y cant yn uwch. Mae hyn yn neidio i 75 y cant os yw'r ddau riant yn cael pyliau meigryn. Mae cysylltiad hefyd rhwng hanes teuluol o meigryn a chael pyliau meigryn yn gynharach.
Meigryn yw'r trydydd clefyd mwyaf cyffredin yn y byd, y tu ôl i bydredd deintyddol a chur pen tensiwn, gydag amcangyfrif o achosion byd-eang o 14.7 y cant—tua un o bob saith o bobl. Yn ôl GIG Lloegr, mae tua 10 miliwn o bobl yn y DU yn byw gyda meigryn. Mae meigryn yn effeithio ar dair gwaith cymaint o fenywod â dynion, gyda'r gyfradd uwch yn fwyaf tebygol o fod yn deillio o achosion hormonaidd. Mae ymchwil yn awgrymu bod 3,000 o byliau meigryn yn digwydd bob dydd ym mhob miliwn o'r boblogaeth yn gyffredinol. Mae hyn yn gyfystyr â dros 190,000 o byliau meigryn bob dydd yn y DU.
Mae gwahanol driniaethau ar gael i blant sy'n cael meigryn, a bydd y driniaeth fwyaf addas yn dibynnu ar eu hanes meddygol, eu hoedran a'u symptomau. At hynny, caiff meigryn warchodaeth y gyfraith. O'r herwydd, os yw plentyn yn cael pyliau meigryn dros gyfnod o flwyddyn gan effeithio'n negyddol ar eu gallu i gyflawni eu gweithgareddau arferol o ddydd i ddydd, gellir eu hystyried yn anabl o dan Ddeddf Cydraddoldeb 2010, gan roi rhwymedigaeth ar ysgolion i wneud addasiadau rhesymol i blentyn anabl er mwyn sicrhau nad ydynt yn cael eu rhoi dan anfantais fawr. Ac os nad oes gan blentyn neu berson ifanc sydd wedi eu heffeithio gynllun gofal iechyd unigol, gallai fod angen trafod datblygu cynllun sy'n nodi eu hanghenion a gwneud addasiadau priodol wedi'u teilwra ar eu cyfer.
The National Migraine Centre state that, because migraine in children can involve subtly different symptoms to adult migraine, half of those affected never receive a diagnosis. With migraines in children and young people, stomach pains are more frequent. Studies suggest that around 60 per cent of children aged between seven and 15 experience headaches, but a diagnosis of migraine may be delayed because tummy pain, vomiting, travel sickness, limb pain and episodic dizziness can all confuse the picture. Children may experience migraine without a headache, which is less common in adults.
During last month's Migraine Awareness Week, the Migraine Trust launched new research, which found that children often feel left out of their own healthcare and think that their care is poor. The findings also suggest that migraine can limit their ability to take part in education, social activities and other important parts of growing up. Ninety per cent of affected young people report that migraine made it harder to do their school work, whilst 76 per cent of education professionals surveyed felt that their school did not provide information, resources and processes to help these children. It can also be hard for children to understand and explain their pain, and there are fewer treatment options for them than there are for adults. The Migraine Trust report, 'Dismissed for too long: the impact of migraine on children and young people', therefore calls for clearer guidance and training for both health and education professionals on understanding and supporting young people impacted by migraine, and for more resources for the parents and carers of children living with migraine. They suggest that young people themselves need more information about their condition and how to take control of their own care, and that pathways and reviews of local migraine care in the NHS should account for the impact on children and young people.
Key findings of the report include that schools don't have the knowledge or policies in place to help children with migraine. A survey of parents and carers with a child living with migraine found that 70 per cent were concerned about the impact of migraine on their child's education. Asked how often their child had to stay home from school because of their migraine, over half—51 per cent—said at least once a month. And 85 per cent of parents and carers had spoken to their child's school about their migraine, but only 17 per cent were completely satisfied with the support from the school in managing their migraine.
A survey of children with migraine found that 90 per cent said that their migraine made it harder to do their school work. However, when asked if they think that their school has the information about migraine to help them manage it at school, 64 per cent said no. When asked if they had ever been taught about migraine at school, 90 per cent said that they hadn't. A survey of 64 education professionals found that three quarters, 76 per cent, felt that their school did not have the information, resources and processes to help children in school with migraine. For example, school policies were often not geared towards helping children manage their migraine triggers and avoid being unnecessarily sent home. This compares to other common long-term conditions, such as asthma, which schools often have plans in place for.
Children don't feel that they're getting the healthcare they need. Common symptoms of migraine in children, such as abdominal pain, often look different from adult symptoms and can be missed, which can slow down a diagnosis and may result in a child's symptoms being missed. Of the children and young people responding to their survey, 33 per cent felt that the treatment for their migraine was poor, 30 per cent said it was fair, 23 per cent said it was good, and only 8 per cent said it was very good. None described it as 'excellent'. Seventy two per cent of the children with migraine have said that it made them feel worried. Children, particularly younger children, often need help in explaining their migraine and need to be included in discussions about their treatment. There needs to be better communication, where possible, between health services and schools and colleges. As a case study in the report states,
'I missed a lot of school last year because of my migraines and I couldn't do the things I enjoy such as football and dancing and that made me sad.'
The report's recommendations on how problems could be addressed include that local health boards,
'must include children and young people in reviews of local migraine needs and ensure they have services to meet those needs.'
and that local health boards,
'must ensure there are strong links between migraine care and mental health services. Mental health must also be a component of the healthcare pathway for children with migraine'.
The Welsh Government should explore ways that it could support pharmacists' training on the management of migraine in both adults and children, and work with education partners to ensure that teaching staff have training and information on this issue, so that they can support children and young people effectively. As a 2021 academic review into children and migraine states,
'Migraines negatively influence the quality of life of affected children. Early diagnosis and management decisions are needed to reduce the burden and maximize the treatment outcome.'
The Migraine Trust would welcome working with the Welsh Government and health boards on making progress in these areas, and as our motion states, we call on the Welsh Government,
'to work with The Migraine Trust and representative bodies for schools, health services, and parents/carers to (a) strengthen guidance; (b) provide training on how to support and accommodate young people impacted by migraine; and (c) provide resources for the parents/carers of children living with migraine and for the young people themselves on how to take control of their own care.'
Migraine in children and young people is common, with a considerable impact upon quality of life, yet it remains undiagnosed and poorly treated. Less than 10 per cent of children with problematic headache will seek medical help for their problem. Migraine can have severe impacts on the life of a child, affecting family relationships, school life and social activities.
The pattern of migraines in teenagers starts to change. Migraine affects boys and girls equally until puberty, after which migraine is more common in girls. A late or missed diagnosis can result in poor management of their symptoms, anxiety about future attacks, poor school attendance, inappropriate or ineffective medication use, a loss of confidence and low self-esteem. Severe pain and vomiting that aren't treated effectively can mean that children often have to remain at home during their attacks and are unable to participate in normal daily activities. I move and commend this motion accordingly.
Oherwydd bod meigryn mewn plant yn gallu cynnwys symptomau ychydig yn wahanol i feigryn mewn oedolion, mae'r Ganolfan Meigryn Genedlaethol yn dweud nad yw hanner y rhai yr effeithir arnynt byth yn cael diagnosis. Gyda meigryn mewn plant a phobl ifanc, mae poenau stumog yn digwydd yn amlach. Mae astudiaethau'n awgrymu bod tua 60 y cant o blant rhwng saith a 15 oed yn cael cur pen, ond gall diagnosis o feigryn gael ei ohirio oherwydd bod poen bol, chwydu, salwch teithio, poen yn y breichiau a'r coesau a phyliau o bendro oll yn gallu drysu'r darlun. Gall plant ddioddef meigryn heb gur pen, rhywbeth sy'n llai cyffredin mewn oedolion.
Yn ystod Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth Meigryn y mis diwethaf, lansiodd y Migraine Trust ymchwil newydd a ganfu fod plant yn aml yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu gadael allan o'u gofal iechyd eu hunain ac yn meddwl bod eu gofal yn wael. Mae'r canfyddiadau hefyd yn awgrymu y gall meigryn gyfyngu ar eu gallu i gymryd rhan mewn addysg, gweithgareddau cymdeithasol ac agweddau pwysig eraill ar dyfu i fyny. Mae 90 y cant o bobl ifanc yr effeithiwyd arnynt yn dweud bod meigryn yn ei gwneud hi'n anoddach i wneud eu gwaith ysgol, tra bod 76 y cant o weithwyr addysg proffesiynol a holwyd yn teimlo nad oedd eu hysgol yn darparu gwybodaeth, adnoddau a phrosesau i helpu'r plant hyn. Gall hefyd fod yn anodd i blant ddeall ac egluro eu poen, a cheir llai o opsiynau triniaeth ar eu cyfer nag a geir i oedolion. Mae adroddiad y Migraine Trust, 'Dismissed for too long: the impact of migraine on children and young people', yn galw am arweiniad cliriach a hyfforddiant i weithwyr iechyd ac addysgwyr proffesiynol ar ddeall a chefnogi pobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt, ac am fwy o adnoddau i rieni a gofalwyr plant sy'n byw gyda meigryn. Maent yn awgrymu bod angen mwy o wybodaeth am eu cyflwr ar bobl ifanc eu hunain a sut i reoli eu gofal eu hunain, ac y dylai llwybrau ac adolygiadau o ofal meigryn lleol yn y GIG ystyried yr effaith ar blant a phobl ifanc.
Mae canfyddiadau allweddol yr adroddiad yn cynnwys nad oes gan ysgolion yr wybodaeth na'r polisïau ar waith i helpu plant sy'n cael meigryn. Canfu arolwg o rieni a gofalwyr sydd â phlentyn sy'n byw gyda meigryn fod 70 y cant yn poeni am effaith meigryn ar addysg eu plentyn. Pan ofynnwyd iddynt pa mor aml y bu'n rhaid i'w plentyn aros adref o'r ysgol oherwydd eu meigryn, dywedodd dros hanner—51 y cant—o leiaf unwaith y mis. Ac roedd 85 y cant o rieni a gofalwyr wedi siarad ag ysgol eu plentyn am eu meigryn, ond dim ond 17 y cant ohonynt oedd yn gwbl fodlon gyda'r gefnogaeth gan yr ysgol i ymdopi â'u meigryn.
Canfu arolwg o blant gyda meigryn fod 90 y cant yn dweud bod eu meigryn yn ei gwneud hi'n anoddach i wneud eu gwaith ysgol. Ond pan ofynnwyd a ydynt yn meddwl bod gan eu hysgol yr wybodaeth am feigryn i allu eu helpu i'w reoli yn yr ysgol, dywedodd 64 y cant nad oedd. Pan ofynnwyd iddynt a oeddent erioed wedi cael eu dysgu am feigryn yn yr ysgol, dywedodd 90 y cant nad oeddent. Yn ôl arolwg o 64 o weithwyr addysg proffesiynol, roedd tri chwarter, 76 y cant, o'r farn nad oedd gan eu hysgol yr wybodaeth, yr adnoddau a'r prosesau i helpu plant yn yr ysgol gyda meigryn. Er enghraifft, yn aml nid oedd polisïau ysgolion wedi'u hanelu at helpu plant i reoli'r pethau a allai sbarduno eu meigryn ac osgoi cael eu hanfon adref yn ddiangen. Mae hyn yn cymharu â chyflyrau hirdymor cyffredin eraill, fel asthma, y mae gan ysgolion yn aml gynlluniau ar waith ar eu cyfer.
Nid yw plant yn teimlo eu bod yn cael y gofal iechyd y maent ei angen. Mae symptomau cyffredin meigryn mewn plant, fel poen yn yr abdomen, yn aml yn edrych yn wahanol i symptomau oedolion a gellir eu methu, sy'n gallu arafu diagnosis ac arwain at fethu adnabod symptomau plentyn. O'r plant a'r bobl ifanc a ymatebodd i'w harolwg, roedd 33 y cant yn teimlo bod y driniaeth ar gyfer eu meigryn yn wael, dywedodd 30 y cant ei fod yn weddol, dywedodd 23 y cant ei fod yn dda, a dim ond 8 y cant a ddywedodd ei fod yn dda iawn. Ni ddywedodd unrhyw un ei fod yn 'rhagorol'. Mae 72 y cant o'r plant sy'n cael meigryn wedi dweud ei fod yn gwneud iddynt deimlo'n bryderus. Mae plant, yn enwedig plant iau, yn aml angen help gydag esbonio eu meigryn ac mae angen eu cynnwys mewn trafodaethau ynglŷn â'u triniaeth. Mae angen gwell cyfathrebu, lle bo hynny'n bosibl, rhwng gwasanaethau iechyd ac ysgolion a cholegau. Fel y dywed astudiaeth achos yn yr adroddiad,
'Collais lawer o ysgol y llynedd oherwydd fy meigryn ac ni allwn wneud y pethau rwy'n eu mwynhau fel pêl-droed a dawnsio ac fe wnaeth hynny imi deimlo'n drist.'
Un o argymhellion yr adroddiad ynglŷn â sut y gellid mynd i'r afael â phroblemau yw y dylai byrddau iechyd lleol,
'gynnwys plant a phobl ifanc mewn adolygiadau o anghenion meigryn lleol a sicrhau bod ganddynt wasanaethau i ddiwallu'r anghenion hynny.'
a dylai byrddau iechyd lleol,
'sicrhau bod cysylltiadau cryf rhwng gofal meigryn a gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl. Rhaid i iechyd meddwl hefyd fod yn elfen o'r llwybr gofal iechyd i blant sy'n cael meigryn'.
Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru archwilio ffyrdd y gallai gefnogi hyfforddiant fferyllwyr ar reoli meigryn mewn oedolion a phlant, a gweithio gyda phartneriaid addysg i sicrhau bod staff addysgu yn cael hyfforddiant a gwybodaeth am y cyflwr, fel y gallant gefnogi plant a phobl ifanc yn effeithiol. Fel y mae adolygiad academaidd 2021 i blant a meigryn yn datgan,
'Mae meigryn yn dylanwadu'n negyddol ar ansawdd bywyd y plant yr effeithir arnynt. Mae angen diagnosis cynnar a phenderfyniadau ynglŷn â rheoli'r cyflwr er mwyn lleihau'r baich a gwella canlyniad triniaeth cymaint ag y bo modd.'
Byddai'r Migraine Trust yn falch o gydweithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru a'r byrddau iechyd i wneud cynnydd yn y meysydd hyn, ac fel y dywed ein cynnig, rydym yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru,
'i weithio gyda'r Migraine Trust a chyrff cynrychioliadol ar gyfer ysgolion, gwasanaethau iechyd, a rhieni/gofalwyr er mwyn: (a) cryfhau'r canllawiau; (b) darparu hyfforddiant ar sut i gefnogi a darparu ar gyfer pobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt; a (c) darparu adnoddau i rieni/gofalwyr plant sy'n byw gyda meigryn ac i'r bobl ifanc eu hunain ar sut i gymryd rheolaeth o'u gofal eu hunain.'
Mae meigryn yn gyflwr cyffredin mewn plant a phobl ifanc, ac mae'n effeithio'n sylweddol ar ansawdd bywyd, ond eto ni wneir diagnosis ym mhob achos ac mae ansawdd triniaeth yn wael. Bydd llai na 10 y cant o blant sy'n cael cur pen problemus yn cael cymorth meddygol ar gyfer eu problem. Gall meigryn effeithio'n ddifrifol ar fywyd plentyn, gan effeithio ar ei berthynas ag aelodau o'r teulu, bywyd ysgol a gweithgareddau cymdeithasol.
Mae patrwm meigryn mewn pobl ifanc yn eu harddegau yn dechrau newid. Mae meigryn yn effeithio ar fechgyn a merched i'r un graddau nes y glasoed, ac ar ôl hynny mae meigryn yn fwy cyffredin mewn merched. Gall diagnosis hwyr neu fethu cael diagnosis ohono arwain at fethu rheoli eu symptomau'n dda, pryder ynghylch pyliau yn y dyfodol, lefelau presenoldeb gwael yn yr ysgol, defnydd amhriodol neu aneffeithiol o feddyginiaeth, colli hyder a lefelau isel o hunan-barch. Gall poen difrifol a chyfogi na chaiff ei drin yn effeithiol olygu bod plant yn aml yn gorfod aros gartref yn ystod eu pyliau a methu cymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau dyddiol arferol. Rwy'n cynnig ac yn cymeradwyo'r cynnig hwn yn unol â hynny.
Diolch i Mark Isherwood am y cyflwyniad yna i'r cynnig. Wrth gwrs, chwarae teg iddo fe—yn ddyn gwybodus iawn; rydyn ni wedi clywed nifer fawr o ystadegau am bobl sydd yn dioddef o feigryn. Ond mae yna wyneb tu ôl i bob un o'r ystadegau hynny. Mae yna fywydau yn cael eu heffeithio yn eistedd y tu ôl i bob un o'r ystadegau hynny, ac mae gen i anwyliaid sydd yn byw efo meigryn, ac yn perthyn felly i'r ystadegau hynny.
Rŵan, mae'n siŵr ein bod ni i gyd, o dro i'w gilydd, wedi clywed am feigryn mewn modd ysgafn iawn—hwyrach, fod mwydro rhywun neu'i gilydd yn ddigon i ddod â meigryn ymlaen, fel mae rhai yn ei ddweud, neu pan fod rhywun yn dioddef o feigryn, hwyrach, mai'r cyngor ydy i eistedd yn y gornel a chymryd ambell i barasetamol. Ond dydy o ddim yn gur pen yn unig; mae meigryn yn fwy na hynny. Mae hynny yn gwneud annhegwch llwyr, felly, â'r cyflwr ac efo'r dioddefwyr, oherwydd fod o yn fwy na chur pen yn unig, ac felly mae'r cynnig yma heddiw ger ein bron yn nodi ei fod o'n cael effaith andwyol ar fywydau dyddiol pobl a phlant.
Ges i'r fraint o gynnal digwyddiad galw i mewn efo'r Migraine Trust yn ddiweddar—a diolch yn fawr iawn i bawb a fynychodd y diwrnod a'r digwyddiad hwnnw—ac roedd y cyfle yna i gael siarad gyda phobl a oedd yn deall y pwnc ac yn arbenigo yn y maes yn agoriad llygaid. O ddeall y gwahanol bethau yna sy'n medru arwain at feigryn, megis straen neu hyd yn oed anghysondeb patrwm bwyta, i’r ffaith, fel y soniodd Mark Isherwood, bod meigryn yn medru bod yn y bol, o bob man, efo'r cyswllt yna rhwng yr ymennydd a'r bol yn amlygu ei hun unwaith eto. Ond, yn anffodus, does yna ddim llawer o bobl yn gwybod pam eu bod nhw yn dioddef o'r meigryn neu beth sydd yn arwain at ymosodiad ohono fo. Mae'r dealltwriaeth o'r clefyd yn fas iawn yn y byd gwyddonol, heb sôn, felly, am ymhlith pobl leyg, ac os ydy’r dealltwriaeth yna mor fas yn y byd arbenigol, yna sut mae disgwyl i athrawon neu gydweithwyr i adnabod y symptomau a medru sicrhau bod camau mewn lle i gynorthwyo pobl sydd yn cael ymosodiad meigryn?
Mae'r cynnig yma, felly, yn un gwylaidd yn ei natur; dydy o ddim yn gofyn am lawer, ond mae'n gam cyntaf pwysig i'r cyfeiriad cywir a fyddai'n helpu i gynyddu dealltwriaeth ac ymwybyddiaeth. Yn olaf, felly, gaf i gymryd y cyfle hefyd i ddiolch i'r Migraine Trust am eu gwaith yn y maes yma a'u parodrwydd i gydweithio efo'r Llywodraeth, y byrddau iechyd ac awdurdodau eraill er mwyn cyflawni'r hyn maen nhw'n gofyn amdano? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
I thank Mark Isherwood for that presentation to the motion. Of course, fair play to him—he's a very intelligent man; we've heard a great number of statistics relating to people who suffer from migraines. But there is a face for each of those statistics. There are lives being affected that lie behind all of those statistics, and I have loved ones who live with migraines, and who are therefore part of those statistics.
Now, I’m sure that we all hear people making light of migraines from time to time; maybe babbling to someone can bring on a migraine, as some people say, or when someone is suffering from a migraine, the advice is to sit in a corner and take a paracetamol. But it's not only a headache; a migraine is more than that. That does an injustice to the condition and to those who suffer from it, because it is so much more than just a headache, and as the motion states, it has a detrimental impact on people's daily lives, and the lives of children.
I had the privilege of hosting a drop-in event with the Migraine Trust recently—and I thank everyone who attended that event—and having an opportunity to talk to people who understand the subject and who specialise in the area, was eye-opening. From understanding the different things that can lead to a migraine, such as stress or even inconsistent eating patterns, to the fact, as Mark Isherwood said, that a migraine can be in the stomach, and that link between the brain and the stomach coming to the fore once again. But, unfortunately, not many people know why they are suffering from migraines, or what leads to an attack of the migraine. Understanding of the disease is very shallow in the scientific community, let alone among lay people, and if that understanding is so shallow in the specialised world, then how can we expect teachers or colleagues to recognize the symptoms and be able to ensure that steps are in place to help people who are having a migraine attack?
This motion is modest in nature, it's not asking for much. But it's an important first step in the right direction, which will help to increase understanding and awareness. Finally, could I therefore take the opportunity to thank the Migraine Trust for its work in the field and its willingness to collaborate with the Government, health boards and other authorities in order to achieve what it's asking for? Thank you very much.
I want to thank my colleagues for tabling this debate this afternoon. Migraine is a curse for those who suffer from it. In adults, it can be debilitating, but for young people, adolescents in particular, it can have a major impact on their schooling, their families and their social lives.
Deputy Presiding Officer, I am not entirely sure what the current Welsh Government guidance is for schools on managing migraine. I could not find anything on the Welsh Government website; Public Health Wales is also light on this subject too. There's a brief reference to migraine at work, but nothing I could see on schools and how to respond. My feeling is that the motion is right to call for strengthening of the guidance, and I believe that we should consider how to support schools and their teachers in addressing a range of issues that would positively impact on those who suffer with migraine.
In particular, I would like the Minister to consider: what can be advised around the nature of the school environment, especially the lack of ventilation; individual pupils being supported to eat and drink to address the risks associated with a lack of nutrition and dehydration, which could be a cause of migraine; and the development of school policies for those with enduring conditions, such as migraine and how the school can manage this, especially in supporting any treatment that a young person might be on. We should also attempt to learn more about the numbers of young people with migraine—what data do we have, what does it tell us, and what else do we need to know?
I'd like to think that some relatively straightforward steps might remind our schools about the challenges that young people with migraine encounter, and support ways in which the risk of a migraine attack could be mitigated. This is an important issue. It is not one that has had much attention, and I am pleased that we are considering this today. Thank you.
Rwyf am ddiolch i fy nghyd-Aelodau am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon y prynhawn yma. Mae meigryn yn felltith i'r rhai sy'n dioddef ohono. Mewn oedolion, gall fod yn wanychol, ond i bobl ifanc, i'r glasoed yn arbennig, gall effeithio'n fawr ar eu haddysg, eu teuluoedd a'u bywydau cymdeithasol.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, nid wyf yn hollol sicr beth yw canllawiau presennol Llywodraeth Cymru i ysgolion ynglŷn â rheoli meigryn. Ni allwn ddod o hyd i unrhyw beth ar wefan Llywodraeth Cymru; mae Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru hefyd yn brin o wybodaeth ar y pwnc. Ceir cyfeiriad byr at feigryn yn y gwaith, ond ni allwn weld unrhyw beth ar ysgolion a sut i ymateb. Fy nheimlad i yw bod y cynnig yn iawn i alw am gryfhau'r canllawiau, ac rwy'n credu y dylem ystyried sut i gynorthwyo ysgolion a'u hathrawon i fynd i'r afael ag ystod o faterion a fyddai'n effeithio'n gadarnhaol ar y rhai sy'n dioddef gyda meigryn.
Yn fwyaf arbennig, hoffwn i'r Gweinidog ystyried: beth y gellir ei gynghori ynghylch natur amgylchedd yr ysgol, yn enwedig diffyg awyru digonol; cefnogaeth i ddisgyblion unigol i fwyta ac yfed er mwyn goresgyn y risgiau sy'n gysylltiedig â diffyg maeth a diffyg hylif, a allai fod yn un o achosion meigryn; a datblygu polisïau ysgol i'r rhai sydd â chyflyrau parhaus fel meigryn a sut y gall yr ysgol reoli hyn, yn enwedig cefnogi unrhyw driniaeth y gallai person ifanc fod yn ei dilyn. Dylem hefyd geisio dysgu mwy am niferoedd y bobl ifanc sy'n cael meigryn—pa ddata sydd gennym, beth y mae'n ei ddweud wrthym, a beth arall sydd angen i ni ei wybod?
Hoffwn feddwl y gallai rhai camau cymharol syml atgoffa ein hysgolion am yr heriau y mae pobl ifanc sy'n cael meigryn yn eu hwynebu, a chefnogi ffyrdd o leddfu'r risg o bwl o feigryn. Mae hwn yn fater pwysig. Nid yw'n un sydd wedi cael llawer o sylw, ac rwy'n falch ein bod yn ystyried hyn heddiw. Diolch.
Mi roeddwn i'n falch iawn o'r cyfle i gyd-gyflwyno'r ddadl yma heddiw. Mae'n glir i fi ac Aelodau eraill, fel rydyn ni wedi clywed, fod yna lawer mwy sydd angen ei wneud er mwyn helpu'r nifer uchel o blant a phobl ifanc sy'n dioddef efo meigryn yn rheolaidd yng Nghymru. Mae'n broblem fawr sydd wedi cael ei hanwybyddu'n rhy hir, os ydyn ni'n bod yn onest, ac yn rhy aml, mae'n cael ei drin fel unrhyw salwch tymor byr arall, ond wrth gwrs mae o'n fwy na hynny.
Y gwir amdani ydy bod meigryn yn gyflwr ymennydd hirdymor all gael canlyniadau difrifol tu hwnt ar berfformiad addysgol plentyn, heb sôn am eu hunanhyder a'u bywyd cymdeithasol. Mae plant sy'n dioddef o feigryn yn gallu methu hyd at dri mis o ysgol bob blwyddyn—rydyn ni'n gweld hynny yn yr ystadegau. Mae angen gwneud mwy i fynd i'r afael efo hynny, yn amlwg. A dyna rydyn ni'n ei alw amdano fo heddiw yma.
Mae'r Migraine Trust a chyrff eraill yn cynnig ffordd ymlaen, gan gynnwys darparu'r gefnogaeth gywir, nid yn unig i'r rhai sy'n dioddef eu hunain, ond hefyd i'r athrawon, i'r rhieni, i'r gofalwyr sy'n gyfrifol amdanyn nhw.
Mae ymchwil yn dangos bod athrawon yn ansicr iawn pan fo'n dod at helpu unigolion efo meigryn, ond mae camau mewn gwirionedd sy'n ddigon syml y mae posibl eu cymryd er mwyn lleihau'r poenau—yfed digon o ddŵr, cael mynediad i ystafell dywyll, o bosib. Ond, ar hyn o bryd, dydy ysgolion ddim yn cael eu hyfforddi yn ddigonol i helpu disgyblion drwy'r poenau yma. Mae bron i 17,000 o dripiau diangen yn cael eu gwneud i ysbytai bob blwyddyn oherwydd meigryn. Drwy gynnig gwell hyfforddiant, dwi'n hyderus bod modd lleihau'r nifer yna, lleihau'r straen ar y gwasanaeth iechyd, ac, wrth gwrs, lleihau absenoldeb plant o ysgolion hefyd—mae hynny'n allweddol.
Mae yna enghreifftiau o arfer da yng Nghymru. Yn y gogledd, er enghraifft, mae cleifion wedi gweld budd o agor Canolfan Walton yn Nhreffynnon. Mae o wedi lleihau amseroedd aros i gleifion sydd efo salwch niwrolegol difrifol. Ond, yn anffodus, dydy'r un gwasanaethau ddim ar gael ym mhob rhan o'r wlad—hynny'n stori gyffredin, wrth gwrs. Ac yn gyffredinol, mae yna broblemau enfawr o hyd yn nhermau amseroedd aros, yr adnoddau sydd ar gael i gleifion, a hynny'n cynnwys plant. Mi all pobl fod yn aros hyd at ddwy flynedd am driniaeth mewn rhai achosion. Ar hyn o bryd, dim ond tri o'r saith bwrdd iechyd, dwi'n credu, sydd â'r adnoddau i drin yr achosion niwrolegol mwyaf difrifol. Mae angen, yn syml iawn, gynllun cenedlaethol i ehangu gwasanaethau ar gyfer meigryn, a hynny i gyfateb i'r ffaith bod yna gymaint o bobl yn dioddef ohono fo.
Ond mae camau ymarferol eraill y mae'n bosibl eu cymryd i wella ansawdd bywyd plant a phobl sy'n dioddef: gwella adnoddau hyfforddiant i athrawon, fel dwi wedi ei ddweud; rhannu canllawiau cliriach i blant a phobl ifanc ar sut i gymryd rheolaeth o'u gofal eu hunain; ac, ie, gwella'r ddarpariaeth gofal drwy'r gwasanaeth iechyd i'r rhai sy'n dioddef yn fwyaf difrifol. Mae angen i'r Llywodraeth fynd i'r afael â'r hyn sydd yn gur pen mwyaf cyffredin y wlad, ond, fel rydyn ni wedi ei glywed yn barod, sy'n llawer mwy na hynny, a hynny er mwyn trio sicrhau nad ydy o'n amharu'n fwy nag sydd ei angen iddo fo ar fywydau addysg a chymdeithasol ein plant a'n pobl ifanc. A dyna pam rydym ni'n gofyn i'r Senedd nid yn unig nodi'r cynnig yma fel sydd o'n blaenau ni, ond hefyd i gefnogi'r egwyddorion sydd y tu ôl i'r hyn rydym ni'n ei gyflwyno o'ch blaenau chi heddiw yma.
I was very pleased to co-submit this debate today. It's clear to me and to other Members, as we've already heard, that there is far more that needs to be done in order to assist the high number of children and young people who do suffer migraine regularly in Wales. It's a huge problem that's been ignored for too long, if we're honest, and, too often, it is treated like any other short-term illness, but it's more than that.
The truth is that migraine is a neurological condition that can have serious consequences in the long term on a child's educational performance, never mind their self-confidence and their social lives. Children who suffer migraine can miss up to three months of school per year—we see that in statistics. We need to do more to tackle that issue, clearly, and that's what we're calling for today.
The Migraine Trust and other organisations offer a way forward, including providing the right support, not just to those who are suffering, but also to teachers, parents and the carers responsible for those children.
Research also shows that teachers are uncertain when it comes to helping individuals with migraine, but simple steps can be taken in order to alleviate the pain—drinking enough water, having access to a dark room, possibly. But, at the moment, schools and teachers aren't adequately trained to help pupils through these experiences. Almost 17,000 unnecessary trips are made to hospitals every year because of migraine. By providing better training, I'm confident that that number could be reduced, reducing the stress on the health service, and of course ensuring that children don't miss school too, which is key.
There are examples of good practice in Wales. In north Wales, for example, patients have seen benefit from the opening of the Walton Centre in Holywell. It's reduced waiting times for patients with serious neurological conditions. But, unfortunately, the same services aren't available in all parts of the country, and that's a well-rehearsed story, of course. And, generally speaking, there are huge problems in terms of waiting times, the resources available to patients, including children. People can be waiting up to two years for treatment in certain cases. At the moment, only three of the seven health boards, I believe, have the resources to treat the most serious neurological cases. Simply, we need a national plan to enhance services for migraine, to correspond to the fact that so many people are suffering as a result of migraine.
But there are other practical steps that can be taken too to improve the quality of life of children and people who do suffer: improving training for teachers, as I've mentioned; sharing guidance with children and young people as to how to manage their own care; and, yes, improving the provision of care through the health service for those who suffer most. The Government needs to tackle what is the country's most common headache, but, as we've already heard, which is far more than that too, and that is to ensure that it doesn't have too great an influence on the educational and social lives of our children and young people. And that's why we're asking the Senedd not only to note the motion as it appears before us, but also to support the principles underpinning what we've brought forward today.
Galwaf ar y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, Eluned Morgan.
I call on the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan.
Diolch yn fawr. And I'd like to thank Mark Isherwood for raising this really important issue. Mark, I can always rely on you to teach me something new in these debates—you always have so many facts and figures at your fingertips, and they're always very useful for us to take note of, and certainly I'll be making sure that we take note of those and follow up some of those issues. Forgive me for not being in the Chamber today.
Migraine is, as we've heard, one of the most common neurological conditions, and yet we very rarely speak about it and its impact in this Chamber. Many of us will have had first-hand experience of migraine, or some insight into the enormously debilitating impact it can have on sufferers and their quality of life. And as we've heard this afternoon, migraine is a severe and painful long-term health condition—so much more than just a really bad headache. And unfortunately, for the majority of children and young people with migraine, this will follow them into adulthood.
And perhaps the cruellest aspect of the condition is its ability to strike with little or no warning, and with no rhyme or reason, disrupting and upsetting really special occasions and everyday events. And the potential for disruption to children, as many of you have noted, and young people's education, their ability to learn and their ability to take part in all other aspects of school life, can be clearly understood. And I understand this, as my eldest brother was someone who suffered migraines and took literally months off school, affecting his education considerably.
Now, in the time I have this afternoon, I want to highlight some important measures that are already in place to support children and young people in a learning environment. Now, under section 175 of the Education Act 2002, local authorities and governing bodies must make arrangements to ensure their functions
'are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children'
in school or other places of learning. This includes supporting children with healthcare needs.
Now, to support this, our 'Supporting learners with healthcare needs' guidance contains both statutory guidance and non-statutory advice to support learners to ensure minimal disruption to their education. This emphasises the need for a collaborative approach from education and health professionals, placing the learner at the centre of decision making, and of course it's important also to involve parents.
It's further supported by quick guides for staff, parents and young people. Health professionals would be involved in the preparation of an individual healthcare plan to address any health needs that impinge on the child's or young person's time at school. We've got some good examples of where requirements and the spirit of the Act and its guidance are being put into practice. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has developed a recovering from illness paediatric service, designed specifically to meet the needs of children and young people who are coping with illnesses. The team works with children, young people and their families to support them in coping with the very real challenges of having a health condition and aims to help them manage symptoms that can get in the way of doing things that really matter to them.
Diolch yn fawr. A hoffwn ddiolch i Mark Isherwood am godi'r mater hynod bwysig hwn. Mark, gallaf bob amser ddibynnu arnoch i ddysgu rhywbeth newydd i mi yn y dadleuon hyn—mae gennych bob amser gymaint o ffeithiau a ffigurau ar flaenau eich bysedd, ac maent bob amser yn ddefnyddiol iawn inni eu nodi, ac yn sicr, byddaf sicrhau ein bod yn nodi’r rheini ac yn mynd i'r afael â rhai o’r materion hynny. Maddeuwch i mi am beidio â bod yn y Siambr heddiw.
Mae meigryn, fel y clywsom, yn un o’r cyflyrau niwrolegol mwyaf cyffredin, ond anaml iawn y byddwn yn siarad amdano a’i effaith yn y Siambr hon. Bydd llawer ohonom wedi cael profiad uniongyrchol o feigryn, neu ryw gipolwg ar yr effaith hynod nychus y gall ei chael ar ddioddefwyr ac ansawdd eu bywyd. Ac fel y clywsom y prynhawn yma, mae meigryn yn gyflwr iechyd hirdymor difrifol a phoenus—mwy o lawer na dim ond cur pen drwg iawn. Ac yn anffodus, i'r rhan fwyaf o blant a phobl ifanc sy'n cael meigryn, bydd y cyflwr yn parhau i fod gyda hwy pan fyddant yn oedolion.
Ac efallai mai’r agwedd greulonaf ar y cyflwr yw ei allu i daro heb fawr o rybudd os o gwbl, heb sail na sylwedd, gan darfu ac amharu ar achlysuron arbennig a digwyddiadau bob dydd. A gellir deall yn glir ei allu i darfu ar blant, fel y mae llawer ohonoch wedi’i nodi, ac addysg pobl ifanc, eu gallu i ddysgu a’u gallu i gymryd rhan ym mhob agwedd arall ar fywyd ysgol. Ac rwy'n deall hyn, gan fod fy mrawd hynaf yn rhywun a oedd yn dioddef meigryn, ac yn llythrennol, bu'n rhaid iddo fethu misoedd o ysgol, a chafodd hynny effaith sylweddol ar ei addysg.
Nawr, yn yr amser sydd gennyf y prynhawn yma, hoffwn dynnu sylw at fesurau pwysig sydd eisoes ar waith i gefnogi plant a phobl ifanc mewn amgylchedd dysgu. Nawr, o dan adran 175 o Ddeddf Addysg 2002, mae'n rhaid i awdurdodau lleol a chyrff llywodraethu wneud trefniadau i sicrhau bod eu swyddogaethau
'yn cael eu harfer gyda golwg ar ddiogelu a hyrwyddo lles plant.'
yn yr ysgol neu leoliadau dysgu eraill. Mae hyn yn cynnwys cefnogi plant sydd ag anghenion gofal iechyd.
Nawr, i gefnogi hyn, mae ein canllawiau 'Cefnogi dysgwyr ag anghenion gofal iechyd' yn cynnwys canllawiau statudol a chyngor anstatudol i gefnogi dysgwyr i sicrhau cyn lleied â phosibl o darfu ar eu haddysg. Mae'n pwysleisio'r angen am ymagwedd gydweithredol gan weithwyr addysg a gweithwyr iechyd proffesiynol, gan roi'r dysgwr ynghanol y broses o wneud penderfyniadau, ac wrth gwrs, mae'n bwysig cynnwys rhieni hefyd.
Fe'i cefnogir ymhellach gan ganllawiau cyflym i staff, rhieni a phobl ifanc. Byddai gweithwyr iechyd proffesiynol yn cyfrannu at y gwaith o baratoi cynllun gofal iechyd unigol i fynd i’r afael ag unrhyw anghenion iechyd sy’n effeithio ar amser y plentyn neu’r unigolyn ifanc yn yr ysgol. Mae gennym enghreifftiau da o ble mae gofynion ac ysbryd y Ddeddf a'i chanllawiau yn cael eu rhoi ar waith. Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Aneurin Bevan wedi datblygu gwasanaeth pediatrig ar gyfer gwella o salwch, sydd wedi’i gynllunio’n benodol i ddiwallu anghenion plant a phobl ifanc sy’n ymdopi â salwch. Mae'r tîm yn gweithio gyda phlant, pobl ifanc a'u teuluoedd i'w cynorthwyo i ymdopi â'r heriau gwirioneddol y mae bod â chyflwr iechyd yn eu hachosi a'i nod yw eu helpu i reoli symptomau a all eu rhwystro rhag gwneud pethau sy'n wirioneddol bwysig iddynt.
Mae bron pob un o'r plant a phobl ifanc sy'n cael eu cyfeirio at y tîm yn ei chael hi'n anodd cyrraedd y cyfraddau presenoldeb disgwyliedig yn yr ysgol. Elfen hanfodol yw'r cydweithio â'r ysgol ac ymarferwyr gofal sylfaenol i helpu'r bobl ifanc i gael mynediad at addysg mewn ffordd sy'n addas ac sy'n briodol i'w hanghenion nhw. Mae hynny'n cynnwys, wrth gwrs, trafod gyda rhieni.
Mae'r tîm wedi cynllunio pecyn cymorth sy'n cynnwys canllawiau i'w defnyddio mewn ysgolion i helpu i adnabod, deall a chefnogi'r plant a'r bobl ifanc a allai fod yn ei chael hi'n anodd cael mynediad at addysg ac sydd angen cefnogaeth neu ymyrraeth ychwanegol. Ac er bod hwn wedi'i gynllunio'n wreiddiol ar gyfer plant â symptomau sy'n gysylltiedig â COVID hir ac afiechydon eraill sy'n achosi blinder cronig a phoen, gellir defnyddio'r pecyn gyda llawer o blant sy'n cael trafferth gyda symptomau a all amharu ar eu haddysg nhw.
Mae deddfwriaeth, cyngor ac arweiniad, wrth gwrs, yn bwysig, ond mae'r gwaith sydd wedi'i ddatblygu gan gydweithwyr ym mwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan yn rhoi enghraifft o sut i drosi hyn i rywbeth ymarferol sy'n gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i bobl ac i'w canlyniadau. Mae'r gwaith a gafodd ei ddatblygu yn Aneurin Bevan wedi cael ei adolygu gan gymheiriaid ar draws yr holl fyrddau iechyd ac mae cynlluniau i ddatblygu hwn yn becyn cymorth 'unwaith i Gymru'.
Dirprwy Lywydd, gall unrhyw darfu ar addysg person ifanc gael effaith gydol oes, ond gyda'r gefnogaeth gywir gellir lleihau hyn. Gyda'n gilydd, mae gan bob un ohonom ni rôl bwysig i'w chwarae, ac mae'n rhaid inni wneud ein rhan ar y cyd i greu'r amgylchedd sy'n angenrheidiol i alluogi hyn i ddigwydd. Mae eisoes mesurau mewn lle i alluogi cydweithio proffesiynol ac asiantaethol gyda mudiadau fel y Wales Neurological Alliance. Rŷn ni fel Llywodraeth yn gefnogol o waith y Migraine Trust, ond mae'n bwysig bod ein partneriaid sy'n delifro y gwasanaeth ar lawr gwlad yn gallu bod yn hyblyg yn y ffordd y maen nhw yn creu eu partneriaethau eu hunain.
Mae meigryn yn un o dros 250 o gyflyrau niwrolegol, ac mae nifer fawr yn cael eu cefnogi gan fudiadau trydydd sector, sy'n gwneud gwaith arbennig, wrth gwrs. Ond fe fyddai, wrth gwrs, yn amhosibl i ni fel Llywodraeth i weithio gyda phob un o'r rhain yn unigol. Fe all cynrychiolwyr o'r Migraine Trust ofyn i fod yn aelodau o'r Wales Neurological Alliance, ac fe fyddai hyn yn creu mecanwaith iddyn nhw i weithio'n agos gyda Llywodraeth Cymru felly.
Mae'n rhaid i blant a phobl ifanc sydd ag unrhyw angen gofal iechyd, gan gynnwys meigryn, gael eu cefnogi i gyflawni eu potensial yn llawn, a dyna beth fyddwn ni yn ei wneud yn Llywodraeth Cymru. Diolch yn fawr.
Almost all of the children and young people referred to the team have difficulty in reaching the required attendance rates in schools. A crucial element is collaboration with schools and primary care practitioners to help these young people to access education in a way that is appropriate to their needs. That includes having discussions with parents, of course.
The team have planned a support pack which includes guidance to be used in school to help to identify, understand and support children and young people who may be having difficulty in accessing education and who need support or additional intervention. And although this was originally planned for children with symptoms related to long COVID and other illnesses that cause chronic exhaustion and pain, the package can be used with many of those children suffering with symptoms that can interrupt their education.
Legislation, advice and guidance are important, of course, but the work developed by colleagues at Aneurin Bevan health board gives us an example of how to translate this into something practical that makes a very real difference to people and their outcomes. The work developed within Aneurin Bevan has been peer reviewed across all health boards, and plans are in place to develop this in a 'once for Wales' support plan.
Dirprwy Lywydd, any interruption to a young person's education can have a life-long impact, but with the right support this can be mitigated. Together, we all have an important role to play, and we must play our part together to create the necessary environment to allow this to happen. Measures are already in place to allow professional and agency collaborations with organisations such as the Wales Neurological Alliance. We as a Government are supportive of the work of the Migraine Trust, but it's important that our partners that deliver services on the ground can be flexible in the way they create their own partnerships.
Migraine is one of over 250 neurological conditions, many of which are supported by third sector organisations, which do excellent work, of course. But it would be impossible for us as a Government to work with each and every one of those individually. Representatives of the Migraine Trust could ask to become members of the Wales Neurological Alliance, and this would create a mechanism whereby they could work closely with the Welsh Government.
Children and young people who have any healthcare needs, including migraines, must be supported to deliver their full potential, and that is what we will be doing within Welsh Government. Thank you.
Galwaf ar Sam Rowlands i ymateb i'r ddadl.
I call on Sam Rowlands to reply to the debate.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and in closing today's important debate I ought to thank my colleague Mark Isherwood for submitting today's Member debate and also my fellow co-submitters Tom Giffard, Rhun ap Iorwerth and Mabon ap Gwynfor. I also thank the Minister for her response in appreciating today's points. As outlined by Mark Isherwood in opening today's debate, amongst a number of statistics that Members have commented on, one that really struck me was the simple fact that it's one in 10 children and young people who live with migraine. And, of course, this has a significant impact on their day-to-day lives, along with their time in school. I'm sure many Members—and it's already been mentioned—in this Chamber know of family members or friends on whom migraine has such a significant impact and suffer from it greatly.
As outlined by Rhun ap Iorwerth, if a child suffers from migraines, this can often lead to children struggling to complete to their schoolwork, showing that, without proper support, migraines can severely impact educational attainment. And one thing that struck me during this debate this afternoon, as mentioned by Mabon ap Gwynfor, is the fact that research by the Migraine Trust has suggested that education and health professionals, regretfully, don't often understand migraines, and, as Altaf Hussain outlined, it's those professionals perhaps who sometimes don't have access to the training and resources to effectively support children and young people who are impacted by migraines.
Of course, there are actions that can be taken to help those children and young people who are suffering, and these have been eloquently outlined by Members during today's debate. Minister, whilst you outlined some of the current work and shared a clear understanding of the concern around migraine, I'm not sure we'd be having this debate today if we felt that all those actions were working, and working well right across Wales. As today's motion outlines, now is the time to see Welsh Government working with organisations like the Migraine Trust and representative bodies for schools, health services and parents and carers in whatever forum works best. Minister, you outlined that there's perhaps an opportunity for the Migraine Trust and others to come alongside other forums to understand this issue more clearly; I'm sure that would be welcomed.
But it's clear to me—and in the motion today it's outlined—that we need to see the migraine guidance strengthened, we need to see training provided to support and accommodate young people impacted by migraines, but also provide resources for parents and carers of children living with migraines, and also enable children and young people to learn how to take control of their own care at the same time as well.
So, Deputy Presiding Officer, in concluding today's debate, I thank all Members, along with the Minister, for their contributions. It's been, I would say, an extremely useful and insightful debate, and, in addition to this, Members of the Senedd today have a great opportunity in supporting this motion that will do so much in providing support and guidance to young people and children who suffer from migraines. So, I call on all Members to support today's motion. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac wrth gloi’r ddadl bwysig heddiw, dylwn ddiolch i’m cyd-Aelod, Mark Isherwood, am gyflwyno'r ddadl Aelodau heddiw, a hefyd i'm cyd-gyflwynwyr, Tom Giffard, Rhun ap Iorwerth a Mabon ap Gwynfor. Diolch hefyd i’r Gweinidog am ei hymateb yn gwerthfawrogi’r pwyntiau heddiw. Fel yr amlinellwyd gan Mark Isherwood wrth agor y ddadl heddiw, ymhlith nifer o ystadegau y mae Aelodau wedi gwneud sylwadau arnynt, un a'm syfrdanodd oedd y ffaith syml fod un o bob 10 o blant a phobl ifanc yn byw gyda meigryn. Ac wrth gwrs, mae hyn yn cael effaith sylweddol ar eu bywydau o ddydd i ddydd, ynghyd â'u hamser yn yr ysgol. Rwy'n siŵr fod llawer o Aelodau—ac mae hyn wedi cael ei grybwyll eisoes—yn y Siambr hon yn gwybod am aelodau o'r teulu neu ffrindiau y mae meigryn yn cael effaith mor sylweddol arnynt ac sy'n dioddef yn fawr o'i herwydd.
Fel yr amlinellwyd gan Rhun ap Iorwerth, os yw plentyn yn dioddef o feigryn, gall hyn yn aml arwain at blant yn cael trafferth i gwblhau eu gwaith ysgol, gan ddangos, heb gymorth priodol, y gall meigryn effeithio’n ddifrifol ar gyrhaeddiad addysgol. Ac un peth a’m trawodd yn ystod y ddadl hon y prynhawn yma, fel y crybwyllodd Mabon ap Gwynfor, yw’r ffaith bod ymchwil gan y Migraine Trust wedi awgrymu bod gweithwyr addysg ac iechyd proffesiynol yn aml heb ddealltwriaeth o feigryn, ac fel y mae Altaf Hussain wedi’i nodi, efallai weithiau nad yw’r gweithwyr proffesiynol hynny wedi cael hyfforddiant ac adnoddau i allu rhoi cefnogaeth effeithiol i’r plant a'r bobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt.
Wrth gwrs, mae camau y gellir eu cymryd i helpu’r plant a’r bobl ifanc sy’n dioddef, ac mae’r rhain wedi’u disgrifio’n huawdl gan yr Aelodau yn ystod y ddadl heddiw. Weinidog, er ichi nodi rhywfaint o’r gwaith cyfredol a rhannu dealltwriaeth glir o’r pryder ynghylch meigryn, nid wyf yn siŵr y byddem yn cael y ddadl hon heddiw pe baem yn teimlo bod yr holl gamau hynny’n gweithio, ac yn gweithio’n dda ledled Cymru. Fel y mae’r cynnig heddiw'n ei nodi, nawr yw’r amser i weld Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda sefydliadau fel y Migraine Trust a chyrff cynrychioliadol ysgolion, gwasanaethau iechyd a rhieni a gofalwyr ym mha fforwm bynnag sy’n gweithio orau. Weinidog, fe wnaethoch amlinellu efallai fod cyfle i’r Migraine Trust ac eraill ddod ynghyd â fforymau eraill i ddeall y mater hwn yn well; rwy’n siŵr y byddai hynny’n cael ei groesawu.
Ond mae'n amlwg i mi—a chaiff hyn ei amlinellu yn y cynnig heddiw—fod angen inni weld y canllawiau meigryn yn cael eu cryfhau, mae angen inni weld hyfforddiant yn cael ei ddarparu i gefnogi a chynorthwyo pobl ifanc y mae meigryn yn effeithio arnynt, yn ogystal â darparu adnoddau i rieni a gofalwyr plant sy'n byw gyda meigryn, a galluogi plant a phobl ifanc i ddysgu sut i reoli eu gofal eu hunain ar yr un pryd hefyd.
Felly, Ddirprwy Lywydd, wrth gloi’r ddadl heddiw, diolch i’r holl Aelodau, ynghyd â’r Gweinidog, am eu cyfraniadau. Hoffwn ddweud iddi fod yn ddadl hynod ddefnyddiol a chraff, ac yn ogystal â hyn, mae gan Aelodau’r Senedd heddiw gyfle gwych i gefnogi’r cynnig hwn a fydd yn gwneud cymaint i ddarparu cymorth ac arweiniad i bobl ifanc a phlant sy’n dioddef o feigryn. Felly, galwaf ar bob Aelod i gefnogi’r cynnig heddiw. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Na. Felly, derbynnir y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? No. The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Eitem 7 sydd nesaf, dadl ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol a Thai, 'Ail Gartrefi'. Galwaf ar Gadeirydd y pwyllgor i wneud y cynnig. John Griffiths.
Item 7 is next, a debate on the Local Government and Housing Committee report on second homes. I call on the Chair of the committee to move the motion. John Griffiths.
Cynnig NDM8084 John Griffiths
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
Yn nodi adroddiad y Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol a Thai, 'Ail gartrefi', a osodwyd yn y Swyddfa Gyflwyno ar 9 Mehefin 2022.
Motion NDM8084 John Griffiths
To propose that the Senedd:
Notes the report of the Local Government and Housing Committee, 'Second homes', which was laid in the Table Office on 9 June 2022.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I’m pleased to open today’s debate on the Local Government and Housing Committee’s report on second homes, and I would like to start by thanking all those who contributed to our inquiry.
As we all know, these issues are contentious in many communities across Wales. Although not all areas of the country are affected, many of our coastal and rural areas have high numbers of second homes. Combined with formerly residential properties switching to short-term holiday accommodation and a more widespread shortage of affordable homes, many communities feel their sustainability is under threat.
Second homes, of course, are not a new phenomenon in Wales, but, as house prices and the cost of living increase, coupled with more people taking holidays in Wales during the pandemic, people who have grown up or lived in affected communities are often unable to buy or rent homes in those areas. Some areas have seen such a reduction in permanent residents that public services are no longer viable, including the closure of schools. The seasonal nature of the visitor economy has also turned some communities into winter ghost towns, with many amenities closing during those quieter months. Of course, other parts of the UK have experienced similar problems due to high numbers of second homes, particularly Cornwall and the Lake district. In Wales, we also have to consider the impact on the Welsh language, especially as many of the affected communities are located in the traditional Welsh-speaking heartlands.
Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Mae’n bleser gennyf agor y ddadl heddiw ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol a Thai ar ail gartrefi, a hoffwn ddechrau drwy ddiolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at ein hymchwiliad.
Fel y gŵyr pob un ohonom, mae’r materion hyn yn ddadleuol mewn llawer o gymunedau ledled Cymru. Er nad yw pob ardal o’r wlad yn cael ei heffeithio, mae gan lawer o’n hardaloedd arfordirol a gwledig niferoedd uchel o ail gartrefi. Ynghyd â'r ffaith bod eiddo a arferai fod yn eiddo preswyl yn newid i fod yn llety gwyliau tymor byr a phrinder cartrefi fforddiadwy yn gyffredinol, mae llawer o gymunedau’n teimlo bod eu cynaliadwyedd dan fygythiad.
Nid yw ail gartrefi, wrth gwrs, yn ffenomen newydd yng Nghymru, ond wrth i brisiau tai a chostau byw gynyddu, ynghyd â bod mwy o bobl wedi dod ar wyliau i Gymru yn ystod y pandemig, mae pobl sydd wedi eu magu neu wedi byw mewn cymunedau yr effeithir arnynt yn aml yn methu prynu neu rentu cartrefi yn yr ardaloedd hynny. Mae rhai ardaloedd wedi gweld cymaint o ostyngiad yn nifer y trigolion parhaol fel nad yw gwasanaethau cyhoeddus bellach yn hyfyw, gan gynnwys cau ysgolion. Mae natur dymhorol yr economi ymwelwyr hefyd wedi troi rhai cymunedau'n drefi marw dros y gaeaf, gyda llawer o amwynderau'n cau yn ystod y misoedd tawelach hynny. Wrth gwrs, mae rhannau eraill o’r DU wedi cael problemau tebyg oherwydd niferoedd uchel o ail gartrefi, yn enwedig Cernyw ac ardal y Llynnoedd. Yng Nghymru, rhaid inni hefyd ystyried yr effaith ar y Gymraeg, yn enwedig gan fod llawer o’r cymunedau yr effeithir arnynt wedi’u lleoli yng nghadarnleoedd traddodiadol y Gymraeg.
As second homes are impacting many communities in Wales, we decided that this would be the focus of our first inquiry as a committee. One of the main aims of our work was to examine the recommendations made by Dr Simon Brooks in his report, 'Second homes: Developing new policies in Wales', and the Welsh Government's response to those proposals. We made 15 recommendations in our report, and we are pleased that 14 have been accepted in full and one accepted in principle by the Welsh Government.
We know that addressing the issue of second homes is a priority for the Welsh Government and that a lot of work is already happening. During our inquiry, the Minister confirmed that a phased pilot scheme would be run in Dwyfor, Gwynedd, in order to test a number of interventions. We welcome that pilot and think that a proper evaluation of the measures being trialled there will be key to understanding whether these measures should be rolled out to other parts of our country. We are pleased that the Minister has committed to updating the Senedd every six months on the pilot and its effectiveness. We also welcome the Minister's confirmation that the pilot will be subject to a robust independent evaluation.
We believe it's important to be able to distinguish between holiday lets and second homes for personal use. We therefore welcome the Welsh Government's new use-class definitions, as we believe these provide an opportunity for greater consistency. Combined with a registration or licensing scheme for holiday accommodation, this can ensure a clear distinction is drawn between property types.
We heard a lot of evidence on the economic benefits of tourism to Wales, particularly in rural and coastal areas where many people rely on the tourism and hospitality industries for their livelihoods. However, it is important that the economic benefits are not outweighed by the negative impacts of second homes and short-term lets. The visitor economy is vital to Wales. It is therefore important that interventions aimed at protecting communities are targeted correctly to prevent unintended consequences.
We recommended that the evaluation of the Dwyfor interventions should include assessing the impact on tourism. In response, the Minister has said that, where feasible, the independent evaluation will include that impact, and that further exploratory work will take place to determine how this will be done. I would like to re-emphasise the importance of assessing the impact on the visitor economy to ensure that the many jobs reliant upon it are protected.
Much of the evidence we received placed second homes within a wider discussion about the availability of affordable housing. That is a problem across Wales, but coastal and rural areas have the additional issue of second homes to contend with. It is clear that a lack of affordable homes is an issue making some people, particularly young people, move away from the communities where they have grown up, and live further from their families and support networks. With fewer people of working age living in these areas, we are concerned that a dwindling workforce is impacting the ability of employers across public and private sectors to fill essential roles. Communities need people in order to survive. If high numbers of homes within towns and villages lie empty for large parts of the year, it is inevitable that a lack of customers will force businesses to close during the quieter periods, leaving remaining residents without those amenities.
We believe that increasing the availability of affordable housing is key to preventing the disappearance of sustainable, living communities. The Welsh Government is committed to delivering 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent across Wales, but building new homes isn’t the only solution. There are over 22,000 empty properties across our country. Bringing those back into use will make a significant contribution, so we would like to see greater progress being made. Our predecessor committee reported on this particular issue in October 2019, and the Minister has committed to providing an update on those recommendations by December this year.
The impact of second homes on the Welsh language was another key consideration of our work. We are concerned by the evidence that high numbers of second homes, particularly in Welsh-speaking heartlands, are having a detrimental impact on the number of Welsh speakers and the viability of Welsh as a community language in those areas. We therefore welcome the establishment of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities by the Welsh Government and its aim of making recommendations to strengthen policy in relation to the linguistic sustainability of communities. We’re pleased that the commission will be analysing the results of the 2021 census and other data, and that the work will involve analysing correlations between the density of second homes in communities and the number of Welsh speakers.
Llywydd, this is a very important issue to us, and particularly to people living in rural and coastal communities. We will be returning to this important issue during the term of this sixth Senedd to see how interventions have progressed. Diolch yn fawr.
Gan fod ail gartrefi'n effeithio ar lawer o gymunedau yng Nghymru, gwnaethom benderfynu mai ar hyn y byddai ein hymchwiliad cyntaf fel pwyllgor yn canolbwyntio. Un o brif amcanion ein gwaith oedd archwilio’r argymhellion a wnaed gan Dr Simon Brooks yn ei adroddiad, 'Ail gartrefi: Datblygu polisïau newydd yng Nghymru’, ac ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i’r cynigion hynny. Gwnaethom 15 o argymhellion yn ein hadroddiad, ac rydym yn falch fod 14 wedi’u derbyn yn llawn ac un wedi’i dderbyn mewn egwyddor gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Gwyddom fod mynd i’r afael â mater ail gartrefi'n flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru a bod llawer o waith eisoes yn mynd rhagddo. Yn ystod ein hymchwiliad, cadarnhaodd y Gweinidog y byddai cynllun peilot graddol yn cael ei gynnal yn Nwyfor, Gwynedd, er mwyn profi nifer o ymyriadau. Rydym yn croesawu’r cynllun peilot hwnnw, ac yn credu y bydd gwerthusiad cywir o’r mesurau sy’n cael eu treialu yno yn allweddol er mwyn deall a ddylid cyflwyno’r mesurau hyn mewn rhannau eraill o’n gwlad. Rydym yn falch fod y Gweinidog wedi ymrwymo i roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i’r Senedd bob chwe mis ar y cynllun peilot a’i effeithiolrwydd. Rydym hefyd yn croesawu cadarnhad y Gweinidog y bydd y cynllun peilot yn destun gwerthusiad annibynnol cadarn.
Credwn ei bod yn bwysig gallu gwahaniaethu rhwng llety gwyliau ac ail gartrefi at ddefnydd personol. Rydym felly’n croesawu diffiniadau dosbarthiadau defnydd newydd Llywodraeth Cymru, gan ein bod yn credu bod y rhain yn rhoi cyfle am fwy o gysondeb. Ynghyd â chynllun trwyddedu neu gofrestru ar gyfer llety gwyliau, gall hyn sicrhau bod gwahaniaeth clir rhwng mathau gwahanol o eiddo.
Clywsom lawer o dystiolaeth am fanteision economaidd twristiaeth i Gymru, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd gwledig ac arfordirol lle mae llawer o bobl yn dibynnu ar y diwydiannau twristiaeth a lletygarwch am eu bywoliaeth. Fodd bynnag, mae’n bwysig nad yw’r buddion economaidd yn cael eu gorbwyso gan effeithiau negyddol ail gartrefi a llety gwyliau tymor byr. Mae’r economi ymwelwyr yn hanfodol i Gymru. Mae'n bwysig felly fod ymyriadau sydd â'r nod o ddiogelu cymunedau'n cael eu targedu'n gywir i atal canlyniadau anfwriadol.
Argymhellwyd y dylai'r gwerthusiad o'r ymyriadau yn Nwyfor gynnwys asesu'r effaith ar dwristiaeth. Mewn ymateb, mae’r Gweinidog wedi dweud, lle bo’n ymarferol, y bydd y gwerthusiad annibynnol yn cynnwys yr effaith honno, ac y bydd rhagor o waith archwiliol yn cael ei wneud i bennu sut y gwneir hyn. Hoffwn ailbwysleisio pwysigrwydd asesu’r effaith ar yr economi ymwelwyr i sicrhau bod y nifer o swyddi sy’n ddibynnol arni yn cael eu diogelu.
Roedd llawer o’r dystiolaeth a gawsom yn ystyried ail gartrefi o fewn trafodaeth ehangach am argaeledd tai fforddiadwy. Mae honno’n broblem ledled Cymru, ond mae gan ardaloedd arfordirol a gwledig broblem ychwanegol ail gartrefi i ymgodymu â hi. Mae’n amlwg fod diffyg tai fforddiadwy yn broblem sy’n gwneud i rai pobl, yn enwedig pobl ifanc, symud o’r cymunedau lle cawsant eu magu, a byw ymhellach oddi wrth eu teuluoedd a’u rhwydweithiau cymorth. Gyda llai o bobl o oedran gweithio'n byw yn yr ardaloedd hyn, rydym yn pryderu bod gweithlu sy’n lleihau yn effeithio ar allu cyflogwyr ar draws y sectorau cyhoeddus a phreifat i lenwi rolau hanfodol. Mae angen pobl ar gymunedau i oroesi. Os bydd niferoedd uchel o gartrefi mewn trefi a phentrefi yn wag am gyfnodau hir o'r flwyddyn, mae'n anochel y bydd diffyg cwsmeriaid yn gorfodi busnesau i gau yn ystod y cyfnodau tawelach gan adael gweddill y trigolion heb yr amwynderau hynny.
Credwn fod cynyddu argaeledd tai fforddiadwy yn allweddol i atal diflaniad cymunedau cynaliadwy, byw. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i ddarparu 20,000 o gartrefi cymdeithasol carbon isel newydd i’w rhentu ledled Cymru, ond nid adeiladu cartrefi newydd yw’r unig ateb. Ceir dros 22,000 eiddo gwag ar draws ein gwlad. Bydd dod â’r rheini'n ôl i ddefnydd yn gwneud cyfraniad sylweddol, felly hoffem weld mwy o gynnydd. Cyflwynodd y pwyllgor a’n rhagflaenodd adroddiad ar y mater penodol hwn ym mis Hydref 2019, ac mae’r Gweinidog wedi ymrwymo i ddarparu’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am yr argymhellion hynny erbyn mis Rhagfyr eleni.
Roedd effaith ail gartrefi ar y Gymraeg yn un o ystyriaethau allweddol eraill ein gwaith. Rydym yn bryderus ynghylch y dystiolaeth fod niferoedd uchel o ail gartrefi, yn enwedig yng nghadarnleoedd y Gymraeg, yn cael effaith andwyol ar nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg a hyfywedd y Gymraeg fel iaith gymunedol yn yr ardaloedd hynny. O'r herwydd, rydym yn croesawu sefydlu’r Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg gan Lywodraeth Cymru, a’i nod o wneud argymhellion i gryfhau polisi mewn perthynas â chynaliadwyedd ieithyddol cymunedau. Rydym yn falch y bydd y comisiwn yn dadansoddi canlyniadau cyfrifiad 2021 a data arall, ac y bydd y gwaith yn cynnwys dadansoddi'r gydberthynas rhwng nifer ail gartrefi mewn cymunedau a nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg.
Lywydd, mae hwn yn fater pwysig iawn i ni, ac yn enwedig i bobl sy’n byw mewn cymunedau gwledig ac arfordirol. Byddwn yn dychwelyd at y mater pwysig hwn yn ystod tymor y chweched Senedd hon i weld sut y mae ymyriadau wedi datblygu. Diolch yn fawr.
Daeth y Llywydd i’r Gadair.
The Llywydd took the Chair.