Y Cyfarfod Llawn

Plenary

08/10/2024

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.

1. Cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog
1. Questions to the First Minister

Prynhawn da a chroeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Y cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog yw'r eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf heddiw gan Vaughan Gething.

Good afternoon and welcome, all, to this Plenary meeting. The first item will be questions to the First Minister. The first question this afternoon is from Vaughan Gething.

Penderfyniadau Cynllunio
Planning Decisions

1. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ei blaenoriaeth i gyflymu penderfyniadau cynllunio i helpu i dyfu economi Cymru? OQ61649

1. Will the First Minister provide an update on her priority to speed up planning decisions to help grow the Welsh economy? OQ61649

Planning makes a major contribution to green growth, social housing provision and addressing the nature and climate emergencies. For that reason, accelerating planning decisions is one of my top priorities. A delivery plan setting out proposals to accelerate decisions is being prepared.

Mae cynllunio yn gwneud cyfraniad mawr at dwf gwyrdd, y ddarpariaeth o dai cymdeithasol a mynd i'r afael â'r argyfyngau natur a hinsawdd. Am y rheswm hwnnw, cyflymu penderfyniadau cynllunio yw un o fy mhrif flaenoriaethau. Mae cynllun cyflawni yn cyflwyno cynigion i gyflymu penderfyniadau yn cael ei baratoi.

Thank you for your answer, First Minister. I welcome your focus on speeding up planning decisions to help grow the economy. This is an area where we have to do better in Wales—of course, you have experience from the private sector in this regard. Three weeks ago in First Minister's questions, I raised the Cardiff parkway, which is endorsed in the Burns commission proposals as an alternative to the M4 relief road. It's worth reflecting again that there is no credible publicly funded alternative for a station in east Cardiff. This is a significant transport and economic development proposal that should create well-paid jobs in one of the least advantaged communities in the country. It's almost two years since the planning proposal was called in by a previous Welsh Minister. First Minister, can you confirm which Minister has now been allocated to determine this matter, following the two planning inspector reports, and when could we expect a decision?

Diolch am eich ateb, Prif Weinidog. Rwy'n croesawu eich pwyslais ar gyflymu penderfyniadau cynllunio i helpu i dyfu'r economi. Mae hwn yn faes lle mae'n rhaid i ni wneud yn well yng Nghymru—wrth gwrs, mae gennych chi brofiad o'r sector preifat yn hyn o beth. Dair wythnos yn ôl yn ystod cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, codais barcffordd Caerdydd, sydd wedi'i gymeradwyo yng nghynigion comisiwn Burns fel dewis yn hytrach na ffordd liniaru'r M4. Mae'n werth myfyrio eto nad oes unrhyw ddewis arall wedi'i ariannu'n gyhoeddus ar gyfer gorsaf yn nwyrain Caerdydd. Mae hwn yn gynnig trafnidiaeth a datblygiad economaidd sylweddol a ddylai greu swyddi sy'n talu'n dda yn un o'r cymunedau lleiaf breintiedig yn y wlad. Mae bron i ddwy flynedd ers i'r cynnig cynllunio gael ei alw i mewn gan Weinidog blaenorol yng Nghymru. Prif Weinidog, a allwch chi gadarnhau pa Weinidog sydd bellach wedi cael ei neilltuo i wneud penderfyniad ar y mater hwn, yn dilyn y ddau adroddiad arolygydd cynllunio, a phryd y gallem ni ddisgwyl penderfyniad?

Diolch yn fawr, Vaughan. You say three weeks ago—it feels like three years ago to me when you last asked about this. A planning application for the development has been called in for determination by Welsh Ministers. The Welsh Government's planning directorate have received the planning inspector's report for the application. That is now being actively considered by officials, and a decision will be issued as soon as possible. Now, obviously, because this is a call-in case, I'm unable to provide any comments on any of the merits of the proposals because we want to avoid prejudicing that final decision. I intend to make the final decision on the application.

Diolch yn fawr, Vaughan. Rydych chi'n dweud dair wythnos yn ôl—mae'n teimlo fel tair blynedd yn ôl i mi pan wnaethoch chi ofyn am hyn ddiwethaf. Mae cais cynllunio ar gyfer y datblygiad wedi cael ei alw i mewn i'w benderfynu gan Weinidogion Cymru. Mae cyfarwyddiaeth gynllunio Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn adroddiad yr arolygydd cynllunio ar gyfer y cais. Mae hwnnw bellach yn cael ei ystyried yn weithredol gan swyddogion, a bydd penderfyniad yn cael ei gyhoeddi cyn gynted â phosibl. Nawr, yn amlwg, oherwydd bod hwn yn achos galw i mewn, ni allaf roi unrhyw sylwadau ar unrhyw un o rinweddau'r cynigion gan ein bod ni eisiau osgoi rhagfarnu'r penderfyniad terfynol hwnnw. Rwyf i'n bwriadu gwneud y penderfyniad terfynol ar y cais.

If we are to fully unleash Wales's green energy potential, then the timely approval of planning applications is paramount, as the wheels of the private sector turn far quicker than the wheels of the public sector. Indeed, there is currently no certainty in how long these planning applications will take to be determined, which leaves investors nervous and often looking elsewhere, to other countries, who are far more proactive and welcoming of such investment. If we don't get this right, then Wales will miss out on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to regenerate and reinvigorate areas of our country that have sadly seen jobs and industry leave. So, how is the Welsh Government committed to being open for business through its planning regime, in both word and deed, so that the opportunities and the necessity in grasping those opportunities isn't missed?

Os ydym ni'n mynd i ryddhau potensial ynni gwyrdd Cymru yn llawn, yna mae cymeradwyo ceisiadau cynllunio yn brydlon yn hollbwysig, gan fod olwynion y sector preifat yn troi yn llawer cyflymach nag olwynion y sector cyhoeddus. Yn wir, nid oes unrhyw sicrwydd ar hyn o bryd o ran faint o amser y bydd yn ei gymryd i gael penderfyniadau ar y ceisiadau cynllunio hyn, sy'n gadael buddsoddwyr yn nerfus ac yn aml yn edrych ar fannau eraill, ar wledydd eraill, sy'n llawer mwy rhagweithiol a chroesawgar o fuddsoddiad o'r fath. Os na fyddwn ni'n cael hyn yn iawn, yna bydd Cymru yn colli cyfle unwaith mewn cenhedlaeth i adfywio ac ailfywiogi rhannau o'n gwlad lle, yn anffodus, y mae swyddi a diwydiant wedi gadael. Felly, sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i fod yn agored i fusnes drwy ei threfn gynllunio, o ran gair a gweithred, fel nad yw'r cyfleoedd a'r angen i fanteisio ar y cyfleoedd hynny yn cael eu colli?

I absolutely agree with you. I think this is a real opportunity for the nation, in particular when it comes to offshore wind development. That is why one of the key priorities that I've set out is to streamline those planning applications, to make sure that we can speed things up, that we can do things within a time frame. It's not straightforward to do that, because you also have to allow other parties to have their say, to make sure that you get the balance right between economic development and the environment. So, we've got to make sure that the system is correct and robust, but we also need to make sure that the resourcing is there, to make sure that those decisions can be made in a prompt time. So, it is an area that I'm absolutely focused on, and something that, clearly, the economy, energy and planning Minister has at the top of her agenda.

Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â chi. Rwy'n credu bod hwn yn gyfle gwirioneddol i'r genedl, yn enwedig o ran datblygiadau gwynt ar y môr. Dyna pam mai un o'r blaenoriaethau allweddol yr wyf i wedi eu cyflwyno yw symleiddio'r ceisiadau cynllunio hynny, i wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gallu cyflymu pethau, y gallwn ni wneud pethau o fewn amserlen benodol. Nid yw'n hawdd gwneud hynny, oherwydd mae'n rhaid i chi hefyd ganiatáu i bartïon eraill leisio eu barn, i wneud yn siŵr eich bod chi'n cael y cydbwysedd cywir rhwng datblygiad economaidd a'r amgylchedd. Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni wneud yn siŵr bod y system yn gywir ac yn gadarn, ond mae angen i ni hefyd wneud yn siŵr bod yr adnoddau yno, i wneud yn siŵr y gellir gwneud y penderfyniadau hynny mewn amser prydlon. Felly, mae'n faes yr wyf i'n sicr yn canolbwyntio arno, ac yn rhywbeth sydd gan Weinidog yr economi, ynni a chynllunio, yn amlwg, ar frig ei hagenda.

Trafnidiaeth Gyhoeddus yn y Canolbarth a'r Gorllewin
Public Transport in Mid and West Wales

2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog amlinellu blaenoriaethau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ61676

2. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's public transport priorities for Mid and West Wales? OQ61676

Mae ein strategaeth trafnidiaeth, 'Llwybr Newydd', yn nodi ein gweledigaeth ar gyfer pob rhan o Gymru, gan gynnwys y canolbarth a’r gorllewin. Fe fyddwn ni’n cyflawni ar sail y strategaeth honno gan ddilyn y cynllun cyflawni cenedlaethol ar gyfer trafnidiaeth, yn ogystal â'r cynlluniau trafnidiaeth rhanbarthol sy'n cael eu datblygu gan gyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Pwyllgorau yw’r rhain lle mae sawl cyngor yn dod at ei gilydd i wneud penderfyniadau strategol ar gyfer rhanbarth ehangach.

Our transport strategy, 'Llwybr Newydd', sets out our vision for all parts of Wales, including Mid and West Wales. We will deliver on that strategy with reference to our national transport delivery plan, as well as the regional transport plans, which are being developed by corporate joint committees. These are the committees of several councils who join together to undertake strategic decisions for a broader region.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Dro ar ôl tro, rŷch chi fel Llywodraeth wedi annog pobl i ddefnyddio llai o’u ceir a’u hannog i ddefnyddio trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus er mwyn cyrraedd targedau newid hinsawdd a sero net. Ond rwy’n ofni fwyfwy taw geiriau gwag yw’r rhain, achos beth sy’n digwydd yn y rhanbarth rŷn ni’n ei gynrychioli yw bod yna grebachu yn digwydd o ran trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Yr wythnos diwethaf yn unig, fe gawsom ni gadarnhad y byddai gwasanaethau ar hyd llinell Calon Cymru, y rheilffordd eiconig honno sydd yn mynd o Lanelli i’r Amwythig, yn cael eu cwtogi o fis Rhagfyr eleni. Yr eironi, wrth gwrs, yw, tra bo isadeiledd trafnidiaeth y canolbarth yn gwegian, mae dros £4 biliwn o gyllid yn ddyledus i Gymru gan San Steffan am dwyll HS2. Dychmygwch y gwahaniaeth y gallai’r arian hwnnw ei wneud nid yn unig i linell Calon Cymru, ond i drawsnewid trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ym mhob rhan o Gymru. Felly, wrth inni ddisgwyl cyllideb Llywodraeth Lafur San Steffan ddiwedd y mis yma, gawn ni felly eglurder oddi wrthych chi a ydych chi wedi cael unrhyw sgyrsiau gyda’r Llywodraeth er mwyn sicrhau bod pob ceiniog o’r £4 biliwn sy’n ddyledus i ni yn dod i Gymru?

Thank you very much. Time and again, you as a Government have encouraged people to use their cars less and to use public transport in order to meet climate change and net-zero targets. But I'm increasingly concerned that these are empty words, because what's happening in the region that I represent is that there is contraction in terms of public transport. Just last week, we received confirmation that services along the Heart of Wales line, that iconic railway line that goes from Llanelli to Shrewsbury, would be curtailed from December this year. The irony, of course, is that while transport infrastructure in mid Wales is creaking, more than £4 billion in funding is owed to Wales by Westminster as a result of the HS2 fraud. Just imagine the difference that that funding could make not only to the Heart of Wales line, but in transforming public transport in every part of Wales. So, as we expect the budget of the Westminster Labour Government at the end of this month, could we have some clarity from you on whether you've had any discussions with the Government in order to ensure that every penny of that £4 billion owed to us does come to Wales?

13:35

Diolch yn fawr. Dwi ddim yn meddwl eu bod nhw’n eiriau gwag. Y ffaith yw ein bod ni wedi gweld, dros Gymru gyfan, gynnydd o 27 y cant yn y bobl sy'n defnyddio trenau yng Nghymru rhwng mis Ebrill a mis Mehefin. Mae hwnnw'n gynnydd aruthrol ac yn rhywbeth y dylem ni fod yn ei ddathlu. Dwi’n derbyn bod hynny yn haws mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru i gymharu ag ardaloedd eraill. O ran Calon Cymru, mae’n wir bod llai o wasanaethau, o bump i bedwar, ond bydd seddi ychwanegol a bydd capasiti ar gyfer cyclists ar y llinell yna.

O ran HS2, rŷn ni’n dal i bwyso ar Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig am degwch am yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd o ran buddsoddiad yn y strwythur yna. Dwi ddim yn meddwl bod y ffigur yna o £4 biliwn yn ffigur realistig, ond, dwi eisiau bod yn glir, mae’r trafodaethau yna'n parhau.

Thank you very much. I don't think that it's empty rhetoric. The fact is we've seen, across the whole of Wales, an increase of 27 per cent in people using trains in Wales between April and June. That is a huge increase and something that we should celebrate. I accept that that is easier in some parts of Wales compared to others. For the Heart of Wales line, it is true to say that there will be a reduction in services, from five to four, but there will be additional seats available and there will also be capacity for cyclists on that line too.

In terms of HS2, we are still putting pressure on the UK Government for fairness in terms of what's happened in relation to investment in that infrastructure. I don't think that figure of £4 billion is realistic, but I do want to be clear that those discussions are ongoing.

First Minister, people in mid Wales are absolutely fed up of having to put up with overcrowded trains on the Shrewsbury-to-Aberystwyth Cambrian line. For many years, there have been commitments made by Transport for Wales and previous Ministers here. We’ve been told that new rolling stock, new carriages, would be coming online in 2023, then it was this winter, and now we’re told it’s the back end of next year. It's all very frustrating and disappointing when new rolling stock is already in use in other parts of Wales. On top of that, we’re also told—despite 10 years of commitments from Welsh Government Ministers here and from Transport for Wales that there will be a true hourly service—that, from 2026, that will only be for four months of the year. Now, of course, it’s your Government that wants to encourage people out of their cars and onto public transport. I can hear other Members shouting about Westminster—these are commitments that have been made for a decade by Welsh Government Ministers here and it’s the Welsh Government that owns Transport for Wales and operates Transport for Wales. So, my question is to you, First Minister: when will it be that the people of mid Wales can have a train service that they can rely on and that is a good service, and it’s a good service that they can depend upon so they can get out of their cars and onto public transport?

Prif Weinidog, mae pobl yn y canolbarth wedi cael llond bol o orfod dioddef trenau gorlawn ar reilffordd y Cambrian rhwng Amwythig ac Aberystwyth. Ers blynyddoedd lawer, gwnaed ymrwymiadau gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru a Gweinidogion blaenorol yma. Dywedwyd wrthym y byddai cerbydau newydd yn cael eu cyflwyno yn 2023, yna y gaeaf hwn oedd hi, a nawr dywedir wrthym ni mai diwedd y flwyddyn nesaf fydd hi. Mae'r cwbl yn peri rhwystredigaeth a siom fawr pan fo cerbydau newydd eisoes yn cael eu defnyddio mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru. Ar ben hynny, dywedir wrthym ni hefyd—er gwaethaf 10 mlynedd o ymrwymiadau gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru yma a chan Trafnidiaeth Cymru y bydd gwasanaeth bob awr gwirioneddol—y bydd hwnnw, o 2026, ym mhedwar mis o'r flwyddyn yn unig. Nawr, wrth gwrs, eich Llywodraeth chi sydd eisiau annog pobl allan o'u ceir ac ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Gallaf glywed Aelodau eraill yn gweiddi am San Steffan—mae'r rhain yn ymrwymiadau a wnaed ers degawd gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru yma a Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n berchen ar Trafnidiaeth Cymru ac yn gweithredu Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Felly, fy nghwestiwn i chi, Prif Weinidog, yw: pryd fydd hi y bydd pobl y canolbarth yn gallu cael gwasanaeth rheilffordd y gallan nhw ddibynnu arno ac sy'n wasanaeth da, ac sy'n wasanaeth da y gallan nhw ddibynnu arno fel y gallan nhw ddod allan o'u ceir ac ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus?

Thanks very much, Russell. You’ll be aware that the demand on those services changes quite radically from season to season. What is happening is that the timetable will be reflecting the difference between the summer months and the winter months. I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear that there will be an additional service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury from May 2025, and additional services to establish an hourly service from the summer months between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury from 2026. So, I hope you can take that information back. But, also, there will be an effort to reinstate two services on the Cambrian Coast line in the summer months, alongside doubling the capacity on some of the busier services. That’s because we’ve been listening to passengers and stakeholders in developing the timetable, reflecting those changes and responding to what the people on those lines need.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Russell. Byddwch yn ymwybodol bod y galw ar y gwasanaethau hynny yn newid bron yn llwyr o un tymor i'r llall. Yr hyn sy'n digwydd yw y bydd yr amserlen yn adlewyrchu'r gwahaniaeth rhwng misoedd yr haf a misoedd y gaeaf. Rwy'n siŵr y byddwch chi'n falch o glywed y bydd gwasanaeth ychwanegol rhwng Aberystwyth ac Amwythig o fis Mai 2025, a gwasanaethau ychwanegol i sefydlu gwasanaeth bob awr o fisoedd yr haf rhwng Aberystwyth ac Amwythig o 2026. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y gallwch chi fynd â'r wybodaeth honno yn ôl. Ond, hefyd, bydd ymdrech i ailgyflwyno dau wasanaeth ar reilffordd Arfordir y Cambrian yn ystod misoedd yr haf, ochr yn ochr â dyblu'r capasiti ar rai o'r gwasanaethau prysurach. Mae hynny oherwydd ein bod ni wedi bod yn gwrando ar deithwyr a rhanddeiliaid wrth ddatblygu'r amserlen, gan adlewyrchu'r newidiadau hynny ac ymateb i'r hyn sydd ei angen ar y bobl ar y rheilffyrdd hynny.

13:40
Cwestiynau Heb Rybudd gan Arweinwyr y Pleidiau
Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Andrew R.T. Davies. 

Questions now from the party leaders. The leader of the Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies.   

Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, I'm sure you were alarmed and disturbed by the BBC programme that's going to be broadcast tomorrow night, that is on the iPlayer for people to view today, about Neil Foden, the disgraced headteacher from north Wales who undertook horrific acts of abuse against vulnerable individuals who were in his care and trust. It is a fact, by the look of the evidence that's coming forward, that level of abuse was undertaken over far many more decades rather than the years that the court case that found him guilty dealt with in July. What assessment, since his conviction in July, has the Welsh Government taken, because Neil Foden was used as an expert witness very often in educational matters, as an adviser to the Welsh Government, and also as a witness here to committees in the Senedd, over the impact of his actions? And, importantly, what will the Welsh Government do to make sure that the victims' voices are heard in this terrible case?

Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, rwy'n siŵr eich bod chi wedi cael eich dychryn a'ch pryderu gan raglen y BBC sy'n mynd i gael ei darlledu nos yfory, sydd ar yr iPlayer i bobl ei gwylio heddiw, am Neil Foden, y pennaeth o'r gogledd sydd wedi dwyn gwarth ar ei hun a gyflawnodd weithredoedd erchyll o gam-drin yn erbyn unigolion agored i niwed a oedd yn ei ofal a'i ymddiriedaeth. Mae'n ffaith, o edrych ar y dystiolaeth sy'n cael ei chyflwyno, y cyflawnwyd y lefel honno o gam-drin dros lawer mwy o ddegawdau yn hytrach na'r blynyddoedd yr oedd yr achos llys a gafodd ef yn euog yn ymdrin â nhw ym mis Gorffennaf. Pa asesiad, ers ei euogfarn ym mis Gorffennaf, y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei wneud, oherwydd defnyddiwyd Neil Foden fel tyst arbenigol yn aml iawn mewn materion addysgol, fel cynghorydd i Lywodraeth Cymru, a hefyd fel tyst yma i bwyllgorau yn y Senedd, ynghylch effaith ei weithredoedd? Ac, yn bwysig, beth fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i wneud yn siŵr bod lleisiau'r dioddefwyr yn cael eu clywed yn yr achos ofnadwy hwn?

Thanks very much. Can I, first of all, put on record my support and sympathy for the victims who have been so brave in coming forward? And I don't think any of us should underestimate how difficult it is when that abuse happens, when people are at a vulnerable age and a difficult stage, with people in positions of power. It is absolutely unacceptable, and I'd like to pay tribute to them. Now, the key thing is that we learn lessons and that we try and avoid this kind of situation happening again. I think it's true to say that Neil Foden, actually, came in to a committee to give evidence—a committee that I think you were a member of—during the last Senedd, so it's obviously something that the Senedd may want to consider. But, just in terms of lessons learnt, I think what's important now is that we look at the review, we learn from the review. I know there are experts in there now giving training to people on the local authority, for example, to make sure that they know what to look at in these kinds of circumstances. 

Diolch yn fawr. A gaf i, yn gyntaf oll, roi ar y cofnod fy nghefnogaeth a fy nghydymdeimlad tuag at y dioddefwyr sydd wedi bod mor ddewr yn dod ymlaen? A dydw i ddim yn credu y dylai unrhyw un ohonom ni danbrisio pa mor anodd yw hi pan fydd y cam-drin hwnnw yn digwydd, pan fydd pobl mewn oedran agored i niwed ac mewn cyfnod anodd, gyda phobl mewn sefyllfaoedd o rym. Mae'n gwbl annerbyniol, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged iddyn nhw. Nawr, y peth allweddol yw ein bod ni'n dysgu gwersi a'n bod ni'n ceisio osgoi'r math hwn o sefyllfa rhag digwydd eto. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n wir dweud bod Neil Foden, mewn gwirionedd, wedi dod i mewn i bwyllgor i roi tystiolaeth—pwyllgor yr wyf i'n credu yr oeddech chi'n aelod ohono—yn ystod y Senedd ddiwethaf, felly mae'n amlwg yn rhywbeth y gallai'r Senedd fod eisiau ei ystyried. Ond, dim ond o ran gwersi a ddysgwyd, rwy'n credu mai'r hyn sy'n bwysig nawr yw ein bod ni'n edrych ar yr adolygiad, ein bod ni'n dysgu o'r adolygiad. Rwy'n gwybod bod arbenigwyr yno bellach yn rhoi hyfforddiant i bobl ar yr awdurdod lleol, er enghraifft, i wneud yn siŵr eu bod nhw'n gwybod beth i edrych arno o dan y mathau hyn o amgylchiadau.

One of the comments that has come forward is the quite clear remark at the start of the programme, which talks of how he was able to hide for so long. Now, that is a legitimate question that many of the victims and, indeed, anyone looking at it with an objective view would take. How was an individual who had accusations put against him of bullying and also inappropriate behaviour, confirmed by disciplinary procedure and outcomes, still able to receive promotion to become an executive head in the Gwynedd council area of two substantial schools and the victims' voices not being seen to be heard? Now, I did ask what assessment has the Welsh Government been doing over the summer about this specific case because, time and time again, when we come to the floor of the Senedd and we focus on these tragic cases, it is very often seen that there were red flags through the process that could have been picked up. And then, when a report is done, little or no action seems to follow about the people who didn't act on those red flags. So, what is the Welsh Government doing, working with the local authority, who was his employer, to make sure that if people didn't act in the best interests of pupils and people within his care—they didn't act in that best interest—they will be held to account and disciplinary action will be taken against them?

Un o'r sylwadau sydd wedi cael ei wneud yw'r sylw eithaf eglur ar ddechrau'r rhaglen, sy'n sôn am sut y llwyddodd i guddio am gyhyd. Nawr, mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn dilys y byddai llawer o'r dioddefwyr ac, yn wir, unrhyw un sy'n edrych arno gyda safbwynt gwrthrychol yn ei fabwysiadu. Sut oedd unigolyn y gwnaed cyhuddiadau o fwlio a hefyd ymddygiad amhriodol yn ei erbyn, a gadarnhawyd gan weithdrefn a chanlyniadau disgyblu, yn dal i allu cael dyrchafiad i ddod yn bennaeth gweithredol yn ardal cyngor Gwynedd ar ddwy ysgol sylweddol heb i leisiau'r dioddefwyr gael eu clywed? Nawr, fe wnes i ofyn pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn ei wneud dros yr haf ynghylch yr achos penodol hwn oherwydd, dro ar ôl tro, pan fyddwn ni'n dod i lawr y Senedd ac yn canolbwyntio ar yr achosion trasig hyn, gwelir yn aml iawn bod rhybuddion eglur drwy'r broses y gellid bod wedi rhoi sylw iddyn nhw. Ac yna, pan fydd adroddiad yn cael ei lunio, mae'n ymddangos mai ychydig neu ddim gweithredu sy'n dilyn o ran y bobl na wnaeth weithredu ar y rhybuddion eglur hynny. Felly, beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud, gan weithio gyda'r awdurdod lleol, sef ei gyflogwr, i wneud yn siŵr, os na wnaeth pobl weithredu er budd pennaf disgyblion a phobl yn ei ofal—ni wnaethon nhw weithredu er y budd pennaf hwnnw—y byddan nhw'n cael eu dwyn i gyfrif ac y bydd camau disgyblu yn cael eu cymryd yn eu herbyn?

Thanks very much. Look, this is not the first time we've seen somebody commit these kinds of dreadful acts in full view of what was going on, and it demonstrates the manipulative nature of some people who act in this way. But there are opportunities, and I'm sure there were opportunities that were missed, and that's why that safeguarding review that is being undertaken needs to be a thorough review, it needs to be a sensitive review, you need to listen very, very carefully and sensitively to the victims, you need to listen carefully to the councillors who were involved in promoting and appointing him to those positions. Where were the red flags? All of that work is being undertaken, as we speak.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Edrychwch, nid dyma'r tro cyntaf i ni weld rhywun yn cyflawni'r mathau hyn o weithredoedd ofnadwy yng ngolwg lawn yr hyn a oedd yn digwydd, ac mae'n dangos natur ystrywgar rhai pobl sy'n ymddwyn fel hyn. Ond mae cyfleoedd, ac rwy'n siŵr bod cyfleoedd a gollwyd, a dyna pam mae angen i'r adolygiad diogelu sy'n cael ei gynnal fod yn adolygiad trylwyr, mae angen iddo fod yn adolygiad sensitif, mae angen i chi wrando'n ofalus iawn, yn ofalus iawn ac yn sensitif ar y dioddefwyr, mae angen i chi wrando'n ofalus ar y cynghorwyr a oedd yn gysylltiedig â'i ddyrchafu a'i benodi i'r swyddi hynny. Ble oedd y rhybuddion eglur? Mae'r holl waith hwnnw yn cael ei wneud, wrth i ni siarad.

I very much hope that the inquiry will get to the bottom of this and, actually, give some form of closure and comfort, if that's the right word, to the victims, because they will always have the memories of the horrors that were inflicted on them, but by seeing some form of improvement and safeguarding measures being taken and people held to account, hopefully that will bring a level of closure so that people will be able to get on with their lives.

Could I ask you about a separate subject, First Minister? Two weeks ago, I questioned you about the announcement at the Labour Party conference over patients from Wales being able to access surplus capacity to reduce waiting times here in Wales—something that I commended the Government for considering and bringing forward. Last week, the health Secretary, in an interview on WalesOnline, said that that was not the case and that patients would not be able to access that second-offer option. It's quite clear, it's there for all to read. So, we have a view from the First Minister that that capacity is going to be purchased by the Welsh Government to enable patients to travel, something that sounds good, and then we have the health Secretary saying that that's not the case. Which is the policy position of the Welsh Government? Will there be greater capacity purchased and will patients see themselves progressing up the waiting list and getting the procedures that they want?

Rwy'n mawr obeithio y bydd yr ymchwiliad yn darganfod gwir ffeithiau hyn ac, mewn gwirionedd, yn rhoi rhyw fath o derfyn a chysur, os mai dyna'r gair cywir, i'r dioddefwyr, oherwydd bydd ganddyn nhw'r atgofion o'r erchyllterau a berwyd iddynt am byth, ond trwy weld rhyw fath o fesurau gwella a diogelu yn cael eu cymryd a phobl yn cael eu dwyn i gyfrif, gobeithio y bydd hynny'n dod â lefel o derfyn fel y bydd pobl yn gallu bwrw ymlaen â'u bywydau.

A gaf i ofyn i chi am bwnc ar wahân, Prif Weinidog? Bythefnos yn ôl, fe wnes i eich holi am y cyhoeddiad yng nghynhadledd y Blaid Lafur ynghylch cleifion o Gymru yn gallu cael mynediad at gapasiti dros ben i leihau amseroedd aros yma yng Nghymru—rhywbeth y gwnes i ganmol y Llywodraeth am ei ystyried a'i gyflwyno. Yr wythnos diwethaf, dywedodd yr Ysgrifennydd iechyd, mewn cyfweliad ar WalesOnline, nad oedd hynny'n wir ac na fyddai cleifion yn gallu cael mynediad at yr opsiwn ail gynnig hwnnw. Mae'n eithaf eglur, mae yno i bawb ei ddarllen. Felly, mae gennym ni farn gan y Prif Weinidog bod y capasiti hwnnw yn mynd i gael ei brynu gan Lywodraeth Cymru i alluogi cleifion i deithio, rhywbeth sy'n swnio'n dda, ac yna mae gennym ni'r Ysgrifennydd iechyd yn dweud nad yw hynny'n wir. Pa un yw safbwynt polisi Llywodraeth Cymru? A fydd mwy o gapasiti yn cael ei brynu ac a fydd cleifion yn gweld eu hunain yn symud i fyny'r rhestr aros ac yn cael y triniaethau y maen nhw eu heisiau?

13:45

I think what's important is that you read what we actually say, rather than interpret it. Actually, none of us has said that we're going to be buying capacity from the NHS in England. It may be that we do that at some point, but we have never said it out loud; it's people interpreting that for us. So, you can look back at what we've said. We've been very careful to check this, because we kept on saying, 'Where is this coming from?' And it wasn't coming from us. So, it's really important that we are accurate, that you are accurate and that the media is accurate, and that they actually listen to what we say rather than interpreting it. 

What happened was that, last week, you will have seen the announcement made by Jeremy Miles, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, of that appointment of experts, including somebody who was the chief operating officer for the NHS in England. We have Professor Tim Briggs, who was the pioneer and chair of the Getting It Right First Time programme; we have Professor Sally Lewis, who is an expert in value in healthcare; Marcus Longley, who many will know as an expert in healthcare in Wales; Adam Roberts, who has held senior roles across the NHS in England, where he's currently director for urgent and emergency care operational insight—[Interruption.] They are big curricula vitae want you to listen to these curricula vitae, because they're coming in to advise us—[Interruption.]

Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn sy'n bwysig yw eich bod chi'n darllen yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei ddweud mewn gwirionedd, yn hytrach na'i ddehongli. Mewn gwirionedd, nid yw'r un ohonom ni wedi dweud y byddwn ni'n prynu capasiti gan y GIG yn Lloegr. Efallai y byddwn ni'n gwneud hynny ar ryw adeg, ond nid ydym ni erioed wedi ei ddweud ar lafar; pobl sy'n dehongli hynny i ni. Felly, gallwch chi edrych yn ôl ar yr hyn yr ydym ni wedi ei ddweud. Rydym ni wedi bod yn ofalus iawn i wirio hyn, oherwydd fe wnaethom ni ddweud droeon, 'O le mae hyn yn dod?' Ac nid oedd yn dod oddi wrthym ni. Felly, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n gywir, eich bod chi'n gywir a bod y cyfryngau yn gywir, a'u bod nhw'n gwrando mewn gwirionedd ar yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei ddweud yn hytrach na'i ddehongli. 

Yr hyn ddigwyddodd oedd, yr wythnos diwethaf, byddwch chi wedi gweld y cyhoeddiad a wnaed gan Jeremy Miles, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, am y penodiad hwnnw o arbenigwyr, gan gynnwys rhywun a oedd yn brif swyddog gweithredol i'r GIG yn Lloegr. Mae gennym ni'r Athro Tim Briggs, sef arloesydd a chadeirydd y rhaglen Gwneud Pethau'n Iawn y Tro Cyntaf; mae gennym ni'r Athro Sally Lewis, sy'n arbenigwr mewn gwerth ym maes gofal iechyd; Marcus Longley, y bydd llawer yn ei adnabod fel arbenigwr mewn gofal iechyd yng Nghymru; Adam Roberts, sydd wedi meddu ar swyddi uwch ar draws y GIG yn Lloegr, lle mae'n gyfarwyddwr ar gyfer mewnwelediad gweithredol gofal brys ac argyfwng ar hyn o bryd—[Torri ar draws.] Maen nhw'n curricula vitae mawr. Rwyf i eisiau i chi wrando ar y curricula vitae yma, gan eu bod nhw'n dod i mewn i'n cynghori ni—[Torri ar draws.]

Allow the First Minister to respond and to clarify the situation for us all. That's what you asked for, Andrew R.T. Davies. It's being provided by the First Minister now. 

Gadewch i'r Prif Weinidog ymateb ac egluro'r sefyllfa i bob un ohonom ni. Dyna beth wnaethoch chi ofyn amdano, Andrew R.T. Davies. Mae'n cael ei ddarparu gan y Prif Weinidog nawr.

They are coming in to advise us on how best to work the system so that we can bring down those waiting lists quickest. So, I think that you should wait and see what we will commission, how we will commission it and where we will commission it, and we'll be using these expert advisers to support us in that journey.

Maen nhw'n dod i mewn i'n cynghori ni ar y ffordd orau o weithio'r system fel y gallwn ni leihau'r rhestrau aros hynny gyflymaf. Felly, rwy'n credu y dylech chi aros i weld beth y byddwn ni'n ei gomisiynu, sut y byddwn ni'n ei gomisiynu a ble y byddwn ni'n ei gomisiynu, a byddwn ni'n defnyddio'r cynghorwyr arbenigol hyn i'n cynorthwyo ar y daith honno.

Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Pa drafodaeth gafodd y Prif Weinidog efo Keir Starmer cyn penodiad Sue Gray fel cennad arbennig, neu special envoy, i'r cenhedloedd a'r rhanbarthau?

What discussion did the First Minister have with Keir Starmer before the appointment of Sue Gray as special envoy to the nations and regions? 

I think it's really wonderful that we will be having our first meeting of the nations and regions council on Friday, where, of course, we will have the leaders of the nations of the United Kingdom coming together, including the leader of Scotland, an SNP Member, who is, I'm sure, as delighted as I am that we will have an opportunity to discuss how we can work together for the benefit of our nations, where that makes sense.

Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n wirioneddol wych y byddwn ni'n cael ein cyfarfod cyntaf o gyngor y gwledydd a'r rhanbarthau ddydd Gwener, lle byddwn ni, wrth gwrs, yn cael arweinwyr gwledydd y Deyrnas Unedig yn dod at ei gilydd, gan gynnwys arweinydd yr Alban, Aelod o'r SNP, sydd, rwy'n siŵr, mor falch ag yr wyf i y byddwn ni'n cael cyfle i drafod sut y gallwn ni gydweithio er budd ein gwledydd, lle mae hynny'n gwneud synnwyr.

Perhaps I should just have asked what is a special envoy, because I certainly have no idea. I hope the First Minister can see how terrible this looks, and it raises some pretty serious questions if she doesn't. What's really worrying is that this appointment undermines the ability of a Welsh First Minister to have a direct relationship with Keir Starmer. I know his unpopularity means she doesn't want me to mention him, but it's not my fault that the chaos and infighting we've seen in Welsh Labour ranks in recent months have spread to Keir Starmer's team too.

This also, of course, undermines the Welsh Secretary. Neither the First Minister nor the Labour Welsh Secretary are now the first point of contact for Keir Starmer when it comes to dealing with Wales. Just let that sink in. When Labour proclaimed change, little did we think that what it meant in reality was that the First Minister would have to be taking her orders from someone now unwanted by the Prime Minister as his chief of staff and unelected by the public. How did the First Minister allow herself to be relegated to third in Labour's pecking order, behind Sue Gray and Jo Stevens?

Efallai y dylwn i fod wedi gofyn yn syml beth yw cennad arbennig, oherwydd yn sicr does gen i ddim syniad. Rwy'n gobeithio y gall y Prif Weinidog weld pa mor ofnadwy y mae hyn yn edrych, ac mae'n codi rhai cwestiynau eithaf difrifol os nad yw'n ei weld. Yr hyn sydd wir yn peri gofid yw bod y penodiad hwn yn tanseilio gallu Prif Weinidog Cymru i gael perthynas uniongyrchol gyda Keir Starmer. Rwy'n gwybod bod ei amhoblogrwydd yn golygu nad yw eisiau i mi sôn amdano, ond nid fy mai i yw bod yr anhrefn a'r brwydro mewnol yr ydym ni wedi ei weld yn rhengoedd Llafur Cymru yn ystod y misoedd diwethaf wedi lledaenu i dîm Keir Starmer hefyd.

Mae hyn hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn tanseilio Ysgrifennydd Cymru. Nid y Prif Weinidog nac Ysgrifennydd Cymru Llafur yw'r pwynt cyswllt cyntaf i Keir Starmer bellach o ran ymdrin â Chymru. Meddyliwch am hynny am eiliad. Pan gyhoeddodd Llafur newid, prin yr oeddem ni'n meddwl mai'r hyn yr oedd yn ei olygu mewn gwirionedd oedd y byddai'n rhaid i'r Prif Weinidog fod yn cymryd ei gorchmynion gan rywun nad yw Prif Weinidog y DU ei heisiau bellach fel ei bennaeth staff ac nad yw wedi ei hethol gan y cyhoedd. Sut wnaeth y Prif Weinidog ganiatáu iddi hi ei hun gael ei hisraddio i drydydd yn nhrefn flaenoriaeth Llafur, y tu ôl i Sue Gray a Jo Stevens?

13:50

I don't know what fairy-tale land he's living in, but I think I just explained that I'm meeting the First Minister on Friday. I'm going to be having a one-to-one meeting with the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. That is, I think, the first time I've said this today; it's the twenty-seventh time he's mentioned his name in the three weeks we've been meeting since the summer. And what we will be doing is having a meeting—[Interruption.]

Nid wyf i'n gwybod ym mha fyd tylwyth teg y mae'n byw ynddo, ond rwy'n credu fy mod i newydd esbonio fy mod i'n cyfarfod â'r Prif Weinidog ddydd Gwener. Rwy'n mynd i fod yn cael cyfarfod un i un gyda Phrif Weinidog y DU, Keir Starmer. Dyna, rwy'n credu, y tro cyntaf i mi ddweud hyn heddiw; dyna'r seithfed tro ar hugain iddo grybwyll ei enw yn y tair wythnos yr ydym ni wedi bod yn cyfarfod ers yr haf. A'r hyn y byddwn ni'n ei wneud yw cael cyfarfod—[Torri ar draws.]

Allow the First Minister to answer the questions, please.

Gadewch i'r Prif Weinidog ateb y cwestiynau, os gwelwch yn dda.

Well, I will answer, I'd love to answer, because it is absolutely fair to say that you're making up this nonsense. I have a direct relationship. He is meeting me on Friday. We're having a one-to-one meeting on Friday. I will then be having a meeting with my counterparts who are leaders of the other nations, including the SNP leader. So, if you've got a problem with this, maybe you should talk to your counterpart in Scotland. But I think it's a good thing. I think it's a good thing that the nations and regions are being taken seriously, unlike under the last Tory Government. The last one never met. So, let's talk about the importance of this. And the crucial thing is that this is about practical issues as well. We're meeting to discuss investment opportunities, and that will bounce into the huge investment summit that will be happening on Monday, where, once again, the leaders of the nations have been invited and will be involved in a way that they were never invited and involved under the Tories.

Wel, fe wnaf i ateb, byddwn i wrth fy modd yn ateb, oherwydd mae'n hollol deg dweud eich bod chi'n ffugio'r nonsens hwn. Mae gen i berthynas uniongyrchol. Mae'n cyfarfod â mi ddydd Gwener. Rydym ni'n cael cyfarfod un i un ddydd Gwener. Yna, byddaf yn cael cyfarfod gyda fy nghymheiriaid sy'n arweinwyr y gwledydd eraill, gan gynnwys arweinydd yr SNP. Felly, os oes gennych broblem gyda hyn, efallai y dylech siarad â'ch cymar yn yr Alban. Ond rwy'n credu ei fod yn beth da. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn beth da bod y gwledydd a'r rhanbarthau yn cael eu cymryd o ddifrif, yn wahanol i fel yr oedd o dan y Llywodraeth Dorïaidd ddiwethaf. Ni wnaeth yr un diwethaf erioed gyfarfod. Felly, gadewch i ni siarad am bwysigrwydd hyn. A'r peth hanfodol yw bod hyn yn ymwneud â materion ymarferol hefyd. Rydym ni'n cyfarfod i drafod cyfleoedd buddsoddi, a bydd hynny'n symud yn syth i'r uwchgynhadledd fuddsoddi enfawr a fydd yn digwydd ddydd Llun, lle, unwaith eto, mae arweinwyr y gwledydd wedi cael eu gwahodd ac y byddan nhw'n cymryd rhan mewn ffordd na chawsant erioed eu gwahodd a'u cynnwys o dan y Torïaid.

The First Minister talks about making things up; the only thing I see being made up here is jobs for people that Keir Starmer no longer wants in his top team, so that he can hive off responsibility for having to deal with Wales. The First Minister doesn't want me to talk about UK Labour. She says I've mentioned Keir Starmer 27 times; I've mentioned him hundreds of times, and I'll mention him again, because he's the Prime Minister of the UK that's treating Wales unfairly when it comes to fair funding and so on. If she doesn't want me to mention him, she should tell her boss not to make announcement after announcement affecting Wales—from cuts to winter fuel payments to dodgy cross-border health deals that her own Cabinet Member for health clearly wants nothing to do with. All these decisions have a real impact on the lives of the people of Wales.

The UK Labour Government's first budget is just three weeks away, so the people of Wales will rightly be expecting that the First Minister has been busy making the case for a fair deal—multibillion-pound HS2 consequentials, the devolution of the Crown Estate, a windfall tax on large energy companies, things that could make a real difference to Wales. So, can the First Minister confirm what conversations she's had with Rachel Reeves and what exactly she's pressed for to be included in the budget? Will it bring an end to the Barnett formula, so we can be fairly funded, or, come 30 October, will the chancellor show she has no appetite for change for Wales, that she's ready to ignore the Welsh Government and to relegate the First Minister to fourth place in the pecking order?

Mae'r Prif Weinidog yn sôn am ffugio pethau; yr unig beth yr wyf i'n ei weld yn cael ei ffugio yma yw swyddi i bobl nad yw Keir Starmer eu heisiau yn ei brif dîm mwyach, fel y gall ddirprwyo'r cyfrifoldeb am orfod ymdrin â Chymru. Nid yw'r Prif Weinidog eisiau i mi siarad am Lafur y DU. Mae'n dweud fy mod i wedi sôn am Keir Starmer 27 o weithiau; rwyf i wedi sôn amdano gannoedd o weithiau, ac fe wnaf i sôn amdano eto, achos fe yw Prif Weinidog y DU sy'n trin Cymru yn annheg o ran cyllid teg ac ati. Os nad yw hi eisiau i mi sôn amdano, dylai ddweud wrth ei phennaeth i beidio â gwneud cyhoeddiad ar ôl cyhoeddiad sy'n effeithio ar Gymru—o doriadau i daliadau tanwydd gaeaf i gytundebau iechyd trawsffiniol amheus y mae'n amlwg nad yw ei Haelod Cabinet dros iechyd ei hun eisiau dim i'w wneud â nhw. Mae'r holl benderfyniadau hyn yn cael effaith wirioneddol ar fywydau pobl Cymru.

Mae cyllideb gyntaf Llywodraeth Lafur y DU dair wythnos yn unig i ffwrdd, felly bydd pobl Cymru yn disgwyl yn briodol bod y Prif Weinidog wedi bod yn brysur yn gwneud y ddadl dros gytundeb teg—symiau canlyniadol HS2 gwerth biliynau o bunnau, datganoli Ystad y Goron, treth ffawdelw ar gwmnïau ynni mawr, pethau a allai wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i Gymru. Felly, a all y Prif Weinidog gadarnhau pa sgyrsiau y mae hi wedi eu cael gyda Rachel Reeves a beth yn union y mae hi wedi pwyso iddo gael ei gynnwys yn y gyllideb? A fydd yn dod â fformiwla Barnett i ben, fel y gallwn ni gael ein hariannu'n deg, neu, pan ddaw 30 Hydref, a wnaiff y canghellor ddangos nad oes ganddi unrhyw awydd am newid i Gymru, ei bod hi'n barod i anwybyddu Llywodraeth Cymru ac i ostwng y Prif Weinidog i'r pedwerydd safle yn y drefn flaenoriaeth?

Thanks very much. I do think it's important that the people who may be watching First Minister's questions recognise that, actually, I'm here to be held to account for the decisions that I make here in Wales. I can't be held to account for the decisions that are made in a different establishment. But if you want to keep doing that—[Interruption.] If you want to keep doing that, that's fine. It's not a problem for me. It's—[Interruption.] 

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig bod y bobl a allai fod yn gwylio cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog yn cydnabod, mewn gwirionedd, fy mod yma i gael fy nwyn i gyfrif am y penderfyniadau yr wyf i'n eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru. Ni ellir fy nwyn i gyfrif am y penderfyniadau sy'n cael eu gwneud mewn gwahanol sefydliad. Ond os ydych chi eisiau parhau i wneud hynny—[Torri ar draws.] Os ydych chi eisiau parhau i wneud hynny, mae hynny'n iawn. Nid yw'n broblem i mi. Nid—[Torri ar draws.]  

The First Minister is answering the question.

Mae'r Prif Weinidog yn ateb y cwestiwn.

It's not a problem for me, but I just think, generally, the people of Wales might be interested in the things where I do have a degree of control. I have had a meeting with Rachel Reeves in a political capacity, actually, so that is something where—. And we have had a meeting with the previous finance Minister right at the beginning of my tenure as First Minister, where we did have an opportunity to note these things, and, yes, the issue of HS2 was raised. It will be something that we will continue to raise, because there's a fundamental unfairness in the way that HS2 was funded.

Nid yw'n broblem i mi, ond rwy'n credu, yn gyffredinol, y gallai fod gan bobl Cymru ddiddordeb yn y pethau lle mae gen i rywfaint o reolaeth. Rwyf i wedi cael cyfarfod gyda Rachel Reeves mewn rhinwedd wleidyddol, a dweud y gwir, felly mae hynny'n rhywbeth lle—. Ac rydym ni wedi cael cyfarfod gyda'r Gweinidog cyllid blaenorol ar ddechrau fy nghyfnod fel Prif Weinidog, lle cawsom gyfle i nodi'r pethau hyn, a, do, codwyd mater HS2. Bydd yn rhywbeth y byddwn ni'n parhau i'w godi, oherwydd mae annhegwch sylfaenol yn y ffordd y cafodd HS2 ei ariannu.

13:55
Cefnogaeth Fugeiliol i Staff y GIG
Pastoral Support for NHS Staff

3. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda byrddau iechyd i sicrhau bod staff y GIG yn cael cefnogaeth fugeiliol ddigonol? OQ61675

3. How is the Welsh Government working with health boards to ensure NHS staff receive adequate pastoral support? OQ61675

Workforce health and well-being is a top priority, and we've provided funding for initiatives to ensure our dedicated workforce can access a wide range of support when they need it most.

Mae iechyd a llesiant y gweithlu yn brif flaenoriaeth, ac rydym ni wedi darparu cyllid ar gyfer mentrau i sicrhau y gall ein gweithlu ymroddedig gael mynediad at amrywiaeth eang o gymorth pan fydd ei angen arnyn nhw fwyaf.

Thank you for your response. First Minister, you'll know better than many inside this Chamber and outside of the pressures that are on top of our health boards at present. I was recently contacted by a constituent who set out a truly worrying situation she found herself in whilst working within our health service. Sadly, there are many more cases like this from all corners of Wales. But in this case, whilst working as a nurse at the Grange hospital, she had a number of serious concerns, including bullying and harassment, severe staff shortages, rogue nurses, badge swapping and sepsis patients going without treatment and, in her words, 'left to die'. Shockingly, according to my constituent, all nursing staff at the Grange were told at all shift handovers not to report any issues via any official channels. When my constituent did, indeed, flag these issues with her agency, various complaints were then levelled against her that she says were fabricated and no evidence was ever supplied. First Minister, this whole situation has had an unimaginable impact on my constituent, who says that she's lost all faith in our health service and would never ever return back to nursing. All she wants now is for action to be taken to ensure this never ever happens again to anyone else working in nursing. So, First Minister, will you commit to looking into this matter and making sure that lessons are learned so that something like this isn't repeated, and ensure anyone accused of any offence within the health board, regardless of their contractual status or obligation, receives a fair hearing? Thank you.

Diolch am eich ymateb. Prif Weinidog, byddwch yn gwybod yn well na llawer y tu mewn i'r Siambr hon a'r tu allan am y pwysau sydd ar ein byrddau iechyd ar hyn o bryd. Yn ddiweddar, cysylltodd etholwr â mi a nododd sefyllfa wirioneddol bryderus y cafodd ei hun ynddi wrth weithio yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd. Yn anffodus, mae llawer mwy o achosion fel hyn o bob cwr o Gymru. Ond yn yr achos hwn, tra oedd yn gweithio fel nyrs yn ysbyty'r Faenor, roedd ganddi nifer o bryderon difrifol, gan gynnwys bwlio ac aflonyddu, prinder staff difrifol, nyrsys twyllodrus, cyfnewid bathodynnau a chleifion sepsis yn mynd heb driniaeth ac, yn ei geiriau hi, yn cael eu 'gadael i farw'. Yn syfrdanol, yn ôl fy etholwr, dywedwyd wrth holl staff nyrsio y Faenor ar adeg pob trosglwyddiad shifft i beidio ag adrodd unrhyw faterion trwy unrhyw sianeli swyddogol. Pan wnaeth fy etholwr, yn wir, dynnu sylw at y materion hyn gyda'i hasiantaeth, gwnaed cwynion amrywiol yn ei herbyn y mae'n dweud y cawsant eu ffugio ac ni ddarparwyd unrhyw dystiolaeth. Prif Weinidog, mae'r sefyllfa hon wedi cael effaith anhygoel ar fy etholwr, sy'n dweud ei bod wedi colli pob ffydd yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd ac na fyddai byth yn dychwelyd i nyrsio. Y cwbl y mae ei eisiau nawr yw i gamau gael eu cymryd i sicrhau nad yw hyn byth yn digwydd eto i unrhyw un arall sy'n gweithio ym maes nyrsio. Felly, Prif Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymrwymo i ymchwilio i'r mater hwn ac i wneud yn siŵr bod gwersi'n cael eu dysgu fel nad yw rhywbeth fel hyn yn cael ei ailadrodd, a sicrhau bod unrhyw un sy'n cael ei gyhuddo o unrhyw drosedd o fewn y bwrdd iechyd, ni waeth beth fo'i statws cytundebol neu rwymedigaeth, yn cael gwrandawiad teg? Diolch.

Thanks very much. We do have now a very clear speaking up safely framework for NHS staff, because we think it's important that they work in an environment where they feel valued, where they feel that they're not being discriminated against, where they don't feel harassed or bullied. They need to feel comfortable in challenging that unacceptable behaviour and that's precisely what this framework is set out to do. So, I would suggest that you get back in touch with your constituent to ask her to look at that framework, because it is important that those concerns are taken seriously and there is a framework to allow that to happen. If she feels that hasn't been honoured, then she needs to follow up with the right procedures, and if you wanted to know what those procedures are, I'm sure that the health Minister would give you that information.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae gennym ni bellach fframwaith codi llais heb ofn eglur iawn ar gyfer staff GIG bellach, gan ein bod ni'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig eu bod nhw'n gweithio mewn amgylchedd lle maen nhw'n teimlo eu bod nhw'n cael eu gwerthfawrogi, lle maen nhw'n teimlo nad oes gwahaniaethu yn eu herbyn, lle nad ydyn nhw'n teimlo eu bod nhw'n cael eu haflonyddu na'u bwlio. Mae angen iddyn nhw deimlo'n gyfforddus yn herio'r ymddygiad annerbyniol hwnnw a dyna'n union y bwriedir i'r fframwaith hwn ei wneud. Felly, byddwn yn awgrymu eich bod chi'n cysylltu â'ch etholwr eto i ofyn iddi edrych ar y fframwaith hwnnw, oherwydd mae'n bwysig bod y pryderon hynny yn cael eu cymryd o ddifrif ac mae fframwaith i ganiatáu i hynny ddigwydd. Os yw'n teimlo nad yw hynny wedi cael ei anrhydeddu, yna mae angen iddi gymryd camau dilynol drwy'r gweithdrefnau cywir, a phe baech chi eisiau gwybod beth yw'r gweithdrefnau hynny, rwy'n siŵr y byddai'r Gweinidog iechyd yn rhoi'r wybodaeth honno i chi.

Diolch i Natasha am y cwestiwn agoriadol yma. Os ydym ni wedi dysgu unrhyw beth o’r pandemig, yr angen i edrych ar ôl llesiant y gweithlu ydy hynny. Mae hyn yn golygu rhoi’r hyblygrwydd yna iddyn nhw er mwyn cael y balans rhwng gwaith a bywyd yn well, neu ddatblygu eu sgiliau proffesiynol. Yn ôl y cynllun cadw nyrsiaid, a wnaeth y Prif Weinidog ei gyhoeddi pan oedd hi’n Weinidog iechyd llynedd, mae disgwyl i sefydliadau ymateb yn dosturiol i geisiadau gweithio hyblyg yn unol ag anghenion y gwasanaeth. Ond mae’r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol yn dweud wrthyf fi fod nifer o nyrsys yn dod atyn nhw yn dweud bod eu ceisiadau am weithio hyblyg yn cael eu gwrthod. Ydy’r Prif Weinidog felly yn credu bod y polisi yma ddaru hi ei gyflwyno yn gweithio ac a wnaiff hi ryddhau y data er mwyn dangos lefel llwyddiant y mesur yma?

I thank Natasha for that opening question. If we have learned anything from the pandemic, it is the need to look after the well-being of the workforce. That means giving them the flexibility in order to have a better work-life balance, or to develop their professional skills. According to the nurse retention plan, which the First Minister announced when she was health Minister last year, organisations are expected to respond compassionately to flexible working requests in accordance with the needs of the service. But the Royal College of Nursing tells me that a number of nurses come to them saying that their requests to work flexibly have been rejected. Does the First Minister therefore believe that this policy that she introduced is working, and will she release the data to show the level of success of the measure?

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Yn sicr, fel y Gweinidog oedd yn gyfrifol am iechyd meddwl yn ystod y pandemig, rôn i’n ymwybodol iawn pa mor bwysig oedd gofalu am iechyd meddwl pobl oedd yn gweithio yn y gwasanaeth ar yr adeg honno. Rwy’n falch iawn o ddweud bod gyda ni wasanaeth ŷn ni’n gwario £1.5 miliwn y flwyddyn arno i sicrhau bod pobl gyda gwasanaeth maen nhw’n gallu ei ddefnyddio.

O ran cadw nyrsys a’r caniatâd yna i weithio’n hyblyg, mae hwn yn rhywbeth weddol newydd, ac yn amlwg mae’n bwysig ein bod ni’n gweld sut mae e’n gweithio yn ymarferol. Fel mae’n egluro, mae’n rhaid i ni wneud yn siŵr bod gofynion y gwasanaeth hefyd yn cael eu hystyried, ond y default yw bod y caniatâd yn cael ei roi i weithio'n hyblyg, ac mae hwnna'n well, dwi'n meddwl, na gweld pobl yn mynd i weithio i asiantaethau. Felly, dyna'r syniad y tu ôl iddo. Bydd yn rhaid inni edrych ar sut mae'n gweithio'n ymarferol. Efallai ei fod yn gweithio'n well mewn rhai ardaloedd nac eraill, felly dwi'n siŵr bydd y Gweinidog iechyd eisiau gweld sut mae'n gweithio yn ymarferol ac eisiau ystyried beth sydd angen ei wneud i wella'r sefyllfa, os nad yw e'n gweithio yn y ffordd yr oedden ni wedi ystyried.

Thank you very much. Certainly, as the Minister that was responsible for mental health during the pandemic, I was highly aware how important looking after the mental health of people working in the service at that time was. I'm very pleased to say that we do have a service that we're spending £1.5 million a year on to ensure that people have a service that they can access. 

In terms of nurse retention and that ability to work flexibly, this is something relatively new, and obviously it's important that we look at how it's working in practice. We must ensure that the needs of the service are also taken into account, but the default is that permission to work flexibly should be granted, and I think that that is better than seeing people leaving to work for agencies. So, that's the concept underpinning it. We will have to look at how it's working on the ground. Perhaps it's working better in some areas than others, so I'm sure the Minister for health will want to assess how it's working on a practical level and will want to consider what needs to be done to improve the situation, if it isn't working in the way that we first anticipated.

14:00
Diogelwch ar y Ffyrdd yn Sir Benfro
Road Safety in Pembrokeshire

4. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i wella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd yn Sir Benfro? OQ61636

4. What is the Welsh Government doing to improve road safety in Pembrokeshire? OQ61636

Mae ein cynlluniau ar gyfer gwella'r rhwydwaith ffyrdd strategol wedi'u rhestru yn y cynllun cyflawni cenedlaethol ar gyfer trafnidiaeth. Ar ben hynny, yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon, rŷn ni'n darparu dros £7.5 miliwn i Gyngor Sir Penfro i wella trafnidiaeth leol, gan gynnwys datblygu ffyrdd mwy cydnerth, creu llwybrau diogel mewn cymunedau a chynnal hyfforddiant diogelwch ffyrdd.

Our plans for strategic road network improvements are listed in the national transport delivery plan. Furthermore, in this financial year, we are providing more than £7.5 million to Pembrokeshire County Council to improve local transport, including developing more resilient roads, creating safe routes in communities and carrying out road safety training.

Thank you for that response, First Minister. But one way to improve road safety in Pembrokeshire is to ensure that road layouts are appropriate and that traffic can actually properly flow. Now, as you'll be aware, there are significant traffic problems around the Salutation Square roundabout in Haverfordwest, and have been for several years. Now, as you know, this is, of course, a trunk road and it is causing a huge amount of frustration for local motorists, and, crucially, there have been a number of near accidents around the area. Now, I've raised this with a few Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers over the years, and despite promises to work with local stakeholders to develop measures to improve road safety, little action has actually been taken. One solution could be to introduce a traffic-light system on the roundabout, and therefore will you commit to looking at this specific matter with your officials so that this issue can be finally resolved and the area can be safer for everyone?

Diolch am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Ond un ffordd o wella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd yn sir Benfro yw sicrhau bod cynlluniau ffyrdd yn briodol a bod traffig wir yn gallu llifo'n iawn. Nawr, fel y byddwch chi'n ymwybodol, mae problemau traffig sylweddol o amgylch cylchfan Sgwâr Salutation yn Hwlffordd, ac wedi bod ers blynyddoedd lawer. Nawr, fel y gwyddoch, mae hon, wrth gwrs, yn gefnffordd ac mae'n achosi llawer iawn o rwystredigaeth i fodurwyr lleol, ac, yn hollbwysig, bu nifer o ddamweiniau y bu ond y dim iddynt ddigwydd o amgylch yr ardal. Nawr, rwyf i wedi codi hyn gyda nifer o Ysgrifenyddion Cabinet a Gweinidogion dros y blynyddoedd, ac er gwaethaf addewidion i weithio gyda rhanddeiliaid lleol i ddatblygu mesurau i wella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd, prin yw'r camau a gymerwyd mewn gwirionedd. Un ateb allai fod cyflwyno system goleuadau traffig ar y gylchfan, ac felly a wnewch chi ymrwymo i edrych ar y mater penodol hwn gyda'ch swyddogion fel y gellir datrys y mater hwn o'r diwedd ac y gall yr ardal fod yn fwy diogel i bawb?

Well, thanks very much. It's great to hear the Conservatives taking such an interest in road safety, and I'm sure that you will be interested—[Interruption.] I'm sure you'll be interested to hear the latest information that we've seen a 23 per cent reduction in the number of serious accidents since the 20 mph was introduced.

In terms of the safety of road layouts, I think it's really important to recognise that, yes, there are lots of issues and lots of areas where there needs to be a focus. I'm aware of the situation in Salutation Square—of course, that is a matter for the local authorities to be dealing with. But what I can tell you is that a significant amount of funding has been provided by the Welsh Government to support transport grants, including £3.37 million for the Haverfordwest bus station, and if we can get that up and running, then, obviously, it will relieve some of the traffic going into the centre. So, I do hope that that, which has taken a long time to come to fruition, will happen pretty soon.

Wel, diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae'n wych clywed y Ceidwadwyr yn cymryd cymaint o ddiddordeb mewn diogelwch ar y ffyrdd, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd gennych chi ddiddordeb—[Torri ar draws.] Rwy'n siŵr y bydd gennych chi ddiddordeb mewn clywed yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ein bod ni wedi gweld gostyngiad o 23 y cant yn nifer y damweiniau difrifol ers cyflwyno'r 20 mya.

O ran diogelwch cynlluniau ffyrdd, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn cydnabod, oes, mae llawer o broblemau a llawer o feysydd lle mae angen canolbwyntio. Rwy'n ymwybodol o'r sefyllfa yn Sgwâr Salutation—wrth gwrs, mater i'r awdurdodau lleol ymdrin ag ef yw hwnnw. Ond yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud wrthych chi yw bod swm sylweddol o gyllid wedi cael ei ddarparu gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi grantiau trafnidiaeth, gan gynnwys £3.37 miliwn ar gyfer gorsaf fysiau Hwlffordd, ac os gallwn ni gael honno'n agored ac yn gweithredu, yna, yn amlwg, bydd yn lleddfu rhywfaint o'r traffig sy'n mynd i mewn i'r canol. Felly, rwyf i yn gobeithio y bydd hynny, sydd wedi cymryd amser maith i ddwyn ffrwyth, yn digwydd yn weddol fuan.

Plant mewn Tlodi Cymharol
Children in Relative Poverty

5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog amlinellu strategaeth bresennol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer lleihau nifer y plant mewn tlodi cymharol? OQ61674

5. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's current strategy to reduce the number of children in relative poverty? OQ61674

Mae ein strategaeth tlodi plant, a gafodd ei lansio ym mis Ionawr eleni, yn nodi ein huchelgais tymor hir i daclo tlodi plant ac i leddfu effeithiau gwaethaf tlodi yng Nghymru. Mae’n nodi hefyd sut byddwn ni’n gweithio ar draws y Llywodraeth a gyda phartneriaid i gael yr effaith fwyaf posib drwy’r dulliau sydd ar gael inni.

Our child poverty strategy, which was launched in January of this year, sets out our long-term ambitions to tackle child poverty and to mitigate the worst impacts of poverty here in Wales. It also notes how we will work across Government and with partners to maximise the impact of the levers available to us.

Diolch am yr ymateb.

Thank you for that response.

You'll know that, over the past six years, we've seen a startling increase in the number of larger families who are living in relative poverty. Forty-three per cent of children in households of three or more are now at risk of relative poverty. That represents a staggering 100,000 children here in Wales. The two-child benefit cap is a key factor driving that crisis. This policy, widely criticised as being cruel and a violation of children's rights by numerous civil society organisations, including the Children's Commissioner for Wales, affects over 11 per cent of children—65,000 children. And in Brecon and Radnorshire, nearly 1,000 children are living in families affected by the two-child benefit cap.

This week the Child Poverty Action Group said that 10,000 children have fallen into poverty since Labour took office in Westminster. I'm calling on you, as the First Minister, to raise this once again with the Prime Minister, and perhaps you could do that on Friday in your meeting with him. But I'm also just reflecting on the fact that my party, when we were in Government in the coalition, made mistakes, and I'm very clear on record as saying that one of those was playing our role in austerity. First Minister, I'd like to call on you—we are all adults here and we should be able to acknowledge that people make mistakes. I'm calling on you to make a statement that it is a mistake to put—[Interruption.]

Byddwch yn gwybod, ein bod ni, dros y chwe blynedd diwethaf, wedi gweld cynnydd syfrdanol yn nifer y teuluoedd mwy sy'n byw mewn tlodi cymharol. Mae 43 y cant o blant ar aelwydydd o dri neu fwy bellach mewn perygl o dlodi cymharol. Mae hynny'n nifer syfrdanol o 100,000 o blant yma yng Nghymru. Mae'r cap budd-dal dau blentyn yn ffactor allweddol sy'n ysgogi'r argyfwng hwnnw. Mae'r polisi hwn, a feirniadwyd yn eang fel un creulon sy'n mynd yn groes i hawliau plant gan nifer o sefydliadau cymdeithas sifil, gan gynnwys Comisiynydd Plant Cymru, yn effeithio ar dros 11 y cant o blant—65,000 o blant. Ac ym Mrycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed, mae bron i 1,000 o blant yn byw mewn teuluoedd yr effeithiwyd arnynt gan y cap budd-dal dau blentyn.

Dywedodd y Grŵp Gweithredu ar Dlodi Plant yr wythnos hon bod 10,000 o blant wedi syrthio i dlodi ers i Lafur ddod i rym yn San Steffan. Rwy'n galw arnoch chi, fel Prif Weinidog, i godi hyn unwaith eto gyda Phrif Weinidog y DU, ac efallai y gallech chi wneud hynny ddydd Gwener yn eich cyfarfod ag ef. Ond rwyf i hefyd yn myfyrio ar y ffaith bod fy mhlaid i, pan oeddem ni mewn Llywodraeth yn y glymblaid, wedi gwneud camgymeriadau, ac rwy'n eglur iawn ar y cofnod yn dweud mai un o'r rheini oedd chwarae ein rhan mewn cyni. Prif Weinidog, hoffwn alw arnoch chi—rydym ni i gyd yn oedolion yma a dylem ni allu cydnabod bod pobl yn gwneud camgymeriadau. Rwy'n galw arnoch chi i wneud datganiad ei bod hi'n gamgymeriad rhoi—[Torri ar draws.]

14:05

Allow the Member to finish her question, please. There are too many noises off today from all directions. I wasn't, actually, expecting that one just now, but I do want the Member to finish her question, please.

Gadewch i'r Aelod orffen ei chwestiwn, os gwelwch yn dda. Mae gormod o sŵn y tu ôl heddiw o bob cyfeiriad. Doeddwn i ddim, mewn gwirionedd, yn disgwyl yr un yna nawr, ond rwyf i eisiau i'r Aelod orffen ei chwestiwn, os gwelwch yn dda.

Diolch, jest un frawddeg arall.

Thank you, just one more sentence.

Just one more sentence. I'm calling on the First Minister to say that she believes that the two-child benefit cap, and the failure of the Labour Government to scrap it, is a mistake. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Dim ond un frawddeg arall. Rwy'n galw ar y Prif Weinidog i ddweud ei bod yn credu bod y cap budd-dal dau blentyn, a methiant y Llywodraeth Lafur i'w ddiddymu, yn gamgymeriad. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thanks very much. Well, I think there are lots of people within the Labour Party who are very uncomfortable about it; that's the truth of it, but there is the £22 billion black hole that is difficult to fill. What we've got to do in Wales is do what we can to support children living in poverty, and that's why things like the free-school-meal support are absolutely fundamental, so that at least they're getting a hot meal once a day, so there is some support there. Obviously, we have a huge number of other areas where we give support, in particular to those vulnerable families; we gave about £5 billion-worth between 2022 and 2025. That's not a small amount of money to give support to some of the most vulnerable people, so, where we can, we will provide that support, but the kinds of quantities of money that you would need are simply beyond the ability of the Welsh Government to support. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, rwy'n credu bod llawer o bobl o fewn y Blaid Lafur sy'n anghyfforddus iawn amdano; dyna'r gwir amdani, ond ceir y twll du gwerth £22 biliwn y mae'n anodd ei lenwi. Yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud yng Nghymru yw gwneud yr hyn a allwn i gynorthwyo plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi, a dyna pam mae pethau fel y cymorth prydau ysgol am ddim yn gwbl hanfodol, fel eu bod nhw o leiaf yn cael pryd o fwyd poeth unwaith y dydd, felly mae rhywfaint o gymorth yno. Yn amlwg, mae gennym ni nifer enfawr o feysydd eraill lle rydym ni'n rhoi cymorth, yn enwedig i'r teuluoedd agored i niwed hynny; fe wnaethom ni roi gwerth tua £5 biliwn rhwng 2022 a 2025. Nid yw hwnnw'n swm bach o arian i roi cymorth i rai o'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed, felly, lle y gallwn, byddwn ni'n darparu'r cymorth hwnnw, ond mae'r mathau o feintiau o arian y byddai eu hangen arnoch chi, yn syml, y tu hwnt i allu Llywodraeth Cymru eu cynnal. 

First Minister, the Welsh Government's 'Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024' in part talks about how children living in poverty are at a higher risk of speech, language and communication needs, and that early intervention can improve outcomes long term. Evidence suggests that over 50 per cent of children in socially deprived areas may start school with impoverished speech, language and communication skills, and, sadly, this can hold them back in their learning.

The Welsh Government's programme, Talk With Me, which you will be well aware of, has been designed to improve awareness of how adult interaction, particularly in the early years, can improve speech, language and communication. An implementation plan was designed to record baseline current performance and then introduce a more robust data-collection mechanism to monitor progress. What evidence can the Welsh Government now provide that this programme has been successful in helping to improve speech, language and communication among children, and what funding have you identified is needed to continue to improve the programme? Thank you.

Prif Weinidog, mae 'Strategaeth Tlodi Plant Cymru 2024' Llywodraeth Cymru yn siarad yn rhannol am sut mae plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi mewn mwy o berygl o anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu, ac y gall ymyrraeth gynnar wella canlyniadau yn yr hirdymor. Mae tystiolaeth yn awgrymu y gallai dros 50 y cant o blant mewn ardaloedd o amddifadedd cymdeithasol ddechrau'r ysgol gyda sgiliau lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu gwan, ac, yn anffodus, gall hyn eu dal nhw yn ôl yn eu dysgu.

Mae rhaglen Llywodraeth Cymru, Siarad Gyda Fi, y byddwch chi'n ymwybodol iawn ohoni, wedi'i chynllunio i wella ymwybyddiaeth o sut y gall rhyngweithio oedolion, yn enwedig yn y blynyddoedd cynnar, wella lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu. Dyluniwyd cynllun gweithredu i gofnodi perfformiad cyfredol sylfaenol ac yna cyflwyno dull casglu data mwy cadarn i fonitro cynnydd. Pa dystiolaeth all Llywodraeth Cymru ei darparu nawr bod y rhaglen hon wedi llwyddo i helpu i wella lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu ymhlith plant, a pha gyllid ydych chi wedi ei nodi sydd ei angen i barhau i wella'r rhaglen? Diolch.

Thanks very much. I do think it's fundamental to make sure that we give that support, particularly to those vulnerable families, and that's why things like our Flying Start programmes and targeting those areas are so fundamental. I'm really pleased to see that we've been able to expand that programme, because that's where you can give that intensity of support that is so crucial in those early years. We all know that the first 1,000 days really, really matter in the formation of a child's development. 

You were talking specifically, though, about speech and language. Obviously, some of those can be called in to support those Flying Start areas. The Talk With Me programme has been successful. The issue is, actually, finding enough speech therapists to support that, and that's not straightforward because, actually, it takes quite a while to train each speech therapist. The demand is increasing constantly, and, obviously, the NHS is very keen to take advantage of those skills as well. So, there's more to do in that space, but we're very aware that there is a need. I'm pleased to say that Health Education and Improvement Wales has increased the number of speech and language therapists. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n hanfodol gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n rhoi'r cymorth hwnnw, yn enwedig i'r teuluoedd agored i niwed hynny, a dyna pam mae pethau fel ein rhaglenni Dechrau'n Deg a thargedu'r ardaloedd hynny yn hollbwysig. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld ein bod ni wedi gallu ehangu'r rhaglen honno, oherwydd dyna lle gallwch chi roi'r dwysedd hwnnw o gymorth sydd mor hanfodol yn y blynyddoedd cynnar hynny. Rydym ni i gyd yn gwybod bod y 1,000 o ddiwrnodau cyntaf yn bwysig iawn, iawn o ran ffurfio datblygiad plentyn. 

Roeddech chi'n siarad yn benodol, fodd bynnag, am leferydd ac iaith. Yn amlwg, gellir galw rhai o'r rheini i mewn i gynorthwyo'r ardaloedd Dechrau'n Deg hynny. Mae'r rhaglen Siarad Gyda Fi wedi bod yn llwyddiannus. Y broblem mewn gwirionedd yw dod o hyd i ddigon o therapyddion lleferydd i gefnogi honno, ac nid yw hynny'n syml oherwydd, mewn gwirionedd, mae'n cymryd cryn amser i hyfforddi pob therapydd lleferydd. Mae'r galw yn cynyddu yn gyson, ac yn amlwg, mae'r GIG yn awyddus iawn i fanteisio ar y sgiliau hynny hefyd. Felly, mae mwy i'w wneud yn y maes hwnnw, ond rydym ni'n ymwybodol iawn bod angen. Rwy'n falch o ddweud bod Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru wedi cynyddu nifer y therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith.

You talk about the millions spent on supporting children in poverty, as if that's something to be proud about—it's not, it's something we should be ashamed of, that we have to do it. We have to provide that support because, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies termed it,

'the single most cost-effective policy for reducing the number of children living below the poverty line is removing the two-child limit.'

And that's not within our power. A year ago your present social justice Minister said:

'we continuously call'—

talking about the Welsh Government—

'for an abolition of the benefit cap and two-child limit, because we believe that these are key drivers of poverty amongst larger families in Wales, in particular.'

That was only a year ago. So, what will you be calling on the UK Labour Government to do differently in this year's budget to help the Welsh Government tackle child poverty?

Rydych chi'n sôn am y miliynau a wariwyd ar gynorthwyo plant mewn tlodi, fel pe bai hynny'n rhywbeth i fod yn falch ohono—nid dyna'r gwir, mae'n rhywbeth y dylem ni fod â chywilydd ohono, bod yn rhaid i ni ei wneud. Mae'n rhaid i ni ddarparu'r cymorth hwnnw oherwydd, fel y'i galwyd gan y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid,

'yr un polisi mwyaf costeffeithiol ar gyfer lleihau nifer y plant sy'n byw o dan y llinell dlodi yw cael gwared ar y terfyn dau blentyn.'

Ac nid yw hynny o fewn ein gallu. Flwyddyn yn ôl, dywedodd eich Gweinidog cyfiawnder cymdeithasol presennol:

'rydym ni'n galw'n barhaus'—

yn sôn am Lywodraeth Cymru—

'am ddiddymu'r cap budd-dal a'r terfyn dau blentyn, gan ein bod ni'n credu fod y rhain yn ysgogiadau allweddol o dlodi ymhlith teuluoedd mwy yng Nghymru, yn arbennig.'

Dim ond blwyddyn yn ôl oedd hynny. Felly, beth fyddwch chi'n galw ar Lywodraeth Lafur y DU i'w wneud yn wahanol yng nghyllideb eleni i helpu Llywodraeth Cymru i fynd i'r afael â thlodi plant?

14:10

Thanks very much. I think the key thing when it comes to child poverty is to make sure that there are opportunities also for people to get jobs, and if people are working they are able to support their families. In order to do that, we need to make sure that the child support is where it should be, and I'm pleased to say that we've seen an expansion in that in this Senedd term. But the focus, I think, on growing the economy is absolutely key, because if we grow the economy you can use those taxes in order to support the kind of social justice agenda that you and I are so interested in.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n credu mai'r peth allweddol o ran tlodi plant yw gwneud yn siŵr bod cyfleoedd hefyd i bobl gael swyddi, ac os yw pobl yn gweithio maen nhw'n gallu cefnogi eu teuluoedd. Er mwyn gwneud hynny, mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr bod y cymorth plant yn y sefyllfa y dylai fod, ac rwy'n falch o ddweud bod hwnnw wedi cael ei ehangu yn nhymor y Senedd hon. Ond mae'r pwyslais, rwy'n credu, ar dyfu'r economi yn gwbl allweddol, oherwydd os byddwn ni'n tyfu'r economi gallwch ddefnyddio'r trethi hynny er mwyn cefnogi'r math o agenda cyfiawnder cymdeithasol y mae gennych chi a minnau gymaint o ddiddordeb ynddi.

Cwestiwn 6, Janet Finch-Saunders.

Question 6, Janet Finch-Saunders.

You can ask your question, Janet.

Fe gewch chi ofyn eich cwestiwn, Janet.

Treth Incwm
Income Tax

6. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am gynigion Llywodraeth Cymru i gynyddu treth incwm? OQ61632

6. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's proposals to increase income tax? OQ61632

There are no proposals to increase income tax in Wales.

Nid oes unrhyw gynigion i gynyddu treth incwm yng Nghymru.

I will hold you to that. The reason I've asked the question is Mark Drakeford MS, back in charge of finance—there is some cause for concern, because the Cabinet Secretary refused to rule out income tax increases. On 3 October he wrote to me again, refusing to actually rule out any increases, and in fact it was only last week that he spoke of raising the basic 20p rate and how much it would bring in significant money for Wales. However, as the finance Cabinet Secretary has also admitted, we know that most people now are on the very edge of managing, and sometimes not managing at all, when it comes to their home finances. So, it is reassuring, that. I hope the media report that, because there are an awful lot of people who believe, just like Keir Starmer—the Prime Minister, I should say—there is obviously a feeling now that you're just going to tax and tax and tax, so it's quite reassuring that you say there will be no increase to income tax in Wales. Diolch, First Minister. 

Fe wnaf i eich dal at eich gair. Y rheswm yr wyf i wedi gofyn y cwestiwn yw bod Mark Drakeford AS, yn ôl yn gyfrifol am gyllid—mae rhywfaint o destun pryder, oherwydd gwrthododd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddiystyru cynnydd i dreth incwm. Ysgrifennodd ataf eto ar 3 Hydref, gan wrthod diystyru unrhyw gynnydd mewn gwirionedd, ac a dweud y gwir dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf y soniodd am godi'r gyfradd sylfaenol o 20c a faint o arian sylweddol y byddai'n dod yn ei sgil i Gymru. Fodd bynnag, fel y mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid hefyd wedi cyfaddef, rydym ni'n gwybod bod y rhan fwyaf o bobl bellach ar yr ymyl eithaf o allu ymdopi, ac weithiau ddim yn ymdopi o gwbl, o ran eu cyllid cartref. Felly, mae'n galonogol, hynna. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y cyfryngau'n adrodd hynna, oherwydd mae llawer iawn o bobl yn credu, yn union fel Keir Starmer—Prif Weinidog y DU, dylwn i ddweud—mae'n amlwg bod teimlad nawr mai'r cwbl yr ydych chi'n mynd i'w wneud yw trethu a threthu a threthu, felly mae'n eithaf calonogol eich bod chi'n dweud na fydd unrhyw gynnydd i dreth incwm yng Nghymru. Diolch, Prif Weinidog.

What is it with you Tories? Honestly—you’re just making things up that we say. There's never—. The Cabinet Secretary for finance was clear at the Finance Committee he does not intend to increase the Welsh rate of income tax, and I think it's really important to recognise that it's not his decision alone what happens. There's a Senedd. There's a whole system to go through. It may be you want to put up the taxes, but we won't be voting for that. We won't be voting for that. And you have been doing that. You put them up quite a lot under your leadership—a 70-year high, I understand, in terms of taxes. But we as a Government will not be suggesting we put up taxes. So, go and tell your little friends—[Interruption.]—go and tell your little friends in The Telegraph that what they write is nonsense.

Beth yw hi gyda chi'r Torïaid? O ddifrif calon—rydych chi'n ffugio pethau rydym ni'n eu dweud. Doedd erioed—. Roedd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid yn eglur yn y Pwyllgor Cyllid nad yw'n bwriadu cynyddu cyfradd treth incwm Cymru, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn cydnabod nad ei benderfyniad ef yn unig yw'r hyn sy'n digwydd. Ceir Senedd. Ceir system gyfan i fynd drwyddi. Efallai eich bod chi eisiau codi'r trethi, ond ni fyddwn ni'n pleidleisio dros hynny. Ni fyddwn ni'n pleidleisio dros hynny. Ac rydych chi wedi bod yn gwneud hynny. Fe wnaethoch chi eu codi nhw gryn dipyn o dan eich arweinyddiaeth—yr uchaf ers 70 mlynedd, rwy'n deall, o ran trethi. Ond ni fyddwn ni fel Llywodraeth yn awgrymu ein bod ni'n codi trethi. Felly, ewch i ddweud wrth eich ffrindiau bach—[Torri ar draws.]—ewch i ddweud wrth eich ffrindiau bach yn y Telegraph bod yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei ysgrifennu yn nonsens.

Lwfans Tanwydd Gaeaf
Winter Fuel Allowence

7. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o effaith toriadau Llywodraeth y DU i'r lwfans tanwydd gaeaf ar bensiynwyr yn Nwyrain De Cymru? OQ61672

7. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact on pensioners in South Wales East of UK Government cuts to the winter fuel allowance? OQ61672

Rŷn ni’n ymwybodol fod llawer o bensiynwyr yng Nghymru yn pryderu am doriadau i’r lwfans tanwydd gaeaf. Rŷn ni’n parhau i gefnogi pobl er mwyn lleddfu pwysau ariannol ar draws y wlad, gan gynnwys yn Nwyrain De Cymru. Mae ein cynllun talebau tanwydd a’r gronfa cymorth dewisol ar gael i helpu pobl sydd mewn argyfwng gyda chostau tanwydd, ac mae’r rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd yn darparu ffyrdd o wella effeithlonrwydd ynni a lleihau biliau ynni yn y tymor hir.

We are aware that many pensioners in Wales are concerned about cuts to the winter fuel allowance. We continue to support people to alleviate financial pressures across Wales, including in South Wales East. Our fuel voucher and discretionary assistance schemes are available to help people in crisis with fuel costs, while our Warm Homes programme is delivering measures to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy bills for the long term.

Diolch, Gweinidog. This does concern me greatly. In the coming weeks, thousands of pensioners in Wales will suffer the cold bite of winter because their winter fuel allowance has been cut. Now, this is the grim result of Labour's lack of will because, yes, the Tories started this—their cruelty was catastrophic—but so is the choice Labour is making to stick with their savagery. Because forcing people to endure the cold under this merciless private system, which monetises the heat we need to stay alive, cutting off their means of comfort, that is savagery. It is condemning people to the cold. So, please, Prif Weinidog, will your Government make a last-minute plea to Keir Starmer's Government to rethink this cruel cut? Surely, you don't want your Government to be associated with it. 

Diolch, Gweinidog. Mae hyn yn peri pryder mawr i mi. Yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, bydd miloedd o bensiynwyr yng Nghymru yn dioddef brathiad oer y gaeaf oherwydd bod eu lwfans tanwydd gaeaf wedi cael ei dorri. Nawr, dyma ganlyniad garw diffyg ewyllys Llafur oherwydd, ie, y Torïaid ddechreuodd hyn—roedd eu creulondeb yn drychinebus—ond felly hefyd y mae'r dewis y mae Llafur yn ei wneud i lynu wrth eu hanwarineb. Oherwydd mae gorfodi pobl i ddioddef yr oerfel o dan y system breifat ddidrugaredd hon, sy'n moneteiddio'r gwres sydd ei angen arnom ni i aros yn fyw, gan atal eu modd o gysur, mae hynny'n anwarineb. Mae'n condemnio pobl i'r oerfel. Felly, Prif Weinidog, a wnaiff eich Llywodraeth wneud apêl munud olaf i Lywodraeth Keir Starmer i ailfeddwl y toriad creulon hwn? Dydych chi ddim eisiau i'ch Llywodraeth fod yn gysylltiedig ag ef 'does bosib.

14:15

Well, thanks very much. I'm aware that there will be lots of pensioners across Wales who'll be very concerned about this situation, and that's why we are very keen as a Government, as is the Government of the United Kingdom, to make sure that all of those who are eligible for the winter fuel payments will actually take up that opportunity. We can do what we can in the Welsh Government in order to support people, and it's really great to see that councils like Neath Port Talbot Council have already helped 2,100 people to apply for that pension credit, which means that they will then be eligible. So, I'd encourage all councils across Wales to really drive that information project forward in order to make sure that all those eligible, which will support the poorest—. I think that is important, that they're aware of that.  

We are as a Government doing what we can to support people with their winter fuel situation. We are investing £30 million a year in our Warm Homes Nest scheme, and we've also provided more than £5.6 million of funding for a national fuel voucher and heat fund, and that's been in place since 2022. So, we're doing what we can in this space, but I think it's also important for pensioners to note—. I speak to a lot of people and I was speaking to one of them who raised this issue with me on the weekend, and he didn't have any idea that, actually, his pension this year would be going up by 8.5 per cent, and would be going up by 4 per cent next year. So, altogether he'll be better off but, obviously, there is a lot of sensitivity around this, and a lot of people who are concerned about the situation. 

Wel, diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n ymwybodol y bydd llawer o bensiynwyr ledled Cymru a fydd yn bryderus iawn am y sefyllfa hon, a dyna pam ein bod ni'n awyddus iawn fel Llywodraeth, yn yr un modd ag y mae Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig, i sicrhau y bydd pawb sy'n gymwys i gael taliadau tanwydd gaeaf yn manteisio ar y cyfle hwnnw. Fe allwn ni wneud yr hyn y gallwn ni yn Llywodraeth Cymru er mwyn cefnogi pobl, ac mae'n wych gweld bod cynghorau fel Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot eisoes wedi helpu 2,100 o bobl i wneud cais am y credyd pensiwn hwnnw, sy'n golygu y byddan nhw wedyn yn gymwys. Felly, byddwn i'n annog pob cyngor ledled Cymru i yrru'r prosiect gwybodaeth hwnnw ymlaen er mwyn sicrhau bod pawb sy'n gymwys, a fydd yn cefnogi'r bobl dlotaf—. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig, eu bod yn ymwybodol o hynny.  

Rydyn ni fel Llywodraeth yn gwneud yr hyn y gallwn ni i gefnogi pobl gyda'u sefyllfa tanwydd gaeaf. Rydyn ni'n buddsoddi £30 miliwn y flwyddyn yn ein cynllun Nyth Cartrefi Cynnes, ac rydyn ni hefyd wedi rhoi mwy na £5.6 miliwn o gyllid ar gyfer taleb tanwydd cenedlaethol a chronfa wres, ac mae hynny wedi bod ar waith ers 2022. Felly, rydyn ni'n gwneud yr hyn y gallwn ni yn hyn o beth, ond rwy'n credu ei bod hi hefyd yn bwysig i bensiynwyr nodi—. Rwy'n siarad â llawer o bobl ac roeddwn i'n siarad ag un ohonyn nhw a gododd y mater hwn gyda mi dros y penwythnos, a doedd dim syniad ganddo y byddai ei bensiwn eleni, mewn gwirionedd, yn cynyddu 8.5 y cant, ac y byddai'n codi 4 y cant y flwyddyn nesaf. Felly, at ei gilydd, bydd yn well ei fyd ond, yn amlwg, mae llawer o sensitifrwydd ynghylch hyn, a llawer o bobl sy'n poeni am y sefyllfa. 

Yn olaf, cwestiwn 8. Buffy Williams. 

Finally, question 8. Buffy Williams. 

Fepio ymhlith Pobl Ifanc
Youth Vaping

8. Sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i'r afael â fepio ymhlith pobl ifanc fel rhan o'r addewid 'iechyd da'? OQ61646

8. How will the Welsh Government tackle youth vaping as part of the 'iechyd da' pledge? OQ61646

Vapes should never be used by children and young people. As part of my Government’s mission to create a healthier Wales, we'll tackle nicotine addiction in all its forms and plan to tackle youth vaping by stopping these products from being deliberately targeted at children.

Ni ddylai plant a phobl ifanc byth defnyddio fêps. Fel rhan o genhadaeth fy Llywodraeth i greu Cymru iachach, byddwn ni'n ymdrin â dibyniaeth ar nicotin yn ei holl ffurfiau ac yn cynllunio i fynd i'r afael â fepio ymhlith pobl ifanc trwy atal y cynhyrchion hyn rhag cael eu targedu'n fwriadol at blant.

Thank you. Youth vaping is a growing concern in Rhondda. I've been contacted by angry residents regarding a new vape store that's recently opened in Treorchy. Like most other vape stores, it has illuminated signs that are out of keeping with the high street. It has a double-fronted display of bright-coloured vapes that are clearly marketed towards young people, and it's on the main route to both the primary and comprehensive schools. Local councillor Bob Harris has made representations to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council planning and planning enforcement to no avail. We also visited Treorchy Comprehensive School last week, who will continue their work on raising awareness around the dangers of vaping for young people.

First Minister, what further action can you take to support local communities through reviews of planning permissions and regulations for vape stores, especially store names and signage? And what more can be done to tackle the branding and marketing of vapes so that they're less appealing to young people? Also, is there scope for a broader Wales-wide campaign across schools to address youth vaping more robustly?  

Diolch. Mae fepio ymhlith pobl ifanc yn bryder cynyddol yn y Rhondda. Mae trigolion dig wedi cysylltu â mi ynglŷn â siop fêps newydd sydd wedi agor yn ddiweddar yn Nhreorci. Fel y rhan fwyaf o siopau fêps eraill, mae ganddi arwyddion wedi'u goleuo nad ydyn nhw'n cyd-fynd â'r stryd fawr. Mae ganddi arddangosfa ffrynt ddwbl o fêps lliwgar sy'n amlwg yn cael eu marchnata tuag at bobl ifanc, ac mae ar y prif lwybr i'r ysgolion cynradd a chyfun. Mae'r cynghorydd lleol Bob Harris wedi cyflwyno sylwadau i adran cynllunio a gorfodi cynllunio Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf, ond yn ofer. Fe wnaethon ni hefyd ymweld ag Ysgol Gyfun Treorci yr wythnos diwethaf, a fydd yn parhau â'r gwaith maen nhw'n ei wneud i godi ymwybyddiaeth o beryglon fepio i bobl ifanc.

Prif Weinidog, pa gamau eraill y gallwch chi eu cymryd i gefnogi cymunedau lleol drwy adolygiadau o ganiatadau cynllunio a rheoliadau ar gyfer siopau fepio, yn enwedig enwau siopau ac arwyddion? A beth arall y gellir ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â brandio a marchnata fêps, fel eu bod yn llai deniadol i bobl ifanc? Hefyd, oes cyfle i gynnal ymgyrch ehangach ledled Cymru ar draws ysgolion i fynd i'r afael â fepio ymhlith pobl ifanc mewn ffordd fwy grymus?  

Well, thanks very much. I think we're all shocked by the proliferation of vape stores; they seem to be popping up everywhere and, clearly, this is an area where we need local authorities to use planning regulations and guidance to ensure that new premises conform to law. And we're very keen to make sure that local health boards play an active role when councils are developing local development plans. So, I do think that it's really important we get those local development plans right, so that, when the planning applications go in, if it doesn't conform to what we want to see—and this is vapes, but I think you could say the same thing about fast food stores outside schools and things, all of those things—. I think there's real opportunity to tighten things up in this space, and that's certainly something that I'll be interested in pursuing. 

Just in terms of advertising, look, it's clear that we have to explore all progressive actions to restrict the marketing, advertising, of flavours, which is clearly targeted at children, and it is shocking to see how many children now take up and try those products. I think 18 per cent of young people aged 11 to 17 have tried the products. So, there's far more to do in this space and, obviously, the UK Government will be bringing in that tobacco and vapes Bill, and we'll be looking to see how we can work with them to progress this agenda.

Wel, diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni i gyd wedi ein syfrdanu gan y nifer fawr o siopau fêps; maen nhw i'w gweld yn ymddangos ym mhobman ac, yn amlwg, mae hwn yn faes lle mae angen i awdurdodau lleol ddefnyddio rheoliadau a chanllawiau cynllunio i sicrhau bod safleoedd newydd yn cydymffurfio â'r gyfraith. Ac rydyn ni'n awyddus iawn i sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd lleol yn chwarae rhan weithredol pan fydd cynghorau'n datblygu cynlluniau datblygu lleol. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n cael y cynlluniau datblygu lleol hynny'n gywir, fel bod y ceisiadau cynllunio, pan fyddan nhw'n cael eu cyflwyno, os nad ydyn nhw'n cydymffurfio â'r hyn rydyn ni eisiau ei weld—a fêps yw hyn, ond rwy'n credu y gallech chi ddweud yr un peth am siopau bwyd brys y tu allan i ysgolion a phethau, yr holl bethau hynny—. Rwy'n credu bod cyfle gwirioneddol i dynhau pethau yn hyn o beth, ac mae hynny'n sicr yn rhywbeth y bydd gennyf ddiddordeb mewn mynd ar ei drywydd. 

O ran hysbysebu, edrychwch, mae'n amlwg bod yn rhaid i ni archwilio'r holl gamau blaengar i gyfyngu ar farchnata, hysbysebu, blasau, sydd yn amlwg wedi'u targedu'n at blant, ac mae'n frawychus gweld faint o blant sydd erbyn hyn yn defnyddio ac yn rhoi cynnig ar y cynhyrchion hynny. Rwy'n credu bod 18 y cant o bobl ifanc 11 i 17 oed wedi rhoi cynnig ar y cynhyrchion. Felly, mae llawer mwy i'w wneud yn hyn o beth ac, yn amlwg, bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn cyflwyno'r Bil tybaco a fêps hwnnw, a byddwn ni'n edrych i weld sut y gallwn ni weithio gyda nhw i ddatblygu'r agenda hon.

14:20
2. Datganiad a Chyhoeddiad Busnes
2. Business Statement and Announcement

Yr eitem nesaf fydd y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, a'r Trefnydd fydd yn gwneud y datganiad yma, felly Jane Hutt.

The next item will be the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement—Jane Hutt.

Member
Jane Hutt 14:21:14
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Nid oes unrhyw newidiau i fusnes yr wythnos hon. Mae busnes drafft y tair wythnos nesaf wedi'i nodi yn y datganiad a'r cyhoeddiad busnes, sydd ar gael i Aelodau yn electronig.

Thank you very much, Llywydd. There are no changes to this week's business. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found among Members' papers electronically.

Trefnydd, can I call for two statements this week: one from you in your capacity as the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in order that we can have an update for Members of the Senedd in relation to the action being taken by the Welsh Government to address antisemitism in Wales? Yesterday, of course, marked the anniversary of the terrible atrocities of 7 October 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked innocent civilians in Israel, and we've seen some horrible events unfold from that date. And it was pleasing to see that the First Minister did issue a written statement to mark that anniversary, but I think it is important that we understand the further action that the Welsh Government is taking to address antisemitism in Wales. It does exist; it is a problem that we all need to work together to crack down on.

Secondly, can I call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for homelessness in relation to the problems that we're seeing with homelessness amongst the veteran community across Wales? I was in touch with a homelessness support organisation in north Wales, and with Alabare UK, who both, of course, work on veteran housing issues. But it is very clear to me that more work needs to be done. There are homeless veterans, unfortunately, in north Wales at the moment, who are living in tents, in Airbnbs, short-term accommodation, and, clearly, it's outrageous that people who've served our country in the military do not have the dignity of a proper home. I was pleased to see the UK Prime Minister, in his conference speech to the Labour Party conference, make specific reference about ending veteran homelessness. Now, clearly, that ought to have consequences here in Wales as well, and I would like to know what action the Welsh Government is going to now take in order to address homelessness amongst the veteran community here in Wales, given that that's a devolved responsibility, and given the commitment that the UK Prime Minister has made.

Trefnydd, a gaf i alw am ddau ddatganiad yr wythnos hon: un gennych chi yn rhinwedd eich swydd fel Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol er mwyn i ni gael yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar gyfer Aelodau'r Senedd ynghylch y camau sy'n cael eu cymryd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i fynd i'r afael â gwrthsemitiaeth yng Nghymru? Ddoe, wrth gwrs, roedd hi'n flwyddyn ers yr erchyllterau ofnadwy ar 7 Hydref 2023, pan ymosododd terfysgwyr Hamas ar sifiliaid diniwed yn Israel, ac rydyn ni wedi gweld pethau erchyll yn digwydd ers y dyddiad hwnnw. Ac roedd hi'n dda gweld bod y Prif Weinidog wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ysgrifenedig i nodi blwyddyn ers y digwyddiadau hynny, ond rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig ein bod ni'n deall y camau eraill y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â gwrthsemitiaeth yng Nghymru. Mae'n bodoli; mae'n broblem y mae angen i bob un ohonon ni weithio gyda'n gilydd i fynd i'r afael â hi.

Yn ail, a gaf i alw am ddatganiad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet sy'n gyfrifol am ddigartrefedd o ran y problemau rydyn ni'n eu gweld gyda digartrefedd ymhlith y gymuned o gyn-filwyr ledled Cymru? Roeddwn i mewn cysylltiad â sefydliad cymorth digartrefedd yn y gogledd, a gydag Alabare UK, y mae'r ddau, wrth gwrs, yn gweithio ar faterion yn ymwneud â thai cyn-filwyr. Ond mae'n amlwg iawn i mi fod angen gwneud mwy o waith. Mae cyn-filwyr digartref, yn anffodus, yn y gogledd ar hyn o bryd, sy'n byw mewn pebyll, mewn llety Airbnb, llety tymor byr, ac, yn amlwg, mae'n warthus nad oes gan bobl sydd wedi gwasanaethu ein gwlad yn y lluoedd arfog urddas cartref priodol. Roeddwn i'n falch o weld Prif Weinidog y DU, yn ei araith i gynhadledd y Blaid Lafur, yn cyfeirio'n benodol at roi terfyn ar ddigartrefedd cyn-filwyr. Nawr, yn amlwg, dylai hynny gael canlyniadau yma yng Nghymru hefyd, a hoffwn i wybod pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i'w cymryd nawr er mwyn mynd i'r afael â digartrefedd ymhlith y gymuned o gyn-filwyr yma yng Nghymru, o ystyried mai cyfrifoldeb datganoledig yw hynny, ac o ystyried yr ymrwymiad y mae Prif Weinidog y DU wedi'i wneud.

Thank you very much, Darren Millar, and I think it is very important that we recognise today the written statement, of course, from the First Minister about—. It's tragic to say it's an anniversary of those events this time last year, and I have to say, not just the written statement from the First Minister, I've also written to both our Jewish colleagues in Wales and also to the Muslim Council for Wales. I'm intending to make visits to the places of worship and to meet people again, as I did on many occasions last year. We're extremely concerned by reports of increases of hate crime targeted towards Jewish and Muslim communities in Wales, and I think the main message I want to give today is that we're encouraging members of these communities to report any hate incidents. The Wales hate support centre, which we fund, is run by Victim Support, and we've asked our Wales hate support centre to monitor for any spikes in reporting of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crime, and to ensure that service users are receiving the support they need. So, I'd be very happy to again report back on those engagements in which I'm taking part with those communities affected in the coming days and weeks.

So, on your second question, yes, important in terms of actually a very robust statement made by the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government last week about ways in which we're reaching out to meet those housing needs in our communities, which we recognise, of course, can include vulnerable veterans as well. I think it's really important to recognise that across Wales we have really important, robust partnership covenants with our local authorities and with our veterans and armed forces as well in terms of those arrangements. So, again, the Cabinet Secretary will, I'm sure, be acknowledging that in terms of the way we're responding with homelessness and the White Papers that are due shortly.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Darren Millar, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n cydnabod heddiw y datganiad ysgrifenedig, wrth gwrs, gan y Prif Weinidog am—. Mae'n drasig dweud ein bod ni'n nodi blwyddyn ers y digwyddiadau hynny yr adeg hon y llynedd, ac mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, nid dim ond y datganiad ysgrifenedig gan y Prif Weinidog, rwyf hefyd wedi ysgrifennu at ein cydweithwyr Iddewig yng Nghymru a hefyd at Gyngor Mwslimiaid Cymru. Rwy'n bwriadu ymweld â'r addoldai a chwrdd â phobl eto, fel y gwnes i sawl tro y llynedd. Rydyn ni'n bryderus iawn am adroddiadau am gynnydd mewn troseddau casineb sydd wedi'u targedu at gymunedau Iddewig a Mwslimaidd yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n credu mai'r brif neges rwyf eisiau ei rhoi heddiw yw ein bod ni'n annog aelodau o'r cymunedau hyn i roi gwybod am unrhyw ddigwyddiadau casineb. Mae canolfan cymorth casineb Cymru, yr ydym yn ei chyllido, yn cael ei chynnal gan Cymorth i Ddioddefwyr, ac rydyn ni wedi gofyn i'n canolfan cymorth casineb yng Nghymru fonitro unrhyw gynnydd yn y troseddau casineb gwrthsemitig ac Islamoffobig y rhoddir gwybod amdanynt, ac i sicrhau bod defnyddwyr gwasanaeth yn cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnyn nhw. Felly, byddwn i'n hapus iawn i adrodd yn ôl eto ar y digwyddiadau hynny yr wyf i'n cymryd rhan ynddyn nhw gyda'r cymunedau hynny y mae hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw yn ystod y dyddiau a'r wythnosau nesaf.

Felly, o ran eich ail gwestiwn, ydy, mae'n bwysig o ran datganiad cadarn iawn a wnaed gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol yr wythnos diwethaf ynghylch ffyrdd yr ydyn ni'n estyn allan i ddiwallu'r anghenion tai hynny yn ein cymunedau, yr ydyn ni'n cydnabod, wrth gwrs, y gallant gynnwys cyn-filwyr sy'n agored i niwed hefyd. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn cydnabod bod gennym ni gyfamodau partneriaeth cadarn, pwysig iawn gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru a gyda'n cyn-filwyr a'n lluoedd arfog hefyd o ran y trefniadau hynny. Felly, unwaith eto, bydd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, rwy'n siŵr, yn cydnabod hynny o ran y ffordd rydyn ni'n ymateb gyda digartrefedd a'r Papurau Gwyn y disgwylir iddynt gael eu cyhoeddi'n fuan. 

14:25

Ddoe, fe gyhoeddwyd adroddiad ac argymhellion gan fwrdd diogelu Cwm Taf Morgannwg yn nodi methiannau mawr a fu yng ngofal claf gyda chyflwr sgitsoffrenia paranoiaidd a wnaeth ladd June Fox-Roberts, mamgu 65 oed, yn Nhachwedd 2021. Yr hyn sy'n echrydus i deulu June ydy'r cadarnhad y gallai June fod dal yn fyw heddiw pe byddai Luke wedi derbyn y gofal y dylai. Dyma'r pedwerydd achos o'r fath yn ardal Cwm Taf Morgannwg rhwng 2018 a 2021, ac mae argymhelliad olaf yr adroddiad yn awgrymu y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gomisiynu adolygiad thematig. Hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad llafar gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol ar y mater hwn fel bod cyfle i ni fel Aelodau o'r Senedd sy'n cynrychioli'r rhanbarth ac ardal Cwm Taf Morgannwg gael atebion o ran pa wersi nid yn unig sydd wedi'u nodi ond sydd hefyd wedi'u gweithredu. Dydw i ddim eisiau gweld adroddiad unwaith eto gyda'r un un argymhellion, ond hefyd clywed teulu yn cael gwybod y byddai aelod o'u teulu nhw'n gallu bod dal yn fyw pe byddai claf wedi derbyn y gofal y dylai nhw.

Yesterday, a report was published by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg safeguarding board setting out grave failings in the care of a patient with paranoid schizophrenia who killed June Fox-Roberts, a 65-year-old grandmother, in November 2021. What is appalling for June's family is the confirmation that June could still be alive today if Luke had received the care that he should have. This is the fourth such case in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg area between 2018 and 2021, and the final recommendation of the report suggests that the Welsh Government should commission a thematic review. I would like to ask for an oral statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on this issue so that we as Senedd Members representing the region and the Cwm Taf Morgannwg area can get answers in terms of what lessons not only have been noted but also have been acted upon. Because I don't want to see another report making the same recommendations again, or also to hear about a family being told that a member of their family could still be alive if a patient had received the care that they should.

Diolch yn fawr am eich cwestiwn pwysig iawn.

Thank you very much for your very important question.

It is important that any recommendations that emerge from situations and circumstances such as you describe, that they're not just implemented but also that they're monitored as well. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care will look particularly at the case— the issue—and indeed the circumstance that you raised today. Diolch.

Mae'n bwysig bod unrhyw argymhellion sy'n cael eu nodi yn sgil sefyllfaoedd ac amgylchiadau fel y rhai rydych chi'n eu disgrifio, nid yn unig yn cael eu rhoi ar waith, ond yn cael eu monitro hefyd. Bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol yn edrych yn benodol ar yr achos— y mater—ac yn wir yr amgylchiadau rydych chi wedi'u codi heddiw. Diolch.

I'd like to ask for a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education regarding the announcement by Qualifications Wales last week that the British Sign Language GCSE is now suspended. I know that the GCSE was originally going to be available from 2026, and then it was put back to 2027, and now it has been suspended, so I'd like a statement explaining why this decision has been made. I've been contacted by constituents who are very concerned about this decision and feel that the deaf community is being let down. They did understand there was a commitment to this GCSE. I understand that, instead of the GCSE, BSL units would be available in the new Skills for Life qualifications, but this isn't the same as the commitment for people to have a full GCSE in British Sign Language; it doesn't carry the same weight or recognition. So, I'm asking for a statement to try and explain this very detrimental step.

Hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg ynghylch y cyhoeddiad gan Cymwysterau Cymru yr wythnos diwethaf bod TGAU Iaith Arwyddion Prydain wedi'i hatal bellach. Rwy'n gwybod bod y TGAU yn mynd i fod ar gael o 2026 yn wreiddiol, ac yna cafodd ei gohirio tan 2027, a nawr mae wedi'i hatal, felly hoffwn i gael datganiad yn esbonio pam mae'r penderfyniad hwn wedi'i wneud. Mae etholwyr sy'n bryderus iawn am y penderfyniad hwn ac sy'n teimlo bod y gymuned fyddar yn cael ei siomi wedi cysylltu â mi. Roedden nhw'n deall bod ymrwymiad i'r TGAU hon. Rwy'n deall, yn lle'r TGAU, y byddai unedau BSL ar gael yn y cymwysterau Sgiliau Bywyd newydd, ond nid yw hyn yr un fath â'r ymrwymiad i bobl gael TGAU lawn mewn Iaith Arwyddion Prydain; nid oes ganddo'r un pwysau na chydnabyddiaeth. Felly, rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad i geisio esbonio'r cam niweidiol iawn hwn.

Thank you very much, Julie Morgan. Of course, as colleagues know across the Chamber, Welsh Government recognised BSL as a language in 2004, and we're committed to the BSL signing community in Wales, and of course the first country in the UK to include British Sign Language in its curriculum, which, of course, is a really good, important step forward. So, this has been worked through with BSL practitioners and other experts, including members of the deaf community, to develop guidance on designing a curriculum that includes progression in BSL for deaf BSL users. So, of course, there is disappointment; there's disappointment about the decision by Qualifications Wales to suspend the development of a BSL GCSE, but I welcome, and as you commented on, that they have confirmed that they will continue to develop BSL units as part of the new skill suite qualification to be available from 2027, and, through that route, learners will have the opportunity to develop their practical BSL communication skills. And of course, the units will be easier for schools to manage, will be suitable for peripatetic learning, and also make good use of the existing teacher workforce. So, Qualifications Wales, I understand, will continue to monitor the development of BSL GCSE in England, and will seek to make this qualification available to schools in Wales.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Julie Morgan. Wrth gwrs, fel y mae cyd-Aelodau ar draws y Siambr yn ei wybod, fe wnaeth Llywodraeth Cymru gydnabod BSL fel iaith yn 2004, ac rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo i'r gymuned arwyddo BSL yng Nghymru, ac wrth gwrs, ni yw'r wlad gyntaf yn y DU i gynnwys Iaith Arwyddion Prydain yn ei chwricwlwm sydd, wrth gwrs, yn gam da iawn a phwysig ymlaen. Felly, mae gwaith wedi'i wneud ar hyn gydag ymarferwyr BSL ac arbenigwyr eraill, gan gynnwys aelodau o'r gymuned fyddar, i ddatblygu canllawiau ar ddylunio cwricwlwm sy'n cynnwys dilyniant mewn BSL ar gyfer defnyddwyr BSL sy'n fyddar. Felly, wrth gwrs, mae yna siom; mae siom ynglŷn â phenderfyniad Cymwysterau Cymru i atal datblygu TGAU BSL, ond rwy'n croesawu, ac fel y gwnaethoch chi sôn, eu bod nhw wedi cadarnhau y byddan nhw'n parhau i ddatblygu unedau BSL fel rhan o'r cymhwyster sgiliau newydd a fydd ar gael o 2027, a thrwy'r llwybr hwnnw, bydd dysgwyr yn cael cyfle i ddatblygu eu sgiliau cyfathrebu BSL ymarferol. Ac wrth gwrs, bydd yr unedau yn haws i ysgolion eu rheoli, byddan nhw'n addas ar gyfer dysgu peripatetig, a byddan nhw hefyd yn gwneud defnydd da o'r gweithlu athrawon presennol. Felly, bydd Cymwysterau Cymru, rwy'n deall, yn parhau i fonitro datblygiad TGAU BSL yn Lloegr, a bydd yn ceisio sicrhau bod y cymhwyster hwn ar gael i ysgolion yng Nghymru.

14:30

Business Minister, please can I request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning about the future of Cardiff Airport? Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority published its report into the Welsh Government's planned taxpayer-bankrolled £206 million investment into the airport. The report effectively punched a large number of holes in the Welsh Government's submission and justification for the eye-watering subsidy, and essentially advised Ministers to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the package. Some of the major criticisms of the report included: a lack of evidence to support the Government's claims that the subsidy is indeed needed; a lack of scrutiny of the figures presented by the airport; a failure to understand the impact the subsidy would have on competition; and, again, a lack of evidence showing that this subsidy would change the airport's strategic focus from survival and recovery to, ultimately, growth. Fears were also noted in the report that this cash injection appears to be for the purpose of rescuing or restructuring an ailing or insolvent enterprise. That is a particularly important element, because, as I understand it, if that is the case and the airport is on the verge of going bust, then the subsidy cannot go ahead as per the Subsidy Control Act 2022. I ask for a statement setting out whether the Government will significantly alter the proposed subsidy in light of the Subsidy Advice Unit's criticisms, whether Ministers will consult with the wider aviation sector prior to reaching a decision, as, indeed, recommended by the SAU, and I'd also like to know what timescales the Government is working to. It would be very much appreciated by me and many others out there. So, thank you.

Gweinidog Busnes, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio am ddyfodol Maes Awyr Caerdydd? Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddodd yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd ei adroddiad ar fuddsoddiad arfaethedig Llywodraeth Cymru o £206 miliwn i'r maes awyr, wedi'i ariannu gan drethdalwyr. Fe wnaeth yr adroddiad, i bob pwrpas, dorri llawer o dyllau yng nghyflwyniad a chyfiawnhad Llywodraeth Cymru dros y cymhorthdal anferth, ac yn y bôn fe gynghorodd Weinidogion i ddechrau o'r dechrau ac ailysgrifennu'r pecyn. Roedd rhai o brif feirniadaethau'r adroddiad yn cynnwys: diffyg tystiolaeth i gefnogi honiadau'r Llywodraeth bod gwir angen y cymhorthdal; diffyg craffu ar y ffigurau a gyflwynwyd gan y maes awyr; methiant i ddeall yr effaith y byddai'r cymhorthdal yn ei chael ar gystadleuaeth; ac, unwaith eto, diffyg tystiolaeth yn dangos y byddai'r cymhorthdal hwn yn newid ffocws strategol y maes awyr o oroesi ac adfer i dwf, yn y pen draw. Nodwyd ofnau yn yr adroddiad hefyd ei bod yn ymddangos mai diben y chwistrelliad ariannol hwn yw achub neu ailstrwythuro menter ffaeledig neu ansolfent. Mae honno'n elfen arbennig o bwysig, oherwydd, fel yr wyf i'n ei ddeall, os yw hynny'n wir a bod y maes awyr ar fin mynd i'r wal, yna ni all y cymhorthdal fynd yn ei flaen yn unol â Deddf Rheoli Cymhorthdal 2022. Rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad yn nodi a fydd y Llywodraeth yn newid y cymhorthdal arfaethedig yn sylweddol, yng ngoleuni beirniadaeth yr Uned Cyngor ar Gymorthdaliadau, a fydd Gweinidogion yn ymgynghori â'r sector hedfanaeth ehangach cyn dod i benderfyniad, fel yn wir, y gwnaeth yr Uned Cyngor ar Gymorthdaliadau ei gynghori, a hoffwn i hefyd wybod i ba amserlenni y mae'r Llywodraeth yn gweithio. Byddai'n cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr gennyf i a llawer o bobl eraill. Felly, diolch.

Well, thank you for your question. I'm very much aware that Cardiff Airport has only recently met with the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, as they do, because it is important that they are engaging with us in the Senedd, as well as Welsh Government. But can I put the record straight? The Competition and Markets Authority assessment of our proposed long-term investment—this is about investment in Cardiff Airport—was published on 2 October. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, as you know, has issued a written statement in response. We're not going to comment, as is said in the written statement, on the detail of the CMA report, but we do need to take the time needed to give full consideration to their assessment. Of course, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning will update the Senedd in due course, once the best way forward has been decided. But, again, can we not just recognise the importance of our airport, and go back to the point that this is about investment in an airport for Wales, which also employs over 200 people? And you know that, because I know you've visited, Natasha, and have seen the great work that they do.

Wel, diolch am eich cwestiwn. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn mai dim ond yn ddiweddar y mae Maes Awyr Caerdydd wedi cyfarfod â'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus a Gweinyddiaeth Gyhoeddus, fel maen nhw'n ei wneud, oherwydd mae'n bwysig eu bod nhw'n ymgysylltu â ni yn y Senedd, yn ogystal â Llywodraeth Cymru. Ond a gaf i egluro'r sefyllfa'n gywir? Cafodd asesiad yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd o'n buddsoddiad hirdymor arfaethedig—mae hyn yn ymwneud â buddsoddi ym Maes Awyr Caerdydd—ei gyhoeddi ar 2 Hydref. Mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio, fel y gwyddoch chi, wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ysgrifenedig mewn ymateb. Nid ydyn ni'n mynd i wneud sylwadau, fel y nodir yn y datganiad ysgrifenedig, ar fanylion adroddiad yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd, ond mae angen i ni gymryd yr amser sydd ei angen i roi ystyriaeth lawn i'w asesiad. Wrth gwrs, bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd maes o law, unwaith y bydd penderfyniad wedi'i wneud ar y ffordd orau ymlaen. Ond, unwaith eto, onid ydym yn gallu cydnabod pwysigrwydd ein maes awyr, a dychwelyd at y pwynt bod hyn yn ymwneud â buddsoddi mewn maes awyr i Gymru, sydd hefyd yn cyflogi dros 200 o bobl? Ac rydych chi'n gwybod hynny, oherwydd rwy'n gwybod eich bod chi wedi ymweld ag ef, Natasha, ac wedi gweld y gwaith gwych maen nhw'n ei wneud.

Trefnydd, mi fyddwch yn ymwybodol o ymchwiliad gan y BBC sy'n cynnwys honiadau newydd am y pedoffil Neil Foden, a oedd yn bennaeth ysgol yn fy etholaeth i. Mae'n bosib ei fod wedi cam-drin disgyblion am dros 40 o flynyddoedd. Hoffwn i roi ar record fy niolch diffuant i ymchwilwyr y BBC ac, yn bwysicach, i'r merched sydd wedi rhannu eu profiadau erchyll—rhai ohonyn nhw am y tro cyntaf. Mae fy nghalon i'n gwaedu drostyn nhw a dros y pedair merch ifanc a oedd yn rhan o'r achos llys diweddar. Mae'r rhaglen deledu'n codi mwy o bryderon a mwy o lawer o gwestiynau. Felly, dwi'n gofyn eto i Lywodraeth Cymru gynnal ymchwiliad cyhoeddus. Dwi'n gofyn hefyd am adolygiad annibynnol o brosesau'r cyngor. Mae'n rhaid deall beth arall aeth o'i le, er mwyn dysgu gwersi, ac mae'n rhaid gwneud hynny ar fyrder. Dwi'n deall y gofid a'r pryder sy'n cael eu teimlo, a'r dioddefwyr sydd yn bwysig yn hyn oll.

Trefnydd, you will be aware of an investigation by the BBC that includes new allegations about the paedophile Neil Foden, who was a school headteacher in my constituency. It's possible that he had abused pupils for more than 40 years. I'd like to put on record my sincere thanks to the BBC investigators and, more importantly, to the girls who have shared their terrible experiences—some of them for the first time. My heart bleeds for them and for the four young girls who were part of the recent court case. The television programme raises more concerns and even more questions. So, I ask the Welsh Government again to undertake a public inquiry. I also ask for an independent review of the processes of the council. We have to understand what else went wrong, in order to learn lessons, and we have to do that urgently. I understand the worries and the concerns that are being felt, and it is the victims that are important in all of this.

Diolch yn fawr, Siân Gwenllian. I'm glad that this has come up again from yourself, Siân Gwenllian.

Diolch yn fawr, Siân Gwenllian. Rwy'n falch bod hyn wedi cael ei godi eto gennych chi, Siân Gwenllian.

Diolch yn fawr am eich cwestiwn pwysig iawn unwaith eto.

Thank you very much for your very important question once again.

You've asked those questions before, and it was important that we had a question to the Prif Weinidog as well. To repeat, as you have and the First Minister, our thoughts, and the courage of those victims who came forward.

Rydych chi wedi gofyn y cwestiynau hynny o'r blaen, ac roedd hi'n bwysig bod gennym ni gwestiwn i'r Prif Weinidog hefyd. I ailadrodd, fel yr ydych chi a'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud, ein meddyliau, a dewrder y dioddefwyr hynny a gamodd ymlaen.

Rwy'n cytuno â chi.

I agree with you.

It’s really important that we do look at the lessons learned, as the First Minister has said. You’ll be aware, of course, that the north Wales safeguarding board commissioned a child practice review and appointed an independent reviewer, but the child practice review isn’t due to conclude for several months. At this stage, our position remains that the child practice review should be allowed to conclude before any wider decisions are made. But, just to say, of course we’ll consider the findings of the review. We need to understand the full extent of any failings in current safeguarding arrangements, again ensuring that appropriate measures are put in place without delay to prevent such occurrences in the future. Actually, education officials are now reviewing the safeguarding of children in education, handling allegations of abuse against teachers and other staff, and consulting on statutory guidance currently planned to commence after the child practice review has been published.

Mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n edrych ar y gwersi sydd wedi'u dysgu, fel y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i ddweud. Fe fyddwch chi'n ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, fod bwrdd diogelu Gogledd Cymru wedi comisiynu adolygiad o ymarfer plant ac wedi penodi adolygydd annibynnol, ond ni ddisgwylir i'r adolygiad o ymarfer plant ddod i ben am sawl mis. Ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn dal i gredu y dylid caniatáu i'r adolygiad o ymarfer plant ddod i ben cyn i unrhyw benderfyniadau ehangach gael eu gwneud. Ond, dim ond i ddweud, wrth gwrs y byddwn ni'n ystyried canfyddiadau'r adolygiad. Mae angen i ni ddeall hyd a lled unrhyw fethiannau yn y trefniadau diogelu presennol, gan sicrhau eto bod mesurau priodol yn cael eu rhoi ar waith yn ddi-oed i atal digwyddiadau o'r fath yn y dyfodol. Mewn gwirionedd, mae swyddogion addysg erbyn hyn yn adolygu diogelu plant mewn addysg, yn ymdrin â honiadau o gam-drin yn erbyn athrawon a staff eraill, ac yn ymgynghori ar ganllawiau statudol, y bwriedir iddyn nhw ddechrau, ar hyn o bryd, ar ôl i'r adolygiad o ymarfer plant gael ei gyhoeddi.

14:35

I was very disappointed to read that Dŵr Cymru is considered to be a laggard in the water industry, along with two other companies. How we transition from a Victorian waste management system to one fit for the twenty-first century, in an era of climate change and extremes of flooding and drought, it seems to me is one that would merit a debate in Government time on how we manage both our rainwater as well as our sewage system, so that we’re not dumping our sewage into the rivers and seas, and we also have enough water when it doesn’t rain.

Roeddwn i'n siomedig iawn o ddarllen bod Dŵr Cymru yn cael ei ystyried yn llusgwr traed yn y diwydiant dŵr, ynghyd â dau gwmni arall. Mae'n ymddangos i mi fod y mater o ran sut rydyn ni'n trosglwyddo o system rheoli gwastraff Fictoraidd i un sy'n addas ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, mewn cyfnod o newid hinsawdd ac eithafion llifogydd a sychder, yn un a fyddai'n haeddu dadl yn amser y Llywodraeth ar sut rydyn ni'n rheoli ein dŵr glaw yn ogystal â'n system garthffosiaeth, fel nad ydyn ni'n gollwng ein carthion i'r afonydd a'r moroedd, a bod gennym ddigon o ddŵr hefyd pan na fydd hi'n bwrw glaw.

Diolch yn fawr, Jenny Rathbone. I have to say that I’m pleased that the Cabinet Secretary is here today, the Deputy First Minister, in terms of his responsibilities in relation to this, in terms of now understanding what this means in terms of the Office of Water Services and the response today. I think the relatively poor performance of Welsh Water and its failure—as you say, such a disappointing failure—to meet all of its current targets is disappointing. We’ve been clear that we expect water companies in Wales to deliver effectively for customers and for the environment, which is critically important. So, this is really where our strategic priorities statement to Ofwat and our steers to water companies have to set out our expectations for significant improvements in water company performance for the period 2025-30, as well as monitoring what’s happening now.

Diolch yn fawr, Jenny Rathbone. Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod i'n falch bod yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yma heddiw, y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog, o ran ei gyfrifoldebau yn ymwneud â hyn, o ran deall nawr beth mae hyn yn ei olygu o ran Swyddfa'r Gwasanaethau Dŵr a'r ymateb heddiw. Rwy'n credu bod perfformiad cymharol wael Dŵr Cymru a'i fethiant—fel y dywedwch chi, methiant mor siomedig—i gyrraedd ei holl dargedau presennol yn siomedig. Rydyn ni wedi bod yn glir ein bod ni'n disgwyl i gwmnïau dŵr yng Nghymru gyflawni'n effeithiol i gwsmeriaid ac i'r amgylchedd, sy'n hanfodol bwysig. Felly, mewn gwirionedd dyma lle mae'n rhaid i'n datganiad blaenoriaethau strategol i Ofwat a'n canllawiau i gwmnïau dŵr nodi ein disgwyliadau ar gyfer gwelliannau sylweddol ym mherfformiad cwmnïau dŵr ar gyfer y cyfnod 2025-30, yn ogystal â monitro'r hyn sy'n digwydd nawr.

I'd like to request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for finance regarding the planned protests against the cuts to business rates relief next Wednesday in Prestatyn. I met with Prestatyn business forum in August, and to say that the morale was low would be an understatement, Trefnydd. Footfall is considerably down, exacerbated by 20 mph and the closure of Pontins, costs have increased, and now they have had their business rates relief slashed from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, creating a huge disparity with England. What many business owners are telling me is that this could be the final straw and many of them may not survive. We could see the permanent closure of large swathes of our high street, turning Prestatyn into a dismal ghost town, a situation that I’m sure is similar to other towns across Wales.

A collection of businesses on the Prestatyn high street, therefore, are staging a demonstration on 16 October, in which they will either close their shops or paper over their shop frontages in protest at the cut to business rates relief and to demand parity with England. I think this will be quite a poignant spectacle and send a strong message to the Welsh Government regarding the damage that their budgetary decisions are causing.

So, could I receive a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for finance on whether he will listen to the demands of the protestors and take note of the severe impact the cut to rates relief is having on businesses in my constituency and across Wales? And will he join me in meeting with protestors to listen to their concerns and discuss ways in which he could help those affected businesses on Prestatyn high street? Thank you very much.

Hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid ynghylch y protestiadau arfaethedig yn erbyn y toriadau i ryddhad ardrethi busnes ddydd Mercher nesaf ym Mhrestatyn. Fe wnes i gyfarfod â fforwm busnes Prestatyn ym mis Awst, a byddai dweud bod y morâl yn isel yn dweud llai na'r gwirionedd, Trefnydd. Mae'r nifer sy'n ymweld wedi gostwng yn sylweddol, wedi'i waethygu gan y terfyn 20 mya a chau Pontins, mae costau wedi cynyddu, a nawr mae eu rhyddhad ardrethi busnes wedi cael ei dorri o 75 y cant i 40 y cant, gan greu gwahaniaeth enfawr gyda Lloegr. Yr hyn y mae llawer o berchnogion busnes yn ei ddweud wrthyf yw mai dyma fydd yr hoelen olaf yn yr arch o bosibl ac efallai na fydd llawer ohonyn nhw'n goroesi. Fe allen ni weld rhannau helaeth o'n stryd fawr yn cau yn barhaol, gan droi Prestatyn yn dref anghyfannedd druenus, sefyllfa rwy'n siŵr sy'n debyg i drefi eraill ledled Cymru.

Felly, mae casgliad o fusnesau ar stryd fawr Prestatyn yn cynnal protest ar 16 Hydref, lle byddan nhw naill ai'n cau eu siopau neu'n papuro dros ffrynt eu siopau i brotestio yn erbyn y toriad i ryddhad ardrethi busnes ac i fynnu paredd â Lloegr. Rwy'n credu y bydd hon yn olygfa eithaf teimladwy ac y bydd yn anfon neges gref at Lywodraeth Cymru ynglŷn â'r niwed y mae eu penderfyniadau cyllidebol yn ei achosi.

Felly, a gaf i ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid ynghylch a fydd yn gwrando ar ofynion y protestwyr ac yn nodi'r effaith ddifrifol y mae'r toriad i ryddhad ardrethi yn ei chael ar fusnesau yn fy etholaeth i ac ar draws Cymru? Ac a wnaiff ymuno â mi i gyfarfod â phrotestwyr i wrando ar eu pryderon ac i drafod ffyrdd y gallai helpu'r busnesau hynny y mae hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw ar stryd fawr Prestatyn? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

We do go back now to the Conservatives’ very short memories of the reasons why we are in such a dire position: the way you left us after 14 years of austerity and in a £22 billion black hole, which of course we have been attempting to address with, I think, a very important strategic approach, particularly to the way we are transforming towns with investment and also our business rates policy. But, clearly, this is something where, in terms of economic growth—and we've got a statement this afternoon—it is important for us to recognise the opportunities we have now in Wales, in terms of our position, our policies and the way forward, in terms of how we can support our towns and businesses, and,  indeed, that includes retail. So, there are many opportunities for you to pursue that as well as with the shops that you're going to be meeting—the retail sector you'll be meeting—in Prestatyn. 

Rydyn ni'n mynd yn ôl nawr at gof byr iawn y Ceidwadwyr o'r rhesymau pam ein bod ni mewn sefyllfa mor enbyd: y ffordd y gwnaethoch chi ein gadael ni ar ôl 14 mlynedd o gyni ac mewn twll du gwerth £22 biliwn, yr ydym, wrth gwrs, wedi bod yn ceisio mynd i'r afael ag ef gyda dull strategol pwysig iawn, rwy'n credu, yn enwedig o ran y ffordd rydyn ni'n trawsnewid trefi gyda buddsoddi a hefyd ein polisi ardrethi busnes. Ond, yn amlwg, mae hyn yn rhywbeth lle, o ran twf economaidd—ac mae gennym ni ddatganiad y prynhawn yma—mae'n bwysig ein bod ni'n cydnabod y cyfleoedd sydd gennym ni nawr yng Nghymru, o ran ein sefyllfa, ein polisïau a'r ffordd ymlaen, o ran sut y gallwn ni gefnogi ein trefi a'n busnesau, ac, yn wir, mae hynny'n cynnwys manwerthu. Felly, mae llawer o gyfleoedd i chi fynd ar drywydd hynny hefyd gyda'r siopau rydych chi'n mynd i fod yn cyfarfod â nhw—y sector manwerthu y byddwch chi'n cyfarfod ag ef—ym Mhrestatyn. 

14:40

A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Llywodraeth, jest i'r Llywodraeth fedru esbonio os ŷch chi'n credu ei bod hi'n deg bod cynghorau Cymru yn talu ffioedd sylweddol i Ystâd y Goron er mwyn cael mynediad i draethau a safleoedd a chyfleusterau oddi mewn i'w siroedd eu hunain? Dwi'n gofyn, wrth gwrs, oherwydd mae yna gynnig gan y Cynghorydd Dewi Jones o Blaid Cymru yng Ngwynedd wedi ei basio yn ddiweddar i geisio mynd i'r afael â hynny yn sefyllfa Gwynedd, sy'n gorfod talu dros £160,000 y flwyddyn mewn ffioedd. Nawr, un sir yw Gwynedd. Mi allwch chi luosogi hynny sawl gwaith drosodd, a hynny, wrth gwrs, ar adeg pan fod yna gyni difrifol yn wynebu awdurdodau lleol, ac ar yr un pryd, gyda llaw, mae Ystâd y Goron wedi gweld ei helw yn fwy na dyblu, o £443 miliwn i dros £1.1 biliwn llynedd. Felly, mi fyddai datganiad gan y Gweinidog perthnasol yn fuddiol iawn, yn y lle cyntaf i roi darlun inni o ble ŷch chi arni o ran datganoli cyffredinol Ystâd y Goron, ond yn sicr i esbonio sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn mynd i ymateb ar fyrder i sefyllfa sydd yn annheg, yn anghyfiawn ac yn anfoesol?

May I ask for a statement from the Government, just so that the Government can explain whether you believe that it's fair that councils in Wales are paying significant fees to the Crown Estate in order to access beaches, sites and facilities within their own counties? I ask, of course, because there is a proposal by Councillor Dewi Jones from Plaid Cymru in Gwynedd, which was agreed recently, to try and tackle that issue in the Gwynedd context, which has to pay over £160,000 per annum in fees. Now, Gwynedd is just one county. You could multiply that manifold, and that, of course, is at a time when there is serious hardship facing local authorities, while simultaneously, by the way, the Crown Estate has seen its profits more than double, from £443 million to over £1.1 billion last year. So, a statement from the relevant Minister would be very beneficial, in the first instance to give us a picture of where you are in terms of the general devolution of the Crown Estate, but certainly to explain how the Government will respond urgently to a situation that is unfair, unjust and immoral?

Diolch yn fawr, Llyr Gruffydd. Well, this is something where there are regular meetings with the Crown Estate. Of course, this is something where we have engaged over issues, particularly like the raising of fees, because that has a real impact on our economy, and it's important that you've put that on the record today.

Diolch yn fawr, Llyr Gruffydd. Wel, mae hyn yn rhywbeth lle mae cyfarfodydd rheolaidd ag Ystâd y Goron. Wrth gwrs, mae hyn yn rhywbeth lle rydyn ni wedi trafod materion, yn enwedig fel codi ffioedd, oherwydd mae hynny'n cael effaith wirioneddol ar ein heconomi, ac mae'n bwysig eich bod chi wedi cofnodi hynny heddiw.

Could I just draw your attention, please, to a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health with regard to the situation in Powys Teaching Health Board and, indeed, I'm sure other health boards as well? We're facing cuts to our services and the potential closure of our minor injury units in Brecon and in Llandrindod as well. The concern that residents have is that this is the beginning of cuts that will be delivered further down the line, and I just seek reassurance that the budget constraints on the health board currently will not mean that further cuts will be requested further down the line. Thank you very much. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

A gaf i dynnu'ch sylw, os gwelwch yn dda, at ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd ynghylch y sefyllfa ym Mwrdd Iechyd Addysgu Powys ac, yn wir, mewn byrddau iechyd eraill hefyd, rwy'n siŵr? Rydyn ni'n wynebu toriadau i'n gwasanaethau a'r posibilrwydd y bydd ein hunedau mân anafiadau yn Aberhonddu a Llandrindod yn cau hefyd. Y pryder sydd gan drigolion yw mai dyma ddechrau toriadau a fydd yn cael eu cyflwyno yn y dyfodol, ac rwy'n gofyn am sicrwydd na fydd y cyfyngiadau cyllidebol sydd ar y bwrdd iechyd ar hyn o bryd yn golygu y bydd gofyn am doriadau eraill yn y dyfodol. Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

I think it is important that we look at what Powys Teaching Health Board is considering, whether this relates to budgets. I'm not sure if they're not related to budgets, and I think that needs to be clarified. Are they related to other policy changes? And, of course, that's something, I think, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care will be very mindful of and willing to consider these issues, but it does have to be, 'What's driving this?' and also, 'Where is the patient voice in this?'  Obviously, you've raised this today, Jane Dodds, and it is important then that we see what are the impacts, what are the reasons, what's behind this, in terms of what is perceived to be budget developments.

Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig ein bod ni'n edrych ar yr hyn y mae Bwrdd Iechyd Addysgu Powys yn ei ystyried, p'un a yw hyn yn ymwneud â chyllidebau. Nid wyf yn siŵr nad ydyn nhw'n gysylltiedig â chyllidebau, ac rwy'n credu bod angen egluro hynny. Ydyn nhw'n gysylltiedig â newidiadau polisi eraill? Ac, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n rhywbeth, rwy'n credu, y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol yn ystyriol iawn ohono ac yn barod i ystyried y materion hyn, ond mae'n rhaid iddo fod yn fater o, 'Beth sy'n ysgogi hwn?' a hefyd, 'Ble mae llais y claf yn hyn?' Yn amlwg, rydych chi wedi codi hyn heddiw, Jane Dodds, ac mae'n bwysig wedyn ein bod ni'n gweld beth yw'r effeithiau, beth yw'r rhesymau, beth sydd y tu ôl i hyn, o ran yr hyn sy'n cael ei ystyried yn ddatblygiadau cyllidebol.

I wish to ask for a clear statement today regarding the future funding model of Welsh culture. The Wales music showcase at the Senedd last week demonstrated fully the sparkling quality and excellence of our publicly funded organisations—BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, National Music Service for Wales, Creative Wales, Anthem—and it also recognised the amazing economic contribution of the music stakeholders present to Wales. Today in 2024, the Welsh National Opera is defunded, withering and facing strike action—and it's not an organisation known for that militancy—and staring into the abyss of mediocrity from its position of excellence. Today in 2024, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has no substitute for a national talent pipeline and is the only conservatoire in the world without such. And despite great steps forward with the national music service, Wales is playing a dangerous game of roulette with our cultural future. And it is wrong-headed to say that all such decisions are determined by arm's-length bodies; every body needs a head and a strategic direction.

So, I ask for a statement to this Senedd, outlining the timescale of the anticipated review of the Welsh cultural strategy. We cannot cancel out the age-old concept of excellence, the cornerstone and primary aim of artistic pursuit for all millennia, or else we ban, close and shut all museums, theatres and art galleries and cancel forever the Olympic Games and all artistic pursuit. Music is no different. It's a serious omission within this current strategy, and it has misdirected and steered very scarce funding to national detriment. And finally, what is the plan for saving Welsh National Opera and what is the plan for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama junior talent pathway and its aligned external review? I await that response. Diolch yn fawr.

Hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad clir heddiw ynghylch model cyllido diwylliant Cymru yn y dyfodol. Dangosodd sioe arddangos cerddoriaeth Cymru yn y Senedd yr wythnos diwethaf ansawdd a rhagoriaeth ysblennydd ein sefydliadau sydd wedi'u hariannu'n gyhoeddus—Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru, Gwasanaeth Cerddoriaeth Cenedlaethol Cymru, Cymru Greadigol, Anthem—ac fe wnaeth hefyd gydnabod y cyfraniad economaidd anhygoel y mae'r rhanddeiliaid cerddoriaeth a oedd yn bresennol yn ei wneud i Gymru. Heddiw yn 2024, mae Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru yn cael ei ddadgyllido, mae'n gwywo ac mae'n wynebu streiciau—ac nid yw'n sefydliad sy'n adnabyddus am ei ysbryd milwriaethus—ac mae'n syllu i ddyfnderoedd dinodedd o'i safle o ragoriaeth. Heddiw yn 2024, nid oes gan Goleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru unrhyw ddewis arall ar gyfer llif talent genedlaethol a dyma'r unig conservatoire yn y byd sydd yn y sefyllfa hon. Ac er gwaethaf camau mawr ymlaen gyda'r gwasanaeth cerddoriaeth cenedlaethol, mae Cymru yn chwarae gêm beryglus o roulette gyda'n dyfodol diwylliannol. Ac mae'n anghywir i ddweud bod pob penderfyniad o'r fath yn cael ei wneud gan gyrff hyd braich; mae angen pennaeth a chyfeiriad strategol ar bob corff.

Felly, rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad i'r Senedd hon, yn amlinellu amserlen yr adolygiad o strategaeth ddiwylliannol Cymru rydyn ni'n ei ddisgwyl. Ni allwn ni ddiystyru'r cysyniad oesol o ragoriaeth, conglfaen a phrif nod uchelgais artistig ar gyfer pob mileniwm, neu fel arall, rydyn ni'n gwahardd a chau pob amgueddfa, theatr ac oriel gelf ac yn canslo am byth y Gemau Olympaidd a'r holl weithgareddau artistig. Nid yw cerddoriaeth yn wahanol. Mae'n fwlch difrifol yn y strategaeth bresennol hon, ac mae wedi camgyfeirio a llywio cyllid prin iawn er niwed i'r genedl. Ac yn olaf, beth yw'r cynllun ar gyfer achub Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru a beth yw'r cynllun ar gyfer llwybr talent iau Coleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru a'i adolygiad allanol cydgysylltiedig? Rwy'n aros am yr ateb hwnnw. Diolch yn fawr.

14:45

Diolch yn fawr, Rhianon Passmore, once again for your clear statement of support for our vitally important cultural sector in Wales. When I was holding the portfolio in the summer months, I was very pleased to be able to announce that £5 million, which of course was really important, and that went directly to some of those key funded bodies, but also to the Arts Council of Wales. And now the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership is addressing the very issues that you have raised. And, of course, it is for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, again, to consider their priorities, but I know that what is forthcoming, as a result of extensive consultation, are the priorities for culture statement and strategy, which, of course, I know the committee is also engaging with as a key plank of their policy development.

Diolch yn fawr, Rhianon Passmore, unwaith eto am eich datganiad clir o gefnogaeth i'n sector diwylliannol hanfodol bwysig yng Nghymru. Pan oeddwn i'n gyfrifol am y portffolio yn ystod misoedd yr haf, roeddwn i'n falch iawn o allu cyhoeddi'r £5 miliwn hwnnw, a oedd wrth gwrs yn bwysig iawn, ac aeth hynny'n uniongyrchol i rai o'r cyrff allweddol hynny sy'n cael eu hariannu, ond hefyd i Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru. A nawr mae'r Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol yn ymdrin â'r union faterion rydych wedi'u codi. Ac, wrth gwrs, mater i Goleg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru, unwaith eto, yw ystyried eu blaenoriaethau, ond rwy'n gwybod mai'r hyn sydd ar ddod, o ganlyniad i ymgynghori helaeth, yw'r blaenoriaethau ar gyfer datganiad a strategaeth diwylliannol, yr wyf, wrth gwrs, yn gwybod bod y pwyllgor hefyd yn ymgysylltu â nhw fel elfen allweddol wrth ddatblygu eu polisi.

Can I please ask the Trefnydd for two statements today, both concerning child hearing issues? Firstly, Trefnydd, I would like to support calls for an oral statement on the reasons why the GCSE in sign language in Wales has been dropped and what proposals the Welsh Government now have to improve the number of sign language users in Wales, because the shortage of British Sign Language users in Wales is having a detrimental impact on the deaf community and their ability to access the same services as everyone else. 

Secondly, Trefnydd, as you may be aware, in England, since 2019, over 1,500 children have had their hearing misdiagnosed, with some even being given the all clear when, in fact, they had significant hearing problems. This has led to just under 500 children suffering moderate or severe harm in their speech and language development. There are, ultimately, concerns about two thirds of the hearing units in England, and I believe that it would be very prudent for the health of the children in Wales that a review of hearing services should take place here so that patients can be recalled if necessary. With this in mind, can I ask for an oral statement on the assessment that the Welsh Government has made or is intending to make of any potential misdiagnosis of hearing loss in Welsh NHS hearing units? Thank you.

A gaf i ofyn i'r Trefnydd am ddau ddatganiad heddiw, y ddau yn ymwneud â materion clyw plant? Yn gyntaf, Trefnydd, hoffwn gefnogi galwadau am ddatganiad llafar ar y rhesymau pam mae'r TGAU mewn iaith arwyddion yng Nghymru wedi'i gollwng a pha gynigion sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru nawr i wella nifer y defnyddwyr iaith arwyddion yng Nghymru, oherwydd mae'r prinder defnyddwyr Iaith Arwyddion Prydain yng Nghymru yn cael effaith niweidiol ar y gymuned fyddar a'u gallu i gael mynediad at yr un gwasanaethau â phawb arall. 

Yn ail, Trefnydd, fel y gwyddoch chi efallai, yn Lloegr, ers 2019, mae dros 1,500 o blant wedi cael camddiagnosis o ran eu clyw, gyda rhai hyd yn oed yn cael gwybod bod popeth yn iawn pan oedd ganddyn nhw broblemau clyw sylweddol. Mae hyn wedi arwain at ychydig o dan 500 o blant yn dioddef niwed cymedrol neu ddifrifol o ran datblygiad eu lleferydd ac iaith. Yn y pen draw, mae pryderon am ddwy ran o dair o'r unedau clyw yn Lloegr, ac rwy'n credu y byddai'n ddoeth iawn ar gyfer iechyd plant yng Nghymru bod adolygiad o wasanaethau clyw yn cael ei gynnal yma fel bod modd adalw cleifion os bydd angen. Gyda hyn mewn golwg, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad llafar ar yr asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud neu'n bwriadu ei wneud o unrhyw gamddiagnosis posibl o golli clyw yn unedau clyw GIG Cymru? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr. I have answered the question about the suspension of the development of a GCSE in British Sign Language. It is a decision by Qualifications Wales, and I've given the reasons why that has been suspended. And also it is important that Qualifications Wales themselves are monitoring the development of BSL GCSE in England, and that we, importantly, go back to the fact that we are the first country in the UK to include BSL in the curriculum.

Yes, I will also share with the Cabinet Secretary your concerns about whether the misdiagnosis also has to be looked at in terms of the situation in Wales. 

Diolch yn fawr. Rwyf wedi ateb y cwestiwn am atal datblygiad TGAU mewn Iaith Arwyddion Prydain. Cymwysterau Cymru sydd wedi gwneud y penderfyniad, ac rwyf wedi rhoi'r rhesymau pam mae hynny wedi'i atal. A hefyd mae'n bwysig bod Cymwysterau Cymru eu hunain yn monitro datblygiad TGAU BSL yn Lloegr, a'n bod ni, yn bwysig, yn mynd yn ôl at y ffaith mai ni yw'r wlad gyntaf yn y DU i gynnwys BSL yn y cwricwlwm.

Gwnaf, fe wnaf hefyd rannu gyda'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet eich pryderon ynghylch a oes rhaid edrych ar y camddiagnosis hefyd o ran y sefyllfa yng Nghymru. 

Trefnydd, I'd like an urgent Government statement on any progress made to introduce measures and perhaps even legislation around responsible dog ownership in Wales. I've previously raised this matter in the Senedd on a number of occasions, including with a Member's legislative proposal, in the wake of a number of serious and fatal dog attacks in my region. Yesterday, there was yet another very serious attack in my region, this time in Nantyglo, on a 12-year-old girl by what appeared to be an XL bully-type dog. The injuries are horrific and life changing, but they could have been much worse were it not for the swift action of the girl’s father, who held the dog down until the police arrived. We need a Government statement updating the Senedd on what is happening with regard to promoting responsible dog ownership. I'd also request that the work on this matter is expedited in the interests of keeping our communities and civilians safe. Diolch yn fawr.

Trefnydd, hoffwn gael datganiad brys gan y Llywodraeth ar unrhyw gynnydd  sydd wedi'i wneud i gyflwyno mesurau ac efallai hyd yn oed deddfwriaeth ynghylch perchenogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn yng Nghymru. Rwyf wedi codi'r mater hwn yn y Senedd sawl gwaith o'r blaen, gan gynnwys gyda chynnig deddfwriaethol Aelod, yn sgil nifer o ymosodiadau difrifol ac angheuol gan gŵn yn fy rhanbarth i. Ddoe, roedd ymosodiad difrifol iawn arall yn fy rhanbarth, y tro hwn yn Nant-y-glo, ar ferch 12 oed gan yr hyn a oedd yn ymddangos fel ci tebyg i gi bully XL. Mae'r anafiadau'n erchyll a byddan nhw'n newid ei bywyd, ond fe allen nhw fod wedi bod yn llawer gwaeth oni bai am weithredu cyflym gan dad y ferch, a ddaliodd y ci i lawr nes bod yr heddlu yn cyrraedd. Mae angen datganiad gan y Llywodraeth yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd ar yr hyn sy'n digwydd o ran hyrwyddo perchnogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn. Byddwn hefyd yn gofyn i'r gwaith ar y mater hwn gael ei gyflymu er mwyn cadw ein cymunedau a'n dinasyddion yn ddiogel. Diolch yn fawr.

14:50

Diolch yn fawr, Peredur, and I think it's very important that you've raised this today and, in fact, we have questions to the Deputy First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary tomorrow. It is appalling that we have these tragic incidents that are occurring, because there is so much responsible dog ownership in Wales, isn't there? We know that, and we know of the work of the Dogs Trust and many others to drive that forward. And where we can play a role, we certainly will. And I'm sure that, in questions to the Deputy First Minister tomorrow, he may be able to then say more about ways in which the Welsh Government is responding.

Diolch yn fawr, Peredur, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn eich bod chi wedi codi hyn heddiw ac, mewn gwirionedd, mae gennym ni gwestiynau i'r Dirprwy Brif Weinidog a'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yfory. Mae'n warthus bod gennym ni'r digwyddiadau trasig hyn, oherwydd mae cymaint o berchenogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn yng Nghymru, onid oes? Rydyn ni'n gwybod hynny, ac rydyn ni'n gwybod am waith y Dogs Trust a llawer o rai eraill i ysgogi hynny. A lle y gallwn ni chwarae rhan, fe wnawn ni hynny'n sicr. Ac rwy'n siŵr, mewn cwestiynau i'r Dirprwy Brif Weinidog yfory, efallai y bydd yn gallu dweud mwy am y ffyrdd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymateb.

I call for an urgent oral statement from the health Secretary on NHS dental care in north Wales. On 18 September, an angry and disappointed constituent e-mailed after reading on social media that, as of December 2024, the Valley dental practice on Ynys Môn will no longer offer NHS services. Replicating the experience of many constituents who'd contacted me even before this, they had telephoned many dentists on the island but could not find one offering NHS services. The social media post from the Valley dental practice team stated,

'recent changes in NHS contracts and the way we're required to provide treatment have made it impossible to continue offering the standard of care that we believe our NHS patients deserve.'

The health board only notified MSs the following day. It is now two decades since dentists in north Wales warned the then Assembly's North Wales Regional Committee that an NHS dental crisis would result if the Welsh Government did not listen, and we need to know if the Welsh Government will now ask the dental profession what the Welsh Government needs to do in order to start putting things right. I call for an oral statement accordingly.

Rwy'n galw am ddatganiad llafar brys gan yr Ysgrifennydd iechyd ar ofal deintyddol y GIG yn y gogledd. Ar 18 Medi, anfonodd etholwr blin a siomedig e-bost ar ôl darllen ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol na fydd practis deintyddol y Fali ar Ynys Môn, o fis Rhagfyr 2024, yn cynnig gwasanaethau'r GIG. Gan ailadrodd profiad llawer o etholwyr a oedd wedi cysylltu â mi hyd yn oed cyn hyn, roedd wedi ffonio llawer o ddeintyddion ar yr ynys ond ni allai ddod o hyd i un a oedd yn cynnig gwasanaethau'r GIG. Nododd y postiad cyfryngau cymdeithasol gan dîm practis deintyddol y Fali,

'mae newidiadau diweddar yng nghytundebau'r GIG a'r ffordd y mae'n rhaid i ni ddarparu triniaeth wedi ei gwneud hi'n amhosibl parhau i gynnig y safon o ofal yr ydym yn credu y mae ein cleifion y GIG yn ei haeddu.'

Dim ond y diwrnod canlynol y gwnaeth y bwrdd iechyd roi wybod i Aelodau'r Senedd. Mae'n ddau ddegawd erbyn hyn ers i ddeintyddion yn y gogledd rybuddio Pwyllgor Rhanbarthol Gogledd Cymru y Cynulliad ar y pryd y byddem yn wynebu argyfwng deintyddol y GIG pe na bai Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrando, ac mae angen i ni wybod a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru nawr yn gofyn i'r proffesiwn deintyddol beth sydd angen i Lywodraeth Cymru ei wneud er mwyn dechrau unioni pethau. Rwy'n galw am ddatganiad llafar yn unol â hynny.

Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood, and I know that you would welcome the fact that there are 93,000 new NHS patients in north Wales. Nevertheless, it is disappointing when a dentist decides to reduce or end their NHS commitment, and we remember the fact that they're independent, self-employed practitioners. They can choose whether they want to provide NHS treatment or want to provide private care. I think it is really important just to recognise that, for example, £1.5 million-worth of funding has been awarded recently to a practice, including to a practice in Amlwch, and there are further funding awards Betsi Cadwaladr is making later in this year. I think the new academy in north Wales is really important, and that's helping as well in terms of the provision of NHS dentistry in Wales. But I am very pleased to report that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is going to do a statement on dentistry across Wales, across the whole picture of where we are, and it will be focusing on where we can intervene, where we can fund, and, indeed, the positive impact of the new dental contract as well.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Mark Isherwood, rwy'n gwybod y byddech chi'n croesawu'r ffaith bod 93,000 o gleifion GIG newydd yn y gogledd. Er hynny, mae'n siomedig pan fydd deintydd yn penderfynu lleihau ei ymrwymiad i'r GIG neu ddod â'r ymrwymiad hwnnw i ben, ac rydyn ni'n cofio'r ffaith eu bod nhw'n ymarferwyr annibynnol, hunangyflogedig. Gallan nhw ddewis a ydyn nhw eisiau darparu triniaeth y GIG neu a ydyn nhw eisiau darparu gofal preifat. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn cydnabod, er enghraifft, bod gwerth £1.5 miliwn o gyllid wedi'i ddyfarnu yn ddiweddar i bractis, gan gynnwys practis yn Amlwch, ac mae yna ddyfarniadau cyllid eraill y mae Betsi Cadwaladr yn eu gwneud yn ddiweddarach eleni. Rwy'n credu bod yr academi newydd yn y gogledd yn bwysig iawn, ac mae hynny'n helpu hefyd o ran darparu deintyddiaeth y GIG yng Nghymru. Ond rwy'n falch iawn o adrodd bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol yn mynd i wneud datganiad ar ddeintyddiaeth ledled Cymru, o ran y darlun llawn o lle rydyn ni, ac fe fydd yn canolbwyntio ar lle y gallwn ni ymyrryd, lle y gallwn ni ariannu, ac, yn wir, effaith gadarnhaol y contract deintyddol newydd hefyd.

Trefnydd, can I request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, outlining the latest position on the Raglan junction of the A40 in my constituency of Monmouth? As you are no doubt aware, there have been many, many accidents over the years, and recorded by Gwent Police, and even the latest statistics as well, which add to that. I would therefore welcome a statement from the Cabinet Secretary outlining the up-to-date position on the safety improvements at the junction, and if the statement could include a commitment to publishing the long-awaited road safety study. Thank you.

Trefnydd, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru, yn amlinellu'r sefyllfa ddiweddaraf mewn perthynas â chyffordd Rhaglan yr A40 yn fy etholaeth i, Trefynwy? Fel y gwyddoch chi mae'n siŵr, mae llawer iawn o ddamweiniau wedi bod yn ystod y blynyddoedd, ac wedi'u cofnodi gan Heddlu Gwent, a hyd yn oed yr ystadegau diweddaraf hefyd, sy'n ychwanegu at hynny. Felly, byddwn i'n croesawu datganiad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn amlinellu'r sefyllfa bresennol o ran y gwelliannau diogelwch ar y gyffordd, ac a allai'r datganiad gynnwys ymrwymiad i gyhoeddi'r astudiaeth hirddisgwyliedig ar ddiogelwch ar y ffyrdd. Diolch.

Thank you very much, Peter Fox. I will make sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales responds to that specific enquiry in relation to that Raglan roundabout.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Peter Fox. Fe wnaf i'n siŵr bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru yn ymateb i'r ymholiad penodol hwnnw o ran cylchfan Rhaglan.

14:55

Trefnydd, I'm grateful for your response to my colleague Mark Isherwood's request for a statement a few moments ago, because dental services and access to NHS dentists is important across all of Wales. I would be grateful if, in the statement that the Minister makes on dental services, we could see some inclusion there about how he intends to monitor progress against his ambitions for NHS dental care in Wales. But I am grateful, first of all, for the statement coming forward in due course. Thank you very much.

Trefnydd, rwy'n ddiolchgar am eich ymateb i gais fy nghyd-Aelod, Mark Isherwood, am ddatganiad ychydig funudau yn ôl, oherwydd mae gwasanaethau deintyddol a mynediad at ddeintyddion y GIG yn bwysig ledled Cymru gyfan. Byddwn i'n ddiolchgar pe gallai'r Gweinidog, yn ei ddatganiad ar wasanaethau deintyddol, ddweud rhywfaint am sut mae'n bwriadu monitro cynnydd yn erbyn ei uchelgeisiau ar gyfer gofal deintyddol y GIG yng Nghymru. Ond rwy'n ddiolchgar, yn gyntaf oll, am y datganiad a fydd yn dod maes o law. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Diolch yn fawr. I think, Sam, I have said my piece, and we hand over now to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to follow that up.

Diolch yn fawr. Rwy'n credu, Sam, fy mod wedi dweud fy nweud, ac y dylwn ni drosglwyddo nawr i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol i ddilyn hynny.

Diolch, Llywydd. Trefnydd, can I call for a statement from the First Minister, following the pretty remarkable news of the Welsh Government's expenditure in America? Some of the eye-watering costs in the US include a food bill for Zou Zou's, an exclusive New York restaurant, which totalled nearly £16,000 for a St David's Day event. And what was on the menu? Salads at $29, lobster kebab at $51, and French fries for $12—far from a celebration of Welsh food and culture on St David's Day. Over £2,300 was also spent in a New York Irish bar called Donnelly's, when there is quite literally a Welsh bar in New York, operated and owned by Welsh people. Could the First Minister outline what checks and balances are there on their spending, what, if any, cost-benefit analysis has been done, and how is this spending helping drive inward investment into Wales or, indeed, strengthening the Welsh diaspora network if key overseas businesses and networks of Welsh descent aren't even involved?

Diolch, Llywydd. Trefnydd, a gaf i alw am ddatganiad gan y Prif Weinidog, yn dilyn y newyddion eithaf rhyfeddol am wariant Llywodraeth Cymru yn America? Mae rhai o'r costau anferth yn yr Unol Daleithiau yn cynnwys bil bwyd ar gyfer Zou Zou's, bwyty arbennig yn Efrog Newydd, a ddaeth i gyfanswm o bron i £16,000 ar gyfer digwyddiad Dydd Gŵyl Dewi. A beth oedd ar y fwydlen? Saladau am $29, cebab cimwch am $51, a sglodion Ffrengig am $12—ymhell o fod yn ddathliad o fwyd a diwylliant Cymru ar Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi. Cafodd dros £2,300 hefyd ei wario mewn bar Gwyddelig o'r enw Donnelly's yn Efrog Newydd, pan fo bar Cymreig yn Efrog Newydd y mae pobl o Gymru yn berchen arno ac yn ei weithredu. A allai'r Prif Weinidog amlinellu pa rwystrau a gwrthbwysau sydd ar eu gwariant, pa ddadansoddiad cost a budd sydd wedi'i wneud, os o gwbl, a sut mae'r gwariant hwn yn helpu i ddenu mewnfuddsoddiad i Gymru neu, yn wir, i gryfhau rhwydwaith diaspora Cymru os nad yw busnesau a rhwydweithiau allweddol o dras Gymreig dramor yn cymryd rhan hyd yn oed?

Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.

I think it would be really important to get the feedback, and I'm sure the First Minister can provide it, about the impact of those events that were held in New York. You can't underestimate that across the whole world on St David's Day events take place, and I think some of us have been—. I went to one in Dublin last year, where businesses come and celebrate St David's Day. Businesses who are doing business in Wales come to these events—and they are across the world, these events—and praise the investment that they are making in Wales, and they want to celebrate it. [Interruption.] But can I just say that it's important—

Rwy'n credu y byddai'n bwysig iawn cael yr adborth, ac rwy'n siŵr y gall y Prif Weinidog ei ddarparu, o ran effaith y digwyddiadau hynny a gynhaliwyd yn Efrog Newydd. Allwch chi ddim tanamcangyfrif y digwyddiadau sy'n cymryd lle ar draws y byd i gyd ar Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi, ac rwy'n credu bod rhai ohonon ni wedi bod—. Fe es i i un yn Nulyn y llynedd, lle mae busnesau'n dod i ddathlu Dydd Gŵyl Dewi. Mae busnesau sy'n gweithredu yng Nghymru yn dod i'r digwyddiadau hyn—ac maen nhw ar draws y byd, y digwyddiadau hyn—ac maen nhw'n canmol y buddsoddiad maen nhw'n ei wneud yng Nghymru, ac maen nhw eisiau ei ddathlu. [Torri ar draws.] Ond a gaf i ddweud ei bod yn bwysig—

I would like to hear the answer from the Trefnydd, so I hope that Members on all sides, including Ministers, will make sure that I can hear the response, please.

Hoffwn i glywed yr ateb gan y Trefnydd, felly rwy'n gobeithio y bydd Aelodau ar bob ochr, gan gynnwys Gweinidogion, yn sicrhau y gallaf glywed yr ymateb, os gwelwch yn dda.

I just think you need to—. Instead of digging around, as you seem to, and your staff team seem to want to do, in collaboration with The Daily Telegraph an awful lot of the time, I think we really do need to recognise it, and perhaps I will ask the First Minister to do a statement on St David's Day and the outcome from the events that were held earlier on this year.

Rwy'n credu bod angen i chi—. Yn hytrach na chwilota, fel mae'n ymddangos eich bod chi a'ch tîm o staff eisiau ei wneud, mewn cydweithrediad â'r Daily Telegraph llawer iawn o'r amser, rwy'n credu bod gwir angen i ni ei gydnabod, ac efallai y gofynnaf i'r Prif Weinidog wneud datganiad ar Ddydd Gŵyl Dewi a chanlyniad y digwyddiadau a gynhaliwyd yn gynharach eleni.

3. Datganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant: Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant
3. Statement by the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being: Mental Health and Well-being

Eitem 3 heddiw yw'r datganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant, a galwaf ar y Gweinidog i wneud y datganiad—Sarah Murphy.

Item 3 today is the statement by the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Sarah Murphy.

Diolch. On Thursday, we celebrate World Mental Health Day, and I would like to take this opportunity to provide the Senedd with an update about our programme of work to improve, protect, and support the mental health and well-being of people throughout Wales.

In line with the First Minister's priorities, I am focused on reducing waiting times for mental health support and treatment. This is very much part of our long-term vision to transform services and to strengthen our approach to improve mental health and well-being. This recognises the wider areas of life and society that can have an impact on our mental health, from housing and employment to money and debt and education. This is reflected in the draft mental health and well-being and suicide and self-harm prevention strategies, which have been co-produced and informed by an extended period of pre-consultation engagement. The consultations closed on 11 June and we are today publishing the consultation reports, which provide a summary of the responses received. More than 370 responses were received to the online consultations. Overall, the responses show that we are focusing on the right areas in the strategies, but they have given us a lot of rich and valuable information that will help to strengthen our approach.

For the mental health and well-being strategy, there is strong support to continue to develop our cross-Government approach to tackle the wider determinants of mental health. I will continue to work with my Cabinet colleagues to do this, but we need to strengthen our approach to ensure that joined-up support from health and social care, as well as the third sector, to provide person-centred and needs-led support.

Diolch. Ddydd Iau, rydyn ni'n dathlu Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd, a hoffwn i fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd am ein rhaglen waith i wella, diogelu a chefnogi iechyd meddwl a llesiant pobl ledled Cymru.

Yn unol â blaenoriaethau'r Prif Weinidog, rwy'n canolbwyntio ar leihau amseroedd aros ar gyfer cymorth a thriniaeth iechyd meddwl. Mae hyn yn rhan fawr o'n gweledigaeth hirdymor i drawsnewid gwasanaethau ac i gryfhau ein dull o wella iechyd meddwl a llesiant. Mae hyn yn cydnabod y meysydd ehangach o fywyd a chymdeithas a all gael effaith ar ein hiechyd meddwl, o dai a chyflogaeth i arian a dyled ac addysg. Caiff hyn ei adlewyrchu yn y strategaethau iechyd meddwl a llesiant ac atal hunanladdiad a hunan-niweidio drafft, sydd wedi'u cynhyrchu ar y cyd a'u llywio gan gyfnod estynedig o ymgysylltu cyn ymgynghori. Daeth yr ymgyngoriadau i ben ar 11 Mehefin ac rydyn ni heddiw yn cyhoeddi'r adroddiadau ymgynghori, sy'n rhoi crynodeb o'r ymatebion a ddaeth i law. Cafwyd dros 370 o ymatebion i'r ymgyngoriadau ar-lein. Yn gyffredinol, mae'r ymatebion yn dangos ein bod ni'n canolbwyntio ar y meysydd cywir yn y strategaethau, ond maen nhw wedi rhoi llawer o wybodaeth ddefnyddiol a gwerthfawr i ni a fydd yn helpu i gryfhau ein dull.

O ran y strategaeth iechyd meddwl a llesiant, mae cefnogaeth gref i barhau i ddatblygu ein dull trawslywodraethol o ymdrin â phenderfynyddion ehangach iechyd meddwl. Byddaf yn parhau i weithio gyda fy nghyd-Aelodau yn y Cabinet i wneud hyn, ond mae angen i ni gryfhau ein dull gweithredu er mwyn sicrhau bod cefnogaeth gydgysylltiedig gan iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, yn ogystal â'r trydydd sector, i roi cymorth sy'n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn ac sy'n cael ei arwain gan anghenion.

The key challenges for our NHS services include workforce, digital, data, and the estate, and whilst I expect to see a focus on this in the final strategy, I have asked officials to progress work in these areas now. My ministerial portfolio responsibilities include digital and technology, and if we are to improve services, we must make better use of digital and data. I am determined to drive this change.

Our draft suicide and self-harm prevention strategy sets out our ambition to reduce rates of suicides, and this is also a key priority for me. The consultation responses have highlighted we need to do more to identify and address factors and circumstances that increase the risk of suicide, to maximise opportunities for prevention. Through the continued development of our real-time suspected suicide surveillance, and investment in the national suicide and self-harm prevention team in the NHS executive, we have the foundations to really drive these changes. The feedback was also clear that self-harm needed greater prominence in the final strategy.

As well as enhancing the availability of support, it is vital we increase awareness, understanding and compassion within services and society, so people feel confident to reach out without fear of stigma and judgment. Across both strategies, it is clear we need to do more to prevent, reduce and provide better support and treatment for substance use, including removing barriers for those with co-occurring mental health conditions. There is a clear link with both mental health and suicide prevention, and this will be a key area of focus for me going forward. There was also strong support for taking a trauma-informed approach, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders, with services, and users, as we finalise the two strategies, with a focus on co-production and the voice of service users. I want to publish these two major strategies and delivery plans early next year, and these will shape the direction of travel for the next decade.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I’d also like to update Members about the ‘111 press 2’ service. This encapsulates the 'no wrong door' approach to mental health care in Wales and provides 24/7 support for people with urgent mental health needs. I have visited a number of services since being appointed to this ministerial role, including ‘111 press 2’, and I have seen first-hand the compassionate approach from our dedicated mental health staff. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has just completed a review of the first year of the implementation. More than 100,000 calls—and I believe we’re up to 120,000 today—were received in the first 12 months, and 99 per cent of those calls during the review period led to a reduction in distress, with individuals being provided with a compassionate and timely response.

The review makes recommendations to sustain and further develop ‘111 press 2’ and our aim is to link front-door services like our crisis sanctuaries and primary care mental health services to provide seamless support. Crucially, this review gives assurances that we are on the right path, but it also recognises that demand and need for services are not static; the royal college has suggested further iterative reviews as the service continues to develop, and ‘111 press 2’ is a good example of service transformation and innovation, which is having a genuine and meaningful impact on the people of Wales.

The theme of this World Mental Health Day is the importance of supporting mental health in the workplace, with clear benefits for individuals, organisations and communities. Good, meaningful work is good for our mental health and well-being, and it is therefore important that we do all we can to help people retain or return to work. Our in-work support service provides support to help people with mental or physical health conditions to remain in work, and it also helps those on a sickness absence to return to their workplace more quickly. Between April 2023 and June 2024, the service supported more than 3,500 people, most of whom were at risk of becoming absent from work due to their health condition. The service also supports businesses to help create healthier workplaces by making improvements in health and well-being practices and policies. This is complemented by our Healthy Working Wales programme delivered by Public Health Wales.

We are helping people recovering from mental health and/or substance use who are out of work through our out-of-work peer mentoring service. The service has helped people to search for work and gain qualifications, with 430 people being helped into work. We are also jointly funding two individual placement and support projects with the UK Government, which are being delivered by Hywel Dda and Cardiff and Vale university health boards. These will provide integrated health and employment support to more than 1,300 people with physical or mental health disabilities to help them into or towards work by March 2026.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I will close by reminding us all that we have a responsibility to support better mental health and well-being in Wales. That could be by taking steps to improve our own mental health or by improving our understanding of how we can support others who are in distress. We all have a role to play. Diolch.

Mae'r heriau allweddol i wasanaethau ein GIG ni'n cynnwys rhai o ran gweithlu, gwasanaethau digidol, data, a'r ystad, ac er fy mod i'n disgwyl gweld canolbwyntio ar y rhain yn y strategaeth derfynol, rwyf i wedi gofyn i swyddogion fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith yn y meysydd hyn nawr. Mae cyfrifoldebau gweinidogol fy mhortffolio i'n cynnwys gwasanaethau digidol a thechnoleg, ac os ydym ni'n dymuno gwella gwasanaethau, mae'n rhaid i ni wella'r ffordd yr ydym ni'n defnyddio technoleg ddigidol a data. Rwy'n benderfynol o sbarduno'r newid hwn.

Mae ein strategaeth ddrafft ar gyfer atal hunanladdiad a hunan-niweidio yn nodi ein huchelgais i ostwng cyfraddau hunanladdiadau, ac mae honno'n flaenoriaeth allweddol i mi hefyd. Mae'r ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith fod angen i ni wneud mwy i nodi a mynd i'r afael â ffactorau ac amgylchiadau sy'n cynyddu'r risg o hunanladdiad, i sicrhau y bydd cyfleoedd mwyaf eang posibl ar gael ar gyfer atal. Trwy barhau i ddatblygu ein gwyliadwriaethau amser real pryd yr amheuir bydd ymgais o hunanladdiad, a buddsoddiad yn y tîm atal hunanladdiad a hunan-niweidio cenedlaethol yng ngweithrediaeth y GIG, gosodwyd y sylfeini ar gyfer ysgogi'r newidiadau hyn mewn gwirionedd. Roedd yr adborth yn eglur hefyd o ran yr angen am fwy o amlygrwydd i hunan-niweidio yn y strategaeth derfynol.

Yn ogystal â chynyddu argaeledd y gefnogaeth, mae hi'n hanfodol ein bod ni'n cynyddu ymwybyddiaeth, dealltwriaeth a chydymdeimlad hefyd yn y gwasanaethau a'r gymdeithas, fel bydd pobl yn teimlo yn ddigon hyderus i chwilio am gymorth heb ofni cywilydd na beirniadaeth. Ar draws y ddwy strategaeth, mae hi'n amlwg fod angen i ni wneud mwy o ran atal, lleihau defnydd a chynnig gwell cefnogaeth a thriniaeth i'r rhai sy'n defnyddio sylweddau, gan gynnwys dileu'r rhwystrau i'r rhai sydd â chyflyrau iechyd meddwl sy'n digwydd yn gyfamserol. Mae yna gysylltiad amlwg ag iechyd meddwl ac atal hunanladdiad, ac fe fydd hwn yn faes allweddol i mi ganolbwyntio arno wrth symud ymlaen. Roedd yna gefnogaeth gref hefyd i fabwysiadu dull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma, ac fe fyddwn ni'n parhau i ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid, gyda gwasanaethau a defnyddwyr, wrth i ni gwblhau'r ddwy strategaeth, gan ganolbwyntio ar gyd-gynhyrchu a gwrando ar leisiau defnyddwyr gwasanaethau. Rwy'n awyddus i gyhoeddi'r ddwy strategaeth fawr a'r cynllun cyflawni hwn yn gynnar yn y flwyddyn nesaf, a'r rhain a fydd yn arwain cyfeiriad y gwaith i'r degawd nesaf.

Dirprwy Lywydd, fe hoffwn i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau hefyd am wasanaeth '111, Pwyso 2'. Mae hyn yn crynhoi'r dull gweithredu 'dim drws anghywir' wrth ymdrin â gofal iechyd meddwl yng Nghymru ac yn estyn cefnogaeth 24/7 i bobl ag anghenion brys gyda'u hiechyd meddwl. Rwyf i wedi bod yn ymweld â nifer o wasanaethau ers i mi gael fy mhenodi i'r gwaith gweinidogol hwn, gan gynnwys '111, Pwyso 2', ac rwyf i wedi gweld drosof fy hun y dull teimladwy sydd gan ein staff iechyd meddwl ymroddedig. Mae Coleg Brenhinol y Seiciatryddion newydd gwblhau adolygiad o'r flwyddyn gyntaf o'i weithrediad. Fe dderbyniwyd mwy na 100,000 o alwadau—ac rwy'n credu ein bod ni wedi derbyn cymaint â 120,000 heddiw—yn y 12 mis cyntaf, ac fe arweiniodd 99 y cant o'r galwadau hynny yn ystod cyfnod yr adolygiad at ostyngiad mewn pryder, gydag unigolion yn cael ymateb teimladwy ac amserol.

Mae'r adolygiad yn gwneud argymhellion i gynnal a datblygu '111, Pwyso 2' ymhellach a'n bwriad ni yw cysylltu gwasanaethau drws ffrynt fel ein noddfeydd argyfwng a'n gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl gofal sylfaenol i ddarparu cymorth di-dor. Yn allweddol, mae'r adolygiad hwn yn rhoi sicrwydd ein bod ni ar y trywydd iawn, ond mae hwnnw'n cydnabod nad yw'r galw na'r angen am wasanaethau yn aros yn llonydd chwaith; mae'r Coleg Brenhinol wedi awgrymu adolygiadau ailadroddol pellach wrth i'r gwasanaeth barhau i ddatblygu, ac mae '111, Pwyso 2' yn enghraifft dda o drawsnewid ac arloesi gwasanaethau, sy'n creu effaith wirioneddol ac ystyrlon ar gyfer pobl Cymru.

Thema Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd ar gyfer eleni yw pwysigrwydd cefnogi iechyd meddwl yn y gweithle, sydd â manteision amlwg i unigolion, sefydliadau a chymunedau. Mae gwaith da ac ystyrlon yn llesol i'n hiechyd meddwl a'n llesiant ni, ac felly mae hi'n bwysig ein bod yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i helpu pobl i barhau yn eu gwaith neu ddychwelyd iddo. Mae ein gwasanaeth cymorth yn y gwaith yn darparu cymorth i helpu pobl sydd â chyflyrau iechyd meddwl neu gorfforol i aros yn eu gwaith, ac mae'n helpu'r rhai sy'n absennol oherwydd salwch i ddychwelyd i'w gweithle yn gynt. Rhwng misoedd Ebrill 2023 a Mehefin 2024, roedd y gwasanaeth yn cefnogi mwy na 3,500 o bobl, y rhan fwyaf ohonyn nhw mewn perygl o fod yn absennol o'r gwaith oherwydd cyflwr eu hiechyd. Mae'r gwasanaeth yn cefnogi busnesau i helpu i greu gweithleoedd iachach hefyd drwy gyflawni gwelliannau o ran arferion a pholisïau iechyd a llesiant. Fe ategir hyn gan ein rhaglen ni, Cymru Iach ar Waith, sy'n cael ei chyflawni gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru.

Rydym ni'n helpu pobl sy'n gwella o afiechyd meddwl a/neu ddefnyddio sylweddau nad ydyn nhw'n gweithio, drwy gyfrwng ein gwasanaeth mentora cymheiriaid di-waith. Mae'r gwasanaeth wedi helpu pobl i chwilio am waith ac ennill cymwysterau, gyda 430 o bobl wedi cael eu helpu i gael gwaith. Rydym ni'n ariannu dau brosiect lleoli a chefnogi unigol ar y cyd â Llywodraeth y DU hefyd, sy'n cael eu cynnig gan fyrddau iechyd prifysgol Hywel Dda a Chaerdydd a'r Fro. Fe fydd y rhain yn estyn cymorth iechyd a chyflogaeth integredig i fwy na 1,300 o bobl ag anableddau corfforol neu feddyliol i'w helpu nhw i mewn i waith neu tuag ato erbyn mis Mawrth 2026.

Dirprwy Lywydd, rwyf i am gloi gydag anogaeth i bob un ohonom ni gofio bod gennym ni gyfrifoldeb i gefnogi gwell iechyd meddwl a llesiant yng Nghymru. Fe allai hynny ddigwydd drwy gymryd camau i wella ein hiechyd meddwl ein hunain neu drwy wella ein dealltwriaeth ni o'r modd y gallwn ni gefnogi pobl eraill sydd mewn trafferthion. Mae rhan yn y gwaith hwn i bob un ohonom ni. Diolch.

15:05

Thank you very much for your statement this afternoon, Minister. Firstly, I'd like to say that I'm pleased to be responding to this statement today, and it's a pleasure to be speaking as a newly established ambassador of Bipolar UK. It has been an honour to take up that role this week alongside it being the same week as World Mental Health Day. As you rightly say, Minister, this year's theme for World Mental Health Day is workplace mental health. With 15 per cent of UK workers estimated to have an existing mental health condition, it is an underdiscussed issue, and the fifth most common reason for sickness absence in 2022 was mental health. This is increasing, with many in the private sector saying that the younger intake of staff often take days off due to their mental health.

I welcome the Minister's statement today, which has been long awaited. I welcome a new mental health and well-being strategy and delivery plan, which is long overdue. It's disappointing, firstly, that this is the first mental health statement we've received since Mark Drakeford was First Minister. But I'm pleased it's before the Senedd today nonetheless. With this new strategy, we need more assurances that this strategy will be implemented, and we need assurances that there will be a focus on delivery.

With previous mental health strategies, we've not seen the results we should have seen, with repeated failures in delivery. There has also, rightfully, been more of a focus on well-being in recent years, but there are concerns that this will come at the expense of the quality of care for those with serious mental illness. There should also be a focus on suicide, which is higher in Wales than other parts of the UK, and around three quarters of deaths by suicide are men, particularly those aged between 25 and 44. Suicide is also more prevalent in the most deprived areas, with suicide occurring at twice the rate in deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.

Farmers are also disproportionately affected by poor mental health, which has been raised many times by my colleague James Evans, with 95 per cent of UK farmers under the age of 40 ranking poor mental health as one of the biggest hidden problems facing farmers today, as highlighted by the Farm Safety Foundation. According to Office for National Statistics data, sadly, 36 suicides were registered in England and Wales by those in the farming and agricultural industry in 2021. It's important, therefore, that the strategy includes a targeted approach towards suicide to identify sections of the population that are more at risk and to ensure resources are pooled in those areas.

We also hear a lot about preventative medicine, and we also need a preventative approach to mental health. This means equipping teachers and those who work with young people, particularly, to recognise the signs of self-harm and find the appropriate help. Families who have lost loved ones to suicide often say that the help arrives once it's too late, and they struggle to access the help needed at an appropriate time. So, this must be a priority for the strategy. I'm keen to understand how the Welsh Government will facilitate relationships between the different bodies to ensure this works.

Overall, the NHS Confederation also agree that the strategy is taking positive steps towards a population approach to improving mental health and well-being outcomes as well as in reducing inequalities in experiences and outcomes. They've highlighted, as I have mentioned, that deprivation must be considered in more detail in the strategy and there must be a holistic approach that recognises the effect that deprivation has on mental health.

I'm pleased to hear the Minister speak about the importance of waiting times, as well, which, of course, have been raised many times in this Chamber. But, overall, I'd like to hear how the Minister plans to ensure that the strategy will succeed where others have failed and how the Welsh Government will ensure that the strategy is delivered with tangible results. I'd like to know how preventative mental health services and education are being improved and how the Welsh Government will ensure that the strategy will involve tailoring services to sections of Welsh society that are most affected. Thank you very much.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am eich datganiad y prynhawn yma, Gweinidog. Yn gyntaf, fe hoffwn i ddweud fy mod i'n falch o ymateb i'r datganiad hwn heddiw, ac mae hi'n bleser cael siarad fel llysgennad newydd i Bipolar UK. Mae hi wedi bod yn anrhydedd i mi ymgymryd â'r gwaith hwnnw'r wythnos hon a hithau'n wythnos Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd. Fel rydych chi'n gywir i'w ddweud, Gweinidog, thema eleni ar gyfer Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd yw iechyd meddwl yn y gweithle. Fe amcangyfrifir bod gan 15% o weithwyr y DU eisoes gyflwr iechyd meddwl, nid oes digon o drafodaeth ynglŷn â'r mater hwn, ac iechyd meddwl oedd y pumed rheswm mwyaf cyffredin dros absenoldeb oherwydd salwch yn 2022. Mae hyn yn cynyddu, gyda llawer yn y sector preifat yn dweud bod nifer o blith aelodau iau'r staff yn cymryd diwrnodau i ffwrdd oherwydd eu hiechyd meddwl yn aml.

Rwy'n croesawu datganiad y Gweinidog heddiw, y bu cryn ddisgwyl amdano. Rwy'n croesawu strategaeth a'r cynllun cyflawni iechyd meddwl a llesiant newydd, a ddylai fod wedi cael ei gwblhau dro yn ôl. Mae hi'n siomedig, yn y lle cyntaf, mai dyma'r datganiad cyntaf i ymdrin ag iechyd meddwl i ni ei gael ers yma ers pan oedd Mark Drakeford yn Brif Weinidog. Ond rwy'n falch er hynny ei fod gerbron y Senedd heddiw. Gyda'r strategaeth newydd hon, mae angen mwy o sicrwydd arnom ni y bydd y strategaeth hon yn cael ei gweithredu, ac mae angen sicrwydd arnom ni y bydd yna ganolbwyntio ar gyflawni.

Gyda strategaethau iechyd meddwl y gorffennol, ni welsom ni'r canlyniadau angenrheidiol, a bu methiannau dro ar ôl tro o ran cyflawni. Hefyd, a hynny'n briodol, fe fu mwy o ganolbwyntio ar lesiant yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ond fe geir pryderon y bydd hynny'n dod ar draul ansawdd y gofal i'r rhai sydd â salwch meddwl difrifol. Fe ddylid canolbwyntio ar hunanladdiad hefyd, y mae'r cyfraddau yn uwch yng Nghymru nag mewn rhannau eraill o'r DU, a gwrywod sy'n cyfrif am tua thri chwarter y marwolaethau oherwydd hunanladdiad, yn enwedig y rhai rhwng 25 a 44 oed. Mae hunanladdiad yn fwy cyffredin yn yr ardaloedd mwyaf difreintiedig hefyd, gyda hunanladdiad yn digwydd ar ddwywaith y gyfradd mewn ardaloedd difreintiedig o'i chymharu â'r ardaloedd lleiaf difreintiedig.

Mae iechyd meddwl gwael yn effeithio ar ffermwyr ar gyfradd anghymesur hefyd, ac fe godwyd hynny sawl tro gan fy nghyd-Aelod, James Evans, gyda 95 y cant o ffermwyr y DU o dan 40 oed yn nodi iechyd meddwl gwael fel un o'r problemau cuddiedig mwyaf sy'n wynebu ffermwyr heddiw, fel yr amlygwyd hynny gan y Farm Safety Foundation. Yn ôl data'r Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol, yn anffodus, fe gafodd 36 o hunanladdiadau eu cofrestru yng Nghymru a Lloegr yn achosion unigolion a oedd yn gweithio yn y diwydiant ffermio ac amaethyddol yn 2021. Mae hi'n bwysig i'r strategaeth, felly, gynnwys dull gweithredu a anelir tuag at atal hunanladdiad ar gyfer nodi pa garfannau o'r boblogaeth sydd mewn mwy o berygl a sicrhau bod adnoddau yn cael eu cyfuno yn y meysydd hynny.

Rydym ni'n clywed llawer iawn am feddygaeth ataliol, ac mae angen dull ataliol arnom ni i ymdrin ag iechyd meddwl hefyd. Mae hyn yn golygu arfogi athrawon yn ogystal â rhai sy'n gweithio gyda phobl ifanc, yn arbennig felly, i adnabod arwyddion hunan-niweidio a chanfod y cymorth priodol. Mae teuluoedd sydd wedi colli anwyliaid oherwydd hunanladdiad yn dweud yn aml fod y cymorth yn dod pan fo hi'n rhy hwyr, a'u bod nhw'n cael trafferth cael gafael ar y cymorth angenrheidiol yn yr amser priodol. Felly, mae hi'n rhaid i honno fod yn flaenoriaeth i'r strategaeth. Rwy'n eiddgar iawn i ddeall sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn hwyluso'r berthynas rhwng y gwahanol gyrff i sicrhau y bydd hyn yn gweithio.

Yn gyffredinol, mae Cydffederasiwn y GIG yn cytuno bod y strategaeth yn cymryd camau cadarnhaol hefyd tuag at ddull ar sail y boblogaeth o wella canlyniadau iechyd meddwl a llesiant yn ogystal â lleihau anghydraddoldebau gyda phrofiadau a chanlyniadau. Maen nhw wedi tynnu sylw, fel roeddwn i'n sôn, at y rheidrwydd i ystyried amddifadedd yn y strategaeth gyda rhagor o fanylder ac mae'n rhaid sefydlu dull cyfannol sy'n cydnabod yr effaith y mae amddifadedd yn ei chael ar iechyd meddwl.

Rwy'n falch o glywed y Gweinidog yn siarad am bwysigrwydd amseroedd aros hefyd a godwyd, wrth gwrs, sawl gwaith yn y Siambr hon. Ond, yn gyffredinol, fe hoffwn i glywed sut mae'r Gweinidog yn bwriadu sicrhau y bydd y strategaeth yn llwyddo lle methodd eraill a sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru am sicrhau y bydd y strategaeth yn cael ei chyflawni gyda chanlyniadau gwirioneddol. Fe hoffwn i gael gwybod sut mae gwasanaethau ataliol ac addysg iechyd meddwl yn cael eu grymuso a sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru am sicrhau y bydd y strategaeth yn cynnwys teilwra'r gwasanaethau i rannau yn y gymdeithas yng Nghymru sy'n teimlo'r effeithiau fwyaf. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi.

Thank you very much, Gareth. I think, honestly, your contribution just demonstrates how wide of a subject this is. I have got, as you can probably see, around me preparation to cover all of the things that you've touched on. But it is because there's so much incorporated into it.

I was hoping that I would get the opportunity, as well, to thank you in the Chamber for becoming an ambassador for Bipolar UK. I was very moved and very proud, as well, and pleased to see you speaking so openly in sharing your lived experience. I think it's inspiring; I think it makes a difference. And I completely agree with you that the waiting times to be diagnosed for bipolar are too long here and in England, and something must be done about it, and that will be part of the mental health strategy. I would very much welcome a meeting with you to discuss this more—honestly, it would truly help, I think.

I just wanted to say, though, that my colleague Jayne Bryant is in the Chamber and she did give a statement in May, so I assure you that we haven't left it that long. So, to be fair to the Cabinet Secretary, there was definitely a statement in May; I remember it.

But I also wanted to touch on, as well, what you were saying about mental health and well-being. I will say that, being in this ministerial role, language is so important. It is important anyway, but I feel more so with this portfolio that language can mean different things and carry different stigmas and triggers for different people. I don't want people to think that, by incorporating well-being into it, that's somehow taking it less seriously—it's mental health and well-being. And actually, I had so much feedback that people didn't want it to just be under mental health, they wanted it to have that well-being aspect to it, as well. So, I take on board what you're saying, but there are nuances here that I'm always trying to address.

I will talk specifically about what you raised about the farming community, because it has been raised by many colleagues. I am very aware that farming and agriculture workers face unique pressures, including long working hours, increased threats of physical injury and financial concerns, and it is really important that they get that special tailored service that comes up through their own communities. I actually went to the Royal Welsh Show this year, which was fantastic, and I got to be there when the Samaritans launched their Our Farming, Our Future project, which had a lot of young people, as well, which I thought was really positive—young farmers coming through and talking. I learnt a lot, as well, just about the different needs of that community, and I think it's so important that they get to say what they want. The Welsh Government has previously awarded the DPJ Foundation more than £65,000 to improve the provision of bereavement support to the agriculture community—again, for many of the reasons that you touched upon.

In terms of the preventative work, a lot of it comes back to the statement that I gave today about a healthy working Wales, a healthier Wales for everybody. I think that what you're doing in reducing stigma and raising awareness is a huge part of that. I think what I'm also hearing from a lot of people is that it's about follow-up, and this is from every aspect of mental health; whenever you come into contact with mental health support, whether you ring '111 press 2' or however it is, people then need to have that check-in on them again afterwards. They need to be able to come back for help if they need it. So, just to assure you that that's something that I'm very conscious of and I'm hoping to progress in the future, as well. I hope I've covered everything, but if not, let's meet and I will answer all of your other questions, Gareth. Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Gareth. Rwy'n credu, yn ddiffuant, bod eich cyfraniad chi'n dangos pa mor eang yw'r pwnc hwn. Mae gen i, fel gwelwch chi, bethau o'm cwmpas i baratoi ar gyfer cwmpasu'r holl bethau yr ydych chi wedi bod yn sôn amdanyn nhw. Ond mae hynny oherwydd bod cymaint wedi cael ei gynnwys ynddo.

Roeddwn i'n gobeithio y byddwn i'n cael y cyfle, hefyd, i ddiolch i chi yn y Siambr ar ddod yn llysgennad i Bipolar UK. Roeddwn i'n teimlo'n gyffrous iawn ac yn falch iawn hefyd, ac yn falch o'ch gweld chi'n siarad mor agored wrth rannu eich profiad byw. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n ysbrydoli; rwy'n credu bod hynny'n gwneud gwahaniaeth. Ac rwy'n cytuno â chi'n llwyr fod yr amseroedd aros ar gyfer diagnosis o anhwylder deubegynol yn rhy faith yma ac yn Lloegr hefyd, ac mae'n rhaid gwneud rhywbeth ynghylch hynny, ac fe fydd hynny'n rhan o'r strategaeth iechyd meddwl. Fe fyddwn i'n falch iawn o gyfarfod â chi i drafod hyn gyda mwy—a bod yn onest, fe fyddai hynny o gymorth mawr, yn fy marn i.

Roeddwn i'n awyddus i ddweud, serch hynny, fod fy nghyd-Aelod Cabinet Jayne Bryant yn y Siambr ac fe wnaeth hi ddatganiad yma ym mis Mai, felly rwy'n eich sicrhau chi nad ydym ni wedi gadael pethau mor hir â hynny. Felly, a bod yn deg â'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, fe gafwyd datganiad ym mis Mai yn bendant; rwy'n cofio hynny'n dda.

Ond roeddwn i'n awyddus hefyd i gyffwrdd â'r hyn yr oeddech chi'n ei ddweud am iechyd meddwl a llesiant. Fe ddywedaf i, gan fy mod i yn y swydd weinidogol hon, fod iaith yn bwysig iawn. Mae iaith yn bwysig bob amser, ond rwy'n teimlo hynny i raddau mwy gyda'r portffolio hwn oherwydd bod iaith yn gallu golygu gwahanol bethau a bod â gwahanol effeithiau ar wahanol bobl fel codi cywilydd a dwyn atgofion annifyr. Nid wyf i'n dymuno i bobl gredu, trwy ymgorffori llesiant yn hyn, fod hynny'n golygu nad yw hwn yn rhywbeth mor ddifrifol rywsut—iechyd meddwl a llesiant yw hyn. Ac mewn gwirionedd, fe gefais gymaint o adborth yn mynegi nad oedd pobl yn dymuno i hyn ddod o dan iechyd meddwl yn unig, roedden nhw'n dymuno i hyn fod â'r agwedd honno o ymwneud â llesiant hefyd. Felly, rwy'n ystyried yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud, ond fe geir awgrymiadau ieithyddol yn hyn o beth yr wyf i bob amser yn awyddus i fynd i'r afael â nhw.

Rwyf i am ddweud gair yn benodol am yr hyn y gwnaethoch chi ei godi am y gymuned ffermio, oherwydd fe godwyd hynny gan lawer o gyd-Aelodau. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn fod gweithwyr amaethyddol a ffermio yn wynebu pwysau unigryw, gan gynnwys oriau gwaith hir, bygythiadau cynyddol o anafiadau corfforol a phryderon ariannol hefyd, ac mae hi'n bwysig iawn eu bod nhw'n cael y gwasanaeth arbennig hwnnw sy'n cael ei deilwra ac yn cael ei gyflwyno drwy gyfrwng eu cymunedau nhw eu hunain. Fe fues i'n ymweld â'r Sioe Frenhinol eleni, ac roedd honno'n wych, ac roeddwn i yno pan lansiodd y Samariaid eu prosiect nhw Ein Ffermio, Ein Dyfodol, ac roedd llawer o bobl ifanc yno, hefyd, a oedd yn rhywbeth gwirioneddol gadarnhaol yn fy marn i—ffermwyr ifanc yn dod drwodd ac yn siarad. Fe ddysgais i lawer, hefyd, am anghenion amrywiol y gymuned honno, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig dros ben eu bod nhw'n cael cyfle i fynegi'r hyn sydd ei angen arnyn nhw. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dyfarnu mwy na £65,000 i Sefydliad DPJ i wella'r ddarpariaeth o gymorth profedigaeth i'r gymuned amaeth eisoes—eto, am lawer o'r rhesymau y gwnaethoch chi eu crybwyll nhw.

O ran y gwaith ataliol, mae llawer o hyn yn cyfeirio yn ôl at y datganiad a roddais i heddiw am Gymru Iach ar Waith, Cymru sy'n iachach i bawb. Rwy'n credu bod yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei wneud i leihau'r gwarthnod a chodi'r ymwybyddiaeth yn rhan enfawr o hynny. Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn yr wyf i'n ei glywed gan lawer o bobl yw ei fod yn ymwneud â dilyniant, ac mae hynny'n wir am bob agwedd ar iechyd meddwl; pryd bynnag y byddwch yn dod i gysylltiad â chymorth iechyd meddwl, os ydych chi'n ffonio '111, Pwyso 2' neu sut bynnag y gwnewch chi hynny, mae angen i bobl gael rhywun i holi sut mae hi arnyn nhw wedyn hefyd. Mae angen iddyn nhw allu dod yn ôl i gael cymorth pe byddai angen hwnnw arnyn nhw. Felly, dim ond i'ch sicrhau chi bod hwnnw'n rhywbeth yr wyf i'n ymwybodol iawn ohono ac rwy'n gobeithio symud ymlaen gyda'r mater yn y dyfodol hefyd. Rwy'n gobeithio fy mod i wedi ymdrin â phopeth, ond os na wnes i, gadewch i ni gael cyfarfod ac fe wnaf i ateb eich cwestiynau eraill i gyd, Gareth. Diolch.

15:10

Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Gweinidog am y datganiad yma. Croeso i'r swydd a phob lwc efo'r swydd yma. Dwi am ddechrau fy nghyfraniad, os caf, drwy ddiolch i'r holl elusennau a chyrff trydydd sector sydd yn gwneud gwaith mor werthfawr yn y maes yma. Gaf i hefyd ddiolch i Gareth Davies fan hyn am ei ddewrder yn siarad allan am ei brofiadau personol ei hun? Roedd o'n gam dewr iawn ar ei ran, a dwi am estyn ein diolch iddo fo a hefyd i’w wraig a’i blant a'i anwyliaid, sydd wedi dangos eu bod yn gefn iddo. Mae rôl teulu a chyfeillion mor bwysig, wrth gwrs, wrth fynd i’r afael â chyflyrau iechyd meddwl.

O’r diwedd, mi rydym ni yn dechrau gweld y stigmas niweidiol yn cael eu herio, a mwy o barodrwydd i drafod materion iechyd meddwl mewn awyrgylch agored. Ond mae yna lawer iawn mwy i’w wneud er mwyn sicrhau bod darpariaeth gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn gymesur ag anghenion ein poblogaeth. A pha gyhuddiad mwy damniol o hyn na'r ffaith bod Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth Iechyd Meddwl eleni yn digwydd yn syth ar ôl y penderfyniad i gau uned mân anafiadau Ysbyty'r Tywysog Philip yn Llanelli yn ystod oriau'r hwyr? Bydd gan hyn, fel y mae prif swyddog gweithredol Mind yn Llanelli wedi'i nodi'n gwbl gywir, oblygiadau andros o niweidiol o ran mynediad y cyhoedd at dimau argyfwng a chymorth iechyd meddwl ar adeg o'r dydd pan all materion iechyd meddwl fod yn arbennig o heriol.

Mae hyn, wrth gwrs, yn adlewyrchiad o ddiffygion ehangach yn y system. Mae nifer y gwelyau iechyd meddwl wedi disgyn o dros 2,000 yn 2010 i 1,271 eleni, sef y lefel isaf erioed o gapasiti; yn yr un modd y gweithlu, gyda dim ond 7.2 o nyrsys ymgynghorol iechyd meddwl yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd—y lleiaf erioed. Fel y dywed yr RCN, yn syml, mae maint y gweithlu iechyd meddwl yn annigonol i’r gofynion sydd yna.

Rhan o’r broblem, a dwi’n syrffedu ar orfod ailadrodd hyn, ydy’r diffyg data penodol ar lefelau staffio yn y sector iechyd meddwl. Mae’r wybodaeth yma yn gwbl allweddol er mwyn sicrhau gwasanaeth da yn y llefydd iawn ar yr amser iawn, ac roeddwn i'n hynod falch o glywed y Gweinidog yn pwysleisio pwysigrwydd yr angen am ddata cywir yn ei datganiad. Felly, hoffwn ddiweddariad oddi wrth y Gweinidog, os gwelwch yn dda, yn ei hymateb am sut mae’r Llywodraeth am fynd i’r afael â’r hen broblem yma.

Mae yna fylchau deddfwriaethol i’w hystyried yn y cyd-destun yma hefyd. Tra bod y Ddeddf Lefelau Staff Nyrsio (Cymru) 2016 wedi bod yn llwyddiant ar y cyfan o ran cynyddu’r gweithlu, nid yw section 25B, fel y mae'n cael ei adnabod, wedi’i ymestyn eto i gynnwys nyrsys iechyd meddwl. Felly, gaf i ofyn am ddiweddariad gan y Gweinidog am amserlen? Erbyn pryd fydd y newid yma yn cael ei weithredu?

Yn ogystal â hyn, mae angen ystyried cryfhau’r fframwaith deddfwriaethol o amgylch y defnydd o'r hyn sy'n cael ei alw'n ‘restrictive practice’ mewn wardiau iechyd meddwl, arfer y mae arbenigwyr yn y maes wedi pwysleisio y dylid ei ddefnyddio dim ond fel y defnydd olaf un. Unwaith eto, mae’r data ar hyn o bersbectif Cymru yn hynod anfoddhaol, ond gan fod y Llywodraeth eisoes wedi datblygu canllawiau er mwyn gostwng y defnydd o restrictive practice cyn belled â phosib, tybed a all y Gweinidog gadarnhau a oes unrhyw fwriad i roi'r canllawiau yma ar sylfaen statudol.

Mae’r sefyllfa o ran darpariaeth gwasanaethau yn arbennig o fregus i blant a phobl ifanc, sydd yn dioddef amseroedd aros am driniaeth sydd ar gyfartaledd yn llawer hirach nag oedolion. Mae’r ystadegau diweddar yn dangos taw ychydig dros hanner yr ymyriadau therapiwtig ar gyfer pobl dan 18 a ddechreuwyd o fewn 28 diwrnod yn dilyn asesiad iechyd meddwl lleol, o gymharu â dros dri chwarter i bobl dros 18 mlwydd oed. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae 61 y cant o staff yn y sector iechyd yng Nghymru heb unrhyw hyfforddiant mewn iechyd meddwl ar gyfer babanod. Tybed a all y Gweinidog esbonio sut mae'r Llywodraeth am wella'r sefyllfa yma. 

Rŵan, dŷn ni wedi son sawl gwaith am yr angen i integreiddio'r gwasanaeth iechyd a gofal. Ond mae’n ymddangos fel ein bod ni’n gweld y sectorau yn pellhau ym maes iechyd meddwl. Yn wir, mae pedwar o awdurdodau lleol gogledd Cymru wedi tynnu eu gweithlu iechyd meddwl allan o’r timoedd iechyd meddwl cymunedol. Ydy’r Gweinidog yn ymwybodol o hyn ac yn edrych i mewn iddo, ac a wnaiff hi wneud hynny er mwyn canfod datrysiad i'r broblem hon?

Ac un pwynt olaf: rwy’n ofni bod yr adnoddau yn aml yn cael eu cyfeirio at bobl mewn argyfwng. Clywson ni sawl gwaith yn y cyhoeddiad am bobl mewn argyfwng, ac, wrth gwrs, mae mawr angen hyn. Ond dydy’r strwythur ddim mewn lle er mwyn sicrhau nad ydy pobl yn cyrraedd pwynt o argyfwng i gychwyn. Er enghraifft, mewn achosion o hunanladdiad, mae teuluoedd yn aml iawn yn dweud bod y cymorth ar eu cyfer nhw yn wych ar adeg o alar, ond dylid fod wedi darparu'r cymorth yna yn gynt. Felly, pa gamau y mae'r Gweinidog am eu cymryd er mwyn sicrhau bod pobl sydd mewn relapse, neu angen y cymorth yna'n gynt, yn derbyn y cymorth, os gwelwch yn dda? Ac un pwynt olaf, os caf i—[Torri ar draws.] Wel, dwi am orffen yn fanna, felly. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I'd like to thank the Minister for the statement, and welcome her to her new role. Best of luck with your new role. I want to start my contribution, if I may, by thanking all of the charities and the third sector organisations that do such valuable work in this area. Could I also thank Gareth Davies for his courage in speaking out about his own personal experiences? It was a very brave step on his part, and I want to extend our thanks to him and also to his wife and his children and loved ones who have been such a great support to him. The role of family and friends is so important, of course, when dealing with mental health conditions.

Finally, we're starting to see the harmful stigmas being challenged, and a greater willingness to discuss mental health issues in an open atmosphere. But there is a great deal more to be done to ensure that the provision of mental health services is proportionate to the needs of our population. And what more damning indictment of this than the fact that this year's Mental Health Awareness Week takes place immediately after the decision to close the minor injuries unit at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli during the evening hours? This, as the chief executive officer of Mind in Llanelli has correctly identified, will have immediate and harmful implications in terms of public access to emergency teams and mental health support at a time of day when mental health issues can be particularly challenging.

This, of course, is only a reflection of wider flaws in the system. The number of mental health beds has decreased from over 2,000 in 2010 to 1,271 this year, which is the lowest ever level of capacity; likewise the workforce, with only 7.2 mental health consultant nurses in Wales at the moment—the lowest number ever. As the RCN says, simply put, the size of the mental health workforce is inadequate for the demands there.

Part of the problem, and I'm tired of having to repeat this, is the lack of specific data on staffing levels in the mental health sector. This information is vital in order to ensure a good service in the right places at the right time, and I was very pleased to hear the Minister emphasise the importance of the need for accurate data in her statement. So, I would like an update from the Minister in her response, please, about how the Government wants to address this very familiar problem. 

There are legislative gaps to be considered in this context as well. While the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 has been a success on the whole in terms of increasing the workforce, section 25B, as it's known, has not yet been extended to include mental health nurses. So, could I ask for an update from the Minister regarding a timetable for when this change will be implemented?

In addition to this, there is a need to consider strengthening the legislative framework around the use of what's called 'restrictive practice' in mental health wards, a practice that experts in the field have emphasised should only be used as the very last resort. Once again, the data on this from a Welsh perspective are extremely unsatisfactory, but as the Government has already developed guidelines in order to reduce the use of restrictive practice as far as possible, I wonder whether the Minister could confirm whether there is any intention to put these guidelines on a statutory basis. 

The situation in terms of service provision is particularly fragile in respect of children and young people, who experience waiting times for treatment that are, on average, far longer than those for adults. Recent statistics show that just over half of the therapeutic interventions for people under 18 were started within 28 days of a local mental health assessment, compared to over three quarters for people over 18. In addition to this, 61 per cent of staff in the health sector in Wales have no training in the area of infant mental health. I wonder whether the Minister could explain how the Government will improve this situation.

Now, we have spoken several times about the need to integrate the health and care service. But it seems that we are seeing these sectors moving further apart in the area of mental health. In fact, four of the local authorities in north Wales have withdrawn their mental health workforce from community mental health teams. Is the Minister aware of this and is she looking into it, and how will she do so in order to find a solution to this problem?

And one last point: I fear that resources are often directed to people in crisis. We heard several references to people in crisis in the statement, and, of course, this is entirely necessary. But the structures are not in place to ensure that people do not reach the point of crisis in the first place. For example, in cases of suicide, families often say that the support for them is excellent in their time of mourning, but that that support is needed long before that. So, what action is the Minister going to take to ensure that people who are in relapse, or need that support more quickly, receive that support? And one final point, if I may—[Interruption.] Well, I'll finish there, then. Thank you very much.

15:15

Thank you very, very much, and these are all very serious and good questions, honestly, so I appreciate it. You started off by mentioning the third sector, and I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the third sector hugely, as we wouldn't be able to provide the service and support that we do without them. Just to assure you as well that this mental health strategy is very much being done in collaboration with them. I always say when I meet with the charities and organisations that they are really the ones who can see what's happening on the ground, and help us be the voice and, also, tailor that support and service.

When it comes to what was discussed by Mind Cymru and the closing of that service, again, I do apologise for doing this, but it would not be within my remit and would not be appropriate for me to comment on at this point. However, when it comes to ensuring that everybody has that support and that crisis support, this is something that I will be paying very, very close attention to.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, iawn i chi ac mae'r rhain i gyd yn gwestiynau difrifol a pherthnasol iawn, a dweud y gwir, felly rwy'n gwerthfawrogi hynny. Roeddech chi'n dechrau trwy sôn am y trydydd sector, ac fe hoffwn innau hefyd fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i ddiolch yn fawr iawn i'r trydydd sector, gan na fyddem ni'n gallu darparu'r gwasanaeth na'r gefnogaeth a wnawn ni hebddyn nhw. Dim ond i'ch sicrhau chi hefyd y bydd y strategaeth iechyd meddwl hon yn cael ei chyflawni mewn cydweithrediad â nhw i raddau helaeth iawn. Rwy'n dweud bob amser pan fyddaf i'n cwrdd â'r elusennau a'r sefydliadau hyn mai nhw yw'r rhai sy'n gallu gweld yr hyn sy'n digwydd ar lawr gwlad, ac sy'n ein helpu ni i fod yn llais yn ogystal â theilwra'r gefnogaeth a'r gwasanaeth hwnnw.

O ran yr hyn a drafodwyd gan Mind Cymru a chau'r gwasanaeth hwnnw, unwaith eto, rwy'n ymddiheuro am wneud hyn, ond ni fyddai hynny o fewn fy nghylch gwaith ac ni fyddai hi'n briodol i mi wneud unrhyw sylwadau ar hyn o bryd. Serch hynny, o ran sicrhau y bydd pawb yn cael y gefnogaeth honno a'r gefnogaeth honno mewn argyfwng, mae hyn yn rhywbeth y byddaf i'n rhoi llawer iawn o sylw iddo.

When it comes to follow-up on mental health work and the data, and where we have the mental health workforce, again this is something that I can certainly follow up with you on. We are aware, though, that, of course, across the board at the moment we're having issues with recruitment and retention, and what I would say is that a lot of that has been coming back to me from the workforce as just not having necessarily that resilience in-built to the system, and described as like a caring fatigue, which I can completely understand. I think there's sometimes a sense of shame from healthcare workers that they feel that, but it is really important that they have that mental health support as well. So, I did want to highlight, because I think it is a wonderful programme, the Canopi programme, which is there now to provide that mental health support directly to healthcare workers and social care workers, and how much of a difference that is making. I have the data on that, which is that data for 2023 and 2024 show that 60 per cent of clients remained in work throughout their therapy sessions. So, that one-to-one counselling is making a huge difference.

In terms of the legislative gap, I remember meeting with the Royal College of Nursing before I came into this post as well to discuss that minimum requirement. Obviously, that has now been through the process of discussion. It would not be for me to say necessarily whether that would be picked up again, but I do remember the arguments for it, and I think that that engagement has to continue. I don't think we should be stopping that discussion. [Interruption.] Yes, of course; absolutely. I'd be more than happy to have a meeting on that and continue discussing that.

I would like to point as well, though, to some of the things that you’ve touched on. We do have James Evans in the Chamber today, and James is obviously still working on his Member's Bill, and some of the things that you've touched on there, especially when it's about people relapsing, would very much kind of come under the work that James has been doing, and I am very much looking forward to seeing the next draft of what he's going to bring forward.

Also, in terms of restrictive practice, this is something that I'm very concerned about. Whenever, actually, I go and visit units, and in-patient units, it's the No. 1 thing that I always bring up and I always ask about, and I have read through the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales reports as well into it. I am quite confident now, having discussed it—especially, I went up to Betsi Cadwaladr health board and discussed it there—there has now been a very good programme with funding rolled out. Betsi are actually leading on this, and it is going to be rolled out to other health boards as well, just to—no, I'm not going to say that—just to ensure that people understand when and where it is appropriate. Again, I wouldn't be looking at the moment at legislation to enforce that, because I think that it's making improvements. However, again, this would be something I'd be open to having a conversation about. I do take it very seriously.

In terms of waiting times, the NHS delivery executive performance and assurance team have performance trajectories from all health boards, and progress is being monitored through monthly performance meetings with the NHS Executive. And we have ensured that mental health-related improvements are also included in the accountability letters to health boards as part of their integrated medium-term plans and annual plans. Officials will routinely monitor and challenge progress through the individual health boards. And in terms of young people specifically, most young people referred to mental health services will be seen within four weeks, and all health boards have plans in place to reduce those waiting times even further. We continue to invest in a range of support to reduce the need for more specialist services, like online access and mental health support, and the support that we offer in schools.

When it comes to mental health from the—. You talked about the mental health in the community teams, the four community teams. That is something that I will pick up with my colleague as well, as it crosses over between both of our portfolios. Again, I'm very happy to write to you about that with an update. And then you were talking about bereavement services as well. I was really pleased—about a month ago now I went and visited the Jac Lewis Foundation that is based in Swansea, which came up through Ammanford. We have now invested of hundreds of thousands of pounds into that service, and it means that if you are bereaved through suicide you can call them up immediately whenever you want to, and you will get through to somebody, and they will put together a support plan for you. They are actually helping children as young as four by doing play therapy, music therapy with them. They will see you for free for as long as you possibly need. I talked to many parents there who had lost their children, and they said what a tremendous difference this has made to them. And this is all Wales-wide, anybody from across Wales, and they will make sure that they can see you in a place close to your home.

Again, I hope that I've answered all of your questions, but I would always appreciate having a follow-up conversation with you anyway, and I will write to you with anything else that I haven't been able to reply to you on. Diolch. 

O ran gwybodaeth bellach ar y gwaith ynghylch iechyd meddwl a'r data, a sefyllfa ein gweithlu iechyd meddwl, unwaith eto mae hyn yn rhywbeth y byddaf i'n sicr o roi gwybodaeth bellach i chi amdano. Serch hynny, rydym ni'n ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, ein bod ni'n cael problemau o ran recriwtio a chadw staff ar hyn o bryd, a'r hyn y byddwn i'n ei ddweud yw bod y gweithlu wedi mynegi lawer tro i mi nad yw'r cydnerthedd hwnnw ganddyn nhw yn hanfod y system, ac maen nhw'n disgrifio hynny fel blinder gofalu, sy'n rhywbeth yr wyf i'n ei ddeall yn llwyr. Rwy'n credu bod ymdeimlad weithiau o gywilydd ymysg gweithwyr gofal iechyd pan fyddant yn teimlo felly, ond mae hi'n bwysig iawn eu bod nhw'n cael y cymorth hwnnw hefyd o ran eu hiechyd meddwl eu hunain. Felly, roeddwn i'n awyddus i dynnu sylw, oherwydd rwyf i o'r farn ei bod hi'n rhaglen ragorol, at raglen Canopi, sydd ar waith nawr i ddarparu'r cymorth iechyd meddwl hwnnw'n uniongyrchol i weithwyr gofal iechyd a gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol, a chymaint o wahaniaeth y mae honno'n ei wneud. Mae'r data ynglŷn â honno gennyf i, sef data ar gyfer 2023 a 2024 sy'n dangos bod 60 y cant o gleientiaid wedi dal ati i weithio trwy gydol eu sesiynau therapi nhw. Felly, mae'r cwnsela personol unigol hwnnw'n gwneud gwahaniaeth enfawr.

O ran y bwlch deddfwriaethol, rwy'n cofio cyfarfod â'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol cyn i mi ddod i mewn i'r swydd hon hefyd ar gyfer trafod y gofyniad sylfaenol hwnnw. Yn amlwg, mae hynny wedi bod drwy'r broses drafod erbyn hyn. Nid fy lle i o reidrwydd fyddai dweud a fydd hynny'n cael ei godi unwaith eto, ond rwy'n cofio'r dadleuon o blaid hynny, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n rhaid i'r ymgysylltiad hwnnw barhau. Nid wyf i'n credu y dylid gorffen y drafodaeth honno. [Torri ar draws.] Byddwn wrth gwrs; yn siŵr i chi. Fe fyddwn i'n fwy na hapus i gael cyfarfod ynglŷn â hynny a pharhau i'w drafod.

Fe hoffwn i grybwyll hefyd, serch hynny, rai o'r pethau y gwnaethoch chi sôn amdanyn nhw. Mae James Evans gyda ni yn y Siambr heddiw, ac mae hi'n amlwg fod James yn parhau i weithio ar ei Fil Aelod, ac fe fyddai rhai o'r pethau yr ydych chi wedi sôn amdanyn nhw nawr, yn enwedig o ran pobl sy'n ailwaelu, yn debyg iawn o ddod o dan y gwaith y mae James wedi bod yn ei wneud, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at weld y drafft nesaf o'r hyn y bydd ef yn ei gyflwyno.

Hefyd, o ran ymarfer cyfyngol, mae hynny'n rhywbeth yr wyf i'n gofidio llawer iawn amdano. Pryd bynnag y byddaf i'n mynd i ymweld ag unedau, ac unedau cleifion mewnol, dyma'r peth cyntaf un yr wyf i'n godi ac fe fyddaf i'n holi yn ei gylch bob amser, ac rwyf i wedi darllen trwy adroddiadau Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru  ynglŷn â hyn hefyd. Rwy'n dra hyderus nawr, wedi trafod hynny—yn arbennig, fe es at fwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr a thrafod hynny yno—mae rhaglen dda iawn â chyllid wedi ei chyflwyno yno erbyn hyn. Mae Betsi yn arwain y ffordd yn hyn o beth mewn gwirionedd, ac fe gaiff ei chyflwyno mewn byrddau iechyd eraill hefyd, dim ond i—nage, nid wyf i am ddweud hynny—dim ond i wneud yn siŵr y bydd pobl yn deall pryd a phan fo hynny'n briodol. Unwaith eto, ni fyddwn i'n ystyried y ddeddfwriaeth i orfodi hynny ar hyn o bryd, oherwydd rwyf i o'r farn fod gwelliannau yn digwydd. Serch hynny, unwaith eto, fe fyddwn i'n agored iawn i gynnal sgwrs ynglŷn â'r peth. Mae hwn yn fater pwysig yn fy marn i.

O ran amseroedd aros, mae tîm gweithredol perfformiad a sicrwydd cyflawni'r GIG yn derbyn llwybrau perfformiad oddi wrth bob bwrdd iechyd, ac mae cynnydd yn cael ei fonitro trwy gyfarfodydd perfformiad misol gyda Gweithrediaeth y GIG. Ac rydym ni wedi sicrhau bod gwelliannau sy'n gysylltiedig ag iechyd meddwl yn cael eu cynnwys yn y llythyrau atebolrwydd at fyrddau iechyd hefyd fel rhan o'u cynlluniau tymor canolig integredig a'u cynlluniau blynyddol. Fe fydd swyddogion yn monitro ac yn herio cynnydd yn rheolaidd drwy'r byrddau iechyd unigol. Ac o ran pobl ifanc yn benodol, fe fydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl ifanc sy'n cael eu cyfeirio at wasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn cael eu gweld o fewn pedair wythnos, ac mae gan bob bwrdd iechyd gynlluniau ar waith i fyrhau'r amseroedd aros hynny eto, hyd yn oed. Rydym ni'n parhau i fuddsoddi mewn amrywiaeth o ddulliau a fydd o gymorth wrth leihau'r angen am wasanaethau mwy arbenigol, fel mynediad ar-lein a chymorth iechyd meddwl, a'r cymorth yr ydym ni'n ei gynnig mewn ysgolion.

O ran iechyd meddwl o'r—. Fe wnaethoch chi sôn am iechyd meddwl yn y timau cymunedol, y pedwar tîm cymunedol. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth y byddaf i'n ei godi gyda fy nghyd-Aelod Cabinet hefyd, gan ei fod yn croesi dros bortffolios y ddau ohonom ni. Unwaith eto, rwy'n hapus iawn i ysgrifennu atoch chi ynglŷn â hynny gyda diweddariad. Ac fe wnaethoch chi grybwyll gwasanaethau galar hefyd. Roeddwn i'n falch iawn—tua mis yn ôl nawr fe fues i'n ymweld â Sefydliad Jac Lewis a leolir yn Abertawe, a sefydlwyd yn Rhydaman. Rydym ni wedi buddsoddi cannoedd o filoedd o bunnau yn y gwasanaeth hwnnw erbyn hyn, ac mae hynny'n golygu, pe byddech chi'n cael profedigaeth oherwydd hunanladdiad, y gallwch eu ffonio nhw ar unrhyw amser, ac fe gewch chi siarad â rhywun, ac fe fyddan nhw'n llunio cynllun cymorth ar eich cyfer chi. Maen nhw'n rhoi cymorth i blant mor ifanc â phedair oed drwy gynnig therapi chwarae, therapi cerddoriaeth iddyn nhw. Ac fe gewch chi ddal ati i fynd atyn nhw cyhyd ag y bydd angen hynny arnoch chi. Fe siaradais i â llawer o rieni yno a oedd wedi colli eu plant, ac roedden nhw'n dweud wrthyf i pa mor fawr yw'r gwahaniaeth a wnaeth hyn i'w bywydau nhw. Ac mae'r cyfan yn digwydd ledled Cymru, ar gyfer unrhyw un o bob cwr o Gymru, ac fe fyddan nhw'n sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gallu eich gweld chi mewn lleoliad sy'n agos at eich cartref chi.

Unwaith eto, rwy'n gobeithio fy mod i wedi ateb eich cwestiynau chi i gyd, ond fe fyddwn i'n yn gwerthfawrogi cael sgwrs ddilynol gyda chi ar unrhyw adeg beth bynnag, ac rwyf i am ysgrifennu atoch chi i ymdrin ag unrhyw bwnc arall na lwyddais i ymateb i chi ynglŷn ag ef. Diolch. 

15:25

Diolch am y diweddariadau— 

Thank you for the updates— 

—ahead of World Mental Health Day, with a focus on workplace mental health. I think we all need to be more mindful, whether that's in our own workplaces or within this place as well. I recently hosted with my colleague sat next to you there my annual 'democracy in action day' in my constituency, bringing together young people from secondary schools right across Flintshire. As part of that, they had a chance to grill myself and Jack Sargeant, but also to come up with their own manifestos for the issues that they think they face but, actually, more importantly, the solutions they want to see.

Support for mental health was something that was raised by a number of the groups there. Ysgol Maes Garmon said that mental health in schools needed more support and resources, particularly for additional learning needs, neurodiverse pupils, especially while they wait for assessment. They also said there needed to be more awareness of where to find that support and what is available for mental health. Flint High School said schools needed more trained counsellors, or teachers supported to do that role with them, to help young people, which might also help address some of those challenging waiting lists waiting for child and adolescent mental health services. 

So, how would you respond to these young people, and what assurances can you give them that action is being taken, but further action is coming down the line as well?  

—cyn Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd, gyda phwyslais arbennig ar iechyd meddwl yn y gweithle. Rwy'n credu bod angen i ni i gyd fod yn fwy meddylgar, boed hynny yn ein gweithleoedd ein hunain neu yn y lle hwn hefyd. Yn ddiweddar, fe gynhaliais gyda'm cyd-Aelod sydd wrth eich ymyl chi nawr fy 'niwrnod democratiaeth ar waith' blynyddol yn fy etholaeth i, sy'n dod â phobl ifanc o ysgolion uwchradd ledled sir y Fflint at ei gilydd. Yn rhan o hynny, fe gawson nhw gyfle i holi Jack Sargeant a minnau, ond hefyd i ystyried yr hyn a fyddai yn eu maniffestos eu hunain ynglŷn â'r problemau y maen nhw'n ystyried eu bod yn eu hwynebu ond, mewn gwirionedd, yn bwysicach na hynny, y datrysiadau y bydden nhw'n hoffi eu gweld.

Roedd cefnogaeth i iechyd meddwl yn rhywbeth a godwyd gan nifer o'r grwpiau yno. Roedd Ysgol Maes Garmon yn mynegi bod angen mwy o gefnogaeth ac adnoddau ar iechyd meddwl mewn ysgolion, yn enwedig ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, disgyblion niwroamrywiol, yn arbennig felly wrth iddyn nhw ddisgwyl am asesiad. Roedden nhw'n dweud hefyd fod angen mwy o ymwybyddiaeth o ran sut i ganfod y gefnogaeth honno a'r hyn sydd ar gael ar gyfer iechyd meddwl. Roedd Ysgol Uwchradd y Fflint yn dweud bod ysgolion ag angen am fwy o gwnselwyr hyfforddedig, neu i athrawon fod yn cael cymorth gyda'r swyddogaeth honno gyda nhw, i helpu pobl ifanc, a allai helpu i fynd i'r afael hefyd â rhai o'r rhestrau aros heriol hynny o ran yr aros am wasanaethau iechyd meddwl plant a phobl ifanc. 

Felly, sut fyddech chi'n ymateb i'r bobl ifanc hyn, a pha sicrwydd allwch chi ei roi iddyn nhw y bydd camau yn cael eu cymryd, ond y bydd camau eraill yn dod hefyd ymhen amser?  

Absolutely, and thank you, Hannah Blythyn, for that question, and I hope that the students are watching today, because I think it's so important for them to see that exactly what they brought to you is now coming into the Chamber and they're getting that direct answer from the Government. I also wanted to say that since coming into this role, I've actually gone back and had a look at the Senedd Youth Parliament's 'Young Minds Matter' report, because, again, it's a number of times now that they've really brought up mental health, because, again, they represent the young people of Wales and that's what's coming through. They said that they found that 65 per cent of young people were struggling once every fortnight, but that only 23 per cent had actually reached out for that support. And they said that the top three things that they were finding were impacting them was the schoolwork and exams, the relationships with friends and family, and then being targeted and trolled on social media. So, I think that there's so much commonality here across Wales that's coming through.

I would like to assure the students and young people out there that we have made available over £13.6 million in the current year to support the implementation of that whole-school framework, and that funding includes the continuation of support for framework implementation co-ordinators to work with schools and partners, supporting them to assess and address their well-being needs. We've also developed a well-being professional learning package for schools, so that all schools can be assured that they are dealing with issues with compassion and being trauma informed, and are also undertaking relevant research in the creation of specific resources in terms of that.

I also wanted to say that we've extended and improved the current school counselling service, which deals with about 12,500 children and young people per year. And we're also developing a range of resources for schools, including professional learning resources for students in initial teaching training. So, all this awareness, really, and reducing that stigma, and that no-wrong-door and 'A Healthier Wales'—all of these, basically, are coming together so that young people in school, with many different stresses, challenges and transition periods that they're going through in that time, are really understood and listened to. 

But I would come back to what I said: 65 per cent in the survey for the Senedd Youth Parliament said that they were struggling, but only 23 per cent had reached out for support, and that's the thing that really worries me there. I would say to any young person listening or watching: please reach out if you are struggling. There are many of us in this room who would attest to that. Please, please reach out, and I hope that that's what comes through very much in this week of World Mental Health Day. Diolch. 

Yn sicr, a diolch i chi, Hannah Blythyn, am y cwestiwn yna, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod y myfyrwyr yn gwylio heddiw, oherwydd rwy'n credu ei bod hi mor bwysig iddynt weld bod yr union beth y gwnaethon nhw ei ddweud wrthych chi'n cael ei gyflwyno yn y Siambr erbyn hyn a'u bod nhw'n cael yr ateb uniongyrchol hwnnw oddi wrth y Llywodraeth. Roeddwn i'n awyddus i ddweud hefyd, ers dod i mewn i'r swydd hon, fy mod i wedi mynd yn ôl a chael golwg arall ar adroddiad 'Meddyliau Iau o Bwys' Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru, oherwydd, unwaith eto, maen nhw wedi codi iechyd meddwl fel mater pwysig sawl gwaith erbyn hyn mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd, unwaith eto, maen nhw'n cynrychioli pobl ifanc Cymru a dyna sy'n dod yn amlwg. Roedden nhw'n dweud bod 65 y cant o bobl ifanc yn ei chael hi'n anodd ar un achlysur bob pythefnos, ond mai dim ond 23 y cant oedd wedi mynd allan i geisio'r gefnogaeth honno. Ac roedden nhw'n dweud mai'r tri pheth mwyaf yn eu barn nhw a oedd yn effeithio arnyn nhw oedd y gwaith ysgol a'r arholiadau, eu perthynas gyda ffrindiau a theulu, ac wedyn cael eu targedu a'u bwlio ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Felly, rwy'n credu bod llawer o bethau cyffredin ynglŷn â hyn ledled Cymru sy'n dod i'r amlwg.

Fe hoffwn i sicrhau'r myfyrwyr a'r bobl ifanc ar lawr gwlad ein bod ni wedi darparu dros £13.6 miliwn yn y flwyddyn bresennol i gefnogi'r gwaith o weithredu'r fframwaith ysgol gyfan hwnnw, a bod y cyllid yn cynnwys parhad o ran cefnogaeth i gydlynwyr sy'n gweithredu fframwaith wrth weithio gydag ysgolion a phartneriaid, gan eu cefnogi nhw i asesu a mynd i'r afael â'u hanghenion o ran llesiant. Rydym ni wedi datblygu pecyn dysgu proffesiynol llesiant ar gyfer ysgolion hefyd, fel gall pob ysgol fod yn sicr ei bod yn ymdrin â materion gyda chydymdeimlad ac yn hyddysg yn y materion o ran trawma, a'u bod nhw'n cynnal ymchwil perthnasol wrth greu adnoddau penodol ynglŷn â'r materion hynny.

Roeddwn i'n awyddus i ddweud ein bod wedi ymestyn a gwella'r gwasanaeth cwnsela presennol mewn ysgolion, sy'n ymdrin â thua 12,500 o blant a phobl ifanc bob blwyddyn. Ac rydym ni'n datblygu ystod o adnoddau ar gyfer yr ysgolion hefyd, gan gynnwys adnoddau dysgu proffesiynol i fyfyrwyr mewn hyfforddiant addysgu cychwynnol. Felly, mae'r ymwybyddiaeth gyfan hon, mewn gwirionedd, yn ogystal â lliniaru'r gwarthnod hwnnw, a dim drws anghywir a 'Cymru iachach'—mae'r rhain i gyd, yn y bôn, yn dod at ei gilydd fel bydd pobl ifanc mewn ysgolion, sy'n wynebu mathau amrywiol iawn o straen, heriau a chyfnodau pontio y maen nhw'n eu profi yn y cyfnod hwnnw, yn cael eu deall a'u clywed yn wirioneddol.

Ond rwyf i am ddod yn ôl at yr hyn a ddywedais i: roedd 65 y cant yn dweud yn yr arolwg gan Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru eu bod nhw'n ei chael hi'n anodd, ond dim ond 23 y cant oedd wedi mynd i geisio cefnogaeth, a dyna'r hyn sy'n peri gofid i mi yn hyn o beth. Fe fyddwn i'n dweud wrth unrhyw unigolyn ifanc sy'n gwrando neu'n gwylio: ewch i chwilio am gymorth os ydych chi mewn trafferthion. Mae llawer ohonom ni yn yr ystafell hon a fyddai'n cadarnhau hynny. Os gwelwch chi'n dda, ewch i geisio cymorth, ac rwy'n gobeithio yn fawr mai dyna'r hyn sy'n dod drwodd i raddau helaeth iawn yn ystod yr wythnos hon sy'n cynnwys Diwrnod Iechyd Meddwl y Byd. Diolch. 

I'd like to thank you, Minister, for mentioning my mental health Bill; I won't be talking about that today. Another issue that I think is really, really important is body dysmorphia, and the amount of young people across Wales who are suffering with body dysmorphia and the amount of false images that we're seeing across social media platforms, whether that's Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. You've got young girls now asking for more and more cosmetic surgery to alter their image. You've got young men going to gyms that is damaging their development, all in this pursuit of looking perfect—whatever perfect is supposed to look like. 

We need to address this very, very quickly. There was a Bill going through Westminster that was about digitally altered images—I know that isn't in your portfolio—but what I'm interested to learn is: what is the Welsh Government doing, Minister, to help people with body dysmorphia to try and put strategies in place and support the third sector as well, who can help our young people across Wales? Because, if we don't get on top of this issue, we're going to have more and more young people altering their appearance for cosmetic reasons and under the knife at a young age, which is going to damage their mental health for years and years to come. It's a huge issue, and I'd love to know what the Welsh Government is doing to address this very real problem in our young people across Wales.

Fe hoffwn i ddiolch i chi, Gweinidog, am grybwyll fy Mil iechyd meddwl i; nid wyf i am siarad am hwnnw heddiw. Mater arall sy'n wirioneddol bwysig yn fy marn i, yw dysmorffia'r corff, a'r niferoedd o bobl ifanc ledled Cymru sy'n dioddef o dysmorffia'r corff a maint y delweddau ffug yr ydym ni'n eu gweld ar lwyfannau cyfryngau cymdeithasol, boed hynny'n Facebook, Instagram neu TikTok. Mae gennych chi ferched ifanc nawr yn gofyn am fwy a mwy o lawdriniaethau cosmetig er mwyn newid eu delwedd. Mae gennych chi ddynion ifanc yn mynd i gampfeydd sy'n niweidio eu datblygiad nhw, y cyfan oll oherwydd eu dyhead i edrych yn berffaith—beth bynnag allai perffaith fod yn ei olygu. 

Mae angen i ni fynd i'r afael â hyn yn gyflym iawn, iawn. Roedd Bil yn mynd trwy San Steffan a oedd yn ymwneud â delweddau a newidwyd yn ddigidol—rwy'n gwybod nad yw hynny yn eich portffolio chi—ond yr hyn yr hoffwn i'n fawr gael gwybod amdano yw: beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud, Gweinidog, i helpu pobl â dysmorffia'r corff i geisio rhoi strategaethau ar waith a rhoi cefnogaeth i'r trydydd sector hefyd, a phwy a all helpu ein pobl ifanc ni ledled Cymru? Oherwydd, os na fyddwn ni'n ymdopi a'r mater hwn, fe fydd gennym ni niferoedd cynyddol o bobl ifanc yn newid eu hedrychiad am resymau cosmetig ac yn mynd o dan y gyllell yn ifanc iawn, a fydd yn niweidio eu hiechyd meddwl am flynyddoedd lawer i ddod. Mae hwn yn fater enfawr, ac fe fyddwn ni'n falch iawn o gael gwybod beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â'r broblem wirioneddol hon y mae ein pobl ifanc ni ledled Cymru yn ei hwynebu.

15:30

Absolutely. Thank you, James Evans. I think it touches on what I said to Hannah Blythyn in my previous response, that that is one of the key stressors for young people in impacting their mental health and well-being, is that kind of—. It is the bullying and the targeting online, but it's also just the constantly being targeted by companies that do not care about their mental health or well-being. You did talk about the Bills that were going through, or getting ready to go through, in Westminster. I will absolutely speak to my counterparts in Westminster to see where we are with those, because I think there was a lot of good work in there, and a lot of clinicians and third sector had actually input into them.

I would say as well that I think it's really important, and I think that the Welsh Government has demonstrated this, that, when we're talking about 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales', we're also very cautious about what we're putting out there as well in terms of the messaging. I think we've had a number of debates over the last few years where it's been about ensuring that we're listening to everybody's voice and not sometimes just the loudest voice. I also think that, when it comes to body dysmorphia, there's a cross-over with ARFID, which is something that I know that you and I are both very aware of. I wanted to say that there is now a programme that's being looked at for Aneurin Bevan, who are doing a pilot of this, which I think is really important.

So, we are trying to really be more open to the different pressures that people are having and the different—. Because it wasn't always like that—I don't think people understood. So, specifically in terms of body dysmorphia, I do think that it's about the messages that are coming through in school and the programmes that we have. I think it's about ensuring that, when we have the in-reach in CAMHS, the people who are providing that support are very aware of it. I think, in terms of the online and the digital and the targeting, that is monolithic, and I think that probably will require legislation, and I think that will require something at UK level. So, I will always ensure that it's at the forefront of my mind.

I guess as well, really—. I'm on social media quite a bit, and I see all of these, and you can get sucked into using those—. I know people use the Facetune apps, and then it's very hard to look at your own face again, when you've seen it with filters all the time. But what I would say as well is that I really appreciate people who speak out about when they've had some of these procedures and they've gone very wrong. I'm seeing a lot of that now as well, where people are going abroad and they're actually really regretting it afterwards. I think that that's becoming more prevalent, and that's probably a lot more of what we need to see as well. So, thank you.

Yn hollol. Diolch i chi, James Evans. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n cyfeirio at yr hyn a ddywedais i wrth Hannah Blythyn yn fy ymateb blaenorol, sef mai un o'r achosion mwyaf o straen ar bobl ifanc sy'n effeithio ar eu hiechyd meddwl a'u llesiant, yw'r math hwnnw o—. Y bwlio a'r targedu ar-lein yw hynny, ond hefyd cael eu targedu trwy'r amser gan gwmnïau nad ydyn nhw'n malio dim am iechyd meddwl na llesiant pobl ifanc. Fe wnaethoch chi grybwyll y Biliau a oedd yn mynd drwodd, neu'n paratoi i fynd trwodd yn San Steffan. Yn sicr, fe fyddaf i'n siarad â'm swyddogion cyfatebol yn San Steffan i gael gwybod ym mha le yr ydym ni arni gyda'r rhain, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod llawer o waith da yn cael ei wneud yno, ac mae llawer o glinigwyr a'r trydydd sector wedi bod yn cyfrannu atyn nhw.

Fe hoffwn i ddweud hefyd fy mod i'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn, ac rwy'n credu bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi profi hyn, wrth i ni sôn am 'Pwysau Iach: Cymru Iach', ein bod ni'n ofalus iawn ynghylch yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei gyhoeddi o ran ein cenadwri hefyd. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni wedi cynnal nifer o ddadleuon dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf yn ymwneud â sicrhau ein bod ni'n gwrando ar lais pawb ac nid y llais cryfaf yn unig, fel sy'n digwydd weithiau. Rwy'n credu hefyd, o ran dysmorffia'r corff, bod croes-drosiad rhwng y cyflwr hwnnw ac anhwylder derbyn bwyd, osgoi a chyfyngol, ARFID, sy'n rhywbeth yr wyf i'n gwybod eich bod chi'n ymwybodol iawn ohono, fel minnau. Fe hoffwn i ddweud bod rhaglen yn cael ei hystyried erbyn hyn ar gyfer bwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan, sy'n cynnal cynllun treialu, a fydd yn rhywbeth pwysig iawn yn fy marn i.

Felly, rydym ni'n ceisio bod yn fwy agored mewn gwirionedd o ran y pwysau amrywiol y mae pobl yn eu profi a'r gwahanol—. Oherwydd nid oedd hi fel yna bob amser—nid wyf i'n credu bod pobl yn deall. Felly, yn benodol o ran dysmorffia'r corff, rwy'n credu ei fod yn ymwneud â'r negeseuon sy'n cael eu cyfleu mewn ysgolion a'r rhaglenni sydd gennym. Rwy'n credu bod hyn yn ymwneud â sicrhau, pan fo'r cymorth yn cael ei estyn i mewn drwy CAMHS, fod y bobl sy'n darparu'r cymorth hwnnw'n ymwybodol iawn o hynny. Yn fy marn i, o ran y negeseuon ar-lein a digidol a'r targedu, bod hynny'n fonolithig, ac rwy'n credu y bydd angen deddfwriaeth yn ôl pob tebyg, ac rwy'n credu y bydd angen rhywbeth ar lefel y DU yn hynny o beth. Felly, fe fyddaf i'n sicrhau pob amser fod hynny'n flaenllaw yn fy meddwl.

Rwy'n dyfalu hefyd, wir—. Rwy'n treulio eithaf tipyn o amser ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, ac rwy'n gweld y rhain i gyd, ac rydych chi'n cael eich sugno i mewn i ddefnyddio'r rhain—. Rwy'n gwybod bod pobl yn defnyddio apiau Facetune, ac yna mae hi'n anodd iawn edrych ar eich wyneb eich hun eto, ar ôl i chi ei weld trwy'r hidlyddion trwy'r amser. Ond yr hyn y byddwn i'n ei ddweud hefyd yw fy mod i wir yn gwerthfawrogi pobl sy'n dweud eu barn yn  glir ar ôl iddyn nhw fynd drwy o'r triniaethau hyn ac maen nhw wedi mynd o chwith. Rwy'n gweld llawer o hynny nawr hefyd, lle mae pobl yn mynd dramor ac maen nhw wir yn difaru gwneud hynny wedyn. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n mynd yn beth mwy cyffredin, ac mae'n debyg bod angen anfon llawer mwy o negesau ynglŷn â hynny hefyd. Felly, diolch i chi.

Something I've spoken about before is how I feel there is a lost generation when it comes to mental health. And I would say that my generation is that lost generation. We have been given the language to address mental health, we've been told, 'You need to talk out, you need to express your emotions', but I don't think we've been given the tools to do that. We've been brought up by a generation, of course, that didn't understand mental health, and that has had a knock-on effect, a bit of a cultural hangover. So, I'd be really interested to understand how the Minister is looking at this particular subject and how she would look to address it. It's something I feel very strongly about, especially after the amount of young male suicides that we've had, not just in our region, but actually in the area that we both represent. Rugby clubs are doing a lot of good work around this, but, of course, we need to do a lot more.

And just very briefly, in the time that I have, how is the Government looking at the effects on mental health of those living with long-term health conditions, their families and carers? As Chair of the cross-party group on dementia, we've received a lot of evidence lately around the effects of dementia on mental health, especially in light now of the really groundbreaking work that's happening to potentially provide a vaccine for dementia, and many families feeling like their loved one has missed out on what could have potentially been a life-altering vaccine.

Mae fy nheimlad i fod cenhedlaeth goll gennym ni o ran iechyd meddwl yn rhywbeth yr wyf i wedi siarad amdano o'r blaen. Ac fe fyddwn i'n dweud mai fy nghenhedlaeth i yw'r genhedlaeth goll honno. Rydym ni wedi cael yr iaith i fynd i'r afael ag iechyd meddwl, ac fe ddywedwyd wrthym ni, 'Mae angen i chi siarad allan, mae angen i chi fynegi eich teimladau', ond nid wyf i'n credu ein bod wedi cael yr offer i wneud felly. Rydym ni wedi cael ein magu gan genhedlaeth, wrth gwrs, nad oedd yn deall iechyd meddwl, ac mae hynny wedi bod â sgil-effaith, rhyw gyfran o weddillion diwylliannol. Felly, fe fyddai gennyf i ddiddordeb mawr i ddeall sut mae'r Gweinidog yn rhoi ystyriaeth i'r pwnc penodol hwn a sut y gallai hi geisio mynd i'r afael ag ef. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth yr wyf i'n teimlo yn gryf iawn yn ei gylch, yn enwedig wedi'r niferoedd o hunanladdiadau a welsom ni ymysg gwŷr ifanc, nid yn unig yn ein rhanbarth ni, ond mewn gwirionedd yn yr ardal yr ydym ni ein dau yn ei chynrychioli. Mae clybiau rygbi yn gwneud llawer o waith da ynglŷn â hyn, ond, wrth gwrs, mae angen i ni wneud llawer mwy.

A dim ond gair byr iawn, yn yr amser sydd gennyf i, sut mae'r Llywodraeth am edrych ar effeithiau iechyd meddwl y rhai sy'n byw gyda chyflyrau iechyd hirdymor, eu teuluoedd a'u gofalwyr nhw? Fel Cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar ddementia, rydym ni wedi derbyn llawer o dystiolaeth yn ddiweddar ynghylch effeithiau dementia ar iechyd meddwl, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni'r gwaith arloesol iawn sy'n digwydd nawr i ddarparu brechlyn ar gyfer dementia o bosibl, ac mae llawer o deuluoedd yn teimlo bod eu hanwyliaid nhw ar eu colled o ran yr hyn a allasai fod yn frechlyn i drawsnewid bywyd.

Absolutely. Thank you so much, Luke Fletcher. I think we're sort of of the same generation—do we fall under 'millennial' still? I think so. [Interruption.] [Laughter.] But I would say, whenever I go into schools now and I speak with young people, I always say that, actually, I think it was very much the younger generation who, I would argue, created the language. The language didn't really even exist. It was because of our younger generations who started talking about things like anxiety, about feeing low, about feeling triggered, about feeling uncomfortable. I would say that we have so much to thank the younger generation for, as being really brave and tenacious in very much pushing that forward. As a result of that, they’ve said, ‘Well, look, what we were offering before wasn’t right, wasn’t enough, and wasn’t what we needed.’

When we talk about being trauma informed, I would argue that, if you talk to a lot of people who train in that and talk about it, they would say it is, as you described, a generational trauma in many ways. There have been previous generations who have very much been told never to speak about anything. So, when we talk about raising them awareness and reducing stigma, I don’t think we can underestimate what a huge difference that means and makes, and even people, like I’ve said before, speaking in this Chamber, and just the amount of young people who speak out.

So, what I would say about the mental health strategy and the suicide and self-harm prevention strategies is that that has absolutely been incorporated. There are some people who’ve said that we shouldn’t have an all-ages strategy, but we have decided to make it an all-ages strategy, because otherwise we get into that territory where people are saying you have that cut-off point, and I hate that transition cut-off point and that sorting the switch. So, both these policies are for children and adults all to be incorporated, and all have been consulted on this as well, so that they can say, ‘This is what we need and this is what we want.’

When it comes to dementia, I think a lot of people see that news that maybe there’s some sort of a cure, can we call it that, something coming through, though, that would really improve the lives of people who are diagnosed with dementia. We have a new dementia action plan, actually, in the works. I’m not a bit fan of doing plans and strategies for the sake of them, it is about getting things done and implementation, but actually the reason why we’re going to redo it, again co-produced, is because the dementia landscape has changed so drastically, even in the last few years. A key part of this, as you said, is the carers. I know many people who care for people with dementia and how they absolutely have to have—you know, very complex needs—that crucial support. So, this is something now that we’ll get done as quickly as we possibly can that will be incorporated into that. Thank you.

Ie wir. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Luke Fletcher. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni o'r un genhedlaeth i ryw raddau—a ydym ni'n gynwysedig ymhlith plant y 'mileniwm' o hyd? Rwy'n amau felly. [Torri ar draws.] [Chwerthin.] Ond fe fyddwn i'n dweud, pryd bynnag y byddaf i'n mynd i mewn i ysgolion nawr ac yn siarad â phobl ifanc, rwy'n dweud pob amser, mewn gwirionedd, fy mod i'n un o'r genhedlaeth iau a wnaeth, fe fyddwn i'n dadlau, ddyfeisio'r iaith. Nid oedd yr iaith honno'n bodoli hyd yn oed. Oherwydd ein cenedlaethau iau a wnaeth ddechrau siarad am bethau fel pryder, am deimlo yn isel, am bethau sy'n dwyn atgofion annifyr i gof, am deimlo yn anghyfforddus. Fe fyddwn i'n dweud bod gennym ni gymaint i ddiolch i'r genhedlaeth iau amdano, fel bod yn ddewr iawn ac yn ddyfal wrth wthio hynny ymlaen yn gryf. O ganlyniad i hynny, maen nhw wedi dweud, 'Wel, edrychwch chi, nid oedd yr hyn yr oeddem ni'n ei gynnig o'r blaen yn iawn, nid oedd yn ddigonol, ac nid oedd yn cynnig yr hyn yr oedd ei angen arnom ni.'

Pan fyddwn ni'n sôn am fod yn wybodus o ran trawma, fe fyddwn i'n dadlau, pe byddech chi'n siarad â llawer o bobl sy'n cynnig hyfforddiant gyda hynny ac yn siarad am y pwnc, y bydden nhw'n dweud ei fod, fel roeddech chi'n disgrifio, yn drawma cenhedlaeth mewn llawer o ffyrdd. Clywodd cenedlaethau blaenorol na ddylech chi siarad am unrhyw beth. Felly, pan fyddwn ni'n siarad am godi ymwybyddiaeth a lliniaru'r gwarthnod, nid wyf i'n credu y gallwn feddwl yn rhy fach am y gwahaniaeth enfawr y mae hynny'n ei olygu a'i wneud, ac mae pobl, fel dywedais i o'r blaen, wedi siarad yn y Siambr hon hyd yn oed, a'r nifer o bobl ifanc sy'n siarad allan.

Felly, yr hyn y byddwn i'n ei ddweud am y strategaeth iechyd meddwl a'r strategaethau atal hunanladdiad a hunan-niweidio yw bod hynny wedi'i ymgorffori'n llwyr ynddynt. Mae rhai pobl wedi dweud na ddylem ni fod â strategaeth i bob oed, ond fe wnaethom ni benderfynu ei gwneud hi'n strategaeth i bob oed, oherwydd fel arall fe fyddem ni'n mynd i'r afael â materion ynglŷn â therfynau ac fe fyddwn i'n casáu gorfod creu rhaglenni pontio ar gyfer datrys y terfynau y byddai pobl yn sôn amdanyn nhw wedyn. Felly, mae'r ddau bolisi hyn yn golygu bod plant ac oedolion i gyd yn cael eu hymgorffori ynddyn nhw, ac fe ymgynghorwyd â nhw ynglŷn â hyn hefyd, er mwyn iddyn nhw gael dweud, 'Dyma'r hyn sydd ei angen arnom ni a dyma'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei ddymuno.'

O ran dementia, rwy'n credu bod llawer o bobl yn gweld y newyddion hyn y gallai rhyw fath o wellhad ddod efallai, os gallwn ni ei alw felly, rhywbeth sy'n dod drwodd, felly, a fyddai wir yn gwella bywydau pobl sy'n cael diagnosis o ddementia. Mae gennym ni gynllun gweithredu dementia newydd, mewn gwirionedd, ar y gweill. Nid wyf i'n hoff iawn o lunio cynlluniau a strategaethau er eu mwyn eu hunain, mae hyn yn ymwneud â chyflawni pethau a'u rhoi nhw ar waith, ond mewn gwirionedd y rheswm pam y byddwn ni'n ei ail-lunio, unwaith eto, a'i gyd-gynhyrchu, yw oherwydd bod y dirwedd dementia wedi newid mor sylweddol, hyd yn oed yn ystod yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf. Rhan allweddol o hyn, fel roeddech chi'n dweud, yw'r gofalwyr. Rwy'n adnabod llawer o bobl sy'n gofalu am bobl â dementia a sut mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw gael yn gyfan gwbl—wyddoch chi, mae yna anghenion cymhleth iawn—y gefnogaeth honno sy'n hanfodol. Felly, mae hyn yn rhywbeth y byddwn ni'n ei wneud nawr cyn gynted ag y gallwn ni a fydd yn cael ei ymgorffori yn hynny. Diolch i chi.

15:35

I was very pleased last week to visit the 19 Hills health and well-being centre, which is being built in Ringland in Newport East, an area with a lot of health inequalities, and very pleased to see what will be the mental health suite there, which will have one-to-one, group and family counselling sessions, and be part of that bringing together of physical and mental health in the community, with a strong social aspect as well. I hope that rounded, holistic approach will really do something to better treat the mental health issues that exist in those communities. I just wonder whether you think—Welsh Government has funded this; I’m sure Welsh Government sees this as a good model, but—whether we might have more of these health centres as we go forward in our community, pulling services out of the hospitals and the acute sector into the community, where the community can rally round and, hopefully, provide that social support that goes with the physical and mental elements.

Roeddwn i'n falch iawn o ymweld â chanolfan iechyd a llesiant 19 Hills yr wythnos diwethaf, sy'n cael ei hadeiladu yn Ringland yn Nwyrain Casnewydd, sy'n ardal sydd â llawer o anghydraddoldebau o ran iechyd, ac roeddwn i'n falch iawn o weld sut le fydd yr ystafell iechyd meddwl yno, a fydd yn cynnwys sesiynau cwnsela un i un, grŵpiau a theuluoedd, a bod yn rhan o'r ymagwedd honno sy'n dod ag iechyd corfforol a meddyliol ynghyd yn y gymuned, gydag ymagwedd gymdeithasol gref hefyd. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd dull cylchol, cyfannol yn gwneud rhywbeth i wella'r driniaeth o faterion iechyd meddwl sy'n bodoli yn y cymunedau hynny. Tybed a ydych chi'n meddwl—mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ariannu hyn; rwy'n siŵr bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried hwn yn batrwm da, ond—a allem ni fod â mwy o'r canolfannau iechyd hyn wrth inni symud ymlaen yn ein cymuned, gan dynnu gwasanaethau o'r ysbytai a'r sector acíwt i'r gymuned, lle gall y gymuned ddod at ei gilydd ar gyfer, rydym ni'n gobeithio, darparu'r cymorth cymdeithasol hwnnw sy'n cydweddu â'r elfennau corfforol a meddyliol.

Absolutely. Thank you so much, John Griffiths, for that question. Yes, this is the model that has been demonstrated to work, because, as you said, it's working with the family. I think that I touched on in my statement that there are so many external pressures for families now that would impact anybody’s mental well-being—housing and debt and concerns and work and worry and, like I said, transitions in people’s lives. So, that family and holistic and wraparound is what seems to work best for most people.

I think you’re right as well, having it in your community, it comes back to everything we’ve been saying today about reducing that stigma and that shame, so that people can really ask for the help that they need when they need it and get it and go on to live happier, healthier lives, ultimately. So, I’m really pleased to hear about that.

This is very much—. As we’ve heard today, there’s a lot more to do, and we’re committed to doing it in Welsh Government, but there’s also a tremendous amount of good out there. There is a tremendous amount of amazing people who are working within the health service and the mental health service and saying, ‘This is what we think works, please support it, please fund this’, and we’re listening, we’re absolutely listening and doing that. So, yes, I think that what you’re describing sounds very positive, and I would imagine and hope that within that service they are offering those other touch points with other support services, where we can start seeing that crossworking, as we're intending to do across our whole Welsh Government. 

Yn union. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, John Griffiths, am y cwestiwn yna. Ie, hwnnw yw'r patrwm y profwyd iddo fod yn gweithio, oherwydd, fel roeddech chi'n dweud, mae'n gweithio gyda'r teulu. Rwy'n credu i mi grybwyll yn fy natganiad fod cymaint o bwysau allanol ar deuluoedd nawr ac fe fyddai hynny'n effeithio ar lesiant meddyliol unrhyw un—tai a dyled a phryderon a gwaith a gofidiau ac, fel y dywedais, newidiadau i fywydau pobl. Felly, y teulu hwnnw a chyfannol a chofleidiol yw'r hyn sy'n ymddangos i weithio orau i'r rhan fwyaf o bobl.

Rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n iawn hefyd, bod hyn ar gael yn eich cymuned chi, mae hynny'n ymwneud â phopeth yr ydym ni wedi bod yn sôn amdano heddiw ynglŷn â lliniaru'r gwarthnod hwnnw a'r cywilydd hwnnw, fel gall pobl ofyn am y cymorth sydd ei angen arnyn nhw a'i gael pan fo'i angen a symud ymlaen i fyw bywydau sy'n fwy hapus, ac iach, yn y pen draw. Felly, rwy'n falch iawn o glywed am hynny.

Ystyr hyn i raddau helaeth iawn—. Fel clywsom ni heddiw, mae llawer mwy i'w wneud eto, ac rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i gyflawni hyn yn Llywodraeth Cymru, ond mae yna lawer iawn o ymarfer da ar gael nawr hefyd. Mae yn lawer iawn o bobl anhygoel yn gweithio yn y gwasanaeth iechyd a'r gwasanaeth iechyd meddwl sy'n dweud, 'Dyma'r hyn sy'n gweithio yn ein barn ni, a wnewch chi gefnogi ac ariannu hyn, os gwelwch chi'n dda', ac rydym ninnau'n gwrando, rydym ni'n sicr iawn yn gwrando ac yn cyflawni hynny. Felly, ydw, rwy'n credu bod yr hyn rydych chi'n ei ddisgrifio yn swnio yn gadarnhaol iawn, ac fe fyddwn i'n dychmygu ac yn gobeithio eu bod nhw'n cynnig y mannau cyffwrdd eraill hynny gyda gwasanaethau cymorth eraill o fewn y gwasanaeth hwnnw, lle gallwn ni ddechrau gweld hynny'n trawsweithio, fel rydym ni'n bwriadu ei gyflawni ar draws ein Llywodraeth gyfan ni yng Nghymru. 

15:40

Thank you. On Thursday, I'm going to be sponsoring the Adferiad event in the Senedd, where we're going to talk about their report, 'Let's Get Physical', looking at the physical health of people with enduring mental health issues.

So, thank you very much for your statement. I very much like the fact that you're championing a trauma-informed approach, as well as co-production of services with users, because it's crucial that we don't just tell people; we actually have to find out what they need and want. I'm interested in your '111 press 2' service and the fact that the Royal College of Psychiatrists have done a review of it. I'm a bit concerned by constituents who say that, when they're in crisis, ringing this '111 press 2' service isn't very helpful, because they're being asked, 'What's your name? What's your address?' and all this other basic data, and they're actually in crisis, they need to see somebody. So, I'm very supportive of the open access service for young people aged 11 to 18 in the city centre of Cardiff, run by Platfform—really, really important to enable young people to go there without their friends at school knowing about it. But there are clearly more services needed for adults as well, and I will be visiting one of the primary care—

Diolch i chi. Ddydd Iau, fe fyddaf i'n noddi'r digwyddiad Adferiad yn y Senedd, pryd y byddwn ni'n siarad am eu hadroddiad nhw, 'Caffael ar y Corfforol', sy'n ystyried iechyd corfforol pobl sydd â phroblemau iechyd meddwl parhaus.

Felly, diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am eich datganiad. Rwy'n cymeradwyo'r ffaith yn fawr eich bod chi'n hyrwyddo dull sy'n seiliedig ar drawma, yn ogystal â chyd-gynhyrchu gwasanaethau gyda defnyddwyr, oherwydd mae hi'n hanfodol nad ydym ni'n gwneud dim ond dweud wrth bobl; mae'n rhaid i ni ddarganfod pa bethau sy'n ddymunol ac yn angenrheidiol iddyn nhw. Mae gen i ddiddordeb yn eich gwasanaeth '111, Pwyso 2' a'r ffaith bod Coleg Brenhinol y Seiciatryddion wedi gwneud adolygiad o hwnnw. Rwyf i braidd yn bryderus pan fo etholwyr yn dweud wrthyf i, pan fyddan nhw mewn argyfwng, nad yw ffonio'r gwasanaeth '111, Pwyso 2' hwn yn ddefnyddiol iawn, oherwydd mae'n gofyn y cwestiynau iddyn nhw, 'Beth yw eich enw chi? Beth yw eich cyfeiriad chi?' a'r data sylfaenol fel arall i gyd, ac maen nhw mewn cyflwr o argyfwng, ac mae angen iddyn nhw gael gweld rhywun. Felly, rwy'n gefnogol iawn i'r gwasanaeth mynediad agored i bobl ifanc 11 i 18 oed yng nghanol dinas Caerdydd, sy'n cael ei redeg gan Platfform—mae'n wirioneddol bwysig er mwyn caniatáu i bobl ifanc fynd yno yn ddiarwybod i'w ffrindiau yn yr ysgol. Ond mae hi'n amlwg fod angen mwy o wasanaethau ar gyfer oedolion hefyd, ac fe fyddaf i'n ymweld ag un o'r canolfannau gofal sylfaenol—

You need to ask the question now, please. 

Mae angen i chi ofyn y cwestiwn nawr, os gwelwch chi'n dda.

—crisis centres now. But I'd really like to know how we have better crisis intervention services to prevent people going into in-patient care. 

—argyfwng nawr. Ond fe hoffwn i'n fawr iawn gael gywbod sut y gallwn ni gael gwasanaethau  ymyrryd mewn argyfwng gwell er mwyn atal pobl rhag gorfod mynd i ofal cleifion mewnol.

Thank you very much for that question. I will be attending that event that you are sponsoring later this week about linking physical health and well-being to mental health and well-being, which has been proven and we're very much trying to support.

I think that the '111 press 2'—. It's been around about a year; it's an all-Wales service. It was on the BBC The One Show. They actually showed the team who are up in Betsi Cadwaladr, up in the Heddfan unit, who I actually visited recently, and actually just saw them all sitting in that room answering the phone to people. And, you know, we're learning as we go. It's interesting as well that you said about—. I do understand when people are in crisis, and you call up and they're asking some details, but I am very much assured that they are basic details. And the reason why I say that is because we've talked today a lot about wanting data so that we can have more information, and, actually, one of the things that we've had fed back is that, when people are in crisis, they don't want to be asked a long list, so it should be a very short list. And I've touched on this as well today about the need for that follow-up. What we're getting through now as feedback, though, is that, when people are in that crisis and they get signposted, and they get that kind of immediate help and support, it's about then finding a way for them to have maybe a follow-up call, and then we would gather a little bit more information about them. It will help us improve the service. So, that's where I'm seeing us going with the '111 press 2'. 

And then, just to say, in terms of visiting the crisis centres, I'm doing that myself as well, going around Wales doing that, learning a lot, asking a lot of the questions that you pose to me in the Chamber. I would say that I met with Lads & Dads, who are a community group across south Wales, this week, and they are very, very passionate about prevention. I would say that we have a way of stopping people from even getting to that crisis point and that's where we need to be. So, we are—. Of course, the '111 press 2' does help with the crisis part of it, but we're also really, through the mental health strategy—and, literally, it's called the suicide and self-harm prevention strategy—hoping that we can stop people from even getting to that point of crisis. And I think that those third sector groups who are on the ground are going to be really, really crucial to this. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am y cwestiwn yna. Fe fyddaf i'n mynd i'r digwyddiad hwnnw y byddwch chi'n ei noddi yn ddiweddarach yr wythnos hon ynghylch cysylltu iechyd a llesiant corfforol ag iechyd a llesiant meddyliol, sydd wedi cael ei brofi ac rydym ni'n ceisio rhoi cefnogaeth gref iddo.

Rwy'n credu bod yr '111, Pwyso 2'—. Mae hwnnw wedi bodoli ers oddeutu blwyddyn; ac mae'n wasanaeth ar gyfer Cymru gyfan. Fe gafodd ei gynnwys ar The One Show y BBC. Fe wnaethon nhw ddangos y tîm sydd i fyny yn Betsi Cadwaladr, i fyny yn uned Heddfan, y bues i'n ymweld â hi yn ddiweddar, ac mewn gwirionedd dim ond eu gweld i gyd yn eistedd yn yr ystafell honno yn ateb galwadau ffôn pobl. A, wyddoch chi, rydym ni'n dysgu wrth i ni fynd yn ein blaenau. Mae'n ddiddorol hefyd eich bod wedi dweud amdano—. Rwy'n deall pan fo pobl mewn argyfwng, ac rydych chi'n ffonio ac maen nhw'n gofyn rhai manylion, ond rwy'n sicr iawn eu bod nhw'n fanylion sylfaenol. A'r rheswm pam rwyf i'n dweud hynny yw oherwydd ein bod ni wedi siarad llawer am yr awydd am ddata er mwyn i ni fod â rhagor o wybodaeth, ac mewn gwirionedd, un o'r pethau sydd wedi dod yn ôl atom ni yw, pan fo pobl mewn argyfwng, nad ydyn nhw'n dymuno ateb rhestr hir o gwestiynau, felly fe ddylai honno fod yn rhestr fer iawn. Ac rwyf i wedi crybwyll hyn hefyd heddiw sef yr angen am y dilyniant hwnnw. Yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei gael yn yr adborth nawr, er hynny, yw pan fydd pobl yn yr argyfwng hwnnw ac yn cael eu cyfeirio, a'u bod nhw'n cael y cymorth a chefnogaeth ar unwaith yn y dull hwnnw, mae'n ymwneud wedyn â chanfod ffordd iddyn nhw dderbyn galwad ddilynol efallai, ac yna fe allem ni gasglu ychydig mwy o wybodaeth amdanyn nhw. Fe fyddai hyn yn ein helpu ni i wella'r gwasanaeth. Felly, dyna'r cyfeiriad yr wyf i'n ein gweld ni'n mynd iddo gyda'r '111, Pwyso 2'.

Ac yna, dim ond gair, o ran ymweld â'r canolfannau argyfwng, rwyf innau'n gwneud hynny hefyd, ac yn mynd o gwmpas Cymru yn gwneud hynny, ac yn dysgu lllawer, yn gofyn llawer o'r cwestiynau yr ydych chi'n eu gofyn i mi yn y Siambr. Fe hoffwn i ddweud fy mod wedi cwrdd â Lads and Dads, sef grŵp cymunedol ar draws  y de, yr wythnos hon, ac maen nhw'n angerddol iawn, iawn ynglŷn â gwasanaethau ataliol. Fe fyddwn i'n dweud bod gennym ni ffordd o atal pobl rhag dod i'r pwynt hwnnw o fod mewn argyfwng hyd yn oed a dyna'r hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud. Felly, rydym ni—. Wrth gwrs, mae '111, Pwyso 2' yn helpu gydag ymdrin ag argyfyngau felly, ond rydym ni hefyd mewn gwirionedd, drwy'r strategaeth iechyd meddwl—ac, yn llythrennol, fe'i gelwir yn strategaeth atal hunanladdiad a hunan-niweidio—yn gobeithio y gallwn ni atal pobl rhag cyrraedd y pwynt hwnnw o fod mewn argyfwng hyd yn oed. Ac rwy'n credu y bydd y grwpiau trydydd sector hynny sydd ar lawr gwlad yn gyfan gwbl hanfodol yn hyn o beth. 

Diolch i'r Gweinidog. 

Thank you, Minister. 

Before we move on to the next item, Gareth Davies has asked for a point of order. 

Cyn i ni symud ymlaen i'r eitem nesaf, mae Gareth Davies wedi gofyn am bwynt o drefn. 

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. In my remarks responding to the Minister's statement, I made a simple oversight in saying that we hadn't received a statement since Mark Drakeford was First Minister. I'm pleased you've corrected me in your response to say that we received a statement from Jayne Bryant in May. It was a simple oversight, and I know how passionate Jayne was when she held the role, so I just wanted to put that on the record, and, hopefully, that can be reflected on the public record. Thank you very much. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Yn y sylwadau a wnes i wrth ymateb i ddatganiad y Gweinidog, fe wnes i gamgymeriad syml wrth fynegi nad oeddem ni wedi cael datganiad ers i Mark Drakeford fod yn Brif Weinidog. Rwy'n falch eich bod chi wedi fy nghywiro yn eich ymateb gan ddweud ein bod ni wedi cael datganiad gan Jayne Bryant ym mis Mai. Dim ond esgeulustod oedd achos hynny, ac fe wn i fod Jayne wedi gwneud ei gwaith yn angerddol pan oedd hi yn y swydd, felly roeddwn i'n awyddus i roi hynny ar y cofnod, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd hynny i'w weld yn y cofnod cyhoeddus. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi. 

15:45

I don't think it's a point of order, but I do accept the fact that the Member has recognised his error and has corrected the record to that purpose. 

Dydw i ddim yn credu ei fod yn bwynt o drefn, ond rwy'n derbyn y ffaith bod yr Aelod wedi cydnabod ei gamgymeriad a'i fod wedi cywiro'r cofnod i'r diben hwnnw. 

4. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio: Twf Economaidd
4. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning: Economic Growth

Eitem 4 heddiw yw datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio ar dwf economaidd. Galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, Rebecca Evans. 

Item 4 is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning on economic growth. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Evans. 

Thank you. I'm pleased to update the Senedd on the progress being made to deliver economic growth. I am delighted to take up the economy portfolio, which together with planning and energy provides a unique opportunity to deliver the First Minister’s priority area of green jobs and growth. In recent years the economy in Wales has faced significant challenges ranging from Brexit to COVID, compounded by a decade of austerity, which led to low investment and a squeeze on public spending. This has impacted growth and had far-reaching consequences for household incomes. But despite these challenges, the overall economic environment continues to gradually improve, and we are seeing signs of growth, which we must facilitate and maximise.

Wales is leading in areas such as advanced manufacturing in aerospace and food, through to the design, development and commercialisation of semiconductors and their usages, which are integral to the net-zero economy. We have significant opportunities in areas including renewable energy generation to crowd in further investment, whilst at the same time tackling the climate and nature emergencies. This can only be achieved in partnership with business, academia, regions, unions, local authorities, private sector investors and the UK Government. And together, Wales is open for business. 

Our economic mission and the four national priority areas complement the direction that is being developed by the UK Government. We share the UK Government’s commitment to focus on growth built on stability, investment and reform. The tone and the willingness of the UK Government to work in partnership is a world away from the previous administration. We are suddenly having early, credible and collaborative discussions, which will shape how we deliver against our economic priorities. This includes a strengthened and open relationship with the Wales Office and the Department for Business and Trade.

In these discussions we have been able to jointly consider how to support Tata and utilise levers across both Governments, for example. We have been around the table on areas such as the wealth fund and the development of inter-ministerial groups to focus on economic growth. We have begun to share ideas and intelligence around a new industrial strategy, a new trade strategy and about the employment rights Bill, which will have a transformative impact in making work fairer, safer and more secure for all workers. I will update the Senedd as this work progresses and ramps up over the coming months.

We will ensure a pro-business and pro-worker environment, with a competition, planning and regulatory framework that supports innovation, research, investment and high-quality jobs. Procurement and trade policy will be aligned with our priorities, working in tandem with the UK Government to accelerate opportunities and to increase the international reputation of Wales. 

Entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity are central missions that we need to achieve across Government and foster in the wider economy. Our Business Wales and Development Bank of Wales support business growth in all parts of Wales. Wales has seen a record-breaking increase in entrepreneurial activity, with new figures showing the highest levels of early-stage business rates on record according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023 report. This is an optimistic outlook that we want to build on. 

I will be drawing upon the strength of our regions and delivery in areas such as city deals and free ports. We will work across sectors. I was delighted to speak with the Welsh Retail Consortium last week, delivering upon our retail action plan. We will continue to strengthen our alliances across borders, for example, through the Western Gateway partnership, Marches partnership and the Mersey Dee Alliance.

The capabilities and skills of individuals in Wales are a key driver of economic prosperity and productivity. Working Wales, our national careers gateway, provides individuals with access to thousands of jobs and opportunities and is supported by a strong offer through our national programmes, such as apprenticeships, Jobs Growth Wales+, ReAct+, Communities for Work+, the Flexible Skills programme and the Wales Union Learning Fund. I believe that fair, safe and secure work environments, where workers have a voice, are beneficial for businesses and employees. When workers feel heard and valued, they contribute ideas and innovations that enhance productivity. That's why we encourage businesses to collaborate with trade unions, benefiting businesses, employees and the wider economy. Additionally, our continuing commitment to support employability and skills development is crucial, as it equips workers with the necessary tools to adapt and thrive in a changing labour market.

Planning policy helps to create the conditions in which businesses can invest, extend and adapt. 'Future Wales: The National Plan 2040' and 'Planning Policy Wales' already place significant weight on the need to support economic growth, green jobs and productivity. However, austerity has impacted the planning sector, lengthening the time that is taken to make decisions, increasing uncertainty and business costs. I am determined to address this by ensuring that resources are in place. I'll be consulting on increased planning application fees this autumn, and I will set out proposals to increase the pipeline of planners.

Having a reliable, affordable and green source of energy is becoming increasingly important for our modern economy, with our industries looking to decarbonise their operations, as we attract new industries and as households move to electric vehicles and heat pumps.

In floating offshore wind, we have the opportunity to transform our coastal communities, starting with our ports and expanding throughout the supply chain. Wales is leading the way in public sector delivery, through Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, Ynni Cymru and Cwmni Egino, developing new, renewable energy investment. As the Prime Minister said, Wales is at the very heart of the mission to supercharge efforts to make Britain a clean energy superpower. We will work with Great British Energy to realise even greater opportunity.

The circular economy is crucial to decarbonisation and economic growth. I want to use Wales’s world-class recycling and global reputation for sustainability to drive job creation. With Wales now being second in the world for recycling, that means that we are world class at capturing high-quality material to go back into our economy. We can provide companies with the resilient, high-quality supply of recycled materials needed to decarbonise. The investment of £45 million made by Jayplas in Swansea and the £1 billion development at Shotton Mill exemplifies the confidence in Wales in this area.

I will listen and act on areas of delivery over the next 18 months. I will be taking forward a previous commitment to establish a range of short-term reviews and to run a series of regional engagement seminars. These will enhance delivery and shape a focused list of priorities. I will also be considering our advisory structures, to ensure that these can be optimised over the coming months.

I look forward to working with Senedd Members to progress economic growth. I want us to be clear sighted about the blockers and the challenges, and to work together to develop solutions to achieve the best outcomes for the people of Wales.

Diolch. Rwy'n falch o roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd am y cynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud i sicrhau twf economaidd. Rwy'n falch iawn o ymgymryd â phortffolio'r economi, sydd, ynghyd â chynllunio ac ynni, yn rhoi cyfle unigryw i gyflawni maes blaenoriaeth Prif Weinidog Cymru o dwf a swyddi gwyrdd. Yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf mae'r economi yng Nghymru wedi wynebu heriau sylweddol yn amrywio o Brexit i COVID, wedi'i gwaethygu gan ddegawd o gyni, a arweiniodd at fuddsoddiad isel a gwasgu ar wariant cyhoeddus. Mae hyn wedi effeithio ar dwf ac wedi cael canlyniadau pellgyrhaeddol ar incwm cartrefi. Ond er gwaethaf yr heriau hyn, mae'r amgylchedd economaidd cyffredinol yn parhau i wella'n raddol, ac rydym yn gweld arwyddion o dwf, y mae'n rhaid i ni ei hwyluso a gwneud y mwyaf ohono.

Mae Cymru yn arwain mewn meysydd fel gweithgynhyrchu uwch ym maes awyrofod a bwyd, i ddylunio, datblygu a masnacheiddio lled-ddargludyddion a'u defnydd, sy'n rhan annatod o'r economi sero net. Mae gennym gyfleoedd sylweddol mewn meysydd gan gynnwys cynhyrchu ynni adnewyddadwy i ymwthio buddsoddi pellach, gan fynd i'r afael â'r argyfyngau hinsawdd a natur ar yr un pryd. Dim ond mewn partneriaeth â busnes, academia, rhanbarthau, undebau, awdurdodau lleol, buddsoddwyr sector preifat a Llywodraeth y DU y gellir cyflawni hyn. A gyda'i gilydd, mae Cymru yn agored i fusnes.

Mae ein cenhadaeth economaidd a'r pedwar maes blaenoriaeth cenedlaethol yn ategu'r cyfeiriad sy'n cael ei ddatblygu gan Lywodraeth y DU. Rydym yn rhannu ymrwymiad Llywodraeth y DU i ganolbwyntio ar dwf sydd wedi'i adeiladu ar sefydlogrwydd, buddsoddiad a diwygio. Mae cywair y lleisiau yn Llywodraeth y DU a'i pharodrwydd i weithio mewn partneriaeth yn fyd i ffwrdd o'r weinyddiaeth flaenorol. Yn sydyn rydym yn cael trafodaethau cynnar, credadwy a chydweithredol, a fydd yn llunio sut rydym yn cyflawni yn erbyn ein blaenoriaethau economaidd. Mae hyn yn cynnwys perthynas gryfach ac agored gyda Swyddfa Cymru a'r Adran Busnes a Masnach.

Yn y trafodaethau hyn rydym wedi gallu ystyried ar y cyd sut i gefnogi Tata a defnyddio ysgogiadau ar draws y ddwy Lywodraeth, er enghraifft. Rydym wedi bod o amgylch y bwrdd ar feysydd fel y gronfa gyfoeth a datblygu grwpiau rhyng-weinidogol i ganolbwyntio ar dwf economaidd. Rydym wedi dechrau rhannu syniadau a gwybodaeth am strategaeth ddiwydiannol newydd, strategaeth fasnach newydd ac am y Bil hawliau cyflogaeth, a fydd yn cael effaith drawsnewidiol wrth wneud gwaith yn decach, yn fwy diogel ac yn fwy sicr i bob gweithiwr. Byddaf yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd wrth i'r gwaith hwn fynd rhagddo a chynyddu dros y misoedd nesaf.

Byddwn yn sicrhau amgylchedd sydd o blaid busnes ac o blaid y gweithiwr, gyda fframwaith cystadleuaeth, cynllunio a rheoleiddio sy'n cefnogi arloesedd, ymchwil, buddsoddiad a swyddi o ansawdd uchel. Bydd polisi caffael a masnach yn cyd-fynd â'n blaenoriaethau, gan weithio ochr yn ochr â Llywodraeth y DU i gyflymu cyfleoedd ac i gynyddu enw da rhyngwladol Cymru.

Mae entrepreneuriaeth, arloesi a chynhyrchiant yn genadaethau canolog y mae angen i ni eu cyflawni ar draws y Llywodraeth a meithrin yn yr economi ehangach. Mae ein Busnes Cymru a Banc Datblygu Cymru yn cefnogi twf busnes ym mhob rhan o Gymru. Mae Cymru wedi gweld cynnydd uwch nag erioed mewn gweithgarwch entrepreneuraidd, gyda ffigurau newydd yn dangos y lefelau uchaf o ardrethi busnes cyfnod cynnar a gofnodwyd yn ôl adroddiad Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023. Mae hon yn agwedd optimistaidd yr ydym eisiau ei datblygu. 

Byddaf yn manteisio ar gryfder ein rhanbarthau a'n darpariaeth mewn meysydd fel bargeinion dinesig a phorthladdoedd rhydd. Byddwn yn gweithio ar draws sectorau. Roeddwn yn falch iawn o siarad â Chonsortiwm Manwerthu Cymru yr wythnos diwethaf, gan gyflawni ein cynllun gweithredu manwerthu. Byddwn yn parhau i gryfhau ein cynghreiriau ar draws ffiniau, er enghraifft, trwy bartneriaeth Porth y Gorllewin, partneriaeth y Gororau a Chynghrair Mersi a'r Ddyfrdwy.

Mae galluoedd a sgiliau unigolion yng Nghymru yn sbardun allweddol i ffyniant economaidd a chynhyrchiant. Mae Cymru'n Gweithio, ein porth gyrfaoedd cenedlaethol, yn rhoi mynediad i unigolion at filoedd o swyddi a chyfleoedd ac yn cael ei gefnogi gan gynnig cryf drwy ein rhaglenni cenedlaethol, megis prentisiaethau, Twf Swyddi Cymru+, ReAct+, Cymunedau am Waith +, y rhaglen Sgiliau Hyblyg a Chronfa Ddysgu Undebau Cymru. Rwy'n credu bod amgylcheddau gwaith teg, diogel a sicr, lle mae gan weithwyr lais, yn fuddiol i fusnesau a gweithwyr. Pan fydd gweithwyr yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu clywed a'u gwerthfawrogi, maent yn cyfrannu syniadau ac arloesiadau sy'n gwella cynhyrchiant. Dyna pam rydym yn annog busnesau i gydweithio ag undebau llafur, er budd busnesau, gweithwyr a'r economi ehangach. Yn ogystal, mae ein hymrwymiad parhaus i gefnogi cyflogadwyedd a datblygu sgiliau yn hanfodol, gan ei fod yn rhoi'r offer angenrheidiol i weithwyr addasu a ffynnu mewn marchnad lafur sy'n newid.

Mae polisi cynllunio yn helpu i greu'r amodau lle gall busnesau fuddsoddi, ymestyn ac addasu. Mae 'Cymru'r Dyfodol: y cynllun cenedlaethol 2040' a 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' eisoes yn rhoi pwys sylweddol ar yr angen i gefnogi twf economaidd, swyddi gwyrdd a chynhyrchiant. Fodd bynnag, mae cyni wedi effeithio ar y sector cynllunio, gan ymestyn yr amser a gymerir i wneud penderfyniadau, gan gynyddu ansicrwydd a chostau busnes. Rwy'n benderfynol o fynd i'r afael â hyn drwy sicrhau bod adnoddau ar waith. Byddaf yn ymgynghori ar gynyddu ffioedd ceisiadau cynllunio yr hydref hwn, a byddaf yn nodi cynigion i gynyddu'r llif o gynllunwyr.

Mae cael ffynhonnell ynni ddibynadwy, fforddiadwy a gwyrdd yn dod yn fwyfwy pwysig i'n heconomi fodern, gyda'n diwydiannau yn ceisio datgarboneiddio eu gweithrediadau, wrth i ni ddenu diwydiannau newydd ac wrth i gartrefi newid i gerbydau trydan a phympiau gwres.

Gyda gwynt arnofiol ar y môr, mae gennym gyfle i drawsnewid ein cymunedau arfordirol, gan ddechrau gyda'n porthladdoedd ac ehangu ledled y gadwyn gyflenwi. Mae Cymru yn arwain y ffordd o ran darparu'r sector cyhoeddus, drwy Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, Ynni Cymru a Cwmni Egino, gan ddatblygu buddsoddiad ynni adnewyddadwy newydd. Fel y dywedodd y Prif Weinidog, mae Cymru wrth wraidd y genhadaeth i atgyfnerthu ymdrechion i wneud Prydain yn archbŵer ynni glân. Byddwn yn gweithio gyda Great British Energy i wireddu hyd yn oed mwy o gyfleoedd.

Mae'r economi gylchol yn hanfodol i ddatgarboneiddio a thwf economaidd. Rwyf eisiau defnyddio ailgylchu o'r radd flaenaf ac enw da byd-eang Cymru am gynaliadwyedd i sbarduno creu swyddi. Gyda Chymru bellach yn ail yn y byd am ailgylchu, mae hynny'n golygu ein bod o'r radd flaenaf o ran dal deunydd o ansawdd uchel a'i roi yn ôl yn ein heconomi. Gallwn ddarparu'r cyflenwad cydnerth, o ansawdd uchel o ddeunyddiau wedi'u hailgylchu sydd eu hangen ar gwmnïau i ddatgarboneiddio. Mae'r buddsoddiad o £45 miliwn a wnaed gan Jayplas yn Abertawe a'r datblygiad gwerth £1 biliwn ym Melin Shotton yn enghraifft o'r hyder yng Nghymru yn y maes hwn.

Byddaf yn gwrando ac yn gweithredu ar feysydd cyflawni dros y 18 mis nesaf. Byddaf yn bwrw ymlaen ag ymrwymiad blaenorol i sefydlu ystod o adolygiadau tymor byr a chynnal cyfres o seminarau ymgysylltu rhanbarthol. Bydd y rhain yn gwella cyflawniad ac yn llunio rhestr benodol o flaenoriaethau. Byddaf hefyd yn ystyried ein strwythurau cynghori, er mwyn sicrhau y gellir optimeiddio'r rhain dros y misoedd nesaf.

Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio gydag Aelodau'r Senedd i ddatblygu twf economaidd. Rwyf eisiau i ni fod yn effro i'r rhwystrau a'r heriau, a chydweithio i ddatblygu atebion i gyflawni'r canlyniadau gorau i bobl Cymru.

15:50

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for the statement. The Welsh economy is a rich tapestry of sectors, made up of businesses in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, and many more, all of which, I believe, have an exciting future, but for the Welsh economy under this Labour Government, times have been hard.

Let's look, though, at the UK first. At the UK level, the new Labour Government has inherited the fastest growing economy in the G7, inflation at 2 per cent and an economy that saw 800 new jobs created every single day since 2010. In contrast, what would an incoming Welsh Conservative Government inherit from Labour here in Wales? The Welsh employment rate: the lowest in the UK. Welsh economic inactivity: the highest in the UK. And, on take-home pay, Welsh earners take home less each month than their counterparts in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A truly shocking legacy of Labour and their policies.

Let's look at one of those stats more closely. Under the 14 years of a UK Conservative Government, 800 new jobs were created every single day, and yet in Wales, we have no job targets, with little more than a scattergun approach to economic development. So, can the Cabinet Secretary commit to a job creation target, so that we can get this staggering number of economically inactive people back into work, providing for their families, and ultimately supporting their local economy and community?

We were promised the return of a land of milk and honey with Labour back in Government in London, but the reality is far different. In the month of September alone, UK-focused funds saw a net withdrawal of £666 million. That's less investment, not more; fewer jobs, not more; and a slowing economy, not one that's growing. And according to global fund network Calastone, this evacuation of wealth and investment from the UK is down to the bleak commentary of Starmer and his Government.

So, what is the Welsh Government doing to open the doors for more investment into Wales? How is the Cabinet Secretary creating that clear red water between the pessimism of her UK Labour colleagues, to try and welcome investors into Wales and improve business confidence, because the statistics here are clear? Economic Intelligence Wales's sixth annual report was clear: business confidence is low, with concerns about the domestic economy remaining their No. 1 worry. Furthermore, the report shows that the number of business deaths in Wales continues to be greater than business births, as it has been since 2021. In Q1 of 2024, 2,795 businesses were started, but in the same period over 3,000 were closed. Cabinet Secretary, this managed decline, how much longer are we prepared for it to go on for?

Economic growth and wealth aren't dirty words; they are needed to fund our schools, our hospitals and other public services that we hold dear. If we are to have growth,