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Language Technologies, Bangor University 10

South Wales Central, Minister, obviously hosts two enterprise zones - the one in the Vale of Glamorgan and the financial enterprise zone in the centre of Cardiff. They were set up by a previous Minister and have been a central plank of successive Governments here in Cardiff Bay as to employment opportunities and investment opportunities. What role, going forward, do the enterprise zones have in improving economic resilience, going forward with the vision that you have as the Minister? Are you able to update us as to the outcomes from the two enterprise zones that are located in South Wales Central, as to employment opportunities - increases that we might have seen - and inward investment monies that might have come because of these areas being created?

Mae'n amlwg bod Canol De Cymru, Gweinidog, yn gartref i ddau barth menter - un ym Mro Morgannwg a'r parth menter ariannol yng nghanol Caerdydd. Sefydlwyd nhw gan Weinidog blaenorol ac maen nhw wedi bod yn rhan ganolog o Lywodraethau olynol yma ym Mae Caerdydd o ran cyfleoedd gwaith a chyfleoedd i fuddsoddi. Pa rôl, wrth symud ymlaen, sydd gan y parthau menter o ran gwella cydnerthedd economaidd, wrth symud ymlaen â'r weledigaeth sydd gennych chi fel y Gweinidog? Ydych chi'n gallu ein diweddaru ni ynglŷn â'r canlyniadau o'r ddau barth menter sydd wedi'u lleoli yng Nghanol De Cymru, o ran cyfleoedd cyflogaeth - cynnydd y gallem ni fod wedi'i weld - ac arian mewnfuddsoddiad a allai fod wedi dod oherwydd creu yr ardaloedd hyn?

I can't give you figures off the top of my head for the two zones, but I'll be more to happy to respond to Members on both those points. But more broadly, if you look at Cardiff as an area, if you look at professional services, you have seen real growth and continued investment. I recently met a number of professional services firms with a UK and international footprint who already have a base here in the capital region and are looking to invest further. What we actually have been doing is reviewing the future role of enterprise zones, the ones that we will continue with, and, actually, how we work alongside our economic regions. We're looking to have shared areas of working together with those regions. And actually, there's the growth deal money - the UK Government have also invested into a part of that - in helping to have a range of sectors, where each region can look at what they can do and have significant growth in, and how the Welsh Government can work in partnership with them. But I'll certainly happily come back to you about the two enterprise zones that have existed in the Vale and here in Cardiff as well.

Ni allaf roi ffigyrau i chi oddi ar dop fy mhen ar gyfer y ddau barth, ond mi fyddaf i'n fwy na hapus i ymateb i Aelodau ar y ddau bwynt yna. Ond yn ehangach, os edrychwch chi ar Gaerdydd fel ardal, os edrychwch chi ar wasanaethau proffesiynol, rydych chi wedi gweld twf go iawn a buddsoddiad parhaus. Yn ddiweddar, cwrddais â nifer o gwmnïau gwasanaethau proffesiynol gydag ôl troed yn y DU ac yn rhyngwladol sydd eisoes â safle yma yn y brifddinas-ranbarth ac sy'n gobeithio buddsoddi ymhellach. Yr hyn yr ydym ni wedi bod yn ei wneud mewn gwirionedd yw adolygu rôl parthau menter yn y dyfodol, y rhai y byddwn ni'n parhau â nhw, ac, mewn gwirionedd, sut rydym ni'n gweithio ochr yn ochr â'n rhanbarthau economaidd. Rydyn ni'n edrych i gael meysydd a rennir o gydweithio gyda'r rhanbarthau hynny. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae arian y fargen dwf - mae Llywodraeth y DU hefyd wedi buddsoddi yn rhan o hynny - wrth helpu i gael ystod o sectorau, lle gall pob rhanbarth edrych ar yr hyn y gallant ei wneud a phrofi twf sylweddol ynddo, a sut y gall Llywodraeth Cymru weithio mewn partneriaeth â nhw. Ond bydda i'n sicr yn hapus iawn i ddod nôl atoch chi am y ddau barth menter sydd wedi bodoli yn y Fro ac yma yng Nghaerdydd hefyd.

Given reports that UK Government Ministers may relax rules for foreign students, to allow them to work more hours, does the Minister have any plans to discuss this with the UK Government, so that foreign students who want to work can help fill the labour shortage experienced by Cardiff's hospitality industry?

O ystyried adroddiadau y gall Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU lacio rheolau i fyfyrwyr tramor, er mwyn eu caniatáu i weithio mwy o oriau, a oes gan y Gweinidog unrhyw gynlluniau i drafod hyn gyda Llywodraeth y DU, fel y gall myfyrwyr tramor sydd eisiau gweithio helpu i lenwi'r prinder llafur a brofwyd gan ddiwydiant lletygarwch Caerdydd?

We haven't been notified directly by the UK Government that they will proceed with what's been briefed about the potential to relax the rules for foreign students to work more hours. However, I'd say that the starting point is that we really do value international students who come to Wales - they enrich campuses, classrooms and the communities that they live in, both economically and culturally. One of the things that I most enjoyed about going to university was actually meeting people from different parts of the world - it was part of the broader enrichment. But whilst some of those people will work in hospitality, actually, their economic value is much, much more than that. We're very fortunate that we manage to not just attract students to come here to study, but a number of them stay, they have job opportunities, and they certainly enrich a whole range of our economic sectors as well. I'm very pleased that this Government continues to support the international mobility of students, in particular through our Taith programme, but also projects like Global Wales. Myself and the Minister for Social Justice continue to maintain dialogue with our immigration advisers, and I continue to make the case for a more sensible approach to immigration more generally, because of the economic benefits it provides. I hope it'll provide an attack of common sense when it comes to international students, as opposed to some of the alternative briefing you might hear from the current occupant of the Home Office.

Nid ydym wedi cael gwybod yn uniongyrchol gan Lywodraeth y DU y byddant yn bwrw ymlaen â'r hyn sydd wedi'i friffio ynghylch y potensial o lacio'r rheolau i fyfyrwyr o dramor weithio mwy o oriau. Fodd bynnag, byddwn i'n dweud mai'r man cychwyn yw ein bod ni wir yn gwerthfawrogi myfyrwyr rhyngwladol sy'n dod i Gymru - maen nhw'n cyfoethogi campysau, ystafelloedd dosbarth a'r cymunedau maen nhw'n byw ynddyn nhw, yn economaidd ac yn ddiwylliannol. Un o'r pethau wnes i ei fwynhau fwyaf am fynd i'r brifysgol a dweud y gwir oedd cwrdd â phobl o wahanol rannau o'r byd - roedd yn rhan o'r cyfoethogi ehangach. Ond er y bydd rhai o'r bobl hynny'n gweithio ym maes lletygarwch, mewn gwirionedd, mae eu gwerth economaidd yn llawer, llawer mwy na hynny. Rydym ni'n ffodus iawn ein bod ni'n llwyddo nid yn unig i ddenu myfyrwyr i ddod yma i astudio, ond mae nifer ohonyn nhw'n aros, mae ganddyn nhw gyfleoedd gwaith, ac maen nhw'n sicr yn cyfoethogi ystod gyfan o'n sectorau economaidd hefyd. Rwy'n falch iawn bod y Llywodraeth hon yn parhau i gefnogi symudedd rhyngwladol myfyrwyr, yn benodol drwy ein rhaglen Taith, ond hefyd prosiectau fel Cymru Fyd-eang. Rwyf i a'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn parhau i gynnal deialog gyda'n cynghorwyr mewnfudo, ac rwy'n parhau i ddadlau dros ddull mwy synhwyrol o fewnfudo'n fwy cyffredinol, oherwydd y buddion economaidd y mae'n eu darparu. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn rhoi rhywfaint o synnwyr cyffredin o ran myfyrwyr rhyngwladol, yn hytrach na pheth o'r briff amgen y gallech chi ei glywed gan ddeiliad presennol y Swyddfa Gartref.

We remain fully committed to delivering the social, environmental and economic benefits of the Wrexham Gateway project. We are having urgent discussions with our partners to assess the impact of the UK Government's decision not to support the Gateway in the latest levelling-up round of funding, and to identify alternative ways of delivering the benefits that the Gateway project could and should provide.

Rydyn ni'n parhau i fod yn gwbl ymrwymedig i gyflawni buddion cymdeithasol, amgylcheddol ac economaidd prosiect Porth Wrecsam. Rydym ni'n cynnal trafodaethau brys gyda'n partneriaid i asesu effaith penderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i beidio â chefnogi'r Porth yn y rownd ariannu ffyniant bro ddiweddaraf, a nodi ffyrdd amgen o sicrhau'r manteision y gallai prosiect y Porth eu darparu ac y dylai eu darparu.

Thank you very much for that positive message for the people of Wrexham and the region. Wrexham AFC, of course, have been talking recently about a plan B, and the Welsh Government has already earmarked, I believe, £25 million to this project. Will you reaffirm the Welsh Government's commitment to delivering the Wrexham Gateway project in full, and commit to engaging with the club and other project stakeholders to help develop plan B and ensure that this project comes to fruition for the people of Wrexham?

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am y neges gadarnhaol honno i bobl Wrecsam a'r rhanbarth. Mae Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam, wrth gwrs, wedi bod yn sôn yn ddiweddar am gynllun B, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru eisoes wedi clustnodi, rwy'n credu, £25 miliwn i'r prosiect hwn. A fyddwch chi'n ailddatgan ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i gyflawni prosiect Porth Wrecsam yn llawn, ac ymrwymo i ymgysylltu â'r clwb a rhanddeiliaid eraill y prosiect i helpu i ddatblygu Cynllun B a sicrhau bod y prosiect hwn yn dwyn ffrwyth i bobl Wrecsam?

The allocation that we've already provided in 2021, the £25 million you mentioned, is still available. My officers met with the Wrexham Gateway partnership last week, following the announcement that the levelling-up funding bid had been rejected. Of course, it's disappointing that Wrexham and Flintshire didn't receive anything from the levelling-up bids. There are a range of projects that you couldn't say amount to levelling-up, like a £45 million road congestion scheme in Dover - that has nothing to do with levelling-up - or the £19 million that somehow found its way to the Prime Minister's very wealthy rural constituency. We will carry on working with the Wrexham Gateway project, with our partners, to look at alternative funding options - as you say, a plan B - and that will of course include discussions with the football club. I'll be happy to update the constituency Member on those discussions as they progress.

Mae'r dyraniad yr ydym ni eisoes wedi'i ddarparu yn 2021, y £25 miliwn y gwnaethoch chi ei grybwyll, ar gael o hyd. Fe wnaeth fy swyddogion gyfarfod gyda phartneriaeth Porth Wrecsam yr wythnos ddiwethaf, yn dilyn y cyhoeddiad fod y cais am gyllid ffyniant bro wedi ei wrthod. Wrth gwrs, mae'n siomedig na chafodd Wrecsam a sir y Fflint unrhyw beth yn sgil y ceisiadau ffyniant bro. Mae amrywiaeth o brosiectau na allech chi ddweud sy'n cyfateb i ffyniant bro, fel cynllun tagfeydd ffyrdd gwerth £45 miliwn yn Dover - nid oes gan hynny unrhyw beth i'w wneud â ffyniant bro - neu'r £19 miliwn a ddaeth o hyd i'w ffordd i etholaeth wledig gyfoethog iawn y Prif Weinidog. Byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio gyda phrosiect Porth Wrecsam, gyda'n partneriaid, i edrych ar opsiynau ariannu amgen - fel y dywedwch chi, cynllun B - a bydd hynny wrth gwrs yn cynnwys trafodaethau gyda'r clwb pêl-droed. Byddaf yn hapus i ddiweddaru Aelod yr etholaeth ar y trafodaethau hynny wrth iddyn nhw symud ymlaen.

Thank you, Ken Skates, for submitting this important question here today. I certainly share some disappointment regarding decisions not to be able to support the bid for the levelling-up funding for the Wrexham Gateway project. But I'm pleased to hear the Minister's positive response in terms of the ongoing discussions with the Wrexham Gateway partnership, and that engagement with the football club in Wrexham, to see that important project become a success for the city of Wrexham. I'm also pleased to note that Wales received over £200 million worth of levelling-up funding, supporting projects up and down Wales, with nearly £50 million of that in my region of North Wales. I'm also pleased to see that Wales received the highest amount of money per capita, compared to the rest of Great Britain, through the levelling-up funding. I'm also pleased to see that Wrexham, through the shared prosperity fund, received £22.5 million, as well as being very much engaged with the growth deal in north Wales as well. In light of all that, Minister, and in light of all the positivity that we can see in Wrexham and the opportunities that are ahead for us in Wrexham, what specific plans do you have to ensure that Wrexham is able to grasp hold of those opportunities over the coming years, to make sure that Wrexham is able to be the economic powerhouse that it is?

Diolch, Ken Skates, am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn pwysig hwn yma heddiw. Rwy'n sicr yn rhannu rhywfaint o siom ynghylch penderfyniadau i beidio â gallu cefnogi'r cais am gyllid ffyniant bro ar gyfer prosiect Porth Wrecsam. Ond rwy'n falch o glywed ymateb cadarnhaol y Gweinidog o ran y trafodaethau parhaus gyda phartneriaeth Porth Wrecsam, a'r ymgysylltu hwnnw gyda'r clwb pêl-droed yn Wrecsam, i weld y prosiect pwysig hwnnw yn dod yn llwyddiant i ddinas Wrecsam. Rwy'n falch hefyd o nodi bod Cymru wedi cael gwerth dros £200 miliwn o gyllid ffyniant bro, yn cefnogi prosiectau ar hyd a lled Cymru, gyda bron i £50 miliwn o hynny yn fy rhanbarth i, Gogledd Cymru. Rydw i hefyd yn falch o weld mai Cymru gafodd y swm uchaf o arian y pen, o'i gymharu â gweddill Prydain Fawr, trwy'r cyllid ffyniant bro. Rwy'n falch hefyd o weld bod Wrecsam, drwy'r gronfa ffyniant a rennir, wedi derbyn £22.5 miliwn, yn ogystal â denu diddordeb mawr o'r fargen dwf yn y gogledd hefyd. Yng ngoleuni hynny i gyd, Gweinidog, ac yn sgil yr holl bositifrwydd y gallwn ni ei weld yn Wrecsam a'r cyfleoedd sydd o'n blaenau yn Wrecsam, pa gynlluniau penodol sydd gennych chi i sicrhau bod Wrecsam yn gallu cydio yn y cyfleoedd hynny dros y blynyddoedd nesaf, i wneud yn siŵr bod Wrecsam yn gallu bod y pwerdy economaidd y dylai fod?

We continue to work constructively with representatives for Wrexham. That's why we continue to engage in both the Wrexham Gateway project and indeed the shared discussions taking place on the broader Mersey Dee Alliance as well. I won't join the Member in celebrating the levelling-up fund round 2. There was an extraordinary delay in projects. The Member might want to consider whether celebrating and asking others to join in celebrating the levelling-up fund outcomes is really appropriate when you consider that Wales got 10 per cent of the last funding round. In contrast, we used to receive 22 per cent of the UK's allocation of previous EU structural fund programmes. We are still being short-changed and the way that replacement moneys are being allocated is a direct breach of very clear repeated manifesto pledges that Wales would not lose out by a single penny. The Conservatives really need to decide whether they want to celebrate Wales getting less or join the campaign for Wales to get its fair share, because the levelling-up fund is doing anything but that.

Rydyn ni'n parhau i weithio'n adeiladol gyda chynrychiolwyr Wrecsam. Dyna pam ein bod ni'n parhau i ymwneud â phrosiect Porth Wrecsam ac yn wir y trafodaethau a rennir sy'n digwydd ar y Gynghrair Mersi a'r Ddyfrdwy ehangach hefyd. Ni wnaf ymuno â'r Aelod i ddathlu rownd 2 y Gronfa Ffyniant Bro. Roedd oedi eithriadol mewn prosiectau. Efallai y bydd yr Aelod yn dymuno ystyried a yw dathlu a gofyn i eraill ymuno i ddathlu canlyniadau'r gronfa ffyniant bro yn wirioneddol briodol pan fyddwch chi'n ystyried bod Cymru wedi cael 10 y cant o'r rownd ariannu ddiwethaf. Ar y llaw arall, roeddem ni'n arfer derbyn 22 y cant o ddyraniad y DU o raglenni cronfa strwythurol flaenorol yr UE. Rydym ni'n dal i gael cam, ac mae'r ffordd y mae arian newydd yn cael ei ddyrannu yn gwbl groes i addewidion maniffesto clir iawn a ailadroddwyd sy'n nodi na fyddai Cymru ar ei cholled o un geiniog. Mae gwir angen i'r Ceidwadwyr benderfynu a ydyn nhw am ddathlu bod Cymru yn cael llai neu ymuno â'r ymgyrch dros sicrhau bod Cymru yn cael ei chyfran deg, oherwydd mae'r gronfa ffyniant bro yn gwneud unrhyw beth ond hynny.

I now call on the party spokespeople to question the Minister. First, the Conservatives' spokesperson, Paul Davies.

Galwaf nawr ar lefarwyr y pleidiau i holi'r Gweinidog. Yn gyntaf, llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Paul Davies.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, at the start of this month, you announced that you'd be launching a refreshed manufacturing action plan setting out the Welsh Government's ambitions for the manufacturing sector. Can you confirm when that action plan will be published?

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Gweinidog, ddechrau'r mis, fe wnaethoch chi gyhoeddi y byddech chi'n lansio cynllun gweithredu gweithgynhyrchu wedi'i adnewyddu sy'n nodi uchelgeisiau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer y sector gweithgynhyrchu. Allwch chi gadarnhau pryd y bydd y cynllun gweithredu hwnnw'n cael ei gyhoeddi?

I'm having a range of stakeholder engagements within the next couple of months with businesses in the area. We've undertaken a review of the previous manufacturing action plan. We've shared a consultation with businesses around that. I look forward to taking part directly with business representatives over the next two months. Then, I will be more than happy to launch that and take questions from Members, either in this place or, indeed, in the committee that the Member chairs.

Rwy'n cael amrywiaeth o sesiynau ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid o fewn y misoedd nesaf gyda busnesau yn yr ardal. Rydym ni wedi cynnal adolygiad o'r cynllun gweithredu gweithgynhyrchu blaenorol. Rydym ni wedi rhannu ymgynghoriad â busnesau yn ymwneud â hynny. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at gymryd rhan yn uniongyrchol gyda chynrychiolwyr busnes dros y deufis nesaf. Yna, byddaf yn fwy na pharod i lansio hynny a chymryd cwestiynau gan Aelodau, naill ai yn y fan hyn neu, yn wir, yn y pwyllgor mae'r Aelod yn ei gadeirio.

It seems to me that the Minister doesn't know when he is going to launch this refresh, but I hope very much that it will be very, very soon. A key part of the current manufacturing action plan is building supply chain resilience. Of course, the Welsh Government could use the levers it has to reform the planning system in order to strengthen and develop our supply chain. One of the points highlighted in the current plan is to ensure the needs of manufacturing are taken into account when planning the delivery of business premises, for example. So, can you tell us whether the Welsh Government has met this objective, and can you also tell us what further action you intend to take to reform the planning system in order to support business development in Wales?

Mae'n ymddangos i mi nad yw'r Gweinidog yn gwybod pryd y bydd yn lansio'r adnewyddiad hwn, ond rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr y bydd yn fuan iawn, iawn. Rhan allweddol o'r cynllun gweithredu gweithgynhyrchu presennol yw adeiladu cydnerthedd y gadwyn gyflenwi. Wrth gwrs, gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ddefnyddio'r pwerau sydd ganddi i ddiwygio'r system gynllunio er mwyn cryfhau a datblygu ein cadwyn gyflenwi. Un o'r pwyntiau sy'n cael eu hamlygu yn y cynllun presennol yw sicrhau bod anghenion gweithgynhyrchu yn cael eu hystyried wrth gynllunio darparu adeiladau busnes, er enghraifft. Felly, a wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni a yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyrraedd yr amcan hwn, ac a wnewch chi hefyd ddweud wrthym ni pa gamau pellach rydych chi'n bwriadu eu cymryd i ddiwygio'r system gynllunio er mwyn cefnogi datblygu busnes yng Nghymru?

There are two things, I would say. The first is that I've given an indication of where we are in refreshing the plan, and it's not very far away at all. The idea that I don't have any idea is a misrepresentation - I'm sure, innocently - of the answer that I gave the Member. Actually, this morning, I was able to visit a manufacturing business in Pontypool with the leader of Torfaen, who was celebrating his birthday today. He had the privilege of spending some time with me in doing so in my colleague the Member for Torfaen's constituency. We were looking there at a successful manufacturing business, nearly 10 years in operation, what it's done to improve what it's doing and how it's actually worked with the local authority as well as the Welsh Government to go through a range of planning conditions to improve its business environment. You'll know that I'm not the planning Minister, but it is something that we do consider. The way that 'Planning Policy Wales' interacts with the manufacturing strategy and a range of other things are key considerations for us. So, when we launch the manufacturing action plan, you can expect us to have taken account of all those interactions. But I won't pretend for the purposes of these questions that I'm also the planning Minister, as the Member knows I'm not.

Mae dau beth, fe fyddwn i'n dweud. Y cyntaf yw fy mod i wedi rhoi arwydd o ble rydyn ni o ran adnewyddu'r cynllun, ac nid yw'n bell iawn o gwbl. Mae'r syniad nad oes gen i unrhyw syniad yn gamliwiad - rwy'n siŵr, yn ddiniwed - o'r ateb a roddais i'r Aelod. Mewn gwirionedd, y bore yma, fe wnes i ymweld â busnes gweithgynhyrchu ym Mhont-y-pŵl gydag arweinydd Torfaen, oedd yn dathlu ei ben-blwydd heddiw. Cafodd y fraint o dreulio peth amser gyda mi wrth wneud hynny yn etholaeth fy nghyd-Aelod, yr Aelod dros Torfaen. Roeddem ni'n edrych yno ar fusnes gweithgynhyrchu llwyddiannus, yn weithredol am bron i 10 mlynedd, yr hyn y mae wedi'i wneud i wella'r hyn mae'n ei wneud a sut mae wir wedi gweithio gyda'r awdurdod lleol, yn ogystal â Llywodraeth Cymru i fynd trwy ystod o amodau cynllunio i wella ei hamgylchedd busnes. Fe fyddwch chi'n gwybod nad fi yw'r Gweinidog cynllunio, ond mae'n rhywbeth rydyn ni'n ei ystyried. Mae'r ffordd mae 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' yn rhyngweithio â'r strategaeth weithgynhyrchu ac amryw o bethau eraill yn ystyriaethau allweddol i ni. Felly, pan fyddwn ni'n lansio'r cynllun gweithredu gweithgynhyrchu, gallwch ddisgwyl i ni fod wedi ystyried yr holl ryngweithio hynny. Ond ni fyddaf yn esgus at ddibenion y cwestiynau yma mai fi yw'r Gweinidog cynllunio hefyd, gan fod yr Aelod yn gwybod nad ydw i.

As I said, I look forward to that refresh as soon as possible. Minister, it's crucial that the Welsh Government is using the levers that it has to help support our manufacturing sector, and a refresh of that action plan, of course, is a welcome start. Earlier this month, Steve Dalton, the former managing director of Bridgend's Sony factory, rightly said that there was a future for Welsh manufacturing if there was innovation, development of green technologies and a focus on global markets. Of course, key to that is skills development and investment in research and development. The current plan states that a more co-ordinated approach is needed to help produce a pipeline of talent, and regional skills partnerships should be playing an important role in ensuring that Wales is developing the skills base it needs for the future. Therefore, moving forward, Minister, can you tell us how the Welsh Government's draft budget prioritises manufacturing, by confirming that there will be additional resources to support the sector? And can you tell us what specific actions the Welsh Government has introduced to ensure that the sector has the skills it needs for the future?

Fel y dywedais i, rwy'n edrych ymlaen at yr adnewyddiad hwnnw cyn gynted â phosibl. Gweinidog, mae'n hanfodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio'r pwerau sydd ganddi i helpu i gefnogi ein sector gweithgynhyrchu, ac mae adnewyddu'r cynllun gweithredu hwnnw, wrth gwrs, yn ddechrau i'w groesawu. Yn gynharach yn y mis, dywedodd Steve Dalton, cyn-reolwr gyfarwyddwr ffatri Sony Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, fod yna ddyfodol i weithgynhyrchu yng Nghymru pe bai arloesi, datblygu technolegau gwyrdd a phwyslais ar farchnadoedd byd-eang. Wrth gwrs, yn allweddol i hynny y mae datblygu sgiliau a buddsoddi mewn ymchwil a datblygu. Mae'r cynllun presennol yn dweud bod angen dull mwy cydgysylltiedig i helpu i gynhyrchu llif o dalent, a dylai partneriaethau sgiliau rhanbarthol fod yn chwarae rhan bwysig wrth sicrhau bod Cymru'n datblygu'r sylfaen sgiliau sydd ei hangen arni ar gyfer y dyfodol. Felly, wrth symud ymlaen, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi roi gwybod i ni sut mae cyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru yn blaenoriaethu gweithgynhyrchu, drwy gadarnhau y bydd yna adnoddau ychwanegol ar gael i gefnogi'r sector? Ac a wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa gamau penodol mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cyflwyno i sicrhau bod gan y sector y sgiliau mae eu hangen ar gyfer y dyfodol?

Well, there are a number of things that I agree with the Member on, but there's also a point of contest between us about the environment that we're operating in, of course. So, I agree - innovation and global markets are key to the success of a range of manufacturing businesses. I was with the Member for Ogmore at the Sony site in Pencoed last week, looking at - . They're celebrating 50 years, and they appreciate the relationship they've had with the Welsh Government, and the change in that plant's operation over time, not just for the Sony operation to continue, but it's about the other businesses that are on that site too. And, in fact, when it comes to exports from Wales, we've now reached and gone past the level of exports we had before the pandemic - the first part of the UK to recover in those terms. So, actually, we're doing relatively well compared to other parts of the UK. The challenge is that the environment we're in has changed significantly, and you will have seen and, no doubt, be concerned about the International Monetary Fund's latest forecast about the UK economy. The fact that we're in a different position within the UK to the rest of the G7, that's part of the challenge that we face. The challenge that's specifically here in Wales, of course - and you mentioned skills partnerships and the need to invest in skills and innovation - is that our funds have been deliberately denuded. The way that the UK Government made choices around replacement EU funds, knowing full well how we use those to support and invest in the skills of workforces, has made a real difference. That money has been reduced and it's been changed to a different purpose in a different area of articulation by the UK Government. Now, that reduction in money has a real-terms consequence. And you will have seen in the draft budget that we can't fill in all the holes about the UK Government making those choices, and, again, it's a deliberate reach and assault into devolution. These are areas that are plainly devolved, but the UK Government are making alternative choices. The Member may not like hearing it, but it's the truth of the matter, and, if you talked with and listened to what businesses, the higher education sector and others are saying, they all recognise that too.

Wel, mae yna nifer o bethau rwy'n cytuno gyda'r Aelod arnyn nhw, ond mae pwynt yr ydym yn anghytuno arno hefyd am yr amgylchedd rydym ni'n gweithredu ynddo, wrth gwrs. Felly, rwy'n cytuno - mae arloesi a marchnadoedd byd-eang yn allweddol i lwyddiant ystod o fusnesau gweithgynhyrchu. Roeddwn i gyda'r Aelod dros Ogwr ar safle Sony ym Mhencoed yr wythnos diwethaf, yn edrych ar - . Maen nhw'n dathlu 50 mlynedd, ac maen nhw'n gwerthfawrogi'r berthynas maen nhw wedi'i chael gyda Llywodraeth Cymru, a'r newid yng ngweithrediad y ffatri honno dros amser, nid dim ond er mwyn i'r ymgyrch Sony barhau, ond mae'n ymwneud â'r busnesau eraill sydd ar y safle hwnnw hefyd. Ac, mewn gwirionedd, o ran allforion o Gymru, rydym ni bellach wedi cyrraedd ac wedi mynd y tu hwnt i lefel yr allforion a oedd gennym ni cyn y pandemig - y rhan gyntaf o'r DU i adfer yn hynny o beth. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, rydyn ni'n gwneud yn gymharol dda o'i gymharu â rhannau eraill o'r DU. Yr her yw bod yr amgylchedd rydyn ni ynddo wedi newid yn sylweddol, a byddwch chi wedi gweld ac, mae'n siŵr, yn pryderu am ragolygon diweddaraf y Gronfa Ariannol Ryngwladol am economi'r DU. Mae'r ffaith ein bod ni mewn sefyllfa wahanol o fewn y DU i weddill y G7, mae hynny'n rhan o'r her rydym ni'n ei hwynebu. Yr her sydd yma yng Nghymru yn benodol, wrth gwrs - ac fe wnaethoch chi grybwyll partneriaethau sgiliau a'r angen i fuddsoddi mewn sgiliau ac arloesi - yw ein bod wedi ein hamddifadu o'n cronfeydd yn fwriadol. Mae'r ffordd y gwnaeth Llywodraeth y DU ddewisiadau ynghylch cronfeydd newydd yr UE, gan wybod yn iawn sut yr ydym ni'n defnyddio'r rheini i gefnogi a buddsoddi mewn sgiliau gweithluoedd, wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol. Mae'r arian hwnnw wedi cael ei leihau ac mae wedi cael ei newid i bwrpas gwahanol mewn maes cyfleu magwraeth wahanol gan Lywodraeth y DU. Nawr, mae canlyniad termau real i'r gostyngiad hwnnw mewn arian. A byddwch chi wedi gweld yn y gyllideb ddrafft na allwn ni lenwi'r holl dyllau ynglŷn â Llywodraeth y DU yn gwneud y dewisiadau hynny, ac, unwaith eto, mae'n gyrhaeddiad bwriadol ac yn ymosodiad ar ddatganoli. Mae'r rhain yn feysydd sydd wedi'u datganoli'n blaen, ond mae Llywodraeth y DU yn gwneud dewisiadau eraill. Efallai nad yw'r Aelod yn hoffi ei glywed, ond dyma wirionedd y mater, a, phe byddech chi'n siarad gyda busnesau, y sector addysg uwch ac eraill ac yn gwrando ar yr hyn sydd ganddyn nhw i'w ddweud, maen nhw i gyd yn cydnabod hynny hefyd.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Deputy Minister, an Institute of Welsh Affairs report published last year described communities in Wales as the least empowered in Britain. It further stated that people are facing an arduous and demoralising process to save assets, such as leisure centres, libraries and land, and that it is extremely likely that libraries and land have been lost due to Welsh Ministers not empowering communities. As you will be aware, local authorities across Wales have been consulting on their budget proposals for the next financial year, and amongst proposals are changes or cuts to leisure centres, libraries and museums. What discussions have there been between Welsh Government and local authorities regarding the future of such services? And what support is being made available to ensure that these vital services are not lost? Some of these cuts are imminent, from 1 April, therefore time is of the essence.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Dirprwy Weinidog, fe wnaeth adroddiad gan Sefydliad Materion Cymreig gafodd ei gyhoeddi y llynedd ddisgrifio mai cymunedau yng Nghymru oedd â'r lleiaf o rym ym Mhrydain. Dywedodd ymhellach fod pobl yn wynebu proses lafurus a digalon i arbed asedau, fel canolfannau hamdden, llyfrgelloedd a thir, a'i bod yn hynod debygol bod llyfrgelloedd a thir wedi'u colli oherwydd nad yw Gweinidogion Cymru yn grymuso cymunedau. Fel y gwyddoch chi, mae awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru wedi bod yn ymgynghori ar eu cynigion cyllidebol ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, ac ymhlith y cynigion mae newidiadau neu doriadau i ganolfannau hamdden, llyfrgelloedd ac amgueddfeydd. Pa drafodaethau sydd wedi bod rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru ac awdurdodau lleol ynglŷn â dyfodol gwasanaethau o'r fath? A pha gymorth sy'n cael ei ddarparu i sicrhau nad yw'r gwasanaethau hanfodol hyn yn cael eu colli? Mae rhai o'r toriadau hyn ar fin digwydd, o 1 Ebrill, felly mae amser yn ffactor hollbwysig.

I'm very well aware of the pressures on many of our local authorities and public bodies. We have done whatever we can to support both national institutions and the local authorities. The local authorities, as you know, have had the best financial settlement in a long time, and much higher than they had anticipated, and how they utilise that budget is a matter for them. They have their own democratic mandates and they have to make those decisions. I hope that the decisions that they come to, following their deliberations and their consultations, will be that they take things like leisure centres and museums in the whole and that they realise that they are part of the wider well-being agenda for their population. I think you have to look at that in a holistic way rather than on a piece-by-piece basis, but certainly we have provided for individual organisations - libraries, National Museum Wales, the National Library of Wales and so on - additional funding to get them through this immediate crisis, and, as I say, with the local authorities and their increased budgets, I hope that they will be able to do something. But one of the things that I am concerned about, and remain concerned about, is the UK Government's relief scheme that has still excluded swimming pools, for instance, from their proposals, and we do continue to press the UK Government to utilise their powers to support swimming pools, which are probably the hardest hit, and potentially the hardest hit in this process.

Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o'r pwysau sydd ar lawer o'n hawdurdodau lleol a'n cyrff cyhoeddus. Rydym ni wedi gwneud beth bynnag y gallwn ni i gefnogi sefydliadau cenedlaethol a'r awdurdodau lleol. Mae'r awdurdodau lleol, fel y gwyddoch chi, wedi cael y setliad ariannol gorau ers amser maith, ac yn llawer uwch nag yr oedden nhw wedi'i ragweld, ac mae sut maen nhw'n defnyddio'r gyllideb honno yn fater iddyn nhw. Mae ganddyn nhw eu mandadau democrataidd eu hunain ac mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw wneud y penderfyniadau hynny. Gobeithio mai'r penderfyniadau maen nhw'n dod iddyn nhw, yn dilyn eu trafodaethau a'u hymgynghoriadau, fydd eu bod yn cymryd pethau fel canolfannau hamdden ac amgueddfeydd yn eu cyfanrwydd a'u bod yn sylweddoli eu bod yn rhan o'r agenda llesiant ehangach ar gyfer eu poblogaeth. Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i chi edrych ar hynny mewn ffordd gyfannol yn hytrach na fesul darn, ond yn sicr rydyn ni wedi darparu ar gyfer sefydliadau unigol - llyfrgelloedd, Amgueddfa Cymru, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ac yn y blaen - cyllid ychwanegol i'w cael drwy'r argyfwng uniongyrchol hwn, ac, fel rwy'n ei ddweud, gyda'r awdurdodau lleol a'u cyllidebau cynyddol, gobeithio y byddan nhw'n gallu gwneud rhywbeth. Ond un o'r pethau rwy'n poeni amdano, ac rwy'n parhau i bryderu amdano, yw cynllun rhyddhad Llywodraeth y DU sydd wedi dal wedi eithrio pyllau nofio, er enghraifft, o'u cynigion, ac rydym ni'n parhau i bwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU i ddefnyddio eu pwerau i gefnogi pyllau nofio, sef y rhai sydd wedi cael eu taro waethaf mae'n debyg, ac a gafodd eu taro waethaf yn y broses hon o bosibl.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. But we know that councils will be cutting these vital services - services that, as you outline, are rightly incredibly important in terms of the future generations Act, health and well-being and so on. We know that these cuts are coming from 1 April unless something drastically changes. We know that financial settlement hasn't been adequate to ensure that those non-statutory services are protected. Therefore, my question is: what is Welsh Government doing to support local authorities? I know it's democratically up to them, but the choices they're having to make are incredible difficult. So, what support is being provided? You referenced swimming pools, for instance, and we saw over the weekend Fergus Feeney of Swim Wales warning that nearly a third of the 500 public swimming pools in Wales could close. And they are asking as well - yes, of course, the levers are with the UK Government - for action from the Welsh Government as well. So, as Deputy Minister with responsibility for sports, which would include swimming, what are you doing to ensure that that's not the case?

Diolch, Dirprwy Weinidog. Ond rydyn ni'n gwybod y bydd cynghorau'n torri'r gwasanaethau hanfodol hyn - gwasanaethau sydd, fel rydych chi'n amlinellu, yn gwbl bwysig o ran Deddf Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol, iechyd a lles ac yn y blaen. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod y toriadau yma'n dod o 1 Ebrill oni bai bod rhywbeth yn newid yn ddirfawr. Rydyn ni'n gwybod nad yw setliad ariannol wedi bod yn ddigonol i sicrhau bod y gwasanaethau anstatudol hynny yn cael eu gwarchod. Felly fy nghwestiwn i yw: beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol? Rwy'n gwybod yn ddemocrataidd ei bod hi fyny iddyn nhw, ond mae'r dewisiadau maen nhw'n gorfod eu gwneud yn anhygoel o anodd. Felly, pa gefnogaeth sy'n cael ei darparu? Fe wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at byllau nofio, er enghraifft, a gwelsom dros y penwythnos Fergus Feeney o Nofio Cymru yn rhybuddio y gallai bron i draean o'r 500 o byllau nofio cyhoeddus yng Nghymru gau. Ac maen nhw'n gofyn hefyd - ie, wrth gwrs, mae'r pwerau gan Llywodraeth y DU - am weithredu gan Lywodraeth Cymru hefyd. Felly, fel Dirprwy Weinidog sydd â chyfrifoldeb am chwaraeon, fyddai'n cynnwys nofio, beth ydych chi'n ei wneud i sicrhau nad yw hynny'n wir?

First, I think I have to go back to my original point and a point that you have acknowledged: local authorities have their own democratic mandate. We can't direct local authorities to do what they want to do with money that they have within their rate support grant. They will have to make their own decisions and make their own priorities. We can't direct them in that area. What we have done is we have provided local authorities with a substantial uplift in their rate support grant and we have given as much as we can within our constraints. I think you're coming from a point that somehow we have a pot of money that we can just dip into and allocate that we haven't already allocated, and I think the finance Minister and the First Minister have explained time and time again on the floor of this Chamber how we have prioritised health and we have prioritised local government. Those two services in particular have had the highest settlements that we've been able to provide, and, within those settlements, those bodies have to make their spending decisions, particularly local authorities that have their own democratic mandate. And of course those choices are difficult; those choices are also difficult for Welsh Government in terms of where we allocate our resources. There are no easy choices. I have met with Swim Wales and I have rehearsed the arguments with Swim Wales. They understand the Welsh Government's position, and of course they're calling for more money, as every organisation that we help and that we fund and that we support is asking for more money. But we can only provide the funding that we can within the envelope that is available to us, and I hope that local authorities and leisure organisations will be able to make the best decisions that they can to protect as many of our leisure facilities as possible.

Yn gyntaf, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i mi fynd yn ôl at fy mhwynt gwreiddiol a phwynt rydych chi wedi'i gydnabod: mae gan awdurdodau lleol eu mandad democrataidd eu hunain. Allwn ni ddim cyfeirio awdurdodau lleol i wneud yr hyn maen nhw eisiau ei wneud gydag arian sydd ganddyn nhw o fewn eu grant cynnal ardrethi. Bydd yn rhaid iddyn nhw wneud eu penderfyniadau eu hunain a gwneud eu blaenoriaethau eu hunain. Allwn ni ddim eu cyfeirio nhw yn y maes hwnnw. Yr hyn rydyn ni wedi'i wneud yw rydyn ni wedi rhoi cynnydd sylweddol i awdurdodau lleol yn eu grant cynnal ardrethi ac rydym ni wedi rhoi cymaint ag y gallwn ni o fewn ein cyfyngiadau. Rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n dod o bwynt bod gennym ni bot o arian rhywsut y gallwn ni ei ddefnyddio a'i ddyrannu nad ydym eisoes wedi'i ddyrannu, ac rwy'n credu bod y Gweinidog cyllid a'r Prif Weinidog wedi egluro droeon ar lawr y Siambr hon sut rydym ni wedi blaenoriaethu iechyd ac rydym ni wedi blaenoriaethu llywodraeth leol. Mae'r ddau wasanaeth hynny yn benodol wedi cael y setliadau uchaf yr ydym ni wedi gallu eu darparu, ac, o fewn y setliadau hynny, mae'n rhaid i'r cyrff hynny wneud eu penderfyniadau gwariant, yn enwedig awdurdodau lleol sydd â'u mandad democrataidd eu hunain. Ac wrth gwrs mae'r dewisiadau hynny'n anodd; mae'r dewisiadau hynny hefyd yn anodd i Lywodraeth Cymru o ran ble rydyn ni'n dyrannu ein hadnoddau. Nid oes unrhyw ddewisiadau hawdd. Rwyf i wedi cwrdd â Nofio Cymru ac rwyf wedi dadlau droeon gyda Nofio Cymru. Maen nhw'n deall safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru, ac wrth gwrs maen nhw'n galw am fwy o arian, gan fod pob sefydliad yr ydym ni'n ei helpu ac yn ei ariannu ac yn ei gefnogi yn gofyn am fwy o arian. Ond allwn ni ond darparu'r cyllid y gallwn ni o fewn yr amlen sydd ar gael i ni, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd awdurdodau lleol a sefydliadau hamdden yn gallu gwneud y penderfyniadau gorau y gallan nhw i warchod cymaint o'n cyfleusterau hamdden â phosib.

Decisions on scaling high-street banking back in Wales are ones that rest with the major retail banks. I applaud the efforts being made by a number of people, including those in Denbigh, to retain a bank branch. The Welsh Government will continue working with the Monmouthshire Building Society to realise our ambition for community banking in Wales.

Mae'r penderfyniadau ynglŷn â lleihau bancio ar y stryd fawr yng Nghymru yn rhai sydd yn nwylo'r prif fanciau manwerthu. Rydw i'n cymeradwyo'r ymdrechion sy'n cael eu gwneud gan nifer o bobl, gan gynnwys y rhai yn Ninbych, i gadw cangen banc. Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i weithio gyda Chymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy i wireddu ein huchelgais o ran bancio cymunedol yng Nghymru.

I appreciate your response, Minister, and the reason I'm asking this question today is for that very reason, because HSBC in Denbigh is set to close in the summer as part of 114 branch closures across the UK. But what I don't believe is that the due diligence has been considered for people in rural areas, and in particular the people of Denbigh, where some can't travel as far as Rhyl or Ruthin to carry out their financial affairs if they are elderly, disabled, can't drive or don't have access to public transport. When I asked about this in the business statement last week, the Trefnydd told me that the matter wasn't devolved to Wales and therefore didn't require a statement. But you yourself, Minister, in 2021 released a statement on the Welsh Government's plan to support towns that have lost their banks. So, which is it, Minister, and what are you going to do to support people in rural Denbighshire?

Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi eich ymateb, Gweinidog, a'r rheswm rwy'n gofyn y cwestiwn hwn heddiw yw am yr union reswm hwnnw, oherwydd bydd HSBC yn Ninbych yn cau yn yr haf fel rhan o 114 o ganghennau yn cau ar draws y DU. Ond yr hyn nad ydw i'n ei gredu yw bod y diwydrwydd dyladwy wedi cael ei ystyried ar gyfer pobl mewn ardaloedd gwledig, ac yn arbennig pobl Dinbych, lle na all rhai deithio cyn belled â'r Rhyl neu Rhuthun i gyflawni eu materion ariannol os ydyn nhw'n oedrannus, yn anabl, ddim yn gallu gyrru neu nad oes ganddynt fynediad at drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Pan holais am hyn yn y datganiad busnes yr wythnos ddiwethaf, dywedodd y Trefnydd wrthyf nad oedd y mater wedi ei ddatganoli i Gymru ac felly nad oedd angen datganiad. Ond fe wnaethoch chi eich hun, Gweinidog, yn 2021 ryddhau datganiad am gynllun Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi trefi sydd wedi colli eu banciau. Felly pa un ydyw, Gweinidog, a beth ydych chi'n mynd i'w wneud i gefnogi pobl yng nghefn gwlad sir Ddinbych?

Financial services are not a devolved matter. However we have an ambition to help improve access to local services, which is why we're engaged with the Monmouthshire Building Society on a programme to try to regenerate community banking in a range of communities in Wales. I recognise that, within the over 100 closures across the UK, 12 of those HSBC closures will be in Wales. It's part of the trend we've seen a part of the changing way consumers choose to bank, and what that means is there's a divide in the way that different people access banking. So, it's partly a rural issue, and it's also issue in urban communities as well about having access to cash. Now, my understanding is that, whilst in Denbigh's case, HSBC had created an impact analysis report, we've yet to see the stakeholder engagement report published and made available online to understand the direct cost. Now, we will carry on working with other partners in areas that we are not directly responsible for, but we're doing this because we recognise there should be real benefit for access to affordable financial services in communities that may not otherwise see them. So, we'll carry on working with our partners in Monmouthshire Building Society, we'll carry on in our conversations with the UK Government, and we look forward to seeing whether banking hubs really will provide the scale and the pace of roll-out to try to match the pace and the scale of branch closures. I'm not optimistic that we'll see a match between those two, but we'll carry on being engaged as constructively as we can and should be.

Nid yw gwasanaethau ariannol yn fater sydd wedi ei ddatganoli. Ond mae gennym ni uchelgais i helpu i wella mynediad at wasanaethau lleol, a dyna pam rydyn ni'n ymwneud â Chymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy ar raglen i geisio adfywio bancio cymunedol mewn amrywiaeth o gymunedau yng Nghymru. Rwy'n cydnabod, o fewn y dros 100 o fanciau i gau ledled y DU, y bydd 12 o'r canghennau HSBC hynny sy'n cau yng Nghymru. Mae'n rhan o'r duedd rydyn ni wedi gweld, rhan o'r ffordd sy'n newid mae defnyddwyr yn dewis bancio, a beth mae hynny'n ei olygu yw bod rhaniad yn y ffordd mae gwahanol bobl yn cael mynediad at fancio. Felly, mae'n fater gwledig yn rhannol, ac mae hefyd yn broblem mewn cymunedau trefol yn ogystal â chael mynediad at arian parod. Nawr, fy nealltwriaeth i yw, er yn achos Dinbych, bod HSBC wedi creu adroddiad dadansoddi effaith, nid ydym eto wedi gweld yr adroddiad ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid yn cael ei gyhoeddi ac ar gael ar-lein er mwyn deall y gost uniongyrchol. Nawr, byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio gyda phartneriaid eraill mewn ardaloedd nad ydym ni'n uniongyrchol gyfrifol amdanynt, ond rydym ni'n gwneud hyn oherwydd ein bod ni'n cydnabod y dylai fod budd gwirioneddol i gael mynediad at wasanaethau ariannol fforddiadwy mewn cymunedau na fydd efallai'n eu gweld fel arall. Felly, byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio gyda'n partneriaid yng Nghymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy, byddwn ni'n cynnal ein sgyrsiau gyda Llywodraeth y DU, ac edrychwn ymlaen at weld a fydd canolfannau bancio mewn gwirionedd yn darparu graddfa a chyflymder cyflwyno i geisio paru cyflymder a nifer o ganghennau sy'n cau. Nid wyf yn obeithiol y byddwn ni'n gweld paru rhwng y ddau, ond byddwn yn parhau i ymgysylltu mor adeiladol ag y gallwn ni ac y dylen ni fod.

I'm grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer, to have the opportunity once again to raise the issue of banking provision in the Senedd. I think it's one that's well rehearsed on the floor of this Chamber. It's one that affects every corner of Wales. The Minister will be fully aware of my long-standing campaign to bring Wales's first community bank branch to Buckley in my own constituency. What is clear, Minister, is that there is clear cross-party consensus and support for the establishment of the Welsh Government's bold proposal of a community bank, but it's important that we now deliver that bold proposal. Can I ask the Minister whether he will do everything he can in his department to ensure Banc Cambria will be progressed as quickly as possible?

Rwy'n ddiolchgar, Dirprwy Lywydd, i gael cyfle unwaith eto i godi'r mater o ddarpariaeth bancio yn y Senedd. Rwy'n credu ei fod yn un sydd wedi'i drafod droeon ar lawr y Siambr yma. Mae'n un sy'n effeithio ar bob cornel o Gymru. Bydd y Gweinidog yn llwyr ymwybodol o fy ymgyrch hirsefydlog i ddod â changen banc cymunedol cyntaf Cymru i Fwcle yn fy etholaeth fy hun. Yr hyn sy'n amlwg, Gweinidog, yw bod consensws a chefnogaeth drawsbleidiol amlwg dros sefydlu cynnig beiddgar Llywodraeth Cymru o fanc cymunedol, ond mae'n bwysig ein bod ni nawr yn darparu'r cynnig beiddgar hwnnw. A gaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog a fydd yn gwneud popeth o fewn ei allu i sicrhau y bydd Banc Cambria yn cael ei symud ymlaen cyn gynted â phosib?

We're certainly looking to progress as quickly as possible, and that's the challenge, because the environment around this has changed. The environment in terms of the mortgage market is in a different place now, I'm afraid. We're likely to see a change in house prices over the next year, with a recession largely predicted. So, I'm meeting with my officials and Monmouthshire Building Society on the banking project. The Minister for Social Justice is also now engaged, because I have the task of trying to get the bank established and then it would switch to the Minister for Social Justice's portfolio for its ongoing engagement with Ministers here. The Member regularly raises Buckley, and I think he's also generously agreed that we could call the community bank the Buckley bank if we wanted to. Whilst I don't think we'll do that, we'll carry on keeping Members as informed as possible, and I'm hoping we'll have an update in the coming months on the pace of the work that's being done. I'm also very keen that Monmouthshire Building Society and Banc Cambria themselves engage directly with Members, because, you're right, there is cross-party support for this. It's important that it continues to be seen in that way with direct engagement with Members across the political spectrum.

Yn sicr, rydyn ni'n edrych i symud ymlaen cyn gynted â phosib, a dyna'r her, oherwydd mae'r amgylchedd sy'n ymwneud â hyn wedi newid. Mae'r amgylchedd o ran y farchnad morgeisi mewn lle gwahanol nawr, mae gen i ofn. Rydyn ni'n debygol o weld newid mewn prisiau tai dros y flwyddyn nesaf, gyda dirwasgiad yn cael ei ragweld ar y cyfan. Felly, rwy'n cyfarfod â'm swyddogion a Chymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy ar y prosiect bancio. Mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol hefyd bellach yn ymgysylltu, oherwydd mae gen i'r dasg o geisio cael y banc wedi'i sefydlu ac yna byddai'n newid i bortffolio'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ar gyfer ei ymgysylltiad parhaus â Gweinidogion yma. Mae'r Aelod yn codi Bwcle yn rheolaidd, ac rwy'n meddwl ei fod hefyd yn cytuno'n hael y gallen ni alw'r banc cymunedol yn fanc Bwcle pe byddem ni eisiau. Er nad ydw i'n credu y byddwn ni'n gwneud hynny, byddwn yn parhau i roi cymaint o wybodaeth â phosibl i'r Aelodau, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd gennym ni ddiweddariad yn y misoedd nesaf ar gyflymder y gwaith sy'n cael ei wneud. Rwyf i hefyd yn awyddus iawn bod Cymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy a Banc Cambria eu hunain yn ymgysylltu'n uniongyrchol ag Aelodau, oherwydd, rydych chi'n iawn, mae cefnogaeth drawsbleidiol i hyn. Mae'n bwysig ei fod yn parhau i gael ei weld yn y ffordd honno gydag ymgysylltu'n uniongyrchol ag Aelodau ar draws y sbectrwm gwleidyddol.

Sport Wales is the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and physical activity in Wales and is doing so in line with its vision and strategy.

Chwaraeon Cymru yw'r sefydliad cenedlaethol sy'n gyfrifol am ddatblygu a hyrwyddo chwaraeon ac ymarfer corff yng Nghymru ac mae'n gwneud hynny yn unol â'i weledigaeth a'i strategaeth.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. You could have fooled me, as the strategy has not been updated since the initial release in 2015, eight years ago. Half of those aims relate to sporting bodies themselves, as you've just said. The rest needed Welsh Government's direct funding, which, of course, has been found lacking. The aim of the last strategy for Wales was to be the No. 1 Commonwealth Games sporting nation and to increase the number and quality of athletes on the UK world-class programmes. This hasn't happened. Minister, the Government is failing elite sports. Labour have made no investment for decades. There's not been and still isn't any vision from this Welsh Government. We see no international swimming pool in north Wales, no rugby venue in the north, and we still have no equality of provision across Wales when it comes to facilities. As we see elite athletes and junior teams having to self-fund and travel to England to use the basic facilities, they are just not supported how they should be. Elite athletes and teams are not getting the investment they need or deserve, yet I see the Deputy Minister, of course, quick to celebrate any success when successes for our sportspeople are clearly in spite of this Welsh Government and the lack of funding, not because of them. When will we see the strategy updated and a true vision for elite sport in Wales?

Diolch, Dirprwy Weinidog. Fe allech chi fod wedi fy nhwyllo, gan nad yw'r strategaeth wedi'i diweddaru ers y datganiad cychwynnol yn 2015, wyth mlynedd yn ôl. Mae hanner y nodau hynny'n ymwneud â chyrff chwaraeon eu hunain, fel rydych chi newydd ddweud. Roedd y gweddill angen cyllid uniongyrchol gan Lywodraeth Cymru, sydd, wrth gwrs, wedi bod yn ddiffygiol. Nod y strategaeth ddiwethaf i Gymru oedd bod y brif genedl chwaraeon Gemau'r Gymanwlad a chynyddu nifer ac ansawdd yr athletwyr ar raglenni o'r radd flaenaf yn y DU. Nid yw hyn wedi digwydd. Gweinidog, mae'r Llywodraeth yn methu chwaraeon elît. Nid yw Llafur wedi buddsoddi ers degawdau. Nid oes gweledigaeth wedi bod ac nid oes unrhyw weledigaeth o hyd gan y Llywodraeth hon yng Nghymru. Nid ydym ni'n gweld pwll nofio rhyngwladol yn y gogledd, dim lleoliad rygbi yn y gogledd, ac nid oes gennym ni gydraddoldeb o ran darpariaeth ar draws Cymru pan fo'n dod at gyfleusterau o hyd. Wrth i ni weld athletwyr elît a thimau iau yn gorfod hunan-ariannu a theithio i Loegr i ddefnyddio'r cyfleusterau sylfaenol, dydyn nhw ddim yn cael eu cefnogi fel y dylen nhw gael eu cefnogi. Nid yw athletwyr elît a thimau yn cael y buddsoddiad y maen nhw ei angen ac yn ei haeddu, ac eto rwy'n gweld y Dirprwy Weinidog, wrth gwrs, yn gyflym i ddathlu unrhyw lwyddiant pan fo llwyddiannau i'n mabolgampwyr yn amlwg er gwaethaf y Llywodraeth hon yng Nghymru a'r diffyg cyllid, nid o'u herwydd. Pryd fydd y strategaeth yn cael ei diweddaru a gweledigaeth wirioneddol ar gyfer chwaraeon elît yng Nghymru?

Of course, the vision for sport is the replacement strategy, so the strategy that you're talking about hasn't been updated, it's been replaced. We now have the vision for sport that seeks to promote Wales to the world through the performance of our elite athletes and our sporting excellence. The Sport Wales sport strategy aims to deliver that success for Wales on the world stage through a holistic approach to developing athletes and creating environments where they can thrive. As I'm sure Laura Jones is well aware, Wales is an integral part of the UK high-performance system, so we don't sit alone in this and we are part of the Olympic and Paralympic Sport Wales athletes programme for team GB on the highest sporting stage. You will know yourself how many Welsh athletes contribute to the GB team at the Olympics and the success that they have had through that programme. It's just simply not true to say that there is no investment in sport in Wales. Our revenue budget to Sport Wales is £23 million in the last year. It will be another £24 million in the next financial year, and we have an annual capital budget for sport in Wales of £8 million a year. We've provided an increased in-year allocation this year on capital investment in sport of £1.54 million. Now, the elite pathways for sport are developed through the national governing bodies. They are not the direct responsibility of Sport Wales; they are developed through the national governing bodies. It is also not true to say that Sport Wales doesn't support and fund individual elite athletes, because they do through the National Lottery and they receive support through Elite Cymru, which is part of Sport Wales. They will receive funding through that route when they are referred by their national governing bodies. So, our investment in sport is partly through the lottery and it is partly through the direct funding that Sport Wales receives. As I've said, we are part of international organisations and bodies as well.

Wrth gwrs, y weledigaeth ar gyfer chwaraeon yw'r strategaeth newydd, felly nid yw'r strategaeth rydych chi'n sôn amdano wedi'i diweddaru, mae wedi cael ei disodli. Mae gennym ni'r weledigaeth nawr ar gyfer chwaraeon sy'n ceisio hyrwyddo Cymru i'r byd drwy berfformiad ein hathletwyr elît a'n rhagoriaeth ym myd chwaraeon. Nod strategaeth chwaraeon Chwaraeon Cymru yw sicrhau'r llwyddiant hwnnw i Gymru ar lwyfan y byd trwy ddull cyfannol o ddatblygu athletwyr a chreu amgylcheddau lle maen nhw'n gallu ffynnu. Fel rwy'n siŵr bod Laura Jones yn ymwybodol iawn, mae Cymru'n rhan annatod o system perfformiad uchel y Deyrnas Unedig, felly nid ydym ni ar ein pennau ein hunain yn hyn o beth ac rydyn ni'n rhan o raglen athletwyr Chwaraeon Olympaidd a Pharalympaidd Cymru i dîm Prydain Fawr ar y llwyfan chwaraeon uchaf. Fe fyddwch chi'n gwybod eich hun faint o athletwyr o Gymru sy'n cyfrannu at dîm Prydain Fawr yn y Gemau Olympaidd a'r llwyddiant maen nhw wedi'i gael drwy'r rhaglen honno. Yn syml, nid yw'n wir dweud nad oes buddsoddiad mewn chwaraeon yng Nghymru. Roedd ein cyllideb refeniw i Chwaraeon Cymru yn £23 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf. Bydd yn £24 miliwn arall yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, ac mae gennym ni gyllideb gyfalaf flynyddol i chwaraeon yng Nghymru o £8 miliwn y flwyddyn. Rydym ni wedi darparu dyraniad cynyddol yn y flwyddyn eleni ar fuddsoddiad cyfalaf mewn chwaraeon o £1.54 miliwn. Nawr, mae'r llwybrau elît ar gyfer chwaraeon yn cael eu datblygu drwy'r cyrff llywodraethu cenedlaethol. Nid cyfrifoldeb uniongyrchol Chwaraeon Cymru ydyn nhw; maen nhw'n cael eu datblygu drwy'r cyrff llywodraethu cenedlaethol. Nid yw'n wir chwaith dweud nad yw Chwaraeon Cymru yn cefnogi ac yn ariannu athletwyr elitaidd unigol, oherwydd maen nhw'n gwneud trwy'r Loteri Genedlaethol ac maen nhw'n derbyn cefnogaeth trwy Elite Cymru, sy'n rhan o Chwaraeon Cymru. Byddant yn derbyn cyllid drwy'r llwybr hwnnw pan fyddant yn cael eu cyfeirio gan eu cyrff llywodraethu cenedlaethol. Felly, yn rhannol trwy'r loteri mae'r buddsoddiad mewn chwaraeon ac mae'n rhannol trwy'r arian uniongyrchol mae Chwaraeon Cymru'n ei gael. Fel rwyf i wedi'i ddweud, rydyn ni'n rhan o sefydliadau a chyrff rhyngwladol hefyd.

We cannot overestimate the importance of lottery funding to individuals. For the major team sports, such as football and rugby, player development is carried out by amateur and professional clubs, with professional football clubs having academies. Where support is needed is for younger players in sports such as tennis; players who need to travel to national and international tournaments and who need high-quality coaching. What support is being provided, either directly or indirectly, to these young people?

Ni allwn orbwysleisio pwysigrwydd arian loteri i unigolion. Ar gyfer y prif chwaraeon tîm, fel pêl-droed a rygbi, mae datblygiad chwaraewyr yn cael ei wneud gan glybiau amatur a phroffesiynol, gydag academïau yn rhan o glybiau pêl-droed proffesiynol. Lle mae angen cymorth ar gyfer chwaraewyr iau mewn chwaraeon fel tenis; chwaraewyr sydd angen teithio i dwrnameintiau cenedlaethol a rhyngwladol ac sydd angen hyfforddiant o safon uchel. Pa gymorth sy'n cael ei ddarparu, naill ai'n uniongyrchol neu'n anuniongyrchol, i'r bobl ifanc hyn?

The support for team sports goes through the national governing bodies. Individual support can be afforded, as I've said, for individuals if they are referred through their national governing body through to Sport Wales.

Mae'r gefnogaeth i chwaraeon tîm yn mynd trwy'r cyrff llywodraethu cenedlaethol. Gall cefnogaeth unigol gael ei gynnig, fel rwyf i wedi'i ddweud, i unigolion os ydyn nhw'n cael eu cyfeirio trwy eu corff llywodraethu cenedlaethol at Chwaraeon Cymru.

The First Minister and I continue to engage with our key counterparts in the UK Government. I met with Ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy last week, when I raised steel as an issue. We also engage with senior representatives of the steel sector in Wales, on both the business and trade union side. We continue to believe, in the Welsh Government, in the importance of securing a sustainable future for the strategically important steel sector in Wales as part of what should be seen as sovereign UK capability.

Mae'r Prif Weinidog a minnau'n parhau i ymgysylltu â'n cymheiriaid allweddol yn Llywodraeth y DU. Fe wnes i gyfarfod â Gweinidogion o'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol yr wythnos ddiwethaf, pan godais ddur fel mater. Rydym ni hefyd yn ymgysylltu ag uwch gynrychiolwyr y sector dur yng Nghymru, ar ochr busnes ac undebau llafur. Rydym ni'n parhau i gredu, yn Llywodraeth Cymru, ym mhwysigrwydd sicrhau dyfodol cynaliadwy i'r sector dur strategol bwysig yng Nghymru fel rhan o'r hyn y dylid ei weld fel gallu sofran y DU.

I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer and, also, to the Welsh Government for their continued support for the steel industry in Wales. The Minister has joined me on many occasions at Shotton Steel in my own constituency, which proves that you understand the importance of Welsh steel and you understand the importance of Shotton having a supply of green steel. Minister, industry partners like Tata Steel and the trade unions, such as Unite the Union and the Community union - and I declare that I'm a member of both trade unions, Deputy Presiding Officer - have both been calling for the UK Government to invest in the sector through ensuring that energy prices are competitive with competing nations and, also, to invest in the decarbonisation of plants. Now, the £600 million offered by the UK Government is simply not enough; that was the clear message of concern during the cross-party group on steel last night. We know that you'll be joining the cross-party group on steel some time in future. We're yet to hear from the Prime Minister, or the last three Prime Ministers, in response to our letters, which, perhaps, is no surprise. But, Minister, will you continue to lead calls for meaningful investment from the UK Government in the Welsh steel industry?

Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am ei ateb ac, hefyd, i Lywodraeth Cymru am eu cefnogaeth barhaus i'r diwydiant dur yng Nghymru. Mae'r Gweinidog wedi ymuno â mi droeon yn Shotton Steel yn fy etholaeth fy hun, sy'n profi eich bod yn deall pwysigrwydd dur Cymru ac rydych chi'n deall pwysigrwydd bod Shotton yn cael cyflenwad o ddur gwyrdd. Gweinidog, mae partneriaid y diwydiant fel Tata Steel a'r undebau llafur, fel Unite the Union a'r undeb Community - ac rwy'n datgan fy mod i'n aelod o'r ddau undeb llafur, Dirprwy Lywydd - ill dau wedi bod yn galw ar Lywodraeth y DU i fuddsoddi yn y sector drwy sicrhau bod prisiau ynni'n gystadleuol â chenhedloedd sy'n cystadlu ac, hefyd, i fuddsoddi mewn datgarboneiddio ffatrioedd. Nawr, yn syml, nid yw'r £600 miliwn a gynigir gan Lywodraeth y DU yn ddigon; dyna oedd y neges glir o bryder yn ystod y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar ddur neithiwr. Rydyn ni'n gwybod y byddwch chi'n ymuno â'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar ddur rhywbryd yn y dyfodol. Rydyn ni eto i glywed gan y Prif Weinidog, neu'r tri Phrif Weinidog olaf, mewn ymateb i'n llythyrau, sydd, efallai, ddim yn syndod. Ond, Gweinidog, a fyddwch chi'n parhau i arwain galwadau am fuddsoddiad ystyrlon gan Lywodraeth y DU yn niwydiant dur Cymru?

Yes, I'll certainly do that. And it's not just about meaningful investment, but you're right to point out that the industry itself recognises that it needs to chart a path to decarbonisation for a sustainable future. But, to do that, we shouldn't simply collapse our own capacity within the UK and end up importing steel without understanding the carbon footprint of steel produced in other parts of the world. This is a set of questions that will affect other Members in the Chamber. I see both Newport constituency Members with an interest in what's happening with Liberty; the Deputy Presiding Officer can't speak, but he's obviously got a significant interest too. What we have been calling for is to get us to that greener future for steel production, and to recognise that it's important for a range of industries today. That means action on the high costs of energy compared to European counterparts. That also means action on scrap exports. We export millions of tonnes of scrap metal every year; we should be keeping more of that in the UK for our steel sector. We also want the UK Government to partner with the industry to chart out some of the challenges over capital investment. We also want to see investment in hydrogen as an alternative for blast steel technologies in the future, rather than seeing all of that take place in other parts of the world. So, there are direct jobs, there are dependent jobs in the supply chain, and, of course, large industries, whether it's construction or manufacturing, that are reliant on steel, including the big opportunities that exist in marine energy and floating offshore wind. I want to see British and Welsh steel in those products in the future, and that requires a different approach from the UK Government. A £600 million offer between two companies isn't going to get us where we need to be, but at least there is an offer for us to work with, and hopefully see an end result that all of us can celebrate and be positive about.

Byddaf, mi fyddaf yn sicr o wneud hynny. Ac nid yw'n ymwneud â buddsoddiad ystyrlon yn unig, ond rydych chi'n iawn i dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod y diwydiant ei hun yn cydnabod bod angen iddo olrhain llwybr i ddatgarboneiddio ar gyfer dyfodol cynaliadwy. Ond, i wneud hynny, ni ddylem ddymchwel ein capasiti ein hunain o fewn y DU yn unig a gorffen mewnforio dur heb ddeall ôl troed carbon dur a gynhyrchir mewn rhannau eraill o'r byd. Dyma set o gwestiynau a fydd yn effeithio ar Aelodau eraill yn y Siambr. Rwy'n gweld y ddau Aelod etholaeth Casnewydd â diddordeb yn yr hyn sy'n digwydd gyda Liberty; ni all y Dirprwy Lywydd siarad, ond mae'n amlwg fod ganddo ddiddordeb sylweddol hefyd. Yr hyn rydyn ni wedi bod yn galw amdano yw ein cael ni i'r dyfodol gwyrddach hwnnw ar gyfer cynhyrchu dur, a chydnabod ei fod yn bwysig i ystod o ddiwydiannau heddiw. Mae hynny'n golygu gweithredu ar gostau uchel ynni o'i gymharu â chymheiriaid yn Ewrop. Mae hynny hefyd yn golygu gweithredu ar allforion sgrap. Rydym ni'n allforio miliynau o dunelli o fetel sgrap bob blwyddyn; dylem fod yn cadw mwy o hynny yn y DU ar gyfer ein sector dur. Rydym ni hefyd am i Lywodraeth y DU ffurfio partneriaeth â'r diwydiant i nodi rhai o'r heriau dros fuddsoddi cyfalaf. Rydyn ni hefyd eisiau gweld buddsoddiad mewn hydrogen fel dewis arall ar gyfer technolegau dur chwyth yn y dyfodol, yn hytrach na gweld hynny i gyd yn digwydd mewn rhannau eraill o'r byd. Felly, mae swyddi uniongyrchol, mae swyddi dibynnol yn y gadwyn gyflenwi, ac, wrth gwrs, diwydiannau mawr, boed yn adeiladu neu'n weithgynhyrchu, sy'n ddibynnol ar ddur, gan gynnwys y cyfleoedd mawr sy'n bodoli mewn ynni morol a gwynt arnawf ar y môr. Rydw i eisiau gweld dur Prydain a Chymru yn y cynhyrchion hynny yn y dyfodol, ac mae hynny'n gofyn am ddull gwahanol gan Lywodraeth y DU. Nid yw cynnig gwerth £600 miliwn rhwng dau gwmni yn mynd i'n cael ni lle mae angen i ni fod, ond o leiaf mae cynnig i ni weithio gyda nhw, a gobeithio gweld canlyniad terfynol y gall pob un ohonom ni ddathlu a bod yn bositif amdano.

Minister, we all accept the need to decarbonise our steel industry. While the funding being offered by the UK Government to Tata to move to electric arc furnaces is welcome, an alternative has emerged in the past few days. Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a process to radically reduce emissions from a traditional blast furnace. This technology converts carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide that can be reused in the iron ore reaction. In this process, the typically damaged carbon dioxide is turned into a useful part of the reaction, forming an almost perfect closed carbon loop, and reduces emissions by around 90 per cent. Minister, will you work with the UK Government, Tata and Birmingham University to explore further whether this approach could enable Wales to retain its sovereign steel production activity? Thank you.

Gweinidog, rydyn ni i gyd yn derbyn yr angen i ddatgarboneiddio ein diwydiant dur. Er bod croeso i'r arian sy'n cael ei gynnig gan Lywodraeth y DU i Tata i symud i ffwrneisi arc trydan, mae dewis arall wedi dod i'r amlwg yn ystod y dyddiau diwethaf. Mae gwyddonwyr ym Mhrifysgol Birmingham wedi datblygu proses i leihau allyriadau o ffwrnais chwyth draddodiadol yn sylweddol. Mae'r dechnoleg hon yn trosi carbon deuocsid yn garbon monocsid y gellir ei ailddefnyddio yn yr adwaith mwyn haearn. Yn y broses hon, mae'r carbon deuocsid sydd wedi'i ddifrodi fel arfer yn cael ei droi'n rhan ddefnyddiol o'r adwaith, gan ffurfio dolen carbon caeedig bron yn berffaith, ac yn lleihau allyriadau o tua 90 y cant. Gweinidog, a wnewch chi weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU, Tata a Phrifysgol Birmingham i archwilio ymhellach a allai'r dull hwn alluogi Cymru i gadw ei gweithgarwch cynhyrchu dur sofran? Diolch.

I'm seriously interested in maintaining that capability within the UK, and that will exist here. The challenge is that the £300 million offer for Tata to equalise the £300 million offer to British Steel - they're actually different scales of operation. And actually, that's about moving towards electric arc production rather than maintaining an alternative form of blast steel manufacture. The challenge really is around capital investment, and how quickly that can be deployed, and the window for doing so isn't infinite. It has been a regular conversation that, as I've said in response to Jack Sargeant, I've had directly with UK Ministers, the First Minister has had directly with UK Ministers and directly with steel firms and the trade union side as well. There needs to be a sense of urgency from UK Government on this, and I hope that the Chancellor uses the budget coming up in March as an opportunity to announce and agree something meaningful to give our steel sector the opportunity to invest in its future and our future, and as I say, to see this as a sovereign UK capability. If it does that, there should be good news for the workers here in Wales.

Mae gen i wir ddiddordeb mewn cynnal y gallu hwnnw o fewn y DU, a bydd hynny'n bodoli yma. Yr her yw bod y cynnig gwerth £300 miliwn i Tata gyfateb y cynnig o £300 miliwn i British Steel - maen nhw mewn gwirionedd yn wahanol raddfeydd gweithredu. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae hynny'n ymwneud â symud tuag at gynhyrchu arc trydan yn hytrach na chynnal math amgen o weithgynhyrchu dur chwyth. Mae'r her mewn gwirionedd yn ymwneud â buddsoddiad cyfalaf, a pha mor gyflym y gellir defnyddio hynny, ac nid yw'r ffenestr ar gyfer gwneud hynny yn ddi-ben-draw. Mae wedi bod yn sgwrs reolaidd, fel y dywedais i mewn ymateb i Jack Sargeant, rydw i wedi'i chael yn uniongyrchol â Gweinidogion y DU, mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i chael yn uniongyrchol gyda Gweinidogion y DU ac yn uniongyrchol gyda chwmnïau dur a'r ochr undebau llafur hefyd. Mae angen ymdeimlad o frys gan Lywodraeth y DU ar hyn, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod y Canghellor yn defnyddio'r gyllideb sy'n dod ym mis Mawrth fel cyfle i gyhoeddi a chytuno ar rywbeth ystyrlon i roi cyfle i'n sector dur fuddsoddi yn ei ddyfodol ei hun a'n dyfodol ni, ac fel y dywedais i, i weld hyn fel gallu sofran yn y DU. Os yw'n gwneud hynny, dylai fod newyddion da i'r gweithwyr yma yng Nghymru.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your chairmanship of the cross-party group.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch am eich cadeiryddiaeth o'r grŵp trawsbleidiol.

The reality is that much of the investment for the steel industry must come from the UK Government, and I'd have to join Jack Sargeant in saying that it is disappointing that there is a reluctance from UK Government Ministers to engage with our CPG. In fairness to you, Minister, I think this will be the second time that you've come to the CPG now, and I know Members are very appreciative of that. We know that steel is important for reaching net zero, so, to this end - and you mentioned hydrogen use in blast furnaces - I would like to explore further how steel factors into the Welsh Government's approach to hydrogen. Of course, hydrogen may offer a way of producing low-carbon steel and secure the industry's future, and the risk, of course, is that if we don't look at hydrogen more, we may focus too much on recycled steel.

Y gwir yw bod yn rhaid i lawer o'r buddsoddiad ar gyfer y diwydiant dur ddod gan Lywodraeth y DU, ac fe fyddai'n rhaid i mi ymuno a Jack Sargeant wrth ddweud ei bod yn siomedig bod amharodrwydd gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU i ymwneud â'n grŵp trawsbleidiol. Er tegwch i chi, Gweinidog, rwy'n credu mai dyma fydd yr eildro i chi ddod i'r grŵp trawsbleidiol nawr, ac rwy'n gwybod bod yr Aelodau yn werthfawrogol iawn o hynny. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod dur yn bwysig ar gyfer cyrraedd sero-net, felly, i'r perwyl hwn - ac fe wnaethoch chi sôn am ddefnyddio hydrogen mewn ffwrneisi chwyth - hoffwn archwilio ymhellach sut mae dur yn rhan o agwedd Llywodraeth Cymru tuag at hydrogen. Wrth gwrs, gall hydrogen gynnig ffordd o gynhyrchu dur carbon isel a sicrhau dyfodol y diwydiant, a'r risg yw, wrth gwrs, os nad ydym ni'n edrych ar hydrogen yn fwy, efallai y byddwn ni'n canolbwyntio'n ormodol ar ddur a ailgylchwyd.

There are investment choices being made in Holland - it's not a secret - around hydrogen as an alternative to blast furnace technology there. The challenge is that, if we don't see action taken by the UK Government to engage in that conversation, because they will need to be a partner to make that work, then we would end up importing that steel from other parts of the world. Now, it doesn't mean that the steel sector doesn't exist without blast furnace technology. There's a part of the sector that wouldn't exist, and the challenge then is, could you persuade a future UK Government and future businesses to invest in importing that technology that is proven somewhere else? There's a real risk for us in doing so. I also think it's important for what our ambitions are for steel itself, how we see it as a real capability, and it would make a big difference to workers in the sector. So, we've been really clear and really consistent that we want the UK Government to be part of this. And if it did so, and if you had that major investment made in that alternative technology, it would help with hydrogen use and pipeline, and the incentive to generate green hydrogen - [ Inaudible.] - to significant industrial clusters, whether in south or north Wales. So, there should be alternative gains to be made, but that does require a significant UK Government choice.

Mae dewisiadau buddsoddi yn cael eu gwneud yn yr Iseldiroedd - nid yw'n gyfrinach - ynghylch hydrogen fel dewis arall yn lle technoleg ffwrnais chwyth yno. Yr her yw, os na welwn ni gamau yn cael eu cymryd gan Lywodraeth y DU i gymryd rhan yn y sgwrs honno, oherwydd bydd angen iddynt fod yn bartner i wneud i hynny weithio, yna byddem ni yn y diwedd yn mewnforio'r dur hwnnw o rannau eraill o'r byd. Nawr, nid yw'n golygu nad yw'r sector dur yn bodoli heb dechnoleg ffwrnais chwyth. Mae rhan o'r sector na fyddai'n bodoli, a'r her wedyn yw, a allech chi berswadio Llywodraeth y DU yn y dyfodol a busnesau yn y dyfodol i fuddsoddi mewn mewnforio'r dechnoleg honno sy'n cael ei phrofi yn rhywle arall? Mae risg gwirioneddol i ni wrth wneud hynny. Rwyf i hefyd yn meddwl ei fod yn bwysig ar gyfer ein huchelgeisiau ar gyfer dur ei hun, sut rydyn ni'n ei weld fel gallu go iawn, a byddai'n gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr i weithwyr yn y sector. Felly, rydyn ni wedi bod yn glir iawn ac yn gyson iawn ein bod ni eisiau i Lywodraeth y DU fod yn rhan o hyn. A phetai'n gwneud hynny, a phe bai'r buddsoddiad mawr hwnnw yn cael ei wneud yn y dechnoleg amgen honno, byddai'n helpu gyda defnydd hydrogen a phiblinellau, a'r cymhelliant i gynhyrchu hydrogen gwyrdd - [ Anghlywadwy. ] - i glystyrau diwydiannol sylweddol, boed yn y de neu'r gogledd. Felly, dylai fod enillion amgen i'w gwneud, ond mae angen dewis sylweddol gan Lywodraeth y DU ar hynny.

You mentioned Liberty Steel, Minister, and the mothballing of that plant has understandably created a great deal of concern. You would know, Minister, that that industrial operation is very extensive, and has many opportunities within it, I think. You've got the power station there, the rail links and the rail head, its own dock and the scale of the site; it has great potential, and there's a deal of frustration that that potential isn't being realised at the moment. So, will you, Minister, work with Liberty Steel and possibly others in the future to make sure that the potential in that site is fully realised for economic development and jobs growth?

Fe wnaethoch chi sôn am Liberty Steel, Gweinidog, ac mae cau'r ffatri honno dros dro yn ddealladwy wedi creu llawer iawn o bryder. Fe fyddwch chi'n gwybod, Gweinidog, bod y gweithrediad diwydiannol hwnnw'n helaeth iawn, a bod llawer o gyfleoedd o'i fewn, rwy'n meddwl. Mae gennych chi'r orsaf bŵer yno, y cysylltiadau rheilffordd a phen y rheilffordd, ei doc ei hun a graddfa'r safle; mae ganddo botensial mawr, ac mae yna gryn rwystredigaeth nad yw'r potensial yna'n cael ei wireddu ar hyn o bryd. Felly, a wnewch chi, Gweinidog, weithio gyda Liberty Steel ac o bosib eraill yn y dyfodol i wneud yn siŵr bod y potensial yn y safle hwnnw yn cael ei wireddu'n llawn ar gyfer datblygiad economaidd a thwf swyddi?

Yes. I'm very happy to carry on working together with my officials, and the company, and counterparts in the UK Government if we can find an answer for the sites in both Newport and Tredegar. We want to see the steel sector have a healthy future. If we can't generate and produce that steel ourselves, we will end up importing it from other parts of the world, with greater risk in terms of price volatility, supply, and, of course, our understanding of the carbon footprint of that steel production. One of the positives is that the workforce are loyal to the site and to their workplace. There's a challenge there about maintaining that sense of unity. If we can help in securing an economic and sustainable future for the site, then I'm certainly happy to continue to work as hard as we possibly can to do so.

Gwnaf. Rwy'n hapus iawn i barhau i gydweithio gyda'm swyddogion, a'r cwmni, a'r swyddogion cyfatebol yn Llywodraeth y DU os gallwn ni ddod o hyd i ateb ar gyfer y safleoedd yng Nghasnewydd a Thredegar. Rydyn ni eisiau gweld fod gan y sector dur ddyfodol iach. Os na allwn ni greu a chynhyrchu'r dur hwnnw ein hunain, byddwn ni yn y diwedd yn ei fewnforio o rannau eraill o'r byd, gyda mwy o risg o ran anwadalwch pris, cyflenwad, ac, wrth gwrs, ein dealltwriaeth o ôl troed carbon y cynhyrchiad dur hwnnw. Un o'r pethau positif yw bod y gweithlu'n deyrngar i'r safle ac i'w gweithle. Mae her yno am gynnal yr ymdeimlad hwnnw o undod. Os gallwn ni helpu i sicrhau dyfodol economaidd a chynaliadwy i'r safle, yna rwy'n sicr yn hapus i barhau i weithio mor galed ag y gallwn ni i wneud hynny.

We remain committed to supporting the aerospace centre. We continue to work closely with Gwynedd Council, the site operator and other partners to help attract investment to the site. We recognise its global potential to the space sector for Wales, and in attracting economic activity to rural Gwynedd.

Rydyn ni'n parhau i fod yn ymrwymedig i gefnogi'r ganolfan awyrofod. Rydyn ni'n parhau i weithio'n agos gyda Chyngor Gwynedd, gweithredwr y safle a phartneriaid eraill i helpu i ddenu buddsoddiad i'r safle. Rydym ni'n cydnabod ei botensial byd-eang i'r sector gofod yng Nghymru, ac o ran denu gweithgarwch economaidd i Wynedd wledig.

Thank you very much for that response. The Government, of course, has invested millions in developing the Snowdonia aerospace centre in Llanbedr, and the Government has great ambitions for developing Wales as a leader in space technology. But experts in the area and the tenants on the site say that delivering these ambitions will be impossible without improvement to infrastructure to reach the site. In the absence of any public funds to build the link road, it's very difficult to see how the Government's ambitions are nothing but a pipe dream. So, what credible plan does the Government have in place for the Llanbedr centre, or is the Minister happy to see the Meirionydd coast being nothing more than a playground for visitors? Thank you.

Diolch yn fawr iawn am yr ateb yna. Mae'r Llywodraeth, wrth gwrs, wedi buddsoddi milynau i mewn i ddatblygu canolfan awyrofod Eryri yn Llanbedr, ac mae gan y Llywodraeth uchelgeisiau arallfydol ar gyfer datblygu Cymru fel cenedl sy'n arwain mewn technoleg ofod. Ond, dywed arbenigwyr yn y maes, a'r tenantiaid sydd ar y safle, fod gwireddu'r uchelgeisiau yma am fod yn amhosibl heb wella'r isadeiledd i gyrraedd y safle. Yn absenoldeb unrhyw arian cyhoeddus i adeiladu'r ffordd gyswllt, mae'n anodd iawn gweld sut nad ydy uchelgeisiau'r Llywodraeth yn ddim byd ond breuddwyd gwrach. Pa gynllun credadwy sydd gan y Llywodraeth ar gyfer maes awyr Llanbedr felly, ynteu ydy'r Gweinidog yn hapus i weld arfordir Meirionydd yn ddim byd mwy na maes chwarae ar gyfer ymwelwyr? Diolch.

No, that's absolutely not the vision of me individually, or, indeed, the Government. We have seen over £3.5 million of public investment in the site since 2012. We also have seen a range of activity, including remotely-piloted aircraft systems and unmanned aircraft test and evaluation programmes as a result. We're looking for the leaseholders of the site to work with us in actually designing the future, because there are other parts of our growing space sector that are interested in the future use of Llanbedr as a site for them. It's not all about Spaceport Cornwall. You'll have seen the flight that didn't quite make it into space, but one of the companies on there was a Welsh company. They also look at the potential, not just in Cornwall, but what they could do in Llanbedr as well. So, I think the challenge is how we get to that point, with the right investment partner, to actually see that potential realised. So, I don't take the downbeat view that the Member has in his supplementary. I think there is still a really positive future for significant economic development activity around that site for his constituents and beyond.

Na, nid dyna'r weledigaeth sydd gen i'n unigol, nac, yn wir, y Llywodraeth. Rydyn ni wedi gweld dros £3.5 miliwn o fuddsoddiad cyhoeddus yn y safle ers 2012. Rydyn ni hefyd wedi gweld ystod o weithgarwch, gan gynnwys systemau awyrennau wedi'u treialu o bell a rhaglenni profi a gwerthuso awyrennau di-griw o ganlyniad. Rydyn ni'n chwilio am lesddalwyr y safle i weithio gyda ni i ddylunio'r dyfodol mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd mae rhannau eraill o'n sector gofod cynyddol sydd â diddordeb yn y defnydd o Lanbedr yn y dyfodol fel safle iddyn nhw. Nid yw'n ymwneud â Spaceport Cernyw. Fe fyddwch chi wedi gweld yr hediad na wnaeth lwyddo i fynd i'r gofod, ond roedd un o'r cwmnïau oedd yno yn gwmni Cymreig. Maen nhw hefyd yn edrych ar y potensial, nid yn unig yng Nghernyw, ond beth allen nhw wneud yn Llanbedr hefyd. Felly, rwy'n credu mai'r her yw sut rydyn ni'n cyrraedd y pwynt hwnnw, gyda'r partner buddsoddi cywir, i weld y potensial hwnnw'n cael ei wireddu mewn gwirionedd. Felly, dydw i ddim yn cymryd y farn negyddol sydd gan yr Aelod yn ei ymateb. Rwy'n credu bod dyfodol cadarnhaol iawn o hyd ar gyfer gweithgarwch datblygu economaidd sylweddol o amgylch y safle hwnnw i'w etholwyr a thu hwnt.

We continue to do everything possible to support the SME sector throughout Wales through our progressive economic policies. These focus on better skills, better jobs and tackling inequality with the tools at our disposal. That includes working with our stakeholders and, of course, we will soon celebrate 10 years of our Business Wales business support programme.

Rydym ni'n parhau i wneud popeth posibl i gefnogi'r sector BBaCh ledled Cymru drwy ein polisïau economaidd blaengar. Mae'r rhain yn canolbwyntio ar sgiliau gwell, swyddi gwell a mynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldeb gyda'r offer sydd ar gael i ni. Mae hynny'n cynnwys gweithio gyda'n rhanddeiliaid, ac wrth gwrs, byddwn yn dathlu 10 mlynedd o'n rhaglen cymorth busnes Busnes Cymru yn fuan.

Yes. Often, I think, Minister, small and medium enterprises are so busy running their businesses that it's difficult to be aware of the help and support available, and, indeed, to spend the time to access that. But I must say Business Wales were invaluable in Newport East, and my constituency office worked very well with them during the pandemic, when they were able to make sure that a range of businesses accessed the support that was available. And I know that Business Wales has a strong offer in areas where the Welsh Government is able to act, for example, the economic resilience fund, and that was very much the case at the time. It was a sharp contrast, Minister, I must say, to UK Government, which left many gaps in support for businesses, and I do believe that that continues now, with too many businesses not being supported by UK Government with rising energy bills. This is something indeed that the Federation of Small Businesses have also raised with me. So, Minister, through Business Wales and other mechanisms, what additional support might Welsh Government consider to help small and medium-sized enterprises through this cost-of-doing-business crisis?

Ie. Yn aml, rwy'n credu, Gweinidog, mae mentrau bach a chanolig mor brysur yn rhedeg eu busnesau nes ei bod hi'n anodd bod yn ymwybodol o'r help a'r gefnogaeth sydd ar gael, ac, yn wir, treulio'r amser i fanteisio arnyn nhw. Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud bod Busnes Cymru yn amhrisiadwy yn Nwyrain Casnewydd, ac fe weithiodd fy swyddfa etholaeth yn dda iawn gyda nhw yn ystod y pandemig, pan oedden nhw'n gallu gwneud yn siŵr bod amrywiaeth o fusnesau'n cael mynediad i'r gefnogaeth oedd ar gael. Ac rwy'n gwybod bod gan Busnes Cymru arlwy cryf mewn meysydd lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gallu gweithredu, er enghraifft, y gronfa cadernid economaidd, a dyna oedd y gwir i raddau helaeth ar y pryd. Roedd yn gyferbyniad sydyn, meddai'r Gweinidog, rhaid i mi ddweud, wrth Lywodraeth y DU, a adawodd lawer o fylchau yn y gefnogaeth i fusnesau, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n parhau nawr, a gormod o fusnesau ddim yn cael eu cefnogi gan Lywodraeth y DU gyda biliau ynni cynyddol. Dyma rywbeth yn wir mae Ffederasiwn y Busnesau Bach wedi ei godi gyda mi hefyd. Felly, Gweinidog, trwy Busnes Cymru a dulliau eraill, pa gymorth ychwanegol y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei ystyried i helpu busnesau bach a chanolig trwy'r argyfwng busnes cost-gwneud-busnes?

Thank you for the comments and questions. You're right about the economic resilience fund. I was in a different role during the pandemic, but the reality is that, because we didn't spend the same money on our test, trace, protect programme and the way that we used money on our personal protective equipment programme, meant that we provided more successful contact tracing at a lower price than the UK Government did, and we provided a more successful operation of providing PPE to front-line workers. That meant we could be more generous in supporting small and medium-sized businesses and freelancers through the pandemic. The challenge now is, because of the reductions to our budget - not just in the mainstream settlements, but also things like the shared prosperity fund and others, where money's been taken away from Wales, over £1 billion lost in those three years - we've had to make some really difficult choices. But I've chosen to maintain the Business Wales service because of its value. So, small and medium-sized businesses will continue to have access to all of the support and advice available, together, of course, with investment opportunities from the Development Bank for Wales as well. I appreciate the Member's constituency takes in some of the Monmouthshire county as well, but, in Newport, up to the end of December last year, in the last two years, Business Wales had helped support over 1,000 jobs in small and medium enterprises, with dedicated support provided to 659 businesses and nearly 200 new start-ups. It does show the continued activity that we can and do offer to small and medium businesses, and I'd be more than happy to write to the Member with more details on activity across all the parts of his constituency.

Diolch am y sylwadau a'r cwestiynau. Rydych chi'n iawn am y gronfa cadernid economaidd. Roeddwn i mewn rôl wahanol yn ystod y pandemig, ond y realiti yw, oherwydd na wnaethom ni wario'r un arian ar ein rhaglen profi, olrhain, amddiffyn a'r ffordd y gwnaethom ni ddefnyddio arian ar ein rhaglen cyfarpar diogelu personol, roedd yn golygu ein bod ni'n darparu mwy o olrhain cysylltiadau llwyddiannus am bris is nag a wnaeth Llywodraeth y DU, ac fe wnaethom ddarparu gweithrediad mwy llwyddiannus o ddarparu cyfarpar diogelu personol i weithwyr rheng flaen. Roedd hynny'n golygu y gallem ni fod yn fwy hael wrth gefnogi busnesau bach a chanolig a gweithwyr llawrydd drwy'r pandemig. Yr her nawr, oherwydd y gostyngiadau i'n cyllideb - nid yn unig yn y setliadau prif ffrwd, ond hefyd pethau fel y gronfa ffyniant a rennir ac eraill, lle mae arian wedi'i dynnu i ffwrdd o Gymru, dros £1 biliwn a gollwyd yn y tair blynedd hynny - rydyn ni wedi gorfod gwneud dewisiadau anodd iawn. Ond rwyf i wedi dewis cynnal gwasanaeth Busnes Cymru oherwydd ei werth. Felly, bydd busnesau bach a chanolig yn parhau i gael mynediad at yr holl gymorth a'r cyngor sydd ar gael, gyda'i gilydd, wrth gwrs, gyda chyfleoedd buddsoddi gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru hefyd. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi bod etholaeth yr Aelod yn cymryd rhywfaint o sir Fynwy hefyd, ond, yng Nghasnewydd, hyd at ddiwedd Rhagfyr y llynedd, yn ystod y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf, roedd Busnes Cymru wedi helpu i gefnogi dros 1,000 o swyddi mewn mentrau bach a chanolig, gyda chefnogaeth bwrpasol wedi'i darparu i 659 o fusnesau a bron i 200 o fusnesau newydd newydd. Mae'n dangos y gweithgarwch parhaus y gallwn ni ei gynnig, ac rydym ni'n ei gynnig i fusnesau bach a chanolig, a byddwn i'n fwy na pharod i ysgrifennu at yr Aelod gyda mwy o fanylion am weithgarwch ar draws holl rannau ei etholaeth.

Our strategy 'Welcome to Wales: Priorities for the visitor economy 2020-2025' sets out our vision and ambition for tourism. We support the sector through promoting Wales at home and abroad, through capital investment and our £50 million Wales tourism investment fund.

Mae ein strategaeth 'Croeso i Gymru: Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer yr economi ymwelwyr 2020-2025' yn nodi ein gweledigaeth a'n huchelgais ar gyfer twristiaeth. Rydyn ni'n cefnogi'r sector drwy hyrwyddo Cymru gartref a thramor, trwy fuddsoddi cyfalaf a'n cronfa buddsoddi twristiaeth Cymru, sy'n werth £50 miliwn.

I'm grateful to you, Minister, for your answer. As you know, when people come and visit Wales, they don't just visit one site; they like to come and visit a number of attractions to see a number of things that Wales has to offer. One of the things that has been lacking, though, is an all-Wales visitor pass, if you like, for tourism destinations in Wales. It was withdrawn just before the pandemic, but we haven't seen it re-emerge. It's been nearly three years now. We know individual organisations, such as Cadw and National Trust, operate their own passes, and individual regional tourist boards, such as Mid Wales Tourism's and North Wales Tourism's Great Days Out UK, also offer them. But there's been a lack of an overarching strategy from Welsh Government and a lack of progress, I think, on this. As I say, it's been nearly three years now since we saw this pass. So, can I ask for an update on exactly where this overarching national Welsh tourism pass is?

Rwy'n ddiolchgar i chi, Gweinidog, am eich ateb. Fel y gwyddoch chi, pan fo pobl yn dod i ymweld â Chymru, nid ymweld ag un safle yn unig maen nhw; maen nhw'n hoffi dod i ymweld â nifer o atyniadau i weld nifer o bethau sydd gan Gymru i'w cynnig. Un o'r pethau sydd wedi bod yn ddiffygiol, serch hynny, ydi tocyn ymwelwyr Cymru gyfan, os mynnwch chi, ar gyfer cyrchfannau twristiaeth yng Nghymru. Cafodd ei dynnu'n ôl ychydig cyn y pandemig, ond nid ydym wedi'i weld yn ail-ymddangos. Mae bron i dair blynedd wedi bod nawr. Rydym ni'n adnabod sefydliadau unigol, fel Cadw a'r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol, yn gweithredu eu tocynnau eu hunain, a byrddau twristiaeth rhanbarthol unigol, megis Great Days Out UK Twristiaeth Canolbarth Cymru a Thwristiaeth Gogledd Cymru, hefyd yn eu cynnig. Ond mae yna ddiffyg strategaeth cyffredinol wedi bod gan Lywodraeth Cymru a diffyg cynnydd, rwy'n meddwl, ar hyn. Fel rwy'n ei ddweud, mae bron i dair blynedd bellach ers i ni weld y tocyn hwn. Felly, a gaf i ofyn am ddiweddariad ynghylch ble yn union mae'r tocyn twristiaeth cenedlaethol cyffredinol hwn ar gyfer Cymru?

Well, it's a conversation we had with the sector about what best to do to support them to make choices, how they promote themselves. Some of this is done on a regional basis successfully. For example, it may make more sense for a visitor to know about activity-based holidays if they're, say, going to Bike Park Wales, in the Deputy Minister's constituency, and if, at random, they wanted to come to the Cardiff International White Water centre, which happens to be in mine - but there are others available as well - and to think about how you can have themed activities that make sense for the businesses and for visitors. And I wouldn't want to say that this would only work if there is a national scheme that everyone has to fit into. We'll carry on working with the sector to understand how we can best support them, as we look forward to a 2023 where we'll expect we'll see significant growth in visitor numbers to Wales to the tourism sector, but we also know there'll be challenges ahead. As we see the likely recession for most of the next year, people will make different choices about their discretionary spend, so we're ready to carry on supporting the tourism sector. That's why I and the finance Minister have made choices about rate support for a range of different sectors in the economy.

Wel, mae'n sgwrs gawson ni gyda'r sector am beth sydd orau i'w wneud i'w cefnogi nhw i wneud dewisiadau, sut maen nhw'n hyrwyddo eu hunain. Mae peth o hyn yn cael ei wneud yn rhanbarthol yn llwyddiannus. Er enghraifft, efallai y bydd yn gwneud mwy o synnwyr i ymwelydd wybod am wyliau sy'n seiliedig ar weithgarwch os ydyn nhw, er enghraifft, yn mynd i BikePark Cymru, yn etholaeth y Dirprwy Weinidog, ac os oedden nhw, ar hap, eisiau dod i ganolfan Dŵr Gwyn Rhyngwladol Caerdydd, sy'n digwydd bod yn fy un i - ond mae eraill ar gael hefyd - a meddwl sut gallwch chi gael gweithgareddau ar thema sy'n gwneud synnwyr i'r busnesau ac i ymwelwyr. A fyddwn i ddim eisiau dweud y byddai hyn ond yn gweithio os oes cynllun cenedlaethol y mae'n rhaid i bawb ffitio i mewn iddo. Byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio gyda'r sector i ddeall sut y gallwn ni eu cefnogi orau, wrth i ni edrych ymlaen at 2023 lle byddwn yn disgwyl y byddwn ni'n gweld twf sylweddol yn nifer yr ymwelwyr i Gymru i'r sector twristiaeth, ond rydym ni hefyd yn gwybod y bydd heriau o'n blaenau. Wrth i ni weld y dirwasgiad tebygol am y rhan fwyaf o'r flwyddyn nesaf, bydd pobl yn gwneud dewisiadau gwahanol am eu gwariant dewisol, felly rydyn ni'n barod i barhau i gefnogi'r sector twristiaeth. Dyna pam rydw i a'r Gweinidog cyllid wedi gwneud dewisiadau ynghylch cymorth ardrethi ar gyfer ystod o wahanol sectorau yn yr economi.

Finally, question 9. Adam Price.

Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 9. Adam Price.

Our Business Wales service provides businesses with access to a wide range of information, guidance and support, both financial and non-financial, to help grow businesses. Financial support between £1,000 and £10 million is available through the Development Bank of Wales to help Welsh businesses get the finance that they need to expand.

Mae ein gwasanaeth Busnes Cymru yn rhoi mynediad i fusnesau at ystod eang o wybodaeth, arweiniad a chefnogaeth, yn ariannol a heb fod yn ariannol, i helpu i dyfu busnesau. Mae cymorth ariannol rhwng £1,000 a £10 miliwn ar gael trwy Fanc Datblygu Cymru i helpu busnesau Cymru gael y cyllid maen nhw ei angen i ehangu.

Thank you, Minister. I had the pleasure of visiting the NappiCycle company in Capel Hendre recently, where I was given a very interesting presentation on recycling nappies. Now, I accept that this doesn't sound like an exciting afternoon, but the level of innovation by the company was excellent. Through various processes, NappiCycle use soiled nappies and similar products and turn them into asphalt for pavements and roads. The business is part of a recycling cluster in Wales that is world-leading, and has been for some years. Now, after the business received funding from part 1 of the small business research initiative, the company, like many others that have grown over the period, is looking forward to future funding to further expand the business. So, can the Minister tell us whether part 2 of SBRI will proceed and give us an update on any other opportunities to support this sector?

Diolch, Weinidog. Ces i'r pleser o ymweld â chwmni NappiCycle yng Nghapel Hendre yn ddiweddar, lle cefais i gyflwyniad hynod o ddiddorol ar ailgylchu cewynnau. Nawr, rwy'n derbyn efallai nad yw hyn yn swnio'n brynhawn cynhyrfus, ond roedd y lefel o arloesedd gan y cwmni'n wych. Trwy brosesau amrywiol, mae NappiCycle yn defnyddio cewynnau brwnt a deunyddiau tebyg a'u troi i mewn i asphalt ar gyfer palmentydd a hewlydd. Mae'r busnes yn rhan o glwstwr ailgylchu yng Nghymru sy'n arwain y byd, a dweud y gwir, yn rhyngwladol, ac wedi gwneud ers rhai blynyddoedd. Wedi i'r busnes dderbyn cyllid o ran 1 y small business research initiative, menter ymchwil y busnesau bach, mae'r cwmni, fel sawl un arall sydd wedi tyfu dros y cyfnod, yn edrych ymlaen at gyllid i ehangu'r busnes ymhellach. Felly, a all y Gweinidog ddatgan a fydd rhan 2 o SBRI yn mynd yn ei flaen, a rhoi gwybodaeth am unrhyw gyfleoedd eraill i gefnogi'r sector yma?

Funnily enough, I am aware of nappies being turned into asphalt. It's not just something that another relatively new parent would be interested in, given the Member has two young children in his house; I remember the days fondly, and not so fondly at various times, the reality of nappy changing. But there is an opportunity to think about how we can use products to turn them into something useful and with a different purpose in the future, and this is, perhaps, an obvious and interesting example. I'd be more than happy to come back to him. I am due to make a decision on SBRI 2 and the choices to be made around that. We are jointly working, of course, around an innovation strategy as well. I'll undertake to write to the Member both about opportunities for the company he mentions in his constituency as well as the broader point on how we help small businesses to access opportunities to grow and to innovate in the future.

Yn rhyfedd ddigon, roeddwn i'n ymwybodol o gewynnau yn cael eu troi'n asffalt. Nid rhywbeth y byddai rhiant cymharol newydd arall â diddordeb ynddo, o ystyried bod gan yr Aelod ddau blentyn ifanc yn ei dŷ; rwy'n cofio'r dyddiau'n dda, a ddim cystal ar wahanol adegau, realiti newid cewynnau. Ond mae cyfle i feddwl sut y gallwn ni ddefnyddio cynnyrch i'w troi'n rhywbeth defnyddiol a gyda phwrpas gwahanol yn y dyfodol, ac mae hyn, efallai, yn esiampl amlwg a diddorol. Bydden i'n fwy na hapus i ddod yn ôl at hyn. Mae disgwyl i mi wneud penderfyniad ar SBRI 2 a'r dewisiadau i'w gwneud ynghylch hynny. Rydym ni'n gweithio ar y cyd, wrth gwrs, ar strategaeth arloesi hefyd. Fe wnaf ysgrifennu at yr Aelod am gyfleoedd i'r cwmni y mae'n sôn amdano yn ei etholaeth yn ogystal â'r pwynt ehangach ar sut rydym ni'n helpu busnesau bach i gael mynediad at gyfleoedd i dyfu ac i arloesi yn y dyfodol.

Item 4 is questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services, and the first question is from Adam Price.

Eitem 4 heddiw yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol. Yn gyntaf, Adam Price.

Thank you. Hywel Dda University Health Board is responsible for the provision of dental services in Carmarthen East and Dinefwr. Currently, 92 per cent of NHS dental contract funding in the health board is going to practices that work under the contract reform variation. This means that nearly 12,000 new patients have been seen across the health board during the first nine months of this financial year.

Diolch. Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda, nhw sy'n gyfrifol am ddarparu gwasanaethau deintyddol yn Nwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr. Ar hyn o bryd, mae 92 y cant o gyllid contract deintyddol yr NHS yn y bwrdd iechyd yn mynd i bractisys sy'n gweithio dan amrywiad diwygio'r contract. Mae hyn yn golygu bod bron i 12,000 o gleifion newydd wedi cael eu gweld ar draws y bwrdd iechyd yn ystod naw mis cyntaf y flwyddyn ariannol hon.

Thank you for that response, Minister. This is an issue that we've discussed on a number of occasions, and has been the subject of correspondence between us too. I must emphasise the gravity of this problem, as thousands of people in the Ammanford area particularly are reliant on a service that had been provided by the Margaret Street dentist there. I raised this issue with you in November of last year, and, in fairness to you, Minister, you did provide a positive response before Christmas, telling me that the health board was recommissioning dental services in the area, and that the new service was expected to be established this month. Unfortunately, the message that I've received from a number of constituents is that there's been no communication with them and that the service hasn't commenced as we enter February tomorrow. So, can you now give us an assurance and give my constituents an assurance that this new service will be coming as soon as possible?

Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Gweinidog. Mae hwn yn fater rŷn ni wedi'i drafod sawl gwaith, ac wedi bod yn destun gohebiaeth rhyngom ni hefyd. Mae'n rhaid pwysleisio difrifoldeb y broblem yma, gan fod miloedd o bobl yn ardal Rhydaman yn benodol yn ddibynnol ar y gwasanaeth a oedd yn cael ei ddarparu gan ddeintydd Stryd Margaret yno. Fe godais i'r mater yma gyda chi ym mis Tachwedd eto llynedd, ac, er tegwch i chi, Weinidog, fe wnaethoch chi roi ateb cadarnhaol cyn y Nadolig fod y bwrdd iechyd yn ail-gomisiynu gwasanaethau deintyddol yn yr ardal, a bod disgwyl i wasanaeth newydd ddechrau'r mis yma. Yn anffodus, y neges dwi wedi'i chael gan nifer o etholwyr yw does dim cyfathrebiad wedi bod gyda nhw, a bod y gwasanaeth heb ddechrau wrth i ni gyrraedd mis Chwefror yfory. Felly, a allwch chi nawr roi'r sicrwydd hwnnw i fy etholwyr i fod y gwasanaeth newydd yma yn dod, a hynny cyn gynted ag sy'n bosib?

Well, I'm pleased to say that the health board has been successful in providing a new contract to a new practice for Ammanford. One of the problems there has been is that the premises there were not functional, and that has caused a problem. It's going to take some time to ensure that the premises are fit for the treatment of people. So, that won't be ready until September. But what will happen is that there will be a mobile dental unit and hub available, and there will be urgent care available from February onwards.

Wel, dwi'n falch o ddweud bod y bwrdd iechyd wedi bod yn llwyddiannus i roi cytundeb newydd i bractis newydd ar gyfer Rhydaman. Un o'r problemau sydd wedi bod oedd bod y premises oedd yna, dyw e ddim yn functional, a hynny sydd yn creu problem ar hyn o bryd. Mae'n mynd i gymryd amser i wneud yn siŵr bod y premises yn iawn ar gyfer triniaeth pobl. Felly, fydd hwnna ddim yn barod tan fis Medi. Ond beth fydd yn digwydd yw mae yna mobile dental unit a hwb ar gael, a bydd yna urgent care ar gael o fis Chwefror ymlaen.

It's, of course, incredibly difficult to ensure that the Government can plan efficiently, in terms of capacity for dental care in Wales, if the Government or health boards don't know how many people are waiting for an NHS appointment. I know you would agree with that position, Minister. It's also unacceptable, of course, that people, once they're on a waiting list, could be waiting up to 26 months before getting an appointment as well. So, I wonder, Minister, will you explore the options for a centralised waiting list for Wales? I appreciate that would take some time to put in place, so, as an interim measure, would you also explore ensuring that every health board establishes a centralised waiting list for its area? And if you do agree with that, when do you think that could be in place?

Mae hi'n hynod o anodd, wrth gwrs, sicrhau bod y Llywodraeth yn gallu cynllunio yn effeithlon, o ran y gallu i ymdrin â'r niferoedd sydd ag angen gofal deintyddol yng Nghymru, os nad yw'r Llywodraeth na'r byrddau iechyd yn gwybod faint o bobl sy'n aros am apwyntiad GIG. Rwy'n gwybod y byddech chi'n cytuno â'r safbwynt hwnnw, Gweinidog. Mae hi'n annerbyniol hefyd, wrth gwrs, y gallai pobl, pan fyddan nhw ar restr aros, fod yn aros hyd at 26 mis cyn cael apwyntiad hefyd. Felly, tybed, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi roi ystyriaeth i'r dewisiadau sydd yna ar gyfer rhestr aros ganolog i Gymru gyfan? Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi y byddai hynny'n cymryd peth amser i'w roi ar waith, felly, fel mesur dros dro, a fyddech chi'n ystyried sicrhau bod pob bwrdd iechyd yn tynnu rhestr aros ganolog ar gyfer ei ddalgylch ei hun? Ac os ydych chi'n cytuno â hynny, pryd ydych chi'n credu y gellid rhoi hynny ar waith?

Thanks very much. Well, I know for a fact that quite a lot of work has already gone into developing a remit that would be needed in order to commission that centralised waiting list. We are, as you know, under very severe financial pressure at the moment, so, although that work is now ready to go, we are financially constrained in terms of whether we can go any further. So, that is a difficult situation for us. Obviously, we're keen to move on with that as soon as we get that additional money, but it's very difficult under the current financial circumstances. What I will say, in particular to the Member who is also chair of the committee, is that, actually, so many of the recommendations in the work that they've been doing recently have been extremely useful to us and, certainly, that centralised waiting list is something we're taking very seriously.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, fe wn i fel ffaith fod cryn dipyn o waith wedi digwydd eisoes o ran datblygu'r cylch gwaith y byddai ei angen ar gyfer comisiynu rhestr aros ganolog fel hon. Rydym ni, fel gwyddoch chi, dan bwysau ariannol difrifol iawn ar hyn o bryd, felly, er bod y gwaith hwnnw yn barod i'w gychwyn erbyn hyn, fe gawsom ni ein cyfyngu yn ariannol o ran ein gallu ni i fynd gam ymhellach. Felly, mae hon yn sefyllfa anodd i ni. Yn amlwg, rydyn ni'n awyddus i fwrw ymlaen gyda hynny cyn gynted ag y cawn ni'r arian ychwanegol hwnnw, ond mae hi'n anodd iawn dan yr amgylchiadau ariannol ar hyn o bryd. Yr hyn y byddwn ni'n ei ddweud, yn arbennig wrth yr Aelod sy'n gadeirydd y pwyllgor hefyd, yw bod cynifer o'r argymhellion yn y gwaith a wnaethpwyd ganddyn nhw'n ddiweddar wedi bod yn hynod ddefnyddiol i ni ac, yn sicr, mae rhestr aros ganolog fel hon yn rhywbeth yr ydym ni'n ei hystyried yn wirioneddol o ddifrif.

People wishing to raise a complaint with an NHS body should do so within 12 months. The NHS bodies have discretion to consider complaints that occurred over 12 months but cannot consider complaints that occurred over three years unless they meet specific criteria.

Fe ddylai pobl sy'n dymuno cofnodi cwyn gyda chorff y GIG wneud hynny o fewn 12 mis. Mae gan gyrff y GIG ddisgresiwn i ystyried cwynion am faterion a ddigwyddodd dros 12 mis yn ôl ond ni allan nhw ystyried cwynion am faterion a ddigwyddodd dros dair blynedd yn ôl oni bai bod y rhain yn bodloni meini prawf penodol.

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. You'll be aware of the case of my constituent, Barry Topping-Morris. He was caught up in events surrounding the release of a patient from the Caswell clinic in Bridgend who went on to commit homicide. Mr Topping-Morris has long raised concerns about the investigation of these events and the impact they had on his own subsequent career. What assurances can you give him that lessons have been learnt from previous events and that an investigation of any similar event today would be conducted to contemporary standards? And would you be prepared, Minister, to offer an apology to Mr Topping-Morris and his family for the distress that they've been through over the last many years since this complaint was first lodged?

Diolch, Gweinidog, am yr ateb yna. Rydych chi'n ymwybodol o achos un o fy etholwyr i, Barry Topping-Morris. Fe gafodd ei hun yn rhan o ddigwyddiadau ynghlwm â rhyddhau claf o glinig Caswell ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr a aeth ymlaen wedyn i gyflawni dynladdiad. Mae Mr Topping-Morris wedi codi pryderon ers tro am yr ymchwiliad i'r digwyddiadau hyn a'r effaith a gafodd hynny ar ei yrfa ef yn dilyn hynny. Pa sicrwydd y gallwch chi ei roi iddo ef fod y gwersi wedi cael eu dysgu o ddigwyddiadau blaenorol ac y bydd ymchwiliadau i unrhyw ddigwyddiad tebyg heddiw yn cael ei gynnal yn ôl safonau cyfredol? Ac a fyddech chi'n barod, Gweinidog, i ymddiheuro i Mr Topping-Morris a'i deulu am yr holl ofid dros y blynyddoedd lawer ers cofnodi'r gŵyn hon yn y lle cyntaf?

Well, I'd like to say, and I think it's important to say, that there is nothing more important than the safety and care of our NHS patients. I recognise the significant consequences that can occur as a result of inadequate care. I'm really sorry, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on individual cases, but what I will say is that the complaints process has changed almost beyond recognition since the time of this particular case. So, we now have 'Putting Things Right', where there is a strong focus on openness and honesty, with a central theme of being open and investigations on the premise of 'investigate once and investigate well'. So, I think we've got to continue our improvement with the introduction of the duties of quality and candour, which will be coming onto the stature book very soon.

Wel, fe hoffwn i ddweud, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig dweud, nad oes unrhyw beth pwysicach na diogelwch a gofal ein cleifion ni yn y GIG. Rwy'n cydnabod y canlyniadau sylweddol a all ddod yn sgil gofal sy'n annigonol. Mae hi'n wir ddrwg gennyf i, nid wyf i'n credu ei bod hi'n briodol i mi wneud unrhyw sylw ar achosion unigol, ond yr hyn y byddwn ni'n ei ddweud yw bod y broses gwynion wedi newid bron y tu hwnt i unrhyw adnabyddiaeth ers cyfnod yr achos arbennig hwn. Felly, mae 'Gweithio i Wella' gennym ni nawr, lle mae'r pwyslais yn drwm ar yr angen i fod yn agored a gonest, gyda thema ganolog o fod yn agored ac ymchwiliadau ar sail 'ymchwilio un waith yn unig a hwnnw'n ymchwiliad trylwyr'. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n rhaid i ni barhau â'n gwelliant ni gan gyflwyno dyletswyddau o ran ansawdd a gonestrwydd, ac fe fydd hynny'n dod ar y llyfr statud yn fuan iawn.

Minister, many people in north Wales will, of course, be very concerned to have read today's vascular report into the services provided by the Betsi Cadwaladr health board, and especially to learn that the coroner was not fully informed of four patient deaths from the 47 cases that were reviewed. Historical cases, of course - some of them going back as far as 2014, right up until 2021. Now, it begs the question as to how many other deaths, both in the vascular service and in other clinical disciplines, may not have been appropriately referred to the coroner for consideration. And of course, we read in that report also of the chaotic patient record keeping - and this is in spite of other reports having identified this as a problem over many years - along with a failure to fully implement the recommendations from previous scathing reports. It's alarming, Minister, and people want to know what action the Welsh Government is going to take to make sure that lessons are learned when things go wrong, and that rapid action is taken and is followed up in terms of the implementation of recommendations.

Gweinidog, mae llawer o bobl yn y gogledd yn bryderus iawn, wrth gwrs, o ddarllen adroddiad fasgwlar heddiw i'r gwasanaethau a ddarperir gan fwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr, ac yn enwedig o ddysgu na chafodd y crwner wybodaeth gyflawn ynglŷn â phedwar achos o farwolaethau cleifion o'r 47 a adolygwyd. Achosion hanesyddol, wrth gwrs - rhai ohonyn nhw'n mynd yn ôl cyn belled â 2014, hyd at 2021. Nawr, mae hynny'n teilyngu'r cwestiwn ynglŷn â faint o farwolaethau eraill, yn y gwasanaeth fasgwlaidd ac mewn disgyblaethau clinigol eraill, na anfonwyd ymlaen mewn ffordd briodol efallai at y crwner i'w hystyried. Ac wrth gwrs, rydym ni'n darllen yn yr adroddiad hwnnw hefyd am gofnodion anniben am achosion cleifion - a hynny er gwaethaf yr adroddiadau eraill sydd wedi nodi'r broblem honno dros nifer o flynyddoedd - ynghyd â methiant i weithredu'r argymhellion yn llawn o adroddiadau brathog blaenorol. Mae hi'n ofnadwy, Gweinidog, ac mae pobl yn dymuno cael gwybod pa gamau a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod y gwersi yn cael eu dysgu pan fydd pethau wedi mynd o chwith, ac y bydd camau yn cael eu cymryd ar gyflymder a bydd gweithredu unrhyw argymhellion yn dilyn.

Well, thanks very much. I have issued a written statement to update all Members on the publication of that report today. I know that publication will be distressing for many of the families involved, and those who access vascular services within the health board. The cases covered within the report cover both pre and post-reorganisation of the service. I know that the health board has apologised to those affected by the report, and to the families who didn't receive the service that they deserved. This report looked in detail at the cases covered in the Royal College of Surgeons' report that was published last year, so these are not new cases; it's just a more thorough investigation. There were a number of recommendations. We have, obviously, put the vascular service in particular into enhanced monitoring, to make sure that the intervention is monitored regularly. There is an improvement plan. I am updated regularly, and the Welsh Government is updated regularly. I know that my officials spoke yesterday to the north Wales coroner, because, obviously, I was very concerned to hear that the coroner hadn't been informed.

Wel, diolch yn fawr. Rwyf i wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ysgrifenedig i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau i gyd am gyhoeddiad yr adroddiad hwnnw heddiw. Fe wn i y bydd y cyhoeddiad hwnnw'n achosi anesmwythyd i nifer o'r teuluoedd dan sylw, a'r rhai sy'n defnyddio gwasanaethau fasgwlar y bwrdd iechyd. Mae'r achosion a gaiff eu cynnwys yn yr adroddiad yn ymwneud â chyfnodau cyn ac wedi'r ad-drefnu a fu yn y gwasanaeth. Fe wn i fod y bwrdd iechyd wedi ymddiheuro i'r rhai a effeithiwyd gan yr adroddiad, a'r teuluoedd na dderbyniodd y gwasanaeth yr oedden nhw'n ei haeddu. Edrychodd yr adroddiad hwn yn fanwl ar yr achosion sydd dan sylw yn adroddiad Coleg Brenhinol y Llawfeddygon a gafodd ei gyhoeddi'r llynedd, felly nid achosion newydd mo'r rhain; ond mae hwn yn ymchwiliad mwy trylwyr. Cafwyd nifer o argymhellion. Rydyn ni, yn amlwg, wedi rhoi'r gwasanaeth fasgwlaidd yn arbennig dan arolygiaeth fwy manwl, i wneud yn siŵr y caiff yr ymyrraeth ei monitro'n rheolaidd. Fe geir cynllun ar gyfer gwelliant. Rwy'n cael diweddariad yn rheolaidd, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael diweddariad yn rheolaidd. Fe wn i fod fy swyddogion i wedi siarad â chrwner y gogledd ddoe, oherwydd, yn amlwg, roeddwn i'n bryderus iawn o glywed nad oedd y crwner wedi cael ei hysbysu.

Spokespeople's questions today are all to be answered by the Deputy Minister for Health and Well-being. And the first is to be asked by the Conservative spokesperson, James Evans.

Cwestiynau llefarwyr nawr. Y cyfan heddiw i'w hateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant. Y cyntaf yw llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, James Evans.

Diolch, Llywydd. Deputy Minister, do you agree with me that having public access to mental health data on all mental health conditions is vital to improving mental health services across Wales?

Diolch, Llywydd. Dirprwy Weinidog, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi bod sicrhau bod data iechyd meddwl ynglŷn â phob cyflwr iechyd meddwl ar gael i'r cyhoedd yn hanfodol ar gyfer gwella gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl ledled Cymru?

Yes, I agree with you that having access to data is vitally important. That's why a key priority for us is to make sure that we can progress our core mental health data set, which will supplement the information that we already routinely publish on mental health waiting times.

Ydw, rwy'n cytuno â chi bod sicrhau bod data ar gael yn hanfodol bwysig. Dyna pam mae gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gallu cynyddu ein cyfres greiddiol o ddata iechyd meddwl yn flaenoriaeth allweddol i ni, ac fe fydd honno'n ategu'r wybodaeth yr ydym ni eisoes yn ei chyhoeddi yn rheolaidd ynglŷn ag amseroedd aros iechyd meddwl.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Having access to information is important, as you've just realised, for the people we serve, and it also shines a light on the performance of the Welsh Government and health boards. For example, information that was only received via freedom of information requests to health boards shows that 7,258 children are waiting to have an autism diagnosis. Forty per cent of those children are waiting over a year, 22 per cent of those are waiting over 18 months, and 804 children are waiting over two years. And Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board refused to even answer the freedom of information request. So, I'd like to know what the Welsh Government is doing to tackle these waits and to ensure that, when information is asked of Betsi Cadwaladr health board, they provide the information so that we can scrutinise their performance.

Diolch i chi, Dirprwy Weinidog. Mae gallu cael gafael ar yr wybodaeth yn bwysig, fel rydych chi newydd ei amlygu, i'r bobl yr ydym ni'n eu gwasanaethu, ac mae hynny'n taflu goleuni ar berfformiad Llywodraeth Cymru a'r byrddau iechyd hefyd. Er enghraifft, mae gwybodaeth a ryddhawyd drwy geisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth i fyrddau iechyd yn unig yn dangos bod 7,258 o blant yn aros i gael diagnosis awtistiaeth. Mae 40% o'r plant hynny yn aros dros flwyddyn, mae 22 y cant o'r rhain yn aros dros 18 mis, ac mae 804 o blant yn aros dros ddwy flynedd. Ac fe wrthododd Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr ateb y cais rhyddid gwybodaeth hyd yn oed. Felly, fe hoffwn i wybod beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â'r arosiadau hyn a sicrhau, pan ofynnir i fwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr am wybodaeth, ei fod yn darparu'r wybodaeth er mwyn i ni allu craffu ar ei berfformiad.

Thank you for that question, James, and it's probably helpful if I clarify that neurodevelopmental services sit with my colleague Julie Morgan, although we do work very closely together as there are, clearly, strong links with mental health services, particularly for children and young people. What I can say is that Julie Morgan has taken decisive action in this area. You'll be aware that £12 million was announced in the summer to deal with the backlog around ND waiting times, and also to support the improvement of ND services. In addition to that, Julie Morgan has also set up an ND advisory group and has been engaging with stakeholders, including people with lived experience, and there is an action plan to improve those waiting times. For my part, I also recognise that our NEST/NYTH framework is also a key mechanism to support those children and young people, because we want those wraparound services to be available, and children and young people should not need the label of a diagnosis in order to access the support. So, NYTH is also a key area for us in that regard, and something that we work closely on.

Diolch i chi am y cwestiwn yna, James, ac mae'n debyg y byddai hi o fudd pe byddwn i'n egluro mai fy nghyd-Weinidog Julie Morgan sydd â chyfrifoldeb am wasanaethau niwroddatblygiadol, er ein bod ni'n gweithio yn agos iawn gyda'n gilydd gan fod yna, yn amlwg, gysylltiadau cryf â gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl, yn enwedig i blant a phobl ifanc. Yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud yw bod Julie Morgan wedi cymryd camau pendant yn y maes hwn. Rydych chi'n ymwybodol bod £12 miliwn wedi cael ei gyhoeddi yn yr haf i ymdrin â'r ôl-groniad o amseroedd aros niwroddatblygiadol, a chefnogi'r gwaith o wella gwasanaethau niwroddatblygiadol hefyd. Yn ogystal â hynny, mae Julie Morgan wedi sefydlu grŵp cynghori niwroddatblygiadol hefyd ac yn ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid, gan gynnwys pobl sydd â phrofiad bywyd, ac fe geir cynllun gweithredu i wella'r amseroedd aros hynny. Fy hun, rwy'n cydnabod hefyd fod ein fframwaith ni NEST/NYTH yn ddull allweddol i gefnogi'r plant a'r bobl ifanc hynny, oherwydd rydyn ni'n awyddus i'r gwasanaethau cofleidiol hynny fod ar gael, ac ni ddylai plant a phobl ifanc fod angen label diagnosis er mwyn cael y gefnogaeth. Felly, mae NYTH yn faes allweddol i ni yn hynny o beth hefyd, ac yn rhywbeth yr ydym ni'n gweithio yn agos arno.

Thank you very much for that, Deputy Minister. After meeting with charities, a lot of them have told me about data not being regularly available, and that one way we could strengthen this area is by relooking at the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 to make sure that there are more targets that the Government can actually implement upon and can be reported back to this Senedd. So, do you agree with the charities out there in the sector that we need to have a strengthened mental health Measure, and is that something you would look to as a Government, to make sure that we can do our job as opposition parties here, to make sure that mental health services are being improved across Wales for better outcomes for the population of Wales?

Diolch yn fawr iawn am hynna, Dirprwy Weinidog. Ar ôl cyfarfod ag elusennau, mae llawer ohonyn nhw wedi sôn wrthyf i nad yw data ar gael yn rheolaidd, ac mai un ffordd y gallem ni gryfhau'r maes hwn yw drwy edrych unwaith eto ar Fesur Iechyd Meddwl (Cymru) 2010 i wneud yn siŵr y ceir rhagor o dargedau y gall y Llywodraeth weithredu arnyn nhw mewn gwirionedd ac y gellir eu hadrodd nhw'n ôl i'r Senedd hon. Felly, a ydych chi'n cytuno gyda'r elusennau hyn sy'n weithredol yn y sector bod angen i ni gael Mesur iechyd meddwl sy'n fwy cadarn, ac a fydd hwnnw'n rhywbeth y byddwch chi'n ei ystyried yn y Llywodraeth, i sicrhau y gallwn ni wneud ein gwaith ni yn y gwrthbleidiau yn y fan hon, i wneud yn siŵr bod gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn cael eu gwella ledled Cymru i fod â gwell canlyniadau i boblogaeth Cymru?

Thank you. You're probably aware, James, that there is a duty to review the mental health Measure. We weren't able to progress that because of the pressures during the pandemic, and the delay in reviewing the mental health Measure was something that was agreed with the Wales Alliance for Mental Health - the third sector bodies that we meet with. So, they were on board with that decision to delay that. We are recommencing work around the duty to review the mental health Measure, so we are taking that work forward. But what I would also say is that we've got a UK Government's that's reforming the Mental Health Act 1983. At the moment, we're waiting for them to progress that; that will involve us working with the UK Government on how that is implemented in Wales. We're also waiting for the UK Government to take forward their legislation on liberty protection safeguards - the deadlines for that have continued to move. So, at the moment, we're poised, ready to go on that; we've got large amounts of funding set aside to implement it. So, I do think we have to be mindful of the other legislative pressures that we face, and the capacity within the system to deal with that. What I also think is that it is vitally important that we focus on delivery, and the most important thing for me is making sure that people get access to services, and I think we have to bear that in mind when we're considering any further reviews.

Diolch. Mae'n debyg eich bod chi'n ymwybodol, James, fod dyletswydd i adolygu'r Mesur Iechyd Meddwl. Nid oeddem ni'n gallu bwrw ymlaen â hynny oherwydd y pwysau yn ystod y pandemig, ac roedd yr oedi cyn adolygu'r Mesur iechyd meddwl yn rhywbeth y cytunwyd arno gyda Chynghrair Iechyd Meddwl Cymru - y cyrff trydydd sector yr ydym ni'n cwrdd â nhw. Felly, roedden nhw'n cefnogi'r penderfyniad hwnnw i ohirio hynny. Rydyn ni'n ailddechrau gwaith ynghylch y ddyletswydd i adolygu'r Mesur iechyd meddwl, felly rydyn ni'n bwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith hwnnw. Ond yr hyn a fyddwn i'n ei ddweud hefyd yw bod gennym Lywodraeth y DU sy'n diwygio Deddf Iechyd Meddwl 1983. Ar hyn o bryd, rydyn ni'n aros iddyn nhw fwrw ymlaen â hynny; fe fydd hynny'n golygu ein bod ni'n gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar sut mae hynny'n cael ei weithredu yng Nghymru. Rydyn ni'n aros i Lywodraeth y DU fwrw ymlaen â'u deddfwriaeth ar ddiogeliadau amddiffyn rhyddid hefyd - mae'r terfynau amser ar gyfer hynny wedi parhau i symud. Felly, ar hyn o bryd, rydyn ni'n barod i fynd ar amrantiad yn hyn o beth; neilltuwyd symiau mawr o gyllid gennym ni ar gyfer rhoi hyn ar waith. Felly, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni fod yn ymwybodol o'r pwysau deddfwriaethol eraill yr ydym yn eu hwynebu, a'r gallu o fewn y system i ymdrin â hynny. Yr hyn yr wyf i'n ei gredu hefyd yw ei bod hi'n hanfodol bwysig i ni ganolbwyntio ar gyflawni, a'r peth pwysicaf i mi yw sicrhau bod pobl yn cael gafael ar wasanaethau, ac rwy'n credu bod rhaid i ni gofio hynny pan fyddwn ni'n ystyried unrhyw adolygiadau pellach.

Diolch, Llywydd. The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on our health service. From increasing health inequalities to preventing people from being warm and fed this winter, the NHS is showing signs of extreme strain and crisis. The strain is also evident in those who work in public health. The nurses' strike, backed by Plaid Cymru, has been well-documented in this Senedd. I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight the impact upon those working in the sector of substance use and addiction treatment. Earlier this month, ITV Wales reported on the cost-of-living struggles of peers with the drug and alcohol service. They spoke to Vinnie, a peer and recovered addict, who had been clean for three years, about his struggle to survive on his salary. He said, 'I'm relying on food banks, it's really tough, I don't have the heating on at home. I'm literally scared to turn on my heating, to turn on my gas because I'm just dreading that next bill, because I just haven't got (the money).' Vinnie is not unique. Because of his history of drugs, he and many like him are vulnerable. I fear that the stress of the cost-of-living crisis will push many people like him off the platform of sobriety. Do you recognise the problems that exist within this sector, and do you have plans to remedy it with improved terms and conditions? I hope that you agree, especially given the alarming increase in drug and alcohol deaths, that we cannot afford to allow drug and alcohol services to be run on the cheap.

Diolch, Llywydd. Mae'r argyfwng costau byw yn cael effaith sylweddol ar ein gwasanaeth iechyd ni. O gynyddu anghydraddoldebau iechyd hyd at rwystro pobl rhag cadw'n gynnes a chael bwyta y gaeaf hwn, mae'r GIG yn dangos arwyddion o bwysau eithafol ac argyfwng. Mae'r straen yn amlwg hefyd ymhlith y rhai sy'n gweithio ym maes iechyd y cyhoedd. Mae streic y nyrsys, a gefnogir gan Blaid Cymru, yn hysbys iawn yn y Senedd hon. Fe hoffwn i achub ar y cyfle hwn i dynnu sylw at effaith hyn ar y rhai hynny sy'n gweithio yn y sector defnyddio sylweddau a thrin dibyniaeth. Yn gynharach y mis hwn, adroddodd ITV Cymru ar drafferthion costau byw pobl sy'n gymheiriaid y gwasanaeth cyffuriau ac alcohol. Fe wnaethon nhw siarad â Vinnie, a oedd yn un o gymheiriaid gwasanaeth ac sydd wedi gwella ar ôl bod yn gaeth, ac wedi ymatal am dair blynedd, am ei frwydr i fyw ar ei gyflog. Meddai, 'Rwy'n dibynnu ar fanciau bwyd, mae hi'n anodd iawn, 'does gen i ddim gwres yn y tŷ. Rwy'n llythrennol yn ofni cynnau'r tân, a thanio'r nwy am fy mod i'n arswydo rhag y bil nesaf, am nad yw'r (arian) gen i.' Nid yw Vinnie yn unigryw. Oherwydd ei hanes ef o ddefnyddio cyffuriau, mae ef a llawer tebyg iddo yn agored i niwed. Rwy'n ofni y bydd straen yr argyfwng costau byw yn gwthio llawer o bobl fel ef oddi ar lwyfan sobrwydd. A ydych chi'n cydnabod y problemau sy'n bodoli yn y sector hwn, ac a oes gennych chi gynlluniau i'w cywiro gyda thelerau ac amodau gwell? Rwy'n gobeithio y byddwch chi'n cytuno, yn enwedig o ystyried y cynnydd brawychus mewn marwolaethau oherwydd cyffuriau ac alcohol, na allwn ni fforddio caniatáu i wasanaethau cyffuriau ac alcohol gael eu rhedeg ar y nesaf peth i ddim.

Thank you very much, Peredur. And can I take this opportunity to place on record my gratitude to the people who work as peer supporters in Wales? They do a phenomenal job. I certainly don't think we could be accused of running drug and alcohol services on the cheap. As you're aware, not only have we protected substance misuse funding in Wales, but we've actually increased the funding, and that includes for our peer-led services, which we've had to find extra money within Welsh Government funding for, because some of that funding came from the European Union, and obviously we lost that money. I do recognise, of course, that this is an incredibly tough time for everyone, including people working in the third sector, who we are really grateful to. That's why the Government has placed so much focus on using whatever levers we have to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, and that's why we are continuing, despite the very straitened circumstances that we face, to invest in substance misuse services, to help get people through this very difficult time.

Diolch yn fawr i chi, Peredur. Ac a gaf i achub ar y cyfle hwn i gofnodi fy niolchgarwch i'r bobl sy'n gweithio fel cymheiriaid cefnogol yng Nghymru? Maen nhw'n gwneud gwaith anhygoel. Yn sicr, nid wyf i o'r farn y gallen ni gael ein cyhuddo o redeg gwasanaethau cyffuriau ac alcohol ar y nesaf peth i ddim. Fel gwyddoch chi, nid yn unig ein bod wedi gwarchod cyllid gwasanaethau camddefnyddio sylweddau yng Nghymru, ond rydyn ni wedi cynyddu'r cyllid mewn gwirionedd, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys i'n gwasanaethau ni a arweinir gan gymheiriaid, bu'n rhaid i ni ddod o hyd i arian ychwanegol o fewn cyllid Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer hynny, oherwydd roedd rhywfaint o'r arian hwnnw'n dod o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, ac yn amlwg fe wnaethon ni golli'r arian hwnnw. Rwy'n cydnabod, wrth gwrs, fod hwn yn gyfnod anhygoel o anodd i bawb, gan gynnwys pobl sy'n gweithio yn y trydydd sector, yr ydym ni'n ddiolchgar iawn iddyn nhw. Dyna pam mae'r Llywodraeth wedi canolbwyntio cymaint ar ddefnyddio pa ysgogiadau bynnag sydd ar gael i ni wrth fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng costau byw, a dyna pam rydym ni'n parhau, er gwaethaf yr amgylchiadau dyrys iawn yr ydym yn eu hwynebu, i fuddsoddi yn y gwasanaethau camddefnyddio sylweddau, i fod o gymorth wrth dywys pobl drwy'r cyfnod anodd iawn hwn.

Thank you. We're still waiting for the Minister's workforce plan, which was promised for this month; given that there are a few hours left in the day, we remain in hope that it will come in time. Oh, there are thumbs up there, so that's good. Can you confirm that you and your officials were heavily involved in devising this plan? This is a key question, because mental health support has often compared badly with other areas of the NHS when it comes to priorities and funding. Improving access to psychological therapies was meant to be a key aim of the original 'Together for Mental Health' strategy, and has been a priority within each of the delivery plans, yet over the last 10 years, numerous reports have raised concerns about the access to psychological therapies on the back of substance misuse and addiction and those who are vulnerable to that. It's a real concern. Despite some improvements, hundreds of people are still waiting beyond the 26-week target to access support. These are people who often need urgent treatment to prevent their mental health spiralling out of control. Does the Minister intend to reduce the target from 26 weeks and what steps are being taken to address the situation of those waiting a considerable time in some health board areas? Thank you.

Diolch. Rydyn ni'n dal i aros am gynllun gweithlu'r Gweinidog, a addawyd y mis hwn; o ystyried fod yna ychydig oriau yn weddill, rydyn ni'n parhau i obeithio y daw maes o law. O, gwych, mae arwydd cadarnhaol i'w weld fan acw, felly dyna beth da. A wnewch chi gadarnhau y byddwch chi a'ch swyddogion â rhan fawr yng nghyfansoddiad y cynllun hwn? Mae hwn yn gwestiwn allweddol, oherwydd yn aml, mae cymorth iechyd meddwl wedi cymharu yn wael â meysydd eraill o'r GIG o ran blaenoriaethau a chyllid. Roedd ei gwneud hi'n haws i gael therapïau seicolegol i fod yn nod allweddol i'r strategaeth wreiddiol 'Law yn Llaw at Iechyd Meddwl', ac mae honno wedi bod yn flaenoriaeth o fewn pob un o'r cynlluniau cyflenwi, ac eto dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, mae nifer o adroddiadau wedi codi pryderon ynghylch sut i gael gafael ar therapïau seicolegol oherwydd effeithiau camddefnyddio sylweddau a chaethiwed a'r rhai sy'n agored i'r rheini. Mae hwnnw'n bryder gwirioneddol. Er gwaethaf rhai gwelliannau, mae cannoedd o bobl yn parhau i aros mwy na'r targed 26 wythnos i gael cymorth. Yn aml, pobl yw'r rhain sydd ag angen am driniaeth frys i'w hatal rhag colli rheolaeth ar eu hiechyd meddwl. A yw'r Gweinidog yn bwriadu gostwng y targed 26 wythnos a pha gamau sy'n cael eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â sefyllfa'r rhai sy'n aros cryn amser mewn rhai ardaloedd byrddau iechyd? Diolch i chi.

Thank you, Peredur. I think you saw the Minister give a positive signal there that things are going well in terms of the workforce plan that she's taking forward. We also have a separate workforce plan for mental health, which is being developed by Health Education and Improvement Wales and Social Care Wales. That was launched in November. I'm really pleased that, because of the extra £75 million funding made available by the Welsh Government this year for mental health, including substance misuse, we are able to fund that workforce plan, which does come with a very hefty price tag in full. That will enable some immediate short-term actions to be taken on the workforce pressures that we face, including things like the training and employment of clinical associates in psychology, who aren't fully qualified in a doctorate for psychology, but are able to offer some psychological therapies, and access to psychology is a key part of that workforce plan. I note the comments that you've made about waiting times for psychology services and, clearly, there is more work to do in that space. The NHS delivery unit is currently undertaking a review of psychological therapies for Welsh Government. That report is due in March and, as with their other reports on mental health, will provide us with a set of recommendations to make sure that we can improve services in a sustainable way. The other point that I would make, Peredur, is that we are spending huge sums of money in Wales on open-access tier 0 and tier 1 support. There is online cognitive behavioural therapy available right across Wales for a range of lower level mental health issues. We've got our call helpline that's available 24 hours a day, and we are making really good progress with our 111 'press 2 for mental health', which is operating everywhere now in Wales and will be 24/7 by the spring. I think that will be a real game changer in terms of the 'no wrong door' approach to mental health.

Diolch i chi, Peredur. Rwy'n credu eich bod wedi gweld y Gweinidog yn rhoi arwydd cadarnhaol nawr oherwydd bod pethau yn mynd yn dda o ran y cynllun gweithlu y mae hi'n ei ddatblygu. Mae gennym ni gynllun gweithlu ar wahân hefyd ar gyfer iechyd meddwl, sy'n cael ei ddatblygu gan Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru a Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru. Cafodd hwnnw ei lansio ym mis Tachwedd. Rwy'n falch iawn, oherwydd y £75 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol sydd ar gael gan Lywodraeth Cymru eleni ar gyfer iechyd meddwl, gan gynnwys camddefnyddio sylweddau, rydym yn gallu ariannu'r cynllun gweithlu hwn, y mae crocbris i'w dalu amdano i gyd. Fe fydd hwnnw'n ein galluogi i gymryd rhai camau byrdymor yn syth ynghylch y pwysau ar y gweithlu yr ydym yn eu hwynebu, gan gynnwys pethau fel hyfforddiant a chyflogi cymdeithion clinigol mewn seicoleg, nad ydyn nhw wedi cymhwyso yn llawn gyda doethuriaeth mewn seicoleg, ond sy'n gallu cynnig rhai therapïau seicolegol, ac mae mynediad at seicoleg yn rhan allweddol o'r cynllun gweithlu hwn. Rwy'n nodi o'r sylwadau a wnaethoch chi am amseroedd aros ar gyfer gwasanaethau seicoleg ac, yn amlwg, mae mwy o waith i'w wneud eto ar y mater hwnnw. Mae uned gyflawni'r GIG yn cynnal adolygiad o therapïau seicolegol i Lywodraeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd. Mae disgwyl i'r adroddiad hwnnw gael ei gyhoeddi ym mis Mawrth, ac fel yn achos eu hadroddiadau eraill nhw ar iechyd meddwl, fe fydd yn rhoi cyfres o argymhellion i ni i wneud yn siŵr y gallwn ni wella'r gwasanaethau mewn ffordd sy'n gynaliadwy. Y pwynt arall y byddwn i'n ei wneud, Peredur, yw ein bod ni'n gwario symiau aruthrol o arian yng Nghymru ar gymorth Haen 0 a Haen 1 Mynediad Agored. Mae therapi ymddygiad gwybyddol ar-lein ar gael ledled Cymru ar gyfer ystod o broblemau iechyd meddwl lefel is. Mae gennyn ni linell gymorth sydd ar gael 24 awr y dydd ar gyfer gwneud galwadau, ac rydyn ni'n gwneud cynnydd da iawn o ran ein gwasanaeth 111 'pwyswch 2 ar gyfer iechyd meddwl', sydd ar waith ym mhob man nawr yng Nghymru ac a fydd ar gael 24/7 erbyn y gwanwyn. Rwy'n credu y bydd hynny drawsnewidiad gwirioneddol o ran y dull 'dim drws anghywir' ar gyfer iechyd meddwl.

Effective working across health and social care is essential in managing hospital discharges effectively. Working in partnership has been a real feature of our approach to the challenges the system is facing this winter and has resulted in an additional 595 community beds, which are aiding hospital discharge.

Mae gweithio yn effeithiol ar draws iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn hanfodol wrth reoli rhyddhau cleifion o'r ysbyty mewn modd effeithiol. Mae gweithio mewn partneriaeth wedi bod yn nodwedd wirioneddol o'n hymagwedd ni tuag at yr heriau y mae'r system yn eu hwynebu y gaeaf hwn ac mae wedi arwain at 595 o welyau cymunedol ychwanegol, sydd o gymorth wrth ryddhau cleifion o'r ysbyty.

I'm grateful to the Minister for that response. It's certainly true to say that partnership working is a feature of the response of the Welsh Government. I'm not convinced it's a successful feature, I have to say. There's almost the equivalent of a whole hospital full of patients in the Aneurin Bevan health board area who, at any time, are able to be discharged into the community, but we're not able to do so. My feeling is that, all too often, we are putting enormous pressures on members of staff and service leaders to work around structures that are created, rather than to create structures that provide coherence in the delivery of services. It appears to me, and I've been sitting here for perhaps too many years now, but, it appears to me - [ Interruption.] [ Laughter.] I'll carry on. It appears to me that it is time to bring these services together to create a single, coherent social care organisation that is able to deliver the care that people need and is able to support our professionals in the way they're delivering their job. Is it too late to recognise, Minister, that the number of boards and partnerships and other structures we've put in place simply are not delivering the care that people have the right to and deserve?

Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am yr ymateb yna. Mae hi'n sicr yn wir dweud bod gweithio mewn partneriaeth yn nodwedd o ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru. Ni chefais fy argyhoeddi ei bod hi'n nodwedd lwyddiannus iawn, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud. Mae'r niferoedd bron â bod yn cyfateb i niferoedd ysbyty cyfan yn llawn cleifion yn ardal bwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan y gallen nhw, ar unrhyw adeg, gael eu rhyddhau i'r gymuned, ond nid ydym ni'n gallu gwneud hynny. Fy nheimlad i yw ein bod ni, yn rhy aml, yn rhoi pwysau enfawr ar aelodau o staff ac arweinwyr gwasanaethau i weithio o amgylch strwythurau a luniwyd, yn hytrach na llunio strwythurau sy'n cynnig cydlyniad o ran darparu gwasanaethau. Mae hi'n ymddangos i mi, ac rydw i wedi bod yn eistedd yma ers gormod o flynyddoedd erbyn hyn efallai, ond, mae hi'n ymddangos i mi - [ Torri ar draws.] [ Chwerthin.] Fe af yn fy mlaen. Mae hi'n ymddangos i mi ei bod hi'n hen bryd i ni ddod â'r gwasanaethau hyn at ei gilydd i greu un sefydliad gofal cymdeithasol cydlynol sy'n gallu darparu'r gofal sydd ei angen ar bobl ac sy'n gallu cefnogi ein gweithwyr proffesiynol ni yn y ffordd maen nhw'n cyflawni eu gwaith. A ydy hi'n rhy hwyr i gydnabod, Gweinidog, nad yw niferoedd y byrddau a phartneriaethau a strwythurau eraill y gwnaethom ni eu rhoi ar waith, yn syml, yn darparu'r gofal y mae gan bobl yr hawl i'w gael ac yn ei haeddu?

I thank the Member for that question. I'd like to emphasise how closely the Minister and I have been working to bring health and social care together. We have fortnightly meetings - the care action committee - where we drive developments that are jointly between health and social care, and that has resulted in 595 community beds, which are created by the local authorities, by the health boards, by them putting funding in - pooling funding. These 595 beds have had a really tremendous effect in enabling people to be discharged from hospital. In terms of where we go with social care, I think you know that we have a commitment to a national care service. We are taking the first steps in doing that in creating a national office, which we hope will be up now within the next year, and we're also having a national framework. Those are the first steps towards creating a national care service, which I agree is urgently needed.

Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna. Fe hoffwn i bwysleisio pa mor agos y mae'r Gweinidog a minnau wedi bod yn gweithio i ddod ag iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol ynghyd. Mae gennym ni gyfarfodydd bob pythefnos - y pwyllgor gweithredu gofal - lle rydym ni'n ysgogi datblygiadau ar y cyd rhwng iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, ac mae hynny wedi arwain at 595 o welyau cymunedol, sy'n cael eu creu gan yr awdurdodau lleol, gan y byrddau iechyd, drwy roi cyllid i mewn - cyfuno cyllid. Mae'r 595 o welyau wedi cael effaith wir anferthol o ran caniatáu i bobl gael eu rhyddhau o'r ysbyty. O ran i le awn ni nesa o ran gofal cymdeithasol, rwy'n credu eich bod yn gwybod bod gennym ni ymrwymiad i wasanaeth gofal sy'n genedlaethol. Rydyn ni'n cymryd y camau cyntaf yn hynny o beth drwy greu swyddfa genedlaethol, a fydd, gobeithio, ar waith nawr o fewn y flwyddyn nesaf, ac fe fydd gennym ni fframwaith cenedlaethol hefyd. Dyna'r camau cyntaf tuag at greu gwasanaeth gofal cenedlaethol, ac rwy'n cytuno bod taer angen amdano.

Minister, the fact that we don't always have a smooth transition between healthcare and social care has placed our NHS under a tremendous burden. Nowhere is this more evident than in end-of-life care. At the cross-party group on hospices and palliative care last week, we heard that accessing out-of-hours services was diabolical. A carer took over 20 hours to get through to the 111 service during a weekend just to discuss medication. It is little wonder, therefore, that one in every 14 patients attending A&E is an end-of-life patient. Minister, what steps is your Government taking to improve end-of-life services in the community, so that patients, carers and care homes are not forced to access acute health services?

Gweinidog, mae'r ffaith nad yw'r pontio bob amser yn rhwydd rhwng gofal iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol ac mae hynny wedi rhoi ein GIG o dan faich echrydus. Nid yw hynny'n fwy amlwg yn unman nag ym maes gofal diwedd oes. Yn y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar hosbisau a gofal lliniarol yr wythnos diwethaf, fe glywsom ni fod cael gafael ar wasanaethau y tu allan i oriau yn drybeilig. Cymerodd gofalwr dros 20 awr i gysylltu â'r gwasanaeth 111 un penwythnos dim ond er mwyn trafod meddyginiaeth. Nid oes fawr o ryfedd, felly, fod un o bob 14 claf sy'n mynychu adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys yn glaf diwedd oes. Gweinidog, pa gamau mae eich Llywodraeth chi'n eu cymryd i wella gwasanaethau diwedd oes yn y gymuned, fel nad yw cleifion, gofalwyr na chartrefi gofal yn cael eu gorfodi i ddefnyddio gwasanaethau iechyd acíwt?

I thank Altaf Hussain for that very important question. It is, of course, vital that people needing to access end-of-life services are not put in the position where they are desperately trying to get information, particularly over a weekend. I'm aware of those sorts of situations, which I have experienced. A programme should be set up so that people, over weekends, for example, who are receiving end-of-life care - that there is specific cover for those periods. I know that that is done in many cases. People should not be left in that position. The Welsh Government does, as you know, put funding towards hospices and help in the community, a particular percentage. The voluntary sector provides a lot of money as well, and those services are very impressive services. I'm well aware of the services provided in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, for example, for end-of-life care at home. But obviously, I think, we must always do more to strive to improve that situation.

Rwy'n diolch i Altaf Hussain am y cwestiwn hynod bwysig yna. Mae hi'n hanfodol, wrth gwrs, nad yw pobl sydd ag angen gwasanaethau diwedd oes yn cael eu rhoi mewn sefyllfa o fod â thaer angen am wybodaeth, yn arbennig dros benwythnos. Rwy'n ymwybodol o sefyllfaoedd o'r fath, mae gennyf i brofiad o hynny. Dylid sefydlu rhaglen sy'n caniatáu i bobl, dros benwythnosau, er enghraifft, sy'n derbyn gofal diwedd oes - bod gofal arbennig ar gael yn y cyfnodau hynny. Rwy'n gwybod i hynny fod ar gael mewn llawer o achosion. Ni ddylid gadael pobl mewn sefyllfa felly. Fel gwyddoch chi mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi arian tuag at hosbisau a chymorth yn y gymuned, canran benodol. Mae'r sector gwirfoddol yn darparu llawer o arian hefyd, ac mae'r gwasanaethau hynny'n wasanaethau trawiadol iawn. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o'r gwasanaethau sy'n cael eu darparu yng Nghaerdydd a Bro Morgannwg, er enghraifft, ar gyfer gofal diwedd oes yn y cartref. Ond yn amlwg, rwy'n credu bod rhaid i ni wneud mwy bob amser i ymdrechu i wella'r sefyllfa honno.

Question 4 [OQ59028] has been withdrawn.

Tynnwyd cwestiwn 4 [OQ59028] yn ôl.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is responsible for the condition of its own estate. It can submit business cases to the Welsh Government for capital funding for its assessed priorities, which have to be considered against the backdrop of significant capital pressures across NHS Wales.

Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr yn gyfrifol am gyflwr ei ystadau ei hun. Fe all gyflwyno achosion busnes i Lywodraeth Cymru am gyllid cyfalaf ar gyfer ei flaenoriaethau asesiedig, y mae'n rhaid eu hystyried nhw gan gofio'r pwysau sylweddol sydd yn bodoli o ran cyfalaf ar draws GIG Cymru.

Thank you for your response, Minister. I'm sure you're able to anticipate what I'm going to say, as it was reported in the BBC last week that only 62 per cent of buildings owned by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board are classed as operationally safe. In Abergele hospital, which serves my constituents well, only 15 per cent of the building complies with modern day health and safety standards. The reason for this is primarily that the board has many old buildings with high running costs and old infrastructure that haven't moved with the times or modern-day health needs. My question is: if you look at this objectively, Minister, do you think that in the long term it would help the board make estate savings by investing more now in new building infrastructure, such as north Denbighshire community hospital in Rhyl, so that we can ensure better healthcare for local people in a way that also lowers running costs and is environmentally friendlier, allowing us to invest more in front-line services?

Diolch i chi am eich ymateb, Gweinidog. Rwy'n siŵr eich bod chi'n gallu rhagweld yr hyn yr wyf i am ei ddweud, oherwydd cafodd ei nodi gan y BBC wythnos diwethaf mai dim ond 62 y cant o'r adeiladau sy'n eiddo i Fwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr sy'n cael eu hystyried fel rhai sy'n ddiogel i'w gweithredu. Yn ysbyty Abergele, sy'n rhoi gwasanaeth da i fy etholwyr i, dim ond 15 y cant o'r adeiladau sy'n cydymffurfio â safonau iechyd a diogelwch cyfredol. Y rheswm am hyn yn bennaf yw bod gan y bwrdd lawer o hen adeiladau gyda chostau rhedeg uchel a hen seilwaith nad yw wedi datblygu gyda'r oes nac anghenion iechyd cyfredol. Fy nghwestiwn i yw: os edrychwch chi ar hyn yn wrthrychol, Gweinidog, a ydych chi'n credu y byddai hi o gymorth i'r bwrdd o ran arbed arian gyda'r ystadau yn yr hirdymor pe byddech chi'n buddsoddi mwy nawr mewn seilwaith adeiladau newydd, fel ysbyty cymunedol gogledd sir Ddinbych yn y Rhyl, er mwyn i ni allu sicrhau gofal iechyd gwell i bobl leol mewn ffordd sy'n lleihau costau rhedeg hefyd ac yn fwy caredig i'r amgylchedd, gan ganiatáu i ni fuddsoddi mwy mewn gwasanaethau rheng flaen?

Thanks very much. I would love to invest more in our capital estate, but unfortunately our funding from the UK Government, when it comes to capital budgets, has not increased, and that does make life very difficult for us. What I will say is that over the past 10 years Betsi has received £455 million in capital expenditure, which is about 14 per cent of the Welsh total. That includes about £170 million on Ysbyty Glan Clwyd; £20 million on neonatal in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd; in Ysbyty Gwynedd, £14 million for the emergency department; £5 million in Flint; £4 million in Blaenau Ffestiniog; and £5 million in Tywyn. I could go on and on. The point is, we are trying to do our best. You do have to prioritise in these difficult circumstances, but obviously there has been an increase in the backlog figures, because, as you say, of the age of many of those major and acute sites, which is why what we have asked is that the health board considers what they think the priorities should be, and then obviously we as a Government will make a judgment after that.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Fe fyddwn i wrth fy modd yn buddsoddi mwy yn ein hystad cyfalaf ni, ond yn anffodus nid yw ein cyllid ni oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU, o ran cyllidebau cyfalaf, wedi cynyddu, ac mae hynny'n gwneud bywyd yn anodd iawn i ni. Yr hyn a fyddwn i'n ei ddweud yw bod Betsi wedi cael £455 miliwn mewn gwariant cyfalaf dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, sef tua 14 y cant o'r cyfanswm i Gymru. Mae hynny'n cynnwys tua £170 miliwn ar Ysbyty Glan Clwyd; £20 miliwn ar adran babanod newydd-anedig yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd; yn Ysbyty Gwynedd, £14 miliwn i'r adran frys; £5 miliwn yn y Fflint; £4 miliwn ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog; a £5 miliwn yn Nhywyn. Fe allwn i fynd ymlaen ac ymlaen. Y pwynt yw, rydym ni'n ceisio gwneud ein gorau. Mae'n rhaid i chi flaenoriaethu yn yr amgylchiadau anodd hyn, ond mae'n amlwg fod cynnydd wedi bod yn y ffigurau ol-groniad, oherwydd, fel rydych chi'n dweud, oedran llawer o'r safleoedd mawr ac acíwt hynny, a dyna pam rydym ni wedi gofyn i'r bwrdd iechyd ei hun ystyried beth ddylai'r blaenoriaethau fod, ac yna'n amlwg fe fyddwn ni yn y Llywodraeth yn gwneud dyfarniad wedi hynny.

Hywel Dda University Health Board is responsible for the provision of safe, sustainable high-quality healthcare services for its local population, based on the best and most up-to-date clinical evidence and advice.

Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda yn gyfrifol am ddarparu gwasanaethau gofal iechyd o safon uchel, sy'n ddiogel a chynaliadwy, i'w phoblogaeth leol, a hynny ar sail y dystiolaeth a'r cyngor clinigol gorau a diweddaraf.

Thank you for that response, Minister. As you know, there are concerns over primary healthcare services in Solva in my constituency, following the news that the GP partner has announced her retirement. Hywel Dda University Health Board has held some public engagement on this development and was writing to all patients registered at the surgery, and that's extremely important, as the local community must be consulted on how they think provision can continue to be delivered in the future. This of course follows on from Neyland and Johnston surgery in my constituency, which is now under health board control because of a retirement at that practice as well. Minister, people in my constituency are concerned that access to a GP in parts of Pembrokeshire is becoming increasingly difficult. Can you tell us what the Welsh Government is doing to address this matter? What work are you doing with the local health board to ensure that people can access a local GP wherever they live in Pembrokeshire?

Diolch am yr ymateb yna, Gweinidog. Fel gwyddoch chi, fe geir pryderon ynglŷn â gwasanaethau gofal iechyd sylfaenol yn Solfach yn fy etholaeth i, yn dilyn y newyddion bod y partner yn y practis meddyg teulu wedi cyhoeddi ei bod hi'n ymddeol. Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda wedi cynnal rhywfaint o ymgysylltu â'r cyhoedd am y datblygiad hwn ac wedi ysgrifennu at yr holl gleifion sydd wedi cofrestru yn y feddygfa, ac mae hynny'n hynod bwysig, gan ei bod hi'n rhaid ymgynghori â'r gymuned leol ynglŷn â'i barn am y ffyrdd y gellir parhau i gyflwyno'r ddarpariaeth yn y dyfodol. Mae hyn wrth gwrs yn dilyn meddygfa Neyland a Johnston yn fy etholaeth i, sydd dan reolaeth y bwrdd iechyd erbyn hyn oherwydd ymddeoliad yn y practis hwnnw hefyd. Gweinidog, mae pobl yn fy etholaeth i yn poeni bod gallu gweld y meddyg teulu yn mynd yn gynyddol anodd mewn rhannau o sir Benfro. A wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn? Pa waith a ydych chi'n ei wneud gyda'r bwrdd iechyd lleol i sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu gweld meddyg teulu yn lleol ble bynnag y maen nhw'n byw yn sir Benfro?

Thanks very much. I'm very aware of the situation in Solva. I can't go very far without somebody bringing it up with me when I'm home. I'm pleased to say that I met with the chair and chief executive of Hywel Dda health board on Thursday, and I was able to discuss this issue with them. As you noted, there has been an engagement with the community already. It is very difficult, because obviously we could put all the measures we want in place, but the key thing is how do you get a GP to go there. There is a real challenge when it comes to single-handed practices. We do have to, perhaps, think creatively about how we go about filling these roles that are quite difficult. I know that we had a real challenge in the past in attracting someone, for example, to Goodwick, where we actually put a £20,000 additional golden handshake on the table and still nobody came. These are not easy to resolve. You can't force people to go to these places. But obviously, our approach is to try and make sure that these people don't work alone and that they have a team around them. But even then, what we find works best is when you have a community of GPs working together. That's obviously difficult in places like Solva, so we just have to try and be creative and work with the community. But I know that the health board is going to make every effort to see what they can put in place by the termination date of 31 March.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o'r sefyllfa yn Solfach. Nid wyf i'n gallu mynd ymhell iawn o gartref heb i rywun godi'r mater gyda mi pan fyddaf i yno. Rwy'n falch o ddweud fy mod i wedi cyfarfod â chadeirydd a phrif weithredwr bwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda ddydd Iau, ac fe lwyddais i drafod y mater hwn gyda nhw. Fel nodwyd, bu ymgysylltu â'r gymuned yn barod. Mae hi'n anodd iawn, oherwydd yn amlwg fe allem ni roi'r holl fesurau yr ydym ni'n eu dymuno ar waith, ond y peth allweddol yw sut byddwch chi'n denu meddyg teulu yno. Mae yna her wirioneddol o ran meddygfeydd un meddyg. Mae'n rhaid i ni, efallai, feddwl yn greadigol ynglŷn â sut i fynd ati i lenwi'r swyddi hyn sy'n beth anodd iawn. Rwy'n gwybod i ni fod â her wirioneddol yn y gorffennol o ran denu rhywun, er enghraifft, i Wdig, pan wnaethon ni gynnig gwobr ariannol gwerth £20,000 i rywun am ddod ond ni ddaeth neb wedyn. Nid yw hi'n hawdd datrys pethau fel y rhain. Nid ydych chi'n gallu gorfodi pobl i fynd i'r mannau hyn. Ond yn amlwg, ein dull ni yw ceisio sicrhau nad yw'r meddygon unigol yn gweithio ar eu pennau eu hunain a bod ganddyn nhw dîm o'u cwmpas nhw. Ond hyd yn oed wedyn, yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei ganfod sy'n gweithio orau yw pan fydd gennych chi gymuned o feddygon teulu yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd. Yn amlwg mae hynny'n anodd mewn lleoedd fel Solfach, felly mae'n rhaid i ni geisio bod yn greadigol a gweithio gyda'r gymuned. Ond rwy'n gwybod y bydd y bwrdd iechyd yn gwneud pob ymdrech i weld beth all ei roi yn ei le erbyn dyddiad y terfyniad sef 31 o fis Mawrth.

Under their contract reform arrangements, dental practices focus on prevention and needs-based care rather than providing routine check-ups every six months to all patients. As a result of this shift, more than 123,000 new patients have gained access to an NHS dentist thus far this year.

O dan drefniadau diwygio'r contract, mae practisys deintyddol yn canolbwyntio ar ofal ataliol ac ymateb i angen, yn hytrach na rhoi archwiliad rheolaidd bob chwe mis i bob claf. Yn sgil y newid yma, mae mwy na 123,000 o gleifion newydd yng Nghymru wedi cael gweld deintydd NHS hyd yma eleni.

You'll know that NHS dentistry is something that I've raised with you time and time again in this Siambr. I'm concerned to hear again that we're hearing about these additional appointments - 120,000 we've heard before, and I think 130,000 you said this time -

Rydych chi'n gwybod bod deintyddiaeth y GIG yn rhywbeth yr ydw i wedi ei godi gyda chi dro ar ôl tro yn y Siambr hon. Rwy'n pryderu o glywed eto ein bod ni'n clywed am yr apwyntiadau ychwanegol hyn - 120,000 a glywsom ni'n flaenorol, a 130,000 rwy'n credu y dywedoch chi'r tro hwn -

It's 123,000.

123,000 yw'r ffigur.

It's 123,000, I beg your pardon. Thank you for the correction. In my conversations with dentists and the British Dental Association, I hear that they cannot actually deliver those appointments for new patients because practices do not have the capacity. Existing patients, they say, are facing further delays because new patients are likely to need significant follow-up work. I'm told that many practices, unable to meet their contracted targets, are having their funding clawed back by health boards and, as a result of the uncertainties, are reducing their commitment to or even walking away from NHS dental work altogether. I wonder if I could ask you, when you say that there are 120,000 new appointments, are these actually new appointments or just the equivalent funding? Will you commit to meeting with the British Dental Association in order to discuss this further? Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

123,000, mae'n ddrwg gen i. Diolch i chi am fy nghywiro. Yn fy sgyrsiau gyda deintyddion a Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain, rwy'n clywed na allan nhw gynnig yr apwyntiadau hynny ar gyfer cleifion newydd mewn gwirionedd gan nad oes gan y deintyddfeydd y gallu i wneud hynny. Mae cleifion presennol, medden nhw, yn wynebu oediadau pellach oherwydd mae hi'n debygol y bydd angen gwaith dilynol sylweddol ar gleifion newydd. Rwy'n cael gwybod bod llawer o ddeintyddfeydd, sy'n methu â chyrraedd nodau eu cytundebau nhw, yn gweld eu cyllid nhw'n cael ei grafangio yn ei ôl gan fyrddau iechyd ac, o ganlyniad i'r ansicrwydd, yn lleihau eu hymrwymiad nhw neu hyd yn oed yn achosi iddyn nhw ymadael â gwaith deintyddol y GIG yn gyfan gwbl. Tybed a gaf i ofyn i chi, pan ydych chi'n dweud bod 120,000 o apwyntiadau newydd, ai apwyntiadau newydd yw'r rhain mewn gwirionedd neu'r cyllid cyfatebol yn unig? A wnewch chi ymrwymo i gyfarfod â Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain i drafod hyn ymhellach? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thanks very much. Those are 123,000 new appointments that have actually taken place. There is a lot of noise around this, but these are the facts, that actually we have 74,000 new patients who are adults who have been seen, and 49,000 new children who have been seen who weren't being seen before. Of course, when you introduce something new, there is a little bit of difficulty and tension in the system. Obviously, if we're going to pay people to do a job, they need to deliver on that job, and if they don't deliver on that job, yes, we are going to claw back money. I'm not going to apologise for that, because we are the guardians of the taxpayers' money as well. That is the deal. You pay for a service, if you don't deliver the service you're not going to get paid. So, they may not like that, but I'm afraid that is the situation. The fact is that, actually, fewer than 20 contracts have been handed back out of the 413 that exist in Wales. So, as I said, there is a lot of noise, but in reality, most people - the vast, vast majority of dentists - have moved over to this new contract. Of course, it is easier to do a six-monthly check-up on somebody with healthy teeth than to see somebody new who perhaps hasn't been seen for a long time and then to have the need to see somebody in more detail afterwards. But we are doing this very deliberately. We need people to see dentists who haven't seen a dentist in a long time. So, I'm not going to apologise for the contract that we've put in place. What I will say is that I am, of course, happy to meet with the BDA - I know you have very strong connections with them. But perhaps we do need to just make sure that there is a real understanding of what we're trying to achieve here. We're trying to achieve this in the face of very severe financial constraints where we have to maximise the ability of the taxpayer to get as much as they can from the system.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. 123,000 o apwyntiadau newydd yw'r rhain sydd wedi digwydd mewn gwirionedd. Bu llawer o siarad ynghylch hyn, ond dyma'r ffeithiau, mae gennym ni 74,000 o gleifion newydd sy'n oedolion sydd wedi cael eu gweld mewn gwirionedd, a 49,000 o blant newydd sydd wedi cael eu gweld nad oedden nhw wedi cael eu gweld o'r blaen. Wrth gwrs, pan fyddwch chi'n cyflwyno rhywbeth newydd, fe fydd yna ychydig o anhawster a straen ar y system. Yn amlwg, os ydym ni am dalu pobl i wneud gwaith, mae angen iddyn nhw gyflawni'r gwaith hwnnw, ac os nad ydyn nhw'n cyflawni'r gwaith hwnnw, ydym, rydym ni am gael ein harian yn ei ôl. Nid wyf i am ymddiheuro am hynny, gan mai ni sydd â chyfrifoldeb am arian trethdalwyr hefyd. Honno yw'r fargen. Rydych chi'n talu am wasanaeth, os nad ydych chi'n darparu'r gwasanaeth hwnnw, 'chewch chi ddim mo'ch talu. Felly, efallai nad ydyn nhw'n hoffi hynny, ond dyna'r sefyllfa, mae arnaf i ofn. Y ffaith yw bod llai na 20 cytundeb, mewn gwirionedd, wedi cael eu rhoi yn eu holau allan o'r 413 sy'n bodoli yng Nghymru. Felly, fel dywedais i, fe geir llawer o siarad, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae'r rhan fwyaf o bobl - y mwyafrif llethol o ddeintyddion - wedi trosglwyddo i'r cytundeb newydd hwn. Wrth gwrs, mae hi'n haws archwilio rhywun sydd â dannedd iach bob chwe mis na gweld rhywun o'r newydd sydd efallai heb gael ei weld ers amser maith ac yna'r angen i'w weld gyda gwaith mwy manwl wedyn. Ond rydym ni'n gwneud hyn yn fwriadol iawn. Mae angen i bobl sydd heb weld deintydd ers amser maith fynd i weld deintydd. Felly, nid wyf i am ymddiheuro am y cytundeb y gwnaethom ni ei roi ar waith. Yr hyn a ddywedwn i yw fy mod i, wrth gwrs, yn hapus i gyfarfod â Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain - rwy'n gwybod bod gennych chi gysylltiadau cryf iawn â nhw. Ond efallai bod angen i ni wneud yn siŵr bod gwir ddealltwriaeth o'r hyn yr ydyn ni'n ceisio ei gyflawni yn hyn o beth. Rydyn ni'n ceisio cyflawni hyn yn wyneb cyfyngiadau ariannol difrifol iawn ac mae'n rhaid i ni wneud y mwyaf o allu'r trethdalwr i gael cymaint ag sy'n bosibl o'r system.

The Welsh Government is committed to improving healthcare services in Wales, and improving provision for people with poor eye health is a priority. This work is already under way through implementation of new optometry contracted terms of service, which I announced in a written statement issued in September last year.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i wella gwasanaethau gofal iechyd yng Nghymru, ac mae gwella'r ddarpariaeth i bobl ag iechyd llygaid gwael yn flaenoriaeth. Mae'r gwaith hwn ar y gweill eisoes trwy weithredu telerau gwasanaeth optometreg newydd a gontractiwyd, a gyhoeddais i mewn datganiad ysgrifenedig a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Medi'r llynedd.

Thanks, Minister. I'd like to ask you about plans to reduce financial help for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Wales towards the cost of their NHS glasses. I understand the proposal is to lower the current £39.10 contribution for children and adults on some benefits to £22. You claim the amount was agreed with the group that represents optometrists in Wales, however Optometry Wales says that, as a negotiating team, they were not in favour of supporting the changes to the voucher system proposed by the Welsh Government. Indeed, in a statement, they said the plans have caused significant concern among practitioners who are worried about the level of support patients on means-tested benefits will be able to access under the new contracts. The Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians has also expressed concerns that patients who depend on means-tested benefits will be worse off when accessing essential vision correction and warn of a significant reduction in domiciliary capacity, which will worsen eye health outcomes going forward. So, what assessment have you made, Minister, about the impact of this policy decision on the eyecare of patients, given the current economic circumstances that we're all experiencing? Thank you.

Diolch, Gweinidog. Fe hoffwn i ofyn i chi am gynlluniau i leihau cymorth ariannol i rai o bobl dlotaf a mwyaf agored i niwed Cymru tuag at gost eu sbectol GIG nhw. Rwy'n deall mai'r cynnig yw gostwng y cyfraniad presennol o £39.10 i blant ac oedolion ynglŷn â rhai budd-daliadau i £22. Rydych chi'n honni bod y swm wedi ei gytuno gyda'r grŵp sy'n cynrychioli optometryddion yng Nghymru, ond mae Optometreg Cymru yn dweud nad oedden nhw, yn y tîm trafod, o blaid cefnogi'r newidiadau i'r system dalebau a gynigiwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Yn wir, mewn datganiad, roedden nhw'n dweud bod y cynlluniau wedi achosi pryder sylweddol ymhlith ymarferwyr sy'n gofidio am lefel y gefnogaeth y bydd cleifion sy'n derbyn budd-dal sy'n dibynnu ar brawf modd yn ei chael o dan y contractau newydd. Mae Ffederasiwn yr Optegwyr Offthalmig a Chyflenwi wedi mynegi pryderon hefyd y bydd cleifion sy'n dibynnu ar fudd-dal sy'n dibynnu ar brawf modd mewn sefyllfa waeth o ran cael gwaith hanfodol i gywiro eu golwg ac yn rhybuddio am leihad sylweddol o ran gallu i fynd i weld pobl yn eu cartrefi, ac fe fydd hynny'n gwaethygu'r canlyniadau o ran iechyd llygaid i'r dyfodol. Felly, pa asesiad a wnaethoch chi, Gweinidog, ynghylch effaith y penderfyniad hwn ynglŷn â pholisi gofal llygaid cleifion, o ystyried yr amgylchiadau economaidd presennol yr ydym ni i gyd yn eu profi? Diolch i chi.

Thanks very much. The new Wales general ophthalmic services voucher value reflects the actual cost of providing services and glasses through the introduction of appropriately costed fees. What we have made sure is that those most in need continue to receive the most appropriate service, and I would encourage the Member to look again at Optometry Wales's website because actually, they did put out a statement, which they subsequently withdrew - I think that statement was posted by the UK body rather than the Welsh body, with whom we have a very good relationship where we've worked through these things. We really are at the cutting edge of ophthalmic services in the United Kingdom, making sure that we do things in a very different way in partnership, so we were quite surprised to see the statement that was issued, but they have withdrawn that statement, following conversations.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae gwerth talebau gwasanaethau offthalmig cyffredinol newydd Cymru yn adlewyrchu gwir gost darparu gwasanaethau a sbectolau drwy gyflwyno ffioedd sydd wedi costio'n briodol. Yr hyn y gwnaethom ni ei sicrhau yw bod y rhai mwyaf anghenus yn parhau i dderbyn y gwasanaeth mwyaf priodol, ac fe fyddwn i'n annog yr Aelod i edrych unwaith eto ar wefan Optometreg Cymru oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, fe wnaethon nhw roi datganiad, a'i dynnu yn ôl wedyn - rwy'n credu i'r datganiad hwnnw gael ei roi ar-lein gan gorff y DU yn hytrach na chorff Cymru, y mae gennym ni berthynas dda iawn ag ef ac rydym ni wedi gweithio drwy'r pethau hyn gydag ef. Rydym ni'n wir ar flaen y gad o ran gwasanaethau offthalmig yn y Deyrnas Unedig, ac yn gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gwneud pethau mewn ffordd wahanol iawn mewn partneriaeth, ac felly fe gawsom ni ein synnu yn fawr o weld y datganiad a gyhoeddwyd, ond maen nhw wedi tynnu'r datganiad hwnnw'n ei ôl, yn dilyn sgyrsiau.

We are increasing staffing numbers through a range of recruitment and attraction approaches, including international recruitment and record investment in education and training programmes. Improving staff retention in the NHS and the sustainability of our workforce is paramount.

Rŷn ni'n cynyddu nifer y staff drwy amryw o ddulliau recriwtio a denu, gan gynnwys recriwtio rhyngwladol a buddsoddi mwy nag erioed mewn rhaglenni addysg a hyfforddi. Mae gwella lefelau cadw staff yn y gwasanaeth iechyd a gwneud ein gweithlu'n fwy cynaliadwy yn hollbwysig.

Thank you, Minister. When I've visited hospitals and picket lines in my region, staff have shared with me time and again the immense stress and pressure that they're under and the fact that many of their experienced colleagues are leaving on a weekly basis. They can no longer cope with the pressure that they're under, the stress of not being able to give the best possible care to all patients due to the scale of demand, and the stress as well as the day-to-day working patterns put in place. You and I both heard harrowing evidence in an event here in the Senedd from staff in our emergency departments describing the daily experience of going to work and how they're signing leaving cards for colleagues on a weekly basis. Time and time and again, you say that there are more staff working for the NHS than ever before, but obviously on the ground, the story is very different. So, why is there this difference between the day-to-day experiences of staff working on the front line who tell us about experienced colleagues leaving, but you keep telling us that there are more and more staff available to the health service? So, what's being done to address this dreadful situation? Because we are saying that there are more staff, but we're not recognising how much expertise is being lost on a weekly basis. And what's the plan to address this?

Diolch, Weinidog. Wrth ymweld ag ysbytai a llinellau piced yn fy rhanbarth, mae staff wedi rhannu gyda mi, dro ar ôl tro, y straen aruthrol sydd arnyn nhw, a'r ffaith bod nifer o'u cydweithwyr profiadol yn gadael yn wythnosol. Dŷn nhw'n methu dygymod mwyach gyda'r pwysau sydd arnynt, y straen o fethu rhoi'r gofal gorau posibl i bob claf oherwydd maint y galw a'r straen, ynghyd â'r patrwm gwaith o ddydd i ddydd. Fe glywsoch chi a minnau dystiolaeth ddirdynnol mewn digwyddiad yma yn y Senedd gan staff yn ein hadrannau brys yn disgrifio'r profiad bob dydd o fynd i'r gwaith a sut maen nhw'n arwyddo cardiau gadael i staff yn wythnosol. Dro ar ôl tro, rydych chi'n dweud bod yna fwy o staff yn gweithio i'r gwasanaeth iechyd nag erioed o'r blaen, ond, yn amlwg, ar lawr gwlad, mae'r stori yn un wahanol. Felly, pam fod y gwahaniaeth hwn o ran y profiadau o ddydd i ddydd gan y staff sy'n gweithio ar y rheng flaen yn dweud wrthon ni am gydweithwyr profiadol yn gadael, ond rydych chi'n dweud bod yna fwy a mwy o staff yn y gwasanaeth iechyd nag erioed o'r blaen? Beth sydd yn cael ei wneud i fynd i'r afael efo'r sefyllfa ddirdynnol hon? Oherwydd rydyn ni'n dweud bod yna fwy o staff, ond dydyn ni ddim yn cydnabod faint o arbenigedd sy'n cael ei golli'n wythnosol. A beth ydy'r cynllun i fynd i'r afael â hyn?

Thanks very much. Well, it is true that we have more staff than ever employed in the NHS in Wales. What you will be aware of is that, actually, we have never seen demands on the service like this, and if we're honest, that demand is only going to go in one direction as we have an ageing population. The demand is going to increase. So, I think we've got to be very honest about the strain on the system currently, but actually, we do need to have a very genuine conversation amongst ourselves, with the public as well, about what the implications of this are for the future. What I have done is to develop a national workforce implementation plan, and I'm pleased to say that I'm going to meet the deadline that I set myself, so it is going to be published today. Within that, there will be a whole series of actions that we plan to put in place in order to make sure that we can do more to retain the staff that we've got; to look at how we can ethically recruit nurses from overseas; to look at how we can deploy a reservist force in Wales; to look at how we can build up and develop the existing network of volunteers; and how we can create an all-Wales collaborative bank to make sure that we can create some more support to avoid paying very expensive agency nurses.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, mae hi'n wir fod gennym ni fwy o staff nag a gyflogwyd erioed o'r blaen yn y GIG yng Nghymru. Yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ymwybodol ohono yw, mewn gwirionedd, na welson ni erioed alwadau fel hyn ar y gwasanaeth, ac os byddwn ni'n onest, ni wnaiff y galw hwnnw ond mynd i un cyfeiriad gan fod gennym ni boblogaeth sy'n heneiddio. Cynyddu a wna'r galw. Felly, rwy'n credu bod rhaid i ni fod yn onest iawn am y straen ar y system ar hyn o bryd, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae angen i ni gael sgwrs go iawn ymysg ein gilydd, a chyda'r cyhoedd hefyd, ynglŷn â goblygiadau hynny i'r dyfodol. Yr hyn a wnes i oedd datblygu cynllun gweithredu'r gweithlu cenedlaethol, ac rwy'n falch o ddweud y byddaf i'n gorffen erbyn y dyddiad a roddais i mi fy hun, felly fe gaiff hwnnw ei gyhoeddi heddiw. O fewn hynny, fe fydd cyfres gyfan o gamau yr ydym yn bwriadu eu rhoi ar waith i sicrhau y gallwn ni wneud mwy i gadw'r staff sydd gennym ni; ac ystyried sut y gallwn ni recriwtio nyrsys o dramor yn foesegol; ac ystyried sut y gallwn ni ddefnyddio gweithlu wrth gefn yng Nghymru; ac ystyried sut y gallwn ni feithrin a datblygu'r rhwydwaith presennol o wirfoddolwyr; a sut y gallwn ni greu banc cydweithredol i Gymru gyfan er mwyn gwneud yn siŵr y gallwn ni greu mwy o gymorth i osgoi talu am nyrsys asiantaeth sy'n gostus iawn.

Welsh Government continues to work with stakeholders to improve optometry services. The intended benefits brought forward by the new optometry contracted terms of service will provide a service framework fit for the future. This will be underpinned by the continued education and training of our primary care optometry workforce.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i weithio gyda rhanddeiliaid i wella gwasanaethau optometreg. Bydd y manteision arfaethedig a gyflwynir gan y telerau gwasanaeth newydd dan gytundeb optometreg yn rhoi fframwaith i'r gwasanaeth sy'n addas i'r dyfodol. Tanategir hyn gan addysg a hyfforddiant parhaus ein gweithlu gofal sylfaenol optometreg.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. I recently visited Gwynn's Opticians in Aberdare to find out more about independent prescribers and the new optometry contract. I was really impressed to hear about the 70 or so independent prescribers and the work that they can already do in terms of treating and diagnosing conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration, thanks to a fully funded training programme from the Welsh Government. We know that reform of the NHS to relieve pressure on our hospitals by facilitating the delivery of additional services within local communities is a key priority for the Welsh Government, so can you give us an update on preparations ahead of the official launch of the contract this summer?

Diolch i chi am yr ateb yna, Gweinidog. Yn ddiweddar, ymwelais ag Optegwyr Gwynn yn Aberdâr i ddysgu mwy am ragnodwyr annibynnol a'r cytundeb optometreg newydd. Roeddwn wedi rhyfeddu o glywed am y 70 o ragnodwyr annibynnol a'r gwaith y maen nhw'n gallu ei wneud eisoes o ran trin a rhoi diagnosis o gyflyrau fel glawcoma a dirywiad maciwlaidd, diolch i raglen hyfforddi a ariannir yn llawn gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod diwygio'r GIG i leddfu pwysau ar ein hysbytai ni drwy hwyluso darparu gwasanaethau ychwanegol o fewn cymunedau lleol yn flaenoriaeth allweddol i Lywodraeth Cymru, felly a wnewch chi roi diweddariad i ni ar y paratoadau cyn lansiad swyddogol y contract yn yr haf eleni?