Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
18/06/2025Cynnwys
Contents
Yn y fersiwn ddwyieithog, mae’r golofn chwith yn cynnwys yr iaith a lefarwyd yn y cyfarfod. Mae’r golofn dde yn cynnwys cyfieithiad o’r areithiau hynny.
In the bilingual version, the left-hand column includes the language used during the meeting. The right-hand column includes a translation of those speeches.
Cyfarfu'r Senedd yn y Siambr a thrwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:30 gyda'r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da, bawb, a chroeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn y prynhawn yma. Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni fydd y cwestiynau i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Thai. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Mabon ap Gwynfor.
Good afternoon and welcome to today's Plenary meeting. The first item on our agenda will be questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government. The first question is from Mabon ap Gwynfor.
1. Pa gamau y mae'r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i reoleiddio cwmnïau preifat sy'n rheoli anheddau? OQ62884
1. What steps is the Government taking to regulate private companies who manage dwellings? OQ62884
Diolch. I'm committed to ensuring effective regulation of residential management activities. Rent Smart Wales regulate management of private residential lettings. Our up-and-coming building safety Bill will introduce regulation of those managing building safety risk, and I'm exploring controls on those responsible for managing leasehold blocks and privately managed estates.
Diolch. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau rheoleiddio effeithiol ar weithgarwch cwmnïau sy'n rheoli eiddo preswyl. Mae Rhentu Doeth Cymru yn rheoleiddio gweithgarwch cwmnïau sy'n rheoli anheddau preswyl preifat. Bydd ein Bil diogelwch adeiladau sydd ar y ffordd yn cyflwyno rheoleiddio ar y rhai sy'n rheoli risg diogelwch adeiladau, ac rwy'n archwilio rheolaethau ar y rhai sy'n gyfrifol am reoli blociau lesddaliad ac ystadau a reolir yn breifat.
Thanks for the response, Cabinet Secretary. Prior to 2022, residents at Dol Hendre in Tywyn paid approximately £550 service charge every six months. A new management company has been installed and they have increased the charges to nearly £1,000 every six months. Residents there feel trapped. They must continue paying escalating charges or risk legal action. The increase in service charges has placed significant financial strain on a mostly older, retired or semi-retired community. There is confusion and concern over where service charge funds are being allocated. Dol Hendre is not an isolated example and it's happening across Wales. I know that you're not keen on rent caps, but do you not believe that action must be taken to limit the exorbitant rises seen in service charges by management firms?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Cyn 2022, roedd trigolion Dol Hendre yn Nhywyn yn talu oddeutu £550 o dâl gwasanaeth bob chwe mis. Mae cwmni rheoli newydd yno bellach ac maent wedi cynyddu'r taliadau i bron i £1,000 bob chwe mis. Mae trigolion yno'n teimlo'n gaeth. Maent yn gorfod parhau i dalu taliadau cynyddol neu wynebu'r posibilrwydd o gamau cyfreithiol. Mae'r cynnydd mewn taliadau gwasanaeth wedi rhoi straen ariannol sylweddol ar gymuned sydd at ei gilydd yn hŷn, wedi ymddeol neu wedi ymddeol yn rhannol. Mae dryswch a phryder ynghylch ble y mae arian y tâl gwasanaeth yn cael ei ddyrannu. Nid yw Dol Hendre yn enghraifft ynysig ac mae hyn yn digwydd ledled Cymru. Gwn nad ydych yn hoff o gapiau rhent, ond onid ydych chi'n credu bod yn rhaid cymryd camau i gyfyngu ar y codiadau afresymol a welir mewn taliadau gwasanaeth gan gwmnïau rheoli?
Diolch, Mabon. Thank you for raising that on behalf of your constituents. I think we've already delivered a range of measures to ensure that we effectively regulate residential management activities in Wales more broadly. For example, the introduction of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 places a statutory requirement on landlords to ensure homes are fit for human habitation. I'm also implementing significant reforms to service charges and other important leasehold matters included in the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, but I am interested in going further—for, example requiring certain minimum qualifications for those engaging in management activity. I'll shortly be consulting on those matters.
Private businesses operating in the rental sector already have statutory requirements on their management activities, but I continue to look at how these can be strengthened. For example, our recent White Paper on adequate housing, fair rents and affordability included a number of measures to increase transparency and accountability in the PRS.
While not being able to comment on a specific case, I'd be very happy if you wanted to write to me with further details on that.
Diolch, Mabon. Diolch am godi hynny ar ran eich etholwyr. Credaf ein bod eisoes wedi cyflwyno amrywiaeth o fesurau i sicrhau ein bod yn rheoleiddio gweithgarwch cwmnïau sy'n rheoli adeiladau preswyl yn effeithiol ledled Cymru. Er enghraifft, mae cyflwyno Deddf Rhentu Cartrefi (Cymru) 2016 yn gosod gofyniad statudol ar landlordiaid i sicrhau bod cartrefi'n addas i bobl fyw ynddynt. Rwyf hefyd yn gwneud diwygiadau sylweddol i daliadau gwasanaeth a materion lesddaliad pwysig eraill sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn Neddf Diwygio Cyfraith Lesddaliad a Rhydd-ddaliad 2024, ond mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn mynd ymhellach—er enghraifft, cyflwyno cymwysterau gofynnol penodol ar gyfer y rhai sy'n ymwneud â gweithgarwch rheoli. Byddaf yn ymgynghori ar y materion hynny cyn bo hir.
Mae busnesau preifat sy'n gweithredu yn y sector rhentu eisoes yn destun gofynion statudol mewn perthynas â'u gweithgarwch rheoli, ond rwy'n parhau i edrych ar sut y gellir cryfhau'r rhain. Er enghraifft, roedd ein Papur Gwyn diweddar ar dai digonol, rhenti teg a fforddiadwyedd yn cynnwys nifer o fesurau i gynyddu tryloywder ac atebolrwydd yn y sector rhentu preifat.
Er na allaf wneud sylwadau ar achos penodol, mae croeso ichi ysgrifennu ataf gyda manylion pellach ynglŷn â hynny.
2. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y gwaith sy'n cael ei wneud i wella diwylliant y gweithle a safonau rheoli a llywodraethu yng ngwasanaethau tân ac achub Cymru? OQ62852
2. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the work being undertaken to improve the workplace culture and standards of management and governance in Wales's fire and rescue services? OQ62852
Diolch, Sioned. We're working closely with fire and rescue services to ensure progress against the deeply concerning matters highlighted in the recent independent cultural reviews. I have committed funding to support these improvements across all three services. I will formally consult on governance reform proposals during the summer.
Diolch, Sioned. Rydym yn gweithio'n agos gyda'r gwasanaethau tân ac achub i sicrhau cynnydd yn erbyn y materion sy'n peri cryn bryder a amlygwyd yn yr adolygiadau diwylliannol annibynnol diweddar. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo cyllid i gefnogi'r gwelliannau hyn ar draws y tri gwasanaeth. Byddaf yn ymgynghori'n ffurfiol ar gynigion diwygio llywodraethu yn ystod yr haf.
Diolch yn fawr. As you say, we've had those deeply worrying findings, haven't we, in the culture reviews? Earlier this year, we had a culture review into Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service published, and the majority of respondents said the culture had either stagnated or deteriorated, many describing the service as an operational boys' club, with personal connections favouring nepotism, favouritism and a lack of accountability. While there has been progress in certain areas, staff reported worsening conditions in key aspects such as transparency, leadership and conduct, echoing concerns, of course, raised by the Equality and Social Justice Committee, on which I sit. The report also highlighted serious failings in the way the fire authority provided oversight.
I have received correspondence from several constituents who've worked in the fire service and have shared their experiences with me. One constituent, for example, described failures in the complaints process, including a dismissive attitude towards allocations involving senior figures. Another, after 10 years of service, felt they had to resign after their request to work differently was refused—a request to work differently because a child had been born with a serious health condition. So, what concrete steps are you taking to ensure that the recommendations of this review are implemented in full and these long-standing concerns, which seem to be continuing and raised by staff with me, are finally addressed? Diolch.
Diolch yn fawr. Fel y dywedwch, rydym wedi cael y canfyddiadau hynny sy'n peri pryder mawr, onid ydym, yn yr adolygiadau diwylliant? Yn gynharach eleni, cyhoeddwyd adolygiad diwylliant o Wasanaeth Tân ac Achub Canolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru, a dywedodd y rhan fwyaf o'r ymatebwyr fod y diwylliant naill ai wedi marweiddio neu wedi dirywio, gyda llawer yn disgrifio'r gwasanaeth fel clwb bechgyn gweithredol, gyda chysylltiadau personol yn ffafrio nepotistiaeth, ffafriaeth a diffyg atebolrwydd. Er y bu cynnydd mewn rhai meysydd, nododd staff fod amodau'n gwaethygu mewn agweddau allweddol fel tryloywder, arweinyddiaeth ac ymddygiad, gan adleisio pryderon a godwyd gan y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yr wyf yn aelod ohono. Tynnodd yr adroddiad sylw hefyd at fethiannau difrifol yn y ffordd y darparai'r awdurdod tân oruchwyliaeth.
Rwyf wedi cael gohebiaeth gan sawl etholwr sydd wedi gweithio yn y gwasanaeth tân ac wedi rhannu eu profiadau gyda mi. Er enghraifft, disgrifiodd un etholwr fethiannau yn y broses gwyno, gan gynnwys agwedd ddiystyriol tuag at honiadau ynglŷn ag uwch-swyddogion. Teimlai un arall, ar ôl 10 mlynedd o wasanaeth, fod yn rhaid iddynt ymddiswyddo ar ôl i'w cais i weithio'n wahanol gael ei wrthod—cais i weithio'n wahanol am fod plentyn wedi'u geni â chyflwr iechyd difrifol. Felly, pa gamau pendant rydych chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau bod argymhellion yr adolygiad hwn yn cael eu rhoi ar waith yn llawn a bod y pryderon hirsefydlog hyn, sy'n parhau yn ôl pob golwg ac y mae staff wedi'u codi gyda mi, yn cael eu datrys o'r diwedd? Diolch.
Diolch, Sioned. Thank you for raising this important matter. We're working closely with fire and rescue services to ensure progress against those deeply concerning matters highlighted in the recent independent culture reviews. Again, I'd just like to pay tribute to all those who have come forward, and the ones that continue to come forward to you. I do meet regularly with the chairs, the south Wales commissioners and chief fire officers to discuss these matters. I have asked each fire and rescue service to provide regular updates on the development and delivery of their culture improvement plans at the social partnership forum for fire and rescue services. It's something that I've insisted on. The first of those updates was provided in May, and they will continue.
I've committed funding of £350,000 to support improvements in culture in all three fire and rescue services. This includes funding for a comprehensive leadership development programme, training to improve the handling of disciplinary and grievance cases, and a new training and development package for authority members. So, the Welsh Government is also supporting mid and west Wales and north Wales FRAs to establish individual assurance panels, with the appointment of appropriate external experts. So, progress in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is also being monitored closely by officials, through their monthly meetings with the commissioners, via an intervention oversight board. So, I've now completed the engagement part of the programme with stakeholders on proposals for governance reform. That's included detailed discussions with our social partnership forum, and I'll start the consultation proposals in the next few weeks.
Diolch, Sioned. Diolch am godi'r mater pwysig hwn. Rydym yn gweithio'n agos gyda'r gwasanaethau tân ac achub i sicrhau cynnydd yn erbyn y materion hynny sy'n peri cryn bryder a amlygwyd yn yr adolygiadau diwylliant annibynnol diweddar. Unwaith eto, hoffwn dalu teyrnged i bawb sydd wedi codi llais, a'r rhai sy'n parhau i godi llais gyda chi. Rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â'r cadeiryddion, comisiynwyr de Cymru a phrif swyddogion tân i drafod y materion hyn. Rwyf wedi gofyn i bob gwasanaeth tân ac achub ddarparu diweddariadau rheolaidd ar ddatblygiad a chyflawniad eu cynlluniau gwella diwylliant yn y fforwm partneriaeth gymdeithasol ar gyfer gwasanaethau tân ac achub. Mae'n rhywbeth rwyf wedi ei fynnu. Darparwyd y cyntaf o'r diweddariadau hynny ym mis Mai, a byddant yn parhau.
Rwyf wedi ymrwymo cyllid o £350,000 i gefnogi gwelliannau i ddiwylliant ym mhob un o'r tri gwasanaeth tân ac achub. Mae hyn yn cynnwys cyllid ar gyfer rhaglen gynhwysfawr i ddatblygu arweinyddiaeth, hyfforddiant i wella'r ffordd y caiff achosion disgyblu a chwynion eu trin, a phecyn hyfforddi a datblygu newydd ar gyfer aelodau'r awdurdod. Felly, mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn cefnogi awdurdodau tân ac achub canolbarth a gorllewin Cymru a gogledd Cymru i sefydlu paneli sicrwydd unigol, gydag arbenigwyr allanol priodol yn cael eu penodi. Felly, mae cynnydd yng Ngwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru hefyd yn cael ei fonitro'n agos gan swyddogion, drwy eu cyfarfodydd misol gyda'r comisiynwyr, drwy fwrdd goruchwylio ymyrraeth. Felly, rwyf bellach wedi cwblhau rhan ymgysylltu'r rhaglen gyda rhanddeiliaid ar gynigion ar gyfer diwygio llywodraethu. Mae hynny wedi cynnwys trafodaethau manwl gyda'n fforwm partneriaeth gymdeithasol, a byddaf yn dechrau'r cynigion ymgynghori yn yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf.
Minister, I visited Barry fire station recently and saw what a brilliant job those firefighters do. They put their lives on the line, as, tragically, we saw in England recently, with the death of a firefighter there at an incident. It is vitally important that people maintain confidence in the fire service, and, whilst I welcome the reviews that you have commissioned, to make sure that bad practice is rooted out, it is really important that a positive view and vision is given for the fire service, so that those firefighters in Barry, and across Wales, feel that they are valued members of the emergency services and, ultimately, do a fantastic job.
Weinidog, ymwelais â gorsaf dân y Barri yn ddiweddar a gwelais pa mor wych yw'r gwaith y mae'r diffoddwyr tân hynny'n ei wneud. Maent yn mentro eu bywydau, fel y gwelsom, yn drasig, yn Lloegr yn ddiweddar, gyda diffoddwr tân yn marw yno mewn digwyddiad. Mae'n hanfodol bwysig cynnal hyder pobl yn y gwasanaeth tân, ac er fy mod yn croesawu'r adolygiadau a gomisiynwyd gennych i sicrhau bod arferion gwael yn cael eu dileu, mae'n wirioneddol bwysig rhoi gweledigaeth a golwg gadarnhaol o'r gwasanaeth tân, fel bod y diffoddwyr tân hynny yn y Barri, a ledled Cymru, yn teimlo eu bod yn aelodau gwerthfawr o'r gwasanaethau brys, ac yn y pen draw, yn gwneud gwaith gwych.
Diolch, Andrew. Thank you for that. Firefighter safety and the safety of the public is absolutely paramount. I'm glad you've been able to visit Barry fire station. I've had the opportunity to visit Ely station and meet with some of the firefighters there, and also the cadets. The firefighters do an incredible job working with cadets and the firefighters, hopefully, of the future as well. I think it is really important that we work hard through our social partnership forum to ensure that we have the future proposals for governance reform that we want to see implemented, and to make sure that all the issues and the serious, concerning matters that have been raised through those culture reviews are addressed, and are addressed significantly. But, absolutely, I'd like to pay tribute to those firefighters, who put their lives at risk day in, day out.
Diolch, Andrew. Diolch am hynny. Mae diogelwch diffoddwyr tân a diogelwch y cyhoedd yn hollbwysig. Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi gallu ymweld â gorsaf dân y Barri. Rwyf wedi cael cyfle i ymweld â gorsaf Trelái a chyfarfod â rhai o'r diffoddwyr tân yno, a'r cadetiaid hefyd. Mae'r diffoddwyr tân yn gwneud gwaith anhygoel wrth weithio gyda chadetiaid a diffoddwyr tân y dyfodol, gobeithio. Credaf ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig ein bod yn gweithio'n galed drwy ein fforwm partneriaeth gymdeithasol i sicrhau bod gennym gynigion ar gyfer y diwygio llywodraethu yr hoffem ei weld yn cael ei weithredu, ac i sicrhau yr eir i'r afael â'r holl broblemau a'r materion difrifol sy'n peri pryder a godwyd drwy'r adolygiadau diwylliant hynny, ac yr eir i'r afael â hwy yn iawn. Ond yn bendant, hoffwn dalu teyrnged i'r diffoddwyr tân sy'n mentro eu bywydau ddydd ar ôl dydd.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Laura Anne Jones.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Conservatives' spokesperson, Laura Anne Jones.
Diolch, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Cabinet Secretary. Council tax is soaring here in Wales and putting huge additional pressure on already stretched household budgets. We know that councils face difficulties, but now taxpayers will have to foot the bill for substantial 3.2 per cent pay rises for council chief executives for the next financial year. We're already in a situation in which some council bosses earn similar amounts or even more than the First Minister, or even the Prime Minister, and now these salaries are set to rise again. Do you agree with me this is quite hard to justify, and isn't it about time that you considered putting a cap on these salaries? Diolch.
Diolch, Lywydd. Prynhawn da, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae'r dreth gyngor yn codi'n uwch ac yn uwch yma yng Nghymru ac yn rhoi pwysau ychwanegol enfawr ar gyllidebau aelwydydd sydd eisoes o dan bwysau. Gwyddom fod cynghorau'n wynebu anawsterau, ond nawr bydd yn rhaid i drethdalwyr dalu am godiadau cyflog sylweddol o 3.2 y cant i brif weithredwyr cynghorau ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Rydym eisoes mewn sefyllfa lle mae rhai penaethiaid cynghorau yn ennill symiau tebyg neu hyd yn oed mwy na'r Prif Weinidog, neu hyd yn oed Prif Weinidog y DU, a nawr mae'r cyflogau hyn ar fin codi eto. A ydych chi'n cytuno â mi fod hyn yn eithaf anodd ei gyfiawnhau, ac onid yw'n bryd ichi ystyried rhoi cap ar y cyflogau hyn? Diolch.
Diolch, Laura. Transparency on pay, especially senior pay, in the public sector is important to maintain trust. It is the responsibility of the local authority to set pay for its senior officers, including the chief executive. The chief executive and other senior post salaries are published annually in the accounts of each authority, and any new post with a salary of over £100,000 must be approved by the full council.
Diolch, Laura. Mae tryloywder o ran cyflogau, yn enwedig cyflogau uwch-swyddogion, yn y sector cyhoeddus yn bwysig er mwyn cynnal ymddiriedaeth. Cyfrifoldeb yr awdurdod lleol yw gosod cyflogau ei uwch-swyddogion, gan gynnwys y prif weithredwr. Cyhoeddir cyflogau'r prif weithredwr ac uwch-swyddogion eraill yn flynyddol yng nghyfrifon pob awdurdod, ac mae'n rhaid i unrhyw swydd newydd gyda chyflog o dros £100,000 gael ei chymeradwyo gan y cyngor llawn.
I think most people appreciate, Cabinet Secretary, that we want people who are talented to head up our local authorities. They're complex bodies with huge responsibilities, but there's no justification for chief executives being paid similar amounts to the Prime Minister of a G7 country. Inflation and other pressures on council budgets are real, and it's important to recognise that the growth in top salaries in town halls should not be an additional pressure on budgets. We know that the number of council employees in Wales who take home over £100,000 in total pay has risen over the last financial year to at least 186. These are payments that most people in Wales could only dream of, and yet they're asked to fund them. In my region, we've seen leisure centres close, libraries close, and we've seen school transport provision reduced as councils set their budgets. And it can't be right that these people have to choose between leisure centers and libraries and paying more in tax, while also town hall bosses take home salaries that they could only dream of. So, what consideration have you given to working with the local authorities to put measures in place so that these top salaries could be brought under control? And what is your message to people in our regions who have seen services cut but also are asked to fund more and more of these top salaries?
Rwy'n credu bod y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn derbyn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ein bod ni eisiau pobl dalentog i arwain ein hawdurdodau lleol. Maent yn gyrff cymhleth gyda chyfrifoldebau enfawr, ond nid oes unrhyw gyfiawnhad dros dalu symiau tebyg i Brif Weinidog un o wledydd y G7 i brif weithredwyr. Mae chwyddiant a phwysau arall ar gyllidebau cynghorau yn real, ac mae'n bwysig cydnabod na ddylai'r twf yng nghyflogau uchaf neuaddau tref fod yn bwysau ychwanegol ar gyllidebau. Gwyddom fod nifer y gweithwyr cynghorau yng Nghymru sy'n ennill cyflog o dros £100,000 wedi codi dros y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf i o leiaf 186. Mae'r rhain yn gyflogau na allai'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yng Nghymru ond breuddwydio amdanynt, ac eto gofynnir iddynt eu hariannu. Yn fy rhanbarth i, rydym wedi gweld canolfannau hamdden yn cau, llyfrgelloedd yn cau, ac rydym wedi gweld darpariaeth cludiant i'r ysgol yn lleihau wrth i gynghorau osod eu cyllidebau. Ac ni all fod yn iawn fod yn rhaid i'r bobl hyn ddewis rhwng canolfannau hamdden a llyfrgelloedd a thalu mwy mewn treth, tra bo penaethiaid neuaddau tref hefyd yn ennill cyflogau na allent ond breuddwydio amdanynt. Felly, pa ystyriaeth a roddwyd gennych i weithio gyda'r awdurdodau lleol i roi mesurau ar waith fel y gellid cael rhywfaint o reolaeth ar y cyflogau uchaf hyn? A beth yw eich neges i bobl yn ein rhanbarthau sydd wedi gweld gwasanaethau'n cael eu torri ond sydd hefyd yn gorfod ariannu mwy a mwy o'r cyflogau uchaf hyn?
Thank you, Laura. In terms of the pressures on local authorities, just to remind you, the austerity that we have been through over the last 14 years has put a huge amount of pressure on our local authorities. We have done everything within the powers that we have within the Welsh Government to protect local authorities through that period, but it has been incredibly tough, and local authorities are still having to make really tough decisions after those 14 years of austerity.
Local authority chief executives in Wales are responsible for significant organisations and budgets of hundreds of millions of pounds. Local scrutiny of pay is an important part of ensuring that value for money is set against that context. So, every local authority publishes a pay policy statement annually, setting out its policy on pay and remuneration, including details of the arrangements for its most senior staff, and that is approved by full council.
Diolch, Laura. O ran y pwysau ar awdurdodau lleol, i'ch atgoffa, mae'r cyni rydym wedi bod drwyddo dros y 14 mlynedd diwethaf wedi rhoi llawer iawn o bwysau ar ein hawdurdodau lleol. Rydym wedi gwneud popeth o fewn y pwerau sydd gennym fel Llywodraeth Cymru i ddiogelu awdurdodau lleol drwy gydol y cyfnod hwnnw, ond mae wedi bod yn anhygoel o anodd, ac mae awdurdodau lleol yn dal i orfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd iawn ar ôl y 14 mlynedd o gyni.
Mae prif weithredwyr awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru yn gyfrifol am sefydliadau mawr a chyllidebau o gannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd. Mae craffu lleol ar gyflogau yn rhan bwysig o sicrhau bod gwerth am arian yn cael ei osod yn erbyn y cyd-destun hwnnw. Felly, mae pob awdurdod lleol yn cyhoeddi datganiad polisi cyflog blynyddol, gan nodi ei bolisi ar gyflogau a thaliadau, yn cynnwys manylion y trefniadau ar gyfer ei uwch-swyddogion, a chaiff hynny ei gymeradwyo gan y cyngor llawn.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I'm sure you agree with me that you have a role to play, though, perhaps, as the Cabinet Secretary in charge, in terms of these amounts getting out of control now, with people being paid more than a Prime Minister of a G7 country.
But, Cabinet Secretary, time and time again, we hear this Welsh Government talk about its commitment to building more homes, yet the reality is that they are not being built quick enough to meet the demand. According to the latest performance reports, just 19 per cent of local planning authorities in Wales are meeting the target to determine planning applications within the preferred time frame. That's a shocking drop from 27 per cent from the previous year. Let's be clear, these delays are not just bureaucratic, they are actively holding back the delivery of much-needed homes across our communities. Developers, housing associations and even local councils themselves are being stalled by slow, inconsistent planning systems. With over 90,000 people on housing waiting lists in Wales, it's not just frustrating, it's unacceptable. So, Cabinet Secretary, what specific action is being taken to improve the speed of local planning decisions across Wales? In particular, how is this Welsh Government supporting local authorities to develop modern digital tools and AI-powered systems to streamline the planning process, reduce backlogs and deliver the homes that people so desperately need? Diolch.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn cytuno â mi fod gennych rôl i'w chwarae, serch hynny, efallai, fel yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet sy'n gyfrifol, o ran y cyflogau hyn yn mynd allan o reolaeth nawr, gyda phobl yn cael eu talu mwy na Phrif Weinidog un o wledydd y G7.
Ond Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, dro ar ôl tro, rydym yn clywed Llywodraeth Cymru yn sôn am ei hymrwymiad i adeiladu mwy o gartrefi, ond y gwir amdani yw nad ydynt yn cael eu hadeiladu'n ddigon cyflym i ateb y galw. Yn ôl yr adroddiadau perfformiad diweddaraf, dim ond 19 y cant o awdurdodau cynllunio lleol yng Nghymru sy'n cyrraedd y targed i benderfynu ar geisiadau cynllunio o fewn yr amserlen a ffafrir. Mae hynny'n ostyngiad syfrdanol o 27 y cant o'r flwyddyn flaenorol. Gadewch inni fod yn glir, nid biwrocrataidd yn unig yw'r oedi hwn, mae'n atal darpariaeth cartrefi y mae eu hangen yn daer ar draws ein cymunedau. Mae datblygwyr, cymdeithasau tai a hyd yn oed y cynghorau lleol eu hunain yn cael eu llesteirio gan systemau cynllunio araf ac anghyson. Gyda dros 90,000 o bobl ar restrau aros am dai yng Nghymru, nid yn unig fod hyn yn rhwystredig, mae'n annerbyniol. Felly, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa gamau penodol sy'n cael eu cymryd i wella cyflymder penderfyniadau cynllunio lleol ledled Cymru? Yn fwyaf arbennig, sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu offer digidol modern a systemau wedi'u pweru gan ddeallusrwydd artiffisial i symleiddio'r broses gynllunio, lleihau ôl-groniadau a darparu'r cartrefi y mae cymaint o'u hangen ar bobl? Diolch.
Diolch, Laura. Well, this Welsh Labour Government has invested almost £2 billion this Senedd term, which is a record level of investment, and that is driving that record level of delivery. It'll mean that more people across Wales will have access to the social homes for rent that they need. We've got a record annual budget of £411 million for social housing in the 2025-26 financial year, and that is an additional £81 million compared to this year.
We know we need more homes, and we are doing everything we can, along with the sector. We all have a part to play within this, and that was something that was recognised within the affordable homes taskforce report that came out. I accepted all of the recommendations that I am responsible for, and I am very keen that we do everything we can. We keep pushing on as much as we can, working with others, because this is absolutely a priority of this Government, and it is not just in this Government term, but we know that we need more homes in the future as well. So, it's about doing the work now for those future pipelines. And I am really pleased about the pipelines that we've got at the moment. I would be more concerned if there wasn't that pipeline of projects coming forward. And, again, with that pipeline, we were able this year, again, to give an additional £10 million to kick start the development of 16 new affordable housing schemes across Wales as well. So, we're always looking to do what we can. We need to work together, but, absolutely, this is a real priority. There are some absolutely record levels of investment going in from this Government.
Diolch, Laura. Wel, mae Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru wedi buddsoddi bron i £2 biliwn yn nhymor y Senedd hon, sef y buddsoddiad mwyaf erioed, ac mae hynny wedi galluogi'r lefel uchaf erioed o ddarpariaeth. Bydd yn golygu y bydd gan fwy o bobl ledled Cymru fynediad at y cartrefi rhent cymdeithasol sydd eu hangen arnynt. Bydd gennym y gyllideb flynyddol fwyaf erioed o £411 miliwn ar gyfer tai cymdeithasol ym mlwyddyn ariannol 2025-26, a dyna £81 miliwn ychwanegol o'i gymharu ag eleni.
Gwyddom fod angen mwy o gartrefi arnom, ac rydym yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu, ynghyd â'r sector. Mae gan bob un ohonom ran i'w chwarae yn hyn o beth, ac roedd hynny'n rhywbeth a gydnabuwyd yn yr adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd gan y tasglu tai fforddiadwy. Derbyniais yr holl argymhellion rwy'n gyfrifol amdanynt, ac rwy'n awyddus iawn inni wneud popeth yn ein gallu. Rydym yn parhau i wthio hyn yn ei flaen cymaint ag y gallwn, gan weithio gydag eraill, gan fod hyn yn sicr yn flaenoriaeth i'r Llywodraeth hon, ac nid yn unig yn nhymor y Llywodraeth hon, ond gwyddom y bydd angen mwy o gartrefi arnom yn y dyfodol hefyd. Felly, mae a wnelo â gwneud y gwaith nawr ar gyfer prosiectau yn y dyfodol. Ac rwy'n falch iawn o'r prosiectau sydd gennym ar hyn o bryd. Byddwn yn fwy pryderus pe na bai'r prosiectau hynny ar y gweill. Ac unwaith eto, gyda'r prosiectau hynny, eleni unwaith eto fe roesom £10 miliwn ychwanegol tuag at ddatblygu 16 o gynlluniau tai fforddiadwy newydd ledled Cymru hefyd. Felly, rydym bob amser yn ceisio gwneud yr hyn a allwn. Mae angen inni weithio gyda'n gilydd, ond yn bendant, mae hyn yn flaenoriaeth wirioneddol. Mae'r Llywodraeth yn buddsoddi'r lefelau uchaf erioed yn hyn.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, the recent UK Government spending review claims to take action to return local government to a sustainable financial position. But here, in Wales, our local authorities face a very different reality. While the review boasts of a 3.1 per cent real terms increase in local authority spending power across England, the figure simply doesn't reflect the situation in Wales, where councils are under even greater pressure, made worse by the Labour Government's failure to fully compensate them for the increased employer national insurance contributions. In England, 100 per cent of the cost is being covered. In Wales, it's just 86 per cent. The Welsh Government has had to dip into reserves to plug part of that gap, but local authorities are still left facing millions of pounds-worth of ongoing shortfalls.
Cabinet Secretary, what assessment has your department made of the cumulative impact of this spending review on Welsh local authorities and the services that they deliver, particularly in light of this shortfall on national insurance contributions, which is effectively asking Welsh councils to bail out decisions made by Westminster?
Diolch, Lywydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae adolygiad o wariant diweddar Llywodraeth y DU yn honni ei fod yn cymryd camau i adfer llywodraeth leol i sefyllfa ariannol gynaliadwy. Ond yma yng Nghymru, mae ein hawdurdodau lleol yn wynebu realiti gwahanol iawn. Er bod yr adolygiad yn brolio cynnydd o 3.1 y cant mewn termau real ym mhŵer gwario awdurdodau lleol ledled Lloegr, nid yw'r ffigur yn adlewyrchu'r sefyllfa yng Nghymru, lle mae cynghorau o dan fwy fyth o bwysau, gyda'r sefyllfa wedi'i gwaethygu gan fethiant Llywodraeth Lafur i'w digolledu'n llawn am y cynnydd i gyfraniadau yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr. Yn Lloegr, mae 100 y cant o'r gost yn cael ei thalu. Yng Nghymru, dim ond 86 y cant sy'n cael ei thalu. Mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru ddefnyddio cronfeydd wrth gefn i lenwi rhywfaint o'r bwlch hwnnw, ond mae awdurdodau lleol yn dal i wynebu diffygion parhaus gwerth miliynau o bunnoedd.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa asesiad y mae eich adran wedi'i wneud o effaith gronnol yr adolygiad o wariant hwn ar awdurdodau lleol Cymru a'r gwasanaethau y maent yn eu darparu, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni'r diffyg mewn perthynas â chyfraniadau yswiriant gwladol, sydd i bob pwrpas yn gofyn i gynghorau Cymru wneud iawn am benderfyniadau a wnaed gan San Steffan?
Diolch, Peredur. We have had extra funding for Welsh Government, which builds on that £1.6 billion provided at the autumn budget. It does mean that we're able to better respond to our priorities and deliver improvements across our public services. From the spending review, we know that we will be in a very different position on the trajectory that we were under a Conservative Government. It is welcome news that UK Government, like Welsh Government, is committed to significant and sustained investment in things like social housing, but we very much want to build on that momentum.
In terms of local authorities and national insurance, the amount of funding for local government was confirmed yesterday in the supplementary budget. In terms of national insurance and in terms of the distribution of this funding between authorities, the distribution sub-group have considered different approaches, and they expect to confirm their recommended methodology over the coming weeks and how that will be distributed.
Diolch, Peredur. Rydym wedi cael cyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru, sy'n adeiladu ar y £1.6 biliwn a ddarparwyd yng nghyllideb yr hydref. Golyga ein bod yn gallu ymateb yn well i'n blaenoriaethau a chyflawni gwelliannau ar draws ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. O'r adolygiad o wariant, gwyddom y byddwn mewn sefyllfa wahanol iawn i'r trywydd yr oeddem arno o dan Lywodraeth Geidwadol. Mae'n newyddion da fod Llywodraeth y DU, fel Llywodraeth Cymru, wedi ymrwymo i fuddsoddiad sylweddol a pharhaus mewn pethau fel tai cymdeithasol, ond rydym yn awyddus iawn i adeiladu ar y momentwm hwnnw.
O ran awdurdodau lleol ac yswiriant gwladol, cadarnhawyd swm y cyllid ar gyfer llywodraeth leol ddoe yn y gyllideb atodol. O ran yswiriant gwladol ac o ran dosbarthu'r cyllid hwn rhwng awdurdodau, mae'r is-grŵp dosbarthu wedi ystyried gwahanol ddulliau, ac maent yn disgwyl cadarnhau'r fethodoleg a argymhellir ganddynt dros yr wythnosau nesaf a sut y bydd y cyllid yn cael ei dosbarthu.
Okay, diolch yn fawr. Thanks for that clarification and I'll wait to hear how that is distributed, because we all know the complexities in local government. But it does go back to the fact that there is still a shortfall and they're having to do more with less.
But, Cabinet Secretary, I want to move on to another part of the spending review that confirms that Wales's capital budget is on a downward slope. By 2029-30, it will be almost 4 per cent lower in real terms than in 2025-26. But what does that mean for our councils? Capital budgets fund vital infrastructure, such as schools, housing, flood defences, roads and public buildings. So, a shrinking capital grant means that projects stall or become unaffordable; councils must delay upgrades or cut ambitions, and ultimately our communities lose out. So, what assessment has your department made of how this capital squeeze will impact on local authorities across Wales? And more to the point, why are you and other Labour Ministers in Wales not challenging your colleagues in Westminster for delivering a capital settlement that puts our councils on life support? Under a Conservative Government, we heard strong words from Welsh Ministers about this kind of treatment. Where's that criticism now?
Iawn, diolch yn fawr. Diolch am eich eglurhad, ac fe arhosaf i glywed sut y caiff ei ddosbarthu, gan fod pob un ohonom yn ymwybodol o'r cymhlethdodau mewn llywodraeth leol. Ond mae a wnelo â'r ffaith bod diffyg o hyd, a'u bod yn gorfod gwneud mwy gyda llai.
Ond rwyf am symud ymlaen, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, at ran arall o'r adolygiad o wariant sy'n cadarnhau bod cyllideb gyfalaf Cymru ar i lawr. Erbyn 2029-30, bydd bron i 4 y cant yn is mewn termau real nag yn 2025-26. Ond beth y mae hynny'n ei olygu i'n cynghorau? Mae cyllidebau cyfalaf yn ariannu seilwaith hanfodol, fel ysgolion, tai, amddiffynfeydd rhag llifogydd, ffyrdd ac adeiladau cyhoeddus. Felly, mae grant cyfalaf sy'n lleihau yn golygu bod prosiectau'n arafu neu'n dod yn anfforddiadwy; mae'n rhaid i gynghorau ohirio gwaith uwchraddio neu dorri uchelgeisiau, ac yn y pen draw, mae ein cymunedau ar eu colled. Felly, pa asesiad y mae eich adran wedi'i wneud o sut y bydd y wasgfa hon ar gyfalaf yn effeithio ar awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru? Ac yn bwysicach fyth, pam nad ydych chi a Gweinidogion Llafur eraill yng Nghymru yn herio aelodau eich plaid yn San Steffan am ddarparu setliad cyfalaf sy'n rhoi ein cynghorau ar system cynnal bywyd? O dan Lywodraeth Geidwadol, clywsom eiriau cryf gan Weinidogion Cymru am driniaeth o'r fath. Ble mae'r feirniadaeth honno nawr?
Diolch, Peredur. Just finally, on the first point you raised, again, around local government and national insurance and how that will be done, as I mentioned, it will be through the distribution sub-group. They've been working really hard. They've had a lot of meetings around this, looking at all the different ways of doing that. And I think, as I said, they will confirm the recommended methodology over the coming weeks.
In terms of the spending review, we've only recently had that. We're still looking in detail at that. I'm working with my Cabinet colleague Mark Drakeford, as Cabinet Secretary for finance, and it's important to get through to the detail of all of that as well. Obviously, this Government does everything we can within the envelope that we have to support local government. I meet local government regularly. I was up in north Wales last week, meeting leaders there. They are still having to make difficult decisions following many years of austerity. I very much appreciate that, and it's the conversation that we have, and the partnership that we have, working together throughout this process as well.
Diolch, Peredur. Yn olaf, ar y pwynt cyntaf a godoch chi, unwaith eto, ynghylch llywodraeth leol ac yswiriant gwladol a sut y bydd hynny'n digwydd, fel y soniais, bydd yn digwydd drwy'r is-grŵp dosbarthu. Maent wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn. Maent wedi cael llawer o gyfarfodydd ynglŷn â hyn, gan edrych ar yr holl wahanol ffyrdd o wneud hynny. Ac fel y dywedais, byddant yn cadarnhau'r fethodoleg a argymhellir dros yr wythnosau nesaf.
Ar yr adolygiad o wariant, dim ond newydd ei gael ydym ni. Rydym yn dal i edrych yn fanwl arno. Rwy'n gweithio gyda fy nghyd-Aelod o'r Cabinet, Mark Drakeford, fel Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid, ac mae'n bwysig archwilio'r holl fanylion yn hynny i gyd hefyd. Yn amlwg, mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu o fewn yr amlen sydd gennym i gefnogi llywodraeth leol. Rwy'n cyfarfod â llywodraeth leol yn rheolaidd. Roeddwn i fyny yn y gogledd yr wythnos diwethaf, yn cyfarfod ag arweinwyr yno. Maent yn dal i orfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd yn dilyn blynyddoedd lawer o gyni. Rwy'n deall hynny, ac mae a wnelo hyn â'r sgwrs a gawn, a'r bartneriaeth sydd gennym, wrth weithio gyda'n gilydd drwy gydol y broses hon hefyd.
And it is a shame that austerity is continuing under the current Government. Finally, I want to raise the issue of replacement European Union funds. In 2023, Keir Starmer promised to return control of regional funding to Wales, but now the spending review tells a different story. The new local growth fund for Wales will be overseen, not by Welsh Government, but by the Wales Office, an extension of Westminster. Delivery is in the hands of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, an English department, and the language of 'working in partnership' has replaced any real commitment to respecting devolution. Let's call this what it is: a rebranded Tory policy, top down, centralised and dismissive of Wales.
We were promised not a penny less, and yet Wales is still £1.1 billion down compared to the EU funding we would have received. What's worse is that the new Labour approach continues to sideline the Senedd and the Welsh Government from key decisions about our economic future. In July 2023, Mark Drakeford, then the First Minister and now the Cabinet Secretary for finance, issued a written statement in which he strongly criticised the UK Government's decision to bypass the Welsh Government in the context of regional aid, seeing it as an example of a fraught relationship between the two Governments.
Cabinet Secretary, do you agree that this funding model, delivered via Whitehall ministries, bypassing the Senedd, undermines both Welsh democracy and the ability of our councils to plan strategically? What representations has your Government made to the UK Government on this issue? And perhaps more crucially, why has the Welsh Government accepted this approach without serious protest when, not long ago, it condemned the very same model under a Conservative Government?
Ac mae'n drueni fod cyni'n parhau o dan y Llywodraeth bresennol. Yn olaf, hoffwn godi mater arian yn lle arian yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Yn 2023, addawodd Keir Starmer roi rheolaeth dros gyllid rhanbarthol yn ôl i Gymru, ond nawr, mae'r adolygiad o wariant yn adrodd stori wahanol. Bydd cronfa twf lleol newydd Cymru yn cael ei goruchwylio, nid gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ond gan Swyddfa Cymru, estyniad o San Steffan. Mae'r cyfrifoldeb am ei chyflwyno yn nwylo'r Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol, adran Lloegr, ac mae'r honiad o 'weithio mewn partneriaeth' wedi disodli unrhyw ymrwymiad gwirioneddol i barchu datganoli. Gadewch inni alw hyn yn beth ydyw: polisi Torïaidd wedi'i ailfrandio, o'r brig i lawr, polisi canolog sy'n diystyru Cymru.
Cawsom addewid na fyddem yr un geiniog ar ein colled, ac eto mae Cymru yn cael £1.1 biliwn yn llai o gymharu â'r cyllid y byddem wedi'i gael drwy'r UE. Yr hyn sy'n waeth yw bod y dull gweithredu Llafur newydd yn parhau i gau'r Senedd a Llywodraeth Cymru allan o benderfyniadau allweddol am ein dyfodol economaidd. Ym mis Gorffennaf 2023, cyhoeddodd Mark Drakeford, y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid bellach, ddatganiad ysgrifenedig lle beirniadodd yn gryf benderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i osgoi Llywodraeth Cymru yng nghyd-destun cymorth rhanbarthol, gan ei ystyried yn enghraifft o'r berthynas anodd rhwng y ddwy Lywodraeth.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a ydych chi'n cytuno bod y model ariannu hwn, a ddarperir drwy weinyddiaethau Whitehall, gan osgoi'r Senedd, yn tanseilio democratiaeth Cymru a gallu ein cynghorau i gynllunio'n strategol? Pa sylwadau y mae eich Llywodraeth wedi'u gwneud i Lywodraeth y DU ar y mater hwn? Ac efallai'n bwysicach fyth, pam y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn y dull gweithredu hwn heb brotestio go iawn a hwythau wedi condemnio'r un model yn union o dan Lywodraeth Geidwadol?
Diolch, Peredur. The UK Government has confirmed that Wales will receive around £630 million over three years and, over the coming weeks, we'll be discussing the detail of this funding with the UK Government, with a view to working with Welsh partners, including local authorities, to develop a new Welsh programme from April 2026, where we'll be working with the UK Government to put arrangements in place to ensure that the Welsh Government can take decisions about how its funding is used to support our economic ambitions and bring prosperity to all parts of Wales.
In terms of working with local government, I'm really pleased that, tomorrow, myself, the Prif Weinidog, the Welsh Local Government Association leader and the WLGA presiding officer will sign a strategic partnership agreement between Welsh Government and local government in Wales. That agreement was formally launched at the WLGA's annual conference, and I think it'll be a testament to our shared commitment to work together to deliver for the people of Wales. And that's how we work together within Welsh Government and local government as well, with that shared partnership, and I'm really pleased that we'll be able to sign that tomorrow.
Diolch, Peredur. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cadarnhau y bydd Cymru yn derbyn oddeutu £630 miliwn dros dair blynedd, ac yn yr wythnosau nesaf, byddwn yn trafod manylion y cyllid hwn gyda Llywodraeth y DU, gyda'r bwriad o weithio gyda phartneriaid yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys awdurdodau lleol, i ddatblygu rhaglen newydd ar gyfer Cymru o fis Ebrill 2026, lle byddwn yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i roi trefniadau ar waith i sicrhau y gall Llywodraeth Cymru wneud penderfyniadau ynglŷn â sut y defnyddir ei chyllid i gefnogi ein huchelgeisiau economaidd a dod â ffyniant i bob rhan o Gymru.
O ran gweithio gyda llywodraeth leol, rwy'n falch iawn, yfory, y byddaf i, y Prif Weinidog, arweinydd Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru a llywydd CLlLC, yn llofnodi cytundeb partneriaeth strategol rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a llywodraeth leol yng Nghymru. Lansiwyd y cytundeb hwnnw'n ffurfiol yng nghynhadledd flynyddol CLlLC, ac rwy'n credu y bydd yn dyst i'n hymrwymiad ar y cyd i gydweithio er mwyn cyflawni dros bobl Cymru. A dyna sut rydym yn cydweithio o fewn Llywodraeth Cymru a llywodraeth leol hefyd, gyda'r bartneriaeth honno ar y cyd, ac rwy'n falch iawn y byddwn yn gallu llofnodi hwnnw yfory.
3. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi diweddariad ar newidiadau arfaethedig i'r drefn o ran gosod pympiau gwres ar gyfer tai newydd a thai sy’n bodoli eisoes? OQ62873
3. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on proposed changes to how the installation of heat pumps for new and existing housing is delivered? OQ62873
Diolch, Vaughan. We are currently consulting on changes to air-source heat pump permitted development rights for domestic properties. Subject to the consultation response, we will be seeking to introduce changes to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 by the end of the year.
Diolch, Vaughan. Ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn ymgynghori ar newidiadau i hawliau datblygu a ganiateir ar gyfer pympiau gwres o'r aer ar gyfer eiddo domestig. Yn amodol ar yr ymateb i'r ymgynghoriad, byddwn yn ceisio cyflwyno newidiadau i Orchymyn Cynllunio Gwlad a Thref (Datblygu Cyffredinol a Ganiateir) 1995 erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn.
Fantastic. I know this is a bit niche, but it's actually quite important because older air-source heat pumps were noisy, so there was a rule within our planning rules that basically meant you had to have a large gap between a heat pump and a neighbouring property. That meant that, essentially, for terraces or semi-detached properties, it was very hard to install, whether new or retrofit, a heat pump.
England recently confirmed it would change its planning rules to enable a new generation of quieter and more efficient heat pumps to be fitted and retrofitted to properties. Similar progress here in Wales would be good, both for climate and energy efficiency. There would also be an economic opportunity and price efficiency in expanding demand for heat pump products. It's good to hear that progress will be made by the end of the year. Can you provide more clarity on when that would come and when the change in planning rules could actually lead to more heat pumps being introduced?
I know that social housing providers, for example, want to introduce these products into a range of existing properties. It would make a real difference. And, of course, I'm interested in where these could be manufactured and delivered. So, can you provide greater clarity on when a decision could be made here in Wales, on changing our own planning rules, to enable a much greater level of retrofit and new homes to take advantage of air-source heat pumps?
Gwych. Gwn fod hyn braidd yn benodol, ond mae'n eithaf pwysig mewn gwirionedd, gan fod pympiau gwres o'r aer hŷn yn swnllyd, felly roedd rheol yn ein rheolau cynllunio a oedd yn golygu, yn y bôn, fod yn rhaid ichi gael bwlch mawr rhwng pwmp gwres ac eiddo cyfagos. Roedd hynny'n golygu, yn y bôn, ar gyfer tai teras neu dai pâr, ei bod yn anodd iawn ôl-osod pwmp gwres neu osod pwmp gwres newydd.
Cadarnhaodd Lloegr yn ddiweddar y byddent yn newid eu rheolau cynllunio i alluogi cenhedlaeth newydd o bympiau gwres tawelach a mwy effeithlon i gael eu gosod a'u hôl-osod mewn eiddo. Byddai cynnydd tebyg yma yng Nghymru yn dda, o ran effeithlonrwydd ynni a'r hinsawdd. Byddai cyfle economaidd ac effeithlonrwydd ariannol hefyd wrth ehangu'r galw am gynhyrchion pympiau gwres. Mae'n dda clywed y bydd cynnydd yn cael ei wneud erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn. A allwch chi roi mwy o eglurder ynghylch pryd y byddai hynny'n dod a phryd y gallai'r newid yn y rheolau cynllunio arwain at gyflwyno mwy o bympiau gwres?
Gwn fod darparwyr tai cymdeithasol, er enghraifft, eisiau cyflwyno'r cynhyrchion hyn i ystod o eiddo presennol. Byddai'n gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol. Ac wrth gwrs, mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn gweld ble y gellid gweithgynhyrchu a darparu'r rhain. Felly, a allwch chi roi mwy o eglurder i ni ynghylch pryd y gellid gwneud penderfyniad yma yng Nghymru, ar newid ein rheolau cynllunio ein hunain, i alluogi lefel lawer uwch o ôl-osod a chartrefi newydd i fanteisio ar bympiau gwres o'r aer?
Diolch, Vaughan. Well, the Welsh Government recognises the important role air-source heat pumps play in responding to our climate emergency and progression towards decarbonisation goals. We recognise that permitted development rights restrictions make it difficult for some homes to install heat pumps without planning permission, and the proposed changes outlined in the consultation aim to remove those barriers to installation, thereby supporting the wider adoption of heat pumps across Wales.
As you rightly say, the installation of heat pumps guidance was introduced in 2012. As you say, heat pump technology has changed since then, and the consultation is proposing to remove that 3m rule. Our consultation closes on 1 July, so I'd encourage as many people as possible who haven't yet, and who have an interest in this area, to do so. As I said, we are aiming to introduce the changes by the end of the year. The UK Government have brought into force their changes. They started a little bit ahead of us in the consultation, but they brought that into play from 29 May this year. We expect there to be close alignment between the permitted development rights in both countries, and I will certainly keep you and the Senedd updated when I know the date of those likely changes in due course.
Diolch, Vaughan. Wel, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cydnabod y rôl bwysig y mae pympiau gwres o'r aer yn ei chwarae wrth ymateb i'n hargyfwng hinsawdd a gwneud cynnydd tuag at nodau datgarboneiddio. Rydym yn cydnabod bod cyfyngiadau hawliau datblygu a ganiateir yn ei gwneud yn anodd i rai cartrefi osod pympiau gwres heb ganiatâd cynllunio, ac mae'r newidiadau arfaethedig a amlinellir yn yr ymgynghoriad yn anelu at gael gwared ar y rhwystrau hynny i osod, a thrwy hynny i gefnogi'r defnydd ehangach o bympiau gwres ledled Cymru.
Fel rydych chi'n ei ddweud yn gywir ddigon, cyflwynwyd canllawiau gosod pympiau gwres yn 2012. Fel y dywedwch, mae technoleg pympiau gwres wedi newid ers hynny, ac mae'r ymgynghoriad yn cynnig dileu'r rheol 3m honno. Mae ein hymgynghoriad yn cau ar 1 Gorffennaf, felly byddwn yn annog cymaint o bobl â phosibl nad ydynt wedi cyfrannu ato eto, ac sydd â diddordeb yn y maes, i wneud hynny. Fel y dywedais, ein nod yw cyflwyno'r newidiadau erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi dod â'u newidiadau i rym. Fe wnaethant ddechrau o'n blaenau yn yr ymgynghoriad, ond daethant â hynny i rym o 29 Mai eleni. Rydym yn disgwyl y bydd aliniad agos rhwng yr hawliau datblygu a ganiateir yn y ddwy wlad, a byddaf yn sicr yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i chi a'r Senedd pan fyddaf yn gwybod dyddiad y newidiadau tebygol hynny maes o law.
In 2024, 60,000 certified heat pump installations took place across the UK—but I use the word 'certified' loosely—up 43 per cent on the 2023 figure, to reach 275,000. This remains far behind the target of 600,000 installations by 2028. Now, I've repeatedly raised concerns on behalf of constituents and other residents in Wales, who—. I think they're seeing me as the go-to person now, because a lot of people are contacting me about this issue of failed heat pump installations, particularly under the ECO4 scheme. People have reported increased energy bills, being left without heating or hot water due to faults, and significant costs incurred to correct the damage caused by bad installations. It's not good enough. It is causing considerable stress to many residents across Wales and the wider UK.
Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that where taxpayers' money is being used to fund the installation of heat pumps in residential properties, the duty to ensure that works are completed to a high standard should rest with those providing the grants to pay these companies? And I have to say, there are some very spurious companies out there now doing these schemes. Can I write to you, Cabinet Secretary? I've asked permission of those complaining—
Yn 2024, gosodwyd 60,000 o bympiau gwres ardystiedig ledled y DU—ond defnyddiaf y gair 'ardystiedig' yn llac iawn—sydd 43 y cant yn uwch na'r ffigur ar gyfer 2023, i gyrraedd 275,000. Mae hyn yn parhau i fod ymhell ar ôl y targed o 600,000 erbyn 2028. Nawr, rwyf wedi codi pryderon dro ar ôl tro ar ran etholwyr a thrigolion eraill yng Nghymru, sydd—. Rwy'n credu eu bod yn fy ngweld fel yr unigolyn i droi ati nawr, gan fod llawer o bobl yn cysylltu â mi ynglŷn â mater gosod pympiau gwres diffygiol, yn enwedig o dan gynllun ECO4. Mae pobl wedi nodi biliau ynni uwch, wedi gorfod mynd heb wres na dŵr poeth oherwydd diffygion, ac wedi gorfod wynebu costau sylweddol i unioni'r difrod a achoswyd gan waith gosod gwael. Nid yw'n ddigon da. Mae'n peri straen sylweddol i lawer o drigolion ledled Cymru a'r DU yn gyffredinol.
A yw Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cytuno â mi, lle caiff arian trethdalwyr ei ddefnyddio i ariannu'r gwaith o osod pympiau gwres mewn eiddo preswyl, y dylai'r ddyletswydd i sicrhau bod gwaith yn cael ei gwblhau i safon uchel fod ar y rhai sy'n darparu'r grantiau i dalu'r cwmnïau hyn? Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod rhywfaint o'r gwaith hwn yn cael ei wneud gan gwmnïau twyllodrus. A gaf i ysgrifennu atoch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet? Rwyf wedi gofyn am ganiatâd y rhai sy'n cwyno—
You have asked a few questions now. Can you bring your questioning to an end?
Rydych chi wedi gofyn sawl cwestiwn nawr. A wnewch chi ddod â'ch cwestiynau i ben?
I've asked for the permission of those people on whether I can share their information with you, and they've agreed. Can I write to you on this? Thank you.
Rwyf wedi gofyn am ganiatâd y bobl hynny i rannu eu gwybodaeth gyda chi, ac maent wedi cytuno. A gaf i ysgrifennu atoch ynglŷn â hyn? Diolch.
Thank you, Janet, for raising your constituents' concerns. I'd always be happy to receive those concerns, and if you'd like to share that with me and my office, that would be very welcome.
In addition to reviewing our planning rules around heat pumps, we're also strengthening our public information and advice, addressing skills and supply chain issues, and we're working with the UK Government to make the green choices the most cost-effective choices. So, I think, if you could send me those concerns, I'd be very glad to receive them.
Diolch am godi pryderon eich etholwyr, Janet. Rwyf bob amser yn fwy na pharod i dderbyn y pryderon hynny, ac os hoffech rannu hynny gyda mi a fy swyddfa, byddai hynny i'w groesawu.
Yn ogystal ag adolygu ein rheolau cynllunio ynghylch pympiau gwres, rydym hefyd yn cryfhau ein gwybodaeth a'n cyngor cyhoeddus, yn mynd i'r afael â materion sgiliau a'r gadwyn gyflenwi, ac rydym yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau mai'r dewisiadau gwyrdd yw'r dewisiadau mwyaf costeffeithiol. Felly, os gallwch anfon y pryderon hynny ataf, byddwn yn falch iawn o'u derbyn.
I'd like to thank Vaughan for raising this very important issue. I've had a lot of correspondence from constituents about installing heat pumps, which they are finding very difficult, as has already been discussed. As well as the 3m rule that you've already responded to, the most recent correspondence I've had has been on a distance of 5m from the pedestrian highway, so I wondered if that was included as well in this consultation, because obviously we do want to encourage people to put in heat pumps, because of them being environmentally friendly. So, I wondered if you had any knowledge about that.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Vaughan am godi'r mater pwysig hwn. Rwyf wedi cael llawer o ohebiaeth gan etholwyr ynglŷn â gosod pympiau gwres, ac maent yn ei chael hi'n anodd iawn, fel y nodwyd eisoes. Yn ogystal â'r rheol 3m rydych chi eisoes wedi ymateb iddi, mae'r ohebiaeth ddiweddaraf a gefais wedi ymwneud â'r pellter o 5m o lwybrau cerdded, felly tybed a oedd hynny wedi'i gynnwys yn yr ymgynghoriad hwn hefyd, oherwydd yn amlwg, rydym am annog pobl i osod pympiau gwres, gan eu bod yn ecogyfeillgar. Felly, tybed a oedd gennych unrhyw wybodaeth am hynny.
Diolch, Julie. I know that there's a growing number of households looking to invest in low-carbon heating, for both environmental reasons and to stabilise future energy costs. The current regulations are seen as a barrier to deployment for those who are ready to switch. As I said, as part of the ongoing consultation, we are proposing to remove that 3m rule completely. Our proposed changes to the planning system should smooth the way for many households, while ensuring that heat pumps are not located in inappropriate locations. The current permitted development rights do not permit air-source heat pumps on a house where it is located on a wall or roof fronting onto a highway. This restriction is focused primarily on limiting the potential impact on the visual amenity and character of an area. The current consultation does consider the removal of the restriction of locating an air-source heat pump on a front wall on the highway—obviously not in a conservation area—and I would encourage you and your constituents to make sure that you have the opportunity to fill in the consultation, which closes on 1 July.
Diolch, Julie. Gwn fod nifer cynyddol o aelwydydd yn awyddus i fuddsoddi mewn gwresogi carbon isel, am resymau amgylcheddol ac i sefydlogi costau ynni yn y dyfodol. Mae'r rheoliadau presennol yn cael eu hystyried yn rhwystr i'r rhai sy'n barod i wneud y newid. Fel y dywedais, fel rhan o'r ymgynghoriad parhaus, rydym yn cynnig cael gwared ar y rheol 3m honno'n llwyr. Dylai ein newidiadau arfaethedig i'r system gynllunio baratoi'r ffordd i lawer o aelwydydd, gan sicrhau nad yw pympiau gwres wedi'u lleoli mewn lleoliadau amhriodol. Nid yw'r hawliau datblygu a ganiateir presennol yn caniatáu pympiau gwres o'r aer ar dŷ lle maent wedi'u lleoli ar wal neu do sy'n wynebu priffordd. Nod pennaf y cyfyngiad hwn yw lleihau'r effaith bosibl ar amwynder gweledol a chymeriad ardal. Mae'r ymgynghoriad presennol yn ystyried cael gwared ar y cyfyngiad ar leoli pwmp gwres o'r aer ar wal flaen sy'n wynebu'r briffordd—nid mewn ardal gadwraeth, yn amlwg—a byddwn yn eich annog chi a'ch etholwyr i sicrhau eich bod yn cael cyfle i lenwi'r ymgynghoriad, sy'n cau ar 1 Gorffennaf.
4. Beth yw canllawiau Llywodraeth Cymru ar ddarpariaeth toiledau cyhoeddus gan awdurdodau lleol? OQ62857
4. What is the Welsh Government's guidance on the provision of public toilets by local authorities? OQ62857
Local authorities are legally required to have a local toilets strategy. The Welsh Government has provided comprehensive statutory guidance to support this requirement. Local authorities are wholly responsible for decisions on whether they provide public conveniences and how they are managed.
Mae'n ofynnol yn gyfreithiol i awdurdodau lleol gael strategaeth toiledau lleol. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi darparu canllawiau statudol cynhwysfawr i gefnogi'r gofyniad hwn. Awdurdodau lleol sy'n gyfrifol am benderfyniadau ynglŷn ag a ydynt yn darparu cyfleusterau cyhoeddus a sut y cânt eu rheoli.
In 2022, I led a debate in the other Chamber calling on the Welsh Government to ensure the provision of Changing Places toilets across Wales for people whose needs are not otherwise met, and the motion was passed unanimously. In February, following Mencap Cymru's successful application for funding from the former UK Government's shared prosperity fund to install Changing Places toilets in north Wales, I was delighted to attend and speak at their official opening of the new Changing Places toilet in Corwen sports pavilion. A big 'thank you' is owed to both Mencap Cymru and Corwen Town Council for making this happen.
However, efforts to install Changing Places toilets continue to face barriers. In Conwy, for example, no suitable location could be secured due to high maintenance costs and consultancy fees, and even attempts to partner with third sector and commercial venues failed. So, will the Welsh Government finally take action to address this social justice and disability rights issue two decades after it first said it would? If so, how and when will it tackle the barriers preventing the installation of Changing Places toilets across Wales by or in partnership with local authorities?
Yn 2022, arweiniais ddadl yn y Siambr arall yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod toiledau Changing Places yn cael eu darparu ledled Cymru ar gyfer pobl nad yw eu hanghenion yn cael eu diwallu fel arall, a phasiwyd y cynnig yn unfrydol. Ym mis Chwefror, yn dilyn cais llwyddiannus Mencap Cymru am gyllid gan gronfa ffyniant gyffredin Llywodraeth flaenorol y DU i osod toiledau Changing Places yng ngogledd Cymru, roeddwn yn falch iawn o fynychu a siarad yn agoriad swyddogol y toiled Changing Places newydd ym mhafiliwn chwaraeon Corwen. Rhaid diolch i Mencap Cymru a Chyngor Tref Corwen am wneud i hyn ddigwydd.
Fodd bynnag, mae ymdrechion i osod toiledau Changing Places yn parhau i wynebu rhwystrau. Yng Nghonwy, er enghraifft, ni ellid sicrhau lleoliad addas oherwydd costau cynnal a chadw uchel a ffioedd ymgynghori, a methodd ymdrechion i bartneru â lleoliadau trydydd sector a lleoliadau masnachol. Felly, a wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru roi camau ar waith o'r diwedd i fynd i'r afael â'r mater cyfiawnder cymdeithasol a hawliau pobl anabl hwn ddau ddegawd ar ôl iddi ddweud yn gyntaf y byddai'n gwneud hynny? Os felly, sut a phryd y bydd yn mynd i'r afael â'r rhwystrau sy'n atal gosod toiledau Changing Places ledled Cymru gan awdurdodau lleol neu mewn partneriaeth â hwy?
Thank you for raising this important issue and for highlighting the refurbished toilets in Corwen and the work that went into that. I believe that it's a fully accessible dementia-friendly toilet pod, which is great to hear about. The Welsh Government is committed to promoting community participation and active citizenship for disabled people, and that includes removing barriers such as limited availability of facilities like Changing Places toilets. We expect local authorities to continue to take every opportunity to talk to the public and representative groups about the challenges that they face in accessing local toilet facilities, and equally to key partners such as town and community councils to listen and seek views on their involvement in identifying and delivering sustainable solutions. So, there are opportunities. We do have our statutory guidance, which emphasises the need to make better use of existing toilet facilities beyond a focus on traditional public toilets as well, given the financial challenges of providing and maintaining this type of facility.
Diolch am godi'r mater pwysig hwn ac am dynnu sylw at adnewyddu'r toiledau yng Nghorwen a'r gwaith a wnaed ar hynny. Mae'n doiled cwbl hygyrch sy'n ystyriol o bobl â dementia, sy'n wych. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i hyrwyddo cyfranogiad cymunedol a dinasyddiaeth weithredol i bobl anabl, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys cael gwared ar rwystrau fel argaeledd cyfyngedig cyfleusterau fel toiledau Changing Places. Rydym yn disgwyl i awdurdodau lleol barhau i fanteisio ar bob cyfle i siarad â'r cyhoedd a grwpiau cynrychioliadol am yr heriau a wynebant o ran mynediad at gyfleusterau toiled lleol, a siarad hefyd â phartneriaid allweddol fel cynghorau tref a chymuned i wrando a gofyn am farn ar eu gwaith yn nodi a darparu atebion cynaliadwy. Felly, mae yna gyfleoedd. Mae gennym ein canllawiau statudol, sy'n pwysleisio'r angen i wneud gwell defnydd o gyfleusterau toiled presennol y tu hwnt i ffocws ar doiledau cyhoeddus traddodiadol hefyd, o ystyried yr heriau ariannol o ddarparu a chynnal a chadw'r math hwn o gyfleuster.
I'm really pleased that Theatr Clwyd will be incorporating a Changing Places toilet in their newly modernised building as well, going forward. Public toilets are vital, but as they're not part of the statutory duty of the council and many councils are really struggling following years of austerity and cuts, many have passed them on to town councils and other organisations. I understand that the SPF Visit Wales Brilliant Basics funding has been used for toilets and was really welcome, but both capital and revenue funding is needed for public toilets, which makes them unaffordable in the current climate, where councils are asking, 'Do we cut libraries or toilets?' Modern public toilets are better and preferred by the public where they're staffed in a well-lit building and are accessible. Cabinet Secretary, can more be done with private business owners or other public buildings, going forward? Can you suggest any other ways we can keep public toilets open? Thank you.
Rwy'n falch iawn y bydd Theatr Clwyd yn cynnwys toiled Changing Places yn eu hadeilad newydd yn y dyfodol. Mae toiledau cyhoeddus yn hanfodol, ond gan nad ydynt yn rhan o ddyletswydd statudol y cyngor a bod llawer o gynghorau'n cael ei chael hi'n anodd ar ôl blynyddoedd o gyni a thoriadau, mae nifer wedi eu trosglwyddo i gynghorau tref a sefydliadau eraill. Rwy'n deall bod cyllid y Pethau Pwysig Croeso Cymru y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin wedi cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer toiledau ac roedd croeso mawr iddo, ond mae angen cyllid cyfalaf a refeniw ar gyfer toiledau cyhoeddus, sy'n eu gwneud yn anfforddiadwy yn yr hinsawdd bresennol, lle mae cynghorau'n gofyn, 'A wnawn ni dorri llyfrgelloedd neu doiledau?' Mae toiledau cyhoeddus modern yn well ac mae'r cyhoedd yn eu ffafrio lle cânt eu staffio mewn adeilad wedi'i oleuo'n dda a lle maent yn hygyrch. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a ellir gwneud mwy gyda pherchnogion busnesau preifat neu adeiladau cyhoeddus eraill yn y dyfodol? A allwch chi awgrymu unrhyw ffyrdd eraill y gallwn gadw toiledau cyhoeddus ar agor? Diolch.
Diolch, Carolyn. Thank you for that, and also for highlighting the new public toilets in your area as well. Comprehensive statutory guidance has been produced to help local authorities develop their local toilet strategies. The focus in this guidance is to make better use of existing toilet facilities that could be made available to the wider public, beyond a focus on traditional public toilets, as I mentioned, particularly given the financial challenges of providing and maintaining this type of facility.
It's the aim that local authorities will consider the wide range of existing toilet facilities available in both public sector and private sector buildings when developing their strategy. It's more important than ever to encourage creative solutions; I think that was something that you're suggesting. It's important that we do encourage that creative thinking, because we know how important toilet facilities are in terms of making sure that people have access to those facilities, particularly in terms of being able to go out, knowing where they're able to access those facilities as well, to feel safe and secure that they can go out.
Local authorities are encouraged to consider other mechanisms available to them, such as community asset transfers, empowering town and community councils and social enterprises to take responsibility for managing stand-alone public toilets if proposals are sustainable. To assist with sustainability, the Welsh Government has worked with the UK Government to ensure that stand-alone public toilets in Wales now receive 100 per cent relief from business rates.
Diolch, Carolyn. Diolch am hynny, a hefyd am dynnu sylw at y toiledau cyhoeddus newydd yn eich ardal chi hefyd. Mae canllawiau statudol cynhwysfawr wedi'u cynhyrchu i helpu awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu eu strategaethau toiledau lleol. Y ffocws yn y canllawiau hyn yw gwneud gwell defnydd o gyfleusterau toiledau presennol y gellid eu gwneud yn hygyrch i'r cyhoedd yn ehangach, y tu hwnt i ffocws ar doiledau cyhoeddus traddodiadol, fel y soniais, yn enwedig o ystyried yr heriau ariannol o ddarparu a chynnal y math hwn o gyfleusterau.
Y nod yw y bydd awdurdodau lleol yn ystyried yr ystod eang o gyfleusterau toiled presennol sydd ar gael yn adeiladau'r sector cyhoeddus a'r sector preifat wrth ddatblygu eu strategaeth. Mae'n bwysicach nag erioed annog atebion creadigol; rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth yr ydych chi'n ei awgrymu. Mae'n bwysig ein bod ni'n annog y meddwl creadigol hwnnw, oherwydd fe wyddom pa mor bwysig yw cyfleusterau toiled i sicrhau bod pobl yn cael mynediad i'r cyfleusterau hynny, yn enwedig i allu mynd allan gan wybod ble y gallant cael mynediad i'r cyfleusterau hynny hefyd, i deimlo'n ddiogel ac yn hyderus y gallant fynd allan.
Anogir awdurdodau lleol i ystyried mecanweithiau eraill sydd ar gael iddynt, megis trosglwyddo asedau cymunedol, grymuso cynghorau tref a chymuned a mentrau cymdeithasol i gymryd cyfrifoldeb am reoli toiledau cyhoeddus pwrpasol os yw'r cynigion yn gynaliadwy. Er mwyn cynorthwyo gyda chynaliadwyedd, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau bod toiledau cyhoeddus pwrpasol yng Nghymru erbyn hyn yn cael rhyddhad ardrethi busnes o 100 y cant.
5. Pa gynlluniau sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i leddfu’r argyfwng tai mewn cymunedau Cymraeg cyn diwedd y Senedd hon? OQ62874
5. What plans does the Welsh Government have to alleviate the housing crisis in Welsh-speaking communities before the end of this Senedd? OQ62874
Diolch, Cefin. My priority is to deliver more affordable homes across Wales, and we have allocated record levels of funding during this Government term. We are working closely with partners as part of the Dwyfor second homes and affordability pilot to apply and evaluate a range of interventions in specific Welsh-speaking communities.
Diolch, Cefin. Fy mlaenoriaeth yw darparu mwy o gartrefi fforddiadwy ledled Cymru, ac rydym wedi dyrannu lefelau uwch nag erioed o gyllid yn ystod tymor y Llywodraeth hon. Rydym yn gweithio'n agos gyda phartneriaid fel rhan o gynllun peilot ail gartrefi a fforddiadwyedd Dwyfor i gymhwyso a gwerthuso ystod o ymyriadau mewn cymunedau penodol sy'n siarad Cymraeg.
Diolch. Roedd gwarchod dyfodol ein cymunedau Cymraeg trwy sicrhau tegwch yn y farchnad dai yn rhan ganolog o’r cytundeb cydweithio rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Phlaid Cymru, ond mae’r gwaith o leddfu’r argyfwng tai yn ein cymunedau yn parhau ar ei hanner, ac mae diffyg tai fforddiadwy yn dal i yrru teuluoedd a phobl ifainc o’u cymunedau, gan gynnwys yn y sir lle dwi’n byw, yn Sir Gaerfyrddin, sydd wedi gweld cwymp yn y ganran o siaradwyr Cymraeg o dros 50 y cant yn 2001 i dan 40 y cant yn 2021.
O ran argymhellion tai y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg, er ei bod hi'n galonogol clywed bod yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet gyda chyfrifoldeb am y Gymraeg yn Eisteddfod yr Urdd yn cytuno mewn egwyddor gyda'r argymhellion hynny, yn anffodus doedd yna ddim amserlen glir ar gyfer ei gweithredu. Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, mae'n cymunedau Cymraeg ni yn wynebu argyfwng heddiw. Dyw oedi ddim yn bosibl. Felly, allwch chi ymrwymo y bydd symud ymlaen gydag unrhyw bolisi i leddfu'r argyfwng tai yn ein cymunedau Cymraeg yn digwydd cyn yr etholiad y flwyddyn nesaf?
Thank you. Safeguarding the future of our Welsh-speaking communities by ensuring fairness in the housing market was a central part of the co-operation agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru. However, the work to alleviate the impact of the housing crisis on these communities remains unfinished, and the lack of affordable homes continues to drive families and people from their communities, including in the county where I live, Carmarthenshire, which has seen a decline in the percentage of Welsh speakers from over 50 per cent in 2001 to under 40 per cent in 2021.
With regard to the recommendations on housing made by the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, although it is encouraging to hear that the Cabinet Secretary responsible for the Welsh language at the Urdd Eisteddfod agreed in principle with those recommendations, unfortunately there was no clear timetable for the implementation of the recommendations. Cabinet Secretary, our Welsh-speaking communities are facing a crisis today, and delay is not an option. So, will you commit to making progress on any policy to alleviate the housing crisis in our Welsh-speaking communities before next year's election?
Diolch, Cefin. I absolutely—along with you and others here—want to see the Welsh language thrive across the whole of Wales, and I do understand the challenges the language is facing in its traditional heartlands, as you mentioned. I very much welcome the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities's comprehensive report, and the cross-Government discussions and co-operation undertaken in preparing our response. This is very much recognised as collective responsibility that we have across all of the Cabinet for the Welsh language.
I fully understand the importance of sustaining our Welsh-speaking communities, and the important role that housing policy can play. As you mentioned, I accepted all the recommendations relevant to housing in the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities's report, and we've already been working for some time, actually, on those recommendations, and continue to prioritise that work. I know that my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Welsh Language has agreed to make an oral statement, I believe, in the autumn on the work of the commission and our response, but we are doing a number of things already within my portfolio.
I mentioned the Perthyn project; it's a significant part of the plan, where funding is available to empower communities to develop social, economic and housing solutions. To date, there have been four rounds of the Perthyn small grant scheme, and 65 grant allocations have been made to support and establish new social businesses or community-led housing projects. We also provide a specialist advice and support service to help mentor communities and support. So, there is work going on, and, as I said, my Cabinet colleague will be providing that oral statement in the autumn term.
Diolch, Cefin. Fel chithau ac eraill yma, rwyf am weld y Gymraeg yn ffynnu ar draws Cymru gyfan, ac rwy'n deall yr heriau y mae'r iaith yn eu hwynebu yn ei chadarnleoedd traddodiadol, fel y sonioch chi. Rwy'n croesawu adroddiad cynhwysfawr y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg, a'r trafodaethau trawslywodraethol a'r cydweithredu a welwyd wrth baratoi ein hymateb. Ceir cydnabyddiaeth fod hyn yn gyfrifoldeb cyfunol sydd gennym ar draws y Cabinet cyfan dros yr iaith Gymraeg.
Rwy'n llwyr ddeall pwysigrwydd cynnal ein cymunedau Cymraeg, a'r rôl bwysig y gall polisi tai ei chwarae. Fel y sonioch chi, derbyniais yr holl argymhellion sy'n berthnasol i dai yn adroddiad y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg, ac rydym eisoes wedi bod yn gweithio ers peth amser ar yr argymhellion hynny, ac yn parhau i flaenoriaethu'r gwaith hwnnw. Gwn fod fy nghyd-Aelod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid a'r Gymraeg wedi cytuno i wneud datganiad llafar yn yr hydref ar waith y comisiwn a'n hymateb, ond rydym yn gwneud nifer o bethau eisoes o fewn fy mhortffolio.
Soniais am brosiect Perthyn; mae'n rhan sylweddol o'r cynllun, lle mae cyllid ar gael i rymuso cymunedau i ddatblygu atebion cymdeithasol, economaidd a thai. Hyd yn hyn, bu pedair rownd o gynllun grantiau bach Perthyn, ac mae 65 o ddyraniadau grant wedi'u gwneud i gefnogi a sefydlu busnesau cymdeithasol newydd neu brosiectau tai dan arweiniad y gymuned. Rydym hefyd yn darparu gwasanaeth cyngor a chymorth arbenigol i helpu i fentora cymunedau a chefnogi. Felly, mae gwaith yn mynd rhagddo, ac fel y dywedais, bydd fy nghyd-aelod o'r Cabinet yn darparu datganiad llafar yn nhymor yr hydref.
6. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet gyflwyno cynigion i wella ymgysylltiad democrataidd lleol a chynyddu cyfranogiad cyn yr etholiadau lleol nesaf yn 2027, o ystyried y bu nifer y pleidleiswyr mewn llawer o etholiadau llywodraeth leol yn llai na 40 y cant? OQ62881
6. Will the Cabinet Secretary bring forward proposals to improve local democratic engagement and increase participation before the next local elections in 2027, given that turnout in many local government elections has been less than 40 per cent? OQ62881
Diolch, Adam. We should all support boosting democratic engagement. We are delivering on our programme for government commitment to reform local government elections to tackle the democratic deficit. The elections information platform, democratic engagement grant and Curriculum for Wales will all help people play their role in the 2027 elections.
Diolch, Adam. Dylem i gyd gefnogi camau i hybu ymgysylltiad democrataidd. Rydym yn cyflawni ein hymrwymiad yn y rhaglen lywodraethu i ddiwygio etholiadau llywodraeth leol i fynd i'r afael â'r diffyg democrataidd. Bydd y platfform gwybodaeth etholiadau, y grant ymgysylltiad democrataidd a'r Cwricwlwm i Gymru oll yn helpu pobl i chwarae eu rhan yn etholiadau 2027.
Turnout at local elections—and, indeed, at Senedd elections—continues to be far too low for a healthy, functioning democracy. The Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024 enables pilot schemes to boost participation. Will the Minister use the May 2027 elections to test a range of measures? It could be online, text voting, pop-up polling stations in supermarkets, et cetera.
The best method for boosting turnout, of course, is universal civic duty voting, also known as compulsory voting. Will she confirm that the same Act permits a compulsory voting pilot? Will she begin the scoping work now, so the next Government will be in a position to test the merits of this approach to improving the health of our democracy?
Mae'r nifer sy'n pleidleisio mewn etholiadau lleol—ac, yn wir, yn etholiadau'r Senedd—yn parhau i fod yn llawer rhy isel i ddemocratiaeth iach, weithredol. Mae Deddf Etholiadau a Chyrff Etholedig (Cymru) 2024 yn galluogi cynlluniau peilot i hybu cyfranogiad. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddefnyddio etholiadau mis Mai 2027 i brofi ystod o fesurau? Gallai hynny gynnwys ar-lein, pleidleisio drwy neges destun, gorsafoedd pleidleisio dros dro mewn archfarchnadoedd, ac yn y blaen.
Y dull gorau ar gyfer chwyddo'r nifer sy'n pleidleisio, wrth gwrs, yw dyletswydd ddinesig gyffredinol i bleidleisio, a elwir hefyd yn bleidleisio gorfodol. A wnaiff hi gadarnhau bod yr un Ddeddf yn caniatáu cynllun peilot ar gyfer pleidleisio gorfodol? A wnaiff hi ddechrau'r gwaith cwmpasu nawr, fel bod y Llywodraeth nesaf mewn sefyllfa i brofi rhinweddau'r dull hwn o wella iechyd ein democratiaeth?
Diolch, Adam. Absolutely, it's important that we take every opportunity to raise, as we all should, the importance of voting in elections, and particularly so when we come to our own election, but also local government elections, where we know that's so important. I think we all have a role to play as well. I'm very keen that we all do it ourselves.
We talk to young people in particular, and all our other constituents, about the role that we do here. But also, I think it's important to tell people what local councillors do as well. Sometimes, I think, as politicians, we always like to say we can do everything, but, actually, we have local councillors who are elected on councils, we have our MPs as well, who do different roles.
I personally very much valued the opportunity that I had when I was at school to go and visit Newport civic centre and see a debate taking place there. I think that's really important, if we can try to encourage that as well, to engage young people in the important role local councillors play.
In terms of civic duty voting, I think any proposal that boosts democratic engagement merits support and very much careful consideration. We'd not be able to make such a change during the current Senedd, but I'm sure it will be an issue that will continue to be debated. Perhaps you could write to me further on the issue around the pilots in particular, and I could respond to you accordingly as well.
Diolch, Adam. Yn hollol, mae'n bwysig ein bod yn achub ar bob cyfle i godi pwysigrwydd pleidleisio mewn etholiadau, fel y dylem oll ei wneud, ac yn enwedig felly ar gyfer ein hetholiad ein hunain, ond etholiadau llywodraeth leol hefyd, lle gwyddom fod hynny mor bwysig. Rwy'n credu bod gan bob un ohonom rôl i'w chwarae. Rwy'n awyddus iawn i bob un ohonom ei wneud.
Rydym yn siarad â phobl ifanc yn enwedig, a'n holl etholwyr eraill, am ein rôl ni yma. Ond hefyd, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig dweud wrth bobl beth y mae cynghorwyr lleol yn ei wneud hefyd. Weithiau, rwy'n meddwl ein bod ni fel gwleidyddion bob amser yn hoffi dweud y gallwn wneud popeth, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae gennym gynghorwyr lleol sy'n cael eu hethol ar gynghorau, mae gennym ein Haelodau Seneddol hefyd, sy'n cyflawni rolau gwahanol.
Yn bersonol, roeddwn yn gwerthfawrogi'r cyfle a gefais pan oeddwn yn yr ysgol i fynd i ymweld â chanolfan ddinesig Casnewydd a gweld dadl yn digwydd yno. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig iawn, os gallwn geisio annog hynny hefyd, i ennyn diddordeb pobl ifanc yn y rôl bwysig y mae cynghorwyr lleol yn ei chwarae.
Ar ddyletswydd ddinesig i bleidleisio, rwy'n credu bod unrhyw gynnig sy'n hybu ymgysylltiad democrataidd yn haeddu cefnogaeth ac ystyriaeth ofalus iawn. Ni fyddem yn gallu gwneud newid o'r fath yn ystod y Senedd bresennol, ond rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn fater a fydd yn parhau i gael ei drafod. Efallai y gallech ysgrifennu ataf ymhellach ar fater y cynlluniau peilot yn enwedig, a gallwn ymateb i chi yn unol â hynny.
7. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi diweddariad ar y cymorth sydd ar gael i berchnogion tai y mae concrit awyredig awtoclafiedig cyfnerth (RAAC) yn effeithio ar eu heiddo? OQ62886
7. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the support available to homeowners whose properties are affected by RAAC? OQ62886
Diolch, Heledd. I recognise how difficult the situation is for all residents affected by RAAC in both private and social homes, and the strain this is having on individuals and families. We continue to work with housing associations and local authorities, who may be able to offer financial support to home owners.
Diolch, Heledd. Rwy'n cydnabod pa mor anodd yw'r sefyllfa i bob preswylydd yr effeithir arnynt gan RAAC mewn cartrefi preifat a chymdeithasol, a'r straen y mae hyn yn ei chreu i unigolion a theuluoedd. Rydym yn parhau i weithio gyda chymdeithasau tai ac awdurdodau lleol, a allai gynnig cymorth ariannol i berchnogion tai.
Thank you for that response. As you'll be aware, for over a year, I've been raising the plight of a small group of home owners in Hirwaun who have RAAC. Home owners have told me that they live in fear and constant worry about how they will find funds to make their homes safe, and they're fearful that their ceilings will collapse in on them. In the recent ITV news broadcast about the issue, Welsh Government’s response was:
'We...continue to monitor the situation and would strongly encourage all homeowners to undertake surveys to identify the extent of the RAAC within their homes'.
But the home owners in question are mostly over 75, some are in their nineties, who purchased their properties in good faith under the right-to-buy scheme. They primarily rely on state pensions and cannot afford the surveys, nor do they qualify for local authority grants. Will you now please commit to meeting with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the residents to find a solution and put an end to their constant worry and fear that their roofs will collapse on top of them?
Diolch am yr ymateb hwnnw. Fel y gwyddoch, ers dros flwyddyn, rwyf wedi bod yn codi sefyllfa grŵp bach o berchnogion tai yn Hirwaun sydd â RAAC. Mae perchnogion tai wedi dweud wrthyf eu bod yn byw mewn ofn a phryder cyson ynglŷn â sut y dônt o hyd i arian i wneud eu cartrefi'n ddiogel, ac maent yn ofni y bydd eu nenfydau'n disgyn ar eu pennau. Yn y darllediad newyddion ar ITV diweddar am y mater, ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru oedd:
'Rydym yn parhau i fonitro'r sefyllfa ac yn annog pob perchennog tŷ i gynnal arolygon i nodi graddau'r RAAC yn eu cartrefi'.
Ond mae'r perchnogion tai dan sylw dros 75 oed i raddau helaeth, mae rhai yn eu nawdegau, ac wedi prynu eu heiddo yn llawn ffydd o dan y cynllun hawl i brynu. Maent yn dibynnu'n bennaf ar bensiynau'r wladwriaeth ac yn methu fforddio'r arolygon, ac nid ydynt yn gymwys i gael grantiau awdurdodau lleol. A wnewch chi ymrwymo nawr i gyfarfod â Chyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf a'r trigolion i ddod o hyd i ateb a rhoi diwedd ar eu pryder a'u hofn cyson y bydd eu toeau'n disgyn ar eu pennau?
Diolch, Heledd. Thank you for raising this, as I know you have in the past as well—as you say, you’ve been working on this. I’m aware that Trivallis has commenced its RAAC remediation programme for its housing stock at the Gower estate in Hirwaun. I understand that the installation of the safety deck system is intended to provide a permanent structurally sound solution, rather than a temporary fix.
In respect of private home owners, I’m aware that the local authority has engaged with home owners and offers that grant assistance via its normal financial support arrangements. It’s my understanding that some home owners have not yet undertaken any surveys, as you mentioned. I would strongly encourage those who are able to to undertake those surveys and to engage with local authorities, who are ready to support them.
I also understand that Trivallis has offered affected owner-occupiers and private landlords access to their contractors, which helps to reduce costs for home owners by removing overheads. We’re not able to offer direct interest-free loans to cover the costs of works, but there are a number of funding options, grants and loans, that may be available through the local authority, subject to that eligibility criteria. So, I think, in that instance, the discussions with the local authority will be really important.
Diolch, Heledd. Diolch am godi hyn, gan fy mod yn gwybod eich bod wedi gwneud hynny yn y gorffennol hefyd—fel y dywedwch, rydych chi wedi bod yn gweithio ar hyn. Rwy'n ymwybodol fod Trivallis wedi dechrau ei raglen gyweirio RAAC ar gyfer ei stoc dai ar ystad Gŵyr yn Hirwaun. Rwy'n deall mai'r bwriad wrth osod y system dec diogelwch yw darparu datrysiad strwythurol parhaol, yn hytrach nag ateb dros dro.
Mewn perthynas â pherchnogion tai preifat, rwy'n ymwybodol fod yr awdurdod lleol wedi ymgysylltu â pherchnogion cartrefi ac yn cynnig y cymorth grant trwy ei drefniadau cymorth ariannol arferol. Rwy'n deall nad yw rhai perchnogion tai wedi cynnal unrhyw arolygon eto, fel y sonioch chi. Rwy'n annog y rhai sy'n gallu cynnal yr arolygon i wneud hynny ac i ymgysylltu ag awdurdodau lleol, sy'n barod i'w cefnogi.
Rwyf hefyd yn deall bod Trivallis wedi cynnig mynediad at eu contractwyr i berchnogion a landlordiaid preifat, i helpu i leihau costau i berchnogion tai trwy gael gwared ar orbenion. Nid ydym yn gallu cynnig benthyciadau di-log uniongyrchol i dalu costau gwaith, ond ceir nifer o opsiynau ariannu, grantiau a benthyciadau, a allai fod ar gael trwy'r awdurdod lleol, yn amodol ar y meini prawf cymhwysedd. Felly, mewn achosion o'r fath, bydd trafodaethau gyda'r awdurdod lleol yn bwysig iawn.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8, Russell George.
And finally, question 6, Russell George.
8. Pa gamau y mae’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn eu cymryd i wella effeithiolrwydd y cynllun cartrefi clyd? OQ62879
8. What action is the Cabinet Secretary taking to improve the effectiveness of the warm homes scheme? OQ62879
I have agreed several changes to the Nest scheme, including the introduction of a crisis route, to increase the number of households it can support. Officials continue to monitor the scheme’s performance and will bring forward further recommendations as required.
Rwyf wedi cytuno ar sawl newid i'r cynllun Nyth, gan gynnwys cyflwyno llwybr argyfwng, i gynyddu nifer yr aelwydydd y gall eu cefnogi. Mae swyddogion yn parhau i fonitro perfformiad y cynllun a byddant yn cyflwyno argymhellion pellach yn ôl yr angen.
Thank you for your answer, Cabinet Secretary. Over some time now, constituents have contacted me as they’ve experienced problems with third party installers with regard to the Warm Homes programme. That could include poor workmanship or work not being completed correctly and also poor communications as well between the company and the property owner. I wonder if this is something that you are aware of, that others have contacted you about. Is there criteria for installers, and if so, could that list be modified or do the criteria need to be changed? Also, what should residents do if they are experiencing poor workmanship from contractors via the scheme?
Diolch am eich ateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Dros gryn dipyn o amser bellach, mae etholwyr wedi cysylltu â mi am eu bod wedi cael problemau gyda gosodwyr trydydd parti mewn perthynas â'r rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd. Gallai hynny gynnwys crefftwaith gwael neu waith nad yw'n cael ei gwblhau'n briodol a chyfathrebu gwael hefyd rhwng y cwmni a pherchennog yr eiddo. Tybed a yw hyn yn rhywbeth yr ydych chi'n ymwybodol ohono ac y mae eraill wedi cysylltu â chi yn ei gylch. A oes meini prawf ar gyfer gosodwyr, ac os felly, a ellid newid y rhestr honno neu a oes angen newid y meini prawf? Hefyd, beth y dylai preswylwyr ei wneud os ydynt yn profi crefftwaith gwael gan gontractwyr trwy'r cynllun?
Diolch, Russell. And thank you for raising that. We do have monitoring and evaluation of the Warm Homes Nest scheme, and that will help us to ensure that it achieves its objectives in lowering bills for vulnerable households and lift them out of fuel poverty. I will publish a report on the progress at the start of the autumn term, covering that activity during the preceding financial year.
You are right, it is really important that we protect our residents from poor workmanship. We have quality assurance. In Welsh Government, we are committed to ensuring that our consumers are protected against the installation of measures that are unsuitable or delivered to that low standard. Installers are independently quality assured, ensuring PAS 2035 standards, which is the official framework for whole-house retrofit in the UK and outlines their process and best practice within the industry. British Gas, our delivery agents for the programme, have been working closely with contractors to ensure that they upskill their workforce as well, and that we learn any lessons from any past schemes as well. And contractors provide training and support to all those working on the scheme to ensure that they are competent in delivering the requirements of PAS 2035.
There is that evaluation and also that quality assurance into the scheme, so I suggest that your constituents, in the first instance, write in to or contact the delivery agent—that as being British Gas—and also report it in terms of the Nest scheme as well. But you're always able to write to me, if you see a particular pattern. I'd be very grateful if you would do that as well.
Diolch, Russell. A diolch am godi hynny. Mae gennym waith monitro a gwerthuso cynllun Nyth Cartrefi Clyd, a bydd hynny'n ein helpu i sicrhau ei fod yn cyflawni ei amcanion o ran gostwng biliau ar gyfer aelwydydd bregus a'u codi allan o dlodi tanwydd. Byddaf yn cyhoeddi adroddiad ar gynnydd ar ddechrau tymor yr hydref, i gwmpasu'r gweithgaredd hwnnw yn ystod y flwyddyn ariannol flaenorol.
Rydych chi'n iawn, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n diogelu ein trigolion rhag crefftwaith gwael. Mae gennym drefniadau sicrhau ansawdd. Yn Llywodraeth Cymru, rydym wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod ein defnyddwyr yn cael eu diogelu rhag gosod mesurau sy'n anaddas neu o safon isel. Mae gosodwyr yn destun sicrwydd ansawdd annibynnol, i sicrhau safonau PAS 2035, sef y fframwaith swyddogol ar gyfer ôl-osod tŷ cyfan yn y DU ac mae'n nodi eu proses a'u harfer gorau o fewn y diwydiant. Mae British Gas, ein hasiantau cyflenwi ar gyfer y rhaglen, wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos gyda chontractwyr i sicrhau eu bod yn uwchsgilio eu gweithlu hefyd, a'n bod yn dysgu unrhyw wersi o gynlluniau yn y gorffennol. Ac mae contractwyr yn darparu hyfforddiant a chefnogaeth i bawb sy'n gweithio ar y cynllun i sicrhau eu bod yn gymwys i gyflawni gofynion PAS 2035.
Mae'r gwerthusiad a'r sicrwydd ansawdd hwnnw ar gael ar gyfer y cynllun, felly rwy'n awgrymu yn y lle cyntaf y dylai eich etholwyr ysgrifennu at neu gysylltu â'r asiant cyflawni—sef British Gas— a rhoi gwybod am y mater i gynllun Nyth hefyd. Ond gallwch bob amser ysgrifennu ataf i os ydych chi'n gweld patrwm penodol. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn pe byddech chi'n gwneud hynny hefyd.
Diolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary.
Felly, fe awn ni ymlaen i'r cwestiynau i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf yn mynd i fod gan Sioned Williams.
We'll move on now to questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education. The first question is to be asked by Sioned Williams.
1. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn sicrhau bod dysgwyr mewn ysgolion a cholegau yn cael eu haddysgu'n effeithiol am ddemocratiaeth Cymru? OQ62853
1. How does the Government ensure that learners in schools and colleges are taught effectively about Welsh democracy? OQ62853
Citizenship is at the heart of our curriculum. Developing understanding of democratic roles and responsibilities as citizens is mandatory in the Curriculum for Wales. We are working with the Electoral Commission to develop resources for schools ahead of the 2026 elections.
Mae dinasyddiaeth yn rhan ganolog o'n cwricwlwm. Mae datblygu dealltwriaeth o rolau a chyfrifoldebau democrataidd fel dinasyddion yn orfodol yn y Cwricwlwm i Gymru. Rydym yn gweithio gyda'r Comisiwn Etholiadol i ddatblygu adnoddau ar gyfer ysgolion cyn etholiadau 2026.
Diolch. Yr wythnos diwethaf, pan oedden ni'n trafod canllawiau newydd y Llywodraeth ar amrywiaeth a chynhwysiant i bleidiau gwleidyddol, fe gyfeiriwyd at bwysigrwydd dileu'r rhwystrau sy'n atal pobl o bob math rhag cymryd rhan yn y broses ddemocrataidd. Ac wrth ymateb i bwyntiau a godwyd am effaith diffyg addysg wleidyddol, dywedwyd ei bod hi'n bwysig bod y Llywodraeth, a chi fel Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg, yn edrych ar y cwricwlwm fel ffordd o addysgu ein pobl ifanc i fod yn ddinasyddion.
Mae'n amlwg, o siarad â phobl ifanc, eu bod nhw'n teimlo nad yw'r addysg maen nhw'n ei derbyn ar hyn o bryd yn ddigonol o ran hynny, ac rôn i wedi brawychu o glywed pobl ifanc ym Merthyr yn ddiweddar yn dweud, wrth gael eu holi gan y BBC, nad oedden nhw'n ymwybodol eu bod nhw'n medru pleidleisio yn 16 oed.
Mae dysgu am ddinasyddiaeth yn elfen ym maes dysgu a phrofiad mandadol y dyniaethau yn y cwricwlwm, fel y dywedoch chi, ond mae angen mynd ymhellach, ac rwyf wedi awgrymu'n flaenorol nifer o ffyrdd y gellid sicrhau bod y cwricwlwm yn darparu'n fwy penodol ar gyfer addysg wleidyddol. Mae'n gyfnod o ddiwygio etholiadol. Ydych chi'n cytuno, felly, mai dyma'r amser perffaith i sicrhau'r ddemocratiaeth orau i Gymru drwy gymryd camau pendant i godi ymwybyddiaeth ymhlith ein dysgwyr mewn ysgolion a cholegau?
Thank you. Last week, when we were discussing new Government guidance on diversity and inclusion for political parties, reference was made to the importance of removing barriers that prevent people from all backgrounds from participating in the democratic process. And in responding to points raised about the effect of the absence of political education, it was said that it was important that the Government, and you as Cabinet Secretary for Education, did look at the curriculum as a means of educating our young people to become citizens.
It's clear from speaking to young people that they do feel that the education that they currently receive is not adequate in that regard, and I was shocked to hear young people in Merthyr recently saying, when questioned by the BBC, that they weren't aware that they could vote at 16 years of age.
Learning about citizenship is a mandatory area of learning and experience in the humanities part of the curriculum, as you said, but we need to go further, and I have previously suggested a number of approaches whereby we could ensure that the curriculum does provide more specifically for political education. It's a period of electoral reform. Do you agree, therefore, that this is the perfect time to ensure the best possible democracy for Wales by taking meaningful steps to raise awareness among our learners in schools and colleges?
Can I thank Sioned for her supplementary? As she's highlighted, citizenship is at the heart of the curriculum. One of the four purposes, as she'll be aware, is to ensure that learners have opportunities to become ethical and informed citizens of Wales and the world, and understand and exercise their democratic responsibilities and rights. As she's already highlighted, this is a mandatory part of the humanities area of learning and experience, and the statements of 'what matters' are clear that learners should be supported to learn about citizenship and active citizenship, about different forms of governance, enabling learners to understand their roles and responsibilities in a democratic system.
Now that 16 and 17-year-olds are eligible to vote in Wales, I agree with her that this is more important than ever. I would say that we are taking meaningful action in this space. We have the democratic engagement grant, which is funding projects that are delivered in the classroom to support young people to participate in the democratic process. That includes the digital dialogue sessions, which I know she's been part of, and which I've been part of in my own constituency. It's also involved sessions on tackling misinformation and supporting the city of Cardiff's democracy in action workshop.
We've also got resources on Hwb and the democratic engagement grant. We have allocated £657,093 to support democratic activities in Wales, which is a substantial amount of money. Applications for that grant are currently at the panel appraisal stage, and all applicants will be informed soon whether they've been successful or not. We've also got the Politics Project resources, which are funded by the democratic engagement grant. The engagement with Digital Dialogue has been very significant. Over 4,300 learners have participated in that since its inception. So, we are taking action, and all our action is underpinned by the statutory commitments of our Curriculum for Wales.
A gaf i ddiolch i Sioned am ei chwestiwn atodol? Fel y noda, mae dinasyddiaeth yn ganolog i'r cwricwlwm. Un o'r pedwar diben, fel y bydd hi'n gwybod, yw sicrhau bod dysgwyr yn cael cyfleoedd i ddod yn ddinasyddion egwyddorol a gwybodus yng Nghymru a'r byd, ac yn deall ac yn arfer eu cyfrifoldebau a'u hawliau democrataidd. Fel y mae hi eisoes wedi'i nodi, mae hon yn rhan orfodol o faes dysgu a phrofiad y dyniaethau, ac mae'r datganiadau 'beth sy'n bwysig' yn glir y dylid cefnogi dysgwyr i ddysgu am ddinasyddiaeth a dinasyddiaeth weithredol, am wahanol fathau o drefniadau llywodraethu, gan alluogi dysgwyr i ddeall eu rolau a'u cyfrifoldebau mewn system ddemocrataidd.
Gan fod pobl ifanc 16 ac 17 oed bellach yn gymwys i bleidleisio yng Nghymru, rwy'n cytuno â hi fod hyn yn bwysicach nag erioed. Rydym yn gweithredu'n ystyrlon yn y gofod hwn. Mae gennym y grant ymgysylltiad democrataidd, sy'n ariannu prosiectau a gyflwynir yn yr ystafell ddosbarth i gefnogi pobl ifanc i gymryd rhan yn y broses ddemocrataidd. Mae hynny'n cynnwys y sesiynau Deialog Ddigidol, y gwn ei bod wedi bod yn rhan ohonynt, ac y bûm innau'n rhan ohonynt yn fy etholaeth fy hun. Mae hefyd yn cynnwys sesiynau ar fynd i'r afael â chamwybodaeth a chefnogi gweithdy democratiaeth ar waith dinas Caerdydd.
Mae gennym hefyd adnoddau ar Hwb a'r grant ymgysylltiad democrataidd. Rydym wedi dyrannu £657,093 i gefnogi gweithgareddau democrataidd yng Nghymru, sy'n swm sylweddol o arian. Mae ceisiadau am y grant hwnnw ar hyn o bryd ar gam gwerthuso'r panel, a bydd pob ymgeisydd yn cael gwybod yn fuan a ydynt wedi bod yn llwyddiannus ai peidio. Mae gennym hefyd adnoddau Politics Project, sy'n cael eu hariannu gan y grant ymgysylltiad democrataidd. Mae'r ymgysylltiad â Deialog Ddigidol wedi bod yn arwyddocaol iawn. Mae dros 4,300 o ddysgwyr wedi cymryd rhan ers ei sefydlu. Felly, rydym yn gweithredu, a chaiff ein holl weithredoedd eu hategu gan ymrwymiadau statudol ein Cwricwlwm i Gymru.
Cabinet Secretary, it is great that our young people are being taught about our democratic process, but what are they being taught about their obligation under that democratic process? Far too often we teach people about their rights, but we say nothing about their duties and obligations. Citizens have a duty to abide by the rule of law, an obligation to uphold British values. By not clarifying these duties, we allow cultural division to take hold. Cabinet Secretary, how are you ensuring that all children being taught at our schools are not only aware of the democratic system, but also their obligation to uphold our democratic freedom—in other words, obedience to our democracy? Thank you.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae'n wych fod ein pobl ifanc yn cael dysgu am ein proses ddemocrataidd, ond beth a ddysgir iddynt am eu rhwymedigaeth o dan y broses ddemocrataidd honno? Yn rhy aml rydym yn addysgu pobl am eu hawliau, ond nid ydym yn dweud dim am eu dyletswyddau a'u rhwymedigaethau. Mae gan ddinasyddion ddyletswydd i gadw at reolaeth y gyfraith, rhwymedigaeth i gynnal gwerthoedd Prydeinig. Drwy beidio ag egluro'r dyletswyddau hyn, rydym yn caniatáu i raniadau diwylliannol ddigwydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, sut rydych chi'n sicrhau bod pob plentyn sy'n cael ei addysgu yn ein hysgolion nid yn unig yn ymwybodol o'r system ddemocrataidd, ond hefyd o'u rhwymedigaeth i gynnal ein rhyddid democrataidd—mewn geiriau eraill, ufudd-dod i'n democratiaeth? Diolch.
Thank you, Altaf. That's an important point, isn't it? That rights come with responsibilities. And I would say that that's a key aspect of our curriculum. We aren't just teaching young people about their rights. The curriculum is also there to make sure that they become ethical and informed citizens of the world. That's a key part of that equation. It is vital that we encourage young people to learn about democracy, but equally important that they realise that that comes with responsibilities, and I would argue that that's already covered by the Curriculum for Wales.
Diolch, Altaf. Mae hwnnw'n bwynt pwysig, onid yw? Bod dyletswyddau ynghlwm wrth hawliau. A byddwn i'n dweud bod honno'n agwedd allweddol ar ein cwricwlwm. Nid addysgu pobl ifanc am eu hawliau'n unig a wnawn. Mae'r cwricwlwm yno hefyd i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn dod yn ddinasyddion egwyddorol a gwybodus yn y byd. Dyna ran allweddol o'r hafaliad. Mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn annog pobl ifanc i ddysgu am ddemocratiaeth, ond yr un mor bwysig eu bod yn sylweddoli bod cyfrifoldebau ynghlwm wrth hynny, a byddwn yn dadlau bod hynny eisoes wedi'i gynnwys yn y Cwricwlwm i Gymru.
Cabinet Secretary, would you agree that in teaching our learners about the importance of democracy and taking part in democracy, we can draw on our history in Wales and the struggles of working people to obtain the vote, such as the Chartist movement and the Newport rising in the nineteenth century? And in and around Gwent, we are using that history of Chartism to engage our young people, with interactive learning in archive workshops, school visits, digital teaching packs, field-based history through memorial visits and mural visits and much more. And Newport Rising are really bringing history to life for our young children and exciting their interest, for example with a torch-lit march every November, which is attended by lots of young families. Cabinet Secretary, would you agree that these are really good examples in Gwent in terms of how we can engage our learners in the democratic process through the lessons of the past?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a fyddech chi'n cytuno, wrth addysgu ein dysgwyr am bwysigrwydd democratiaeth a chymryd rhan mewn democratiaeth, y gallwn dynnu ar ein hanes yng Nghymru a brwydrau gweithwyr i gael y bleidlais, megis mudiad y Siartwyr a gwrthryfel Casnewydd yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg? Ac yng Ngwent a'r cyffiniau, rydym yn defnyddio hanes Siartiaeth i ennyn diddordeb ein pobl ifanc, gyda dysgu rhyngweithiol mewn gweithdai archifau, ymweliadau ysgol, pecynnau addysgu digidol, hanes maes trwy ymweliadau â chofebion ac ymweliadau â murluniau a llawer mwy. Ac mae Gwrthryfel Casnewydd yn dod â hanes yn fyw i'n plant ifanc ac yn cynnau eu diddordeb, er enghraifft gyda gorymdaith wrth olau ffaglau bob mis Tachwedd a fynychir gan lawer o deuluoedd ifanc. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a fyddech chi'n cytuno bod y rhain yn enghreifftiau da iawn yng Ngwent o'r ffordd y gallwn ennyn diddordeb ein dysgwyr yn y broses ddemocrataidd trwy wersi'r gorffennol?
Thank you very much, John, for that question, and it's great to hear about all that work that is happening in Newport that taps into that really proud tradition of the Newport area with things like the Chartists and the Newport rising. And it is vital that young people learn about those things, but of course that's also a really important feature of the Curriculum for Wales as well. We call it cynefin—that sense of people's learning coming from their communities, and that sense of identity that they have. So, that will be different in different parts of Wales, and the curriculum provides the flexibility to foster that sense of cynefin in different parts of Wales.
Diolch am y cwestiwn hwnnw, John, ac mae'n wych clywed am yr holl waith sy'n digwydd yng Nghasnewydd sy'n manteisio ar y traddodiad balch yno gyda phethau fel y Siartwyr a gwrthryfel Casnewydd. Ac mae'n hanfodol fod pobl ifanc yn dysgu am y pethau hynny, ond wrth gwrs mae honno'n nodwedd bwysig iawn hefyd o'r Cwricwlwm i Gymru. Rydym yn ei alw'n cynefin—yr ymdeimlad fod dysgu pobl yn deillio o'u cymunedau, a'r ymdeimlad o hunaniaeth sydd ganddynt. Felly, bydd hynny'n wahanol mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru, ac mae'r cwricwlwm yn darparu hyblygrwydd i feithrin yr ymdeimlad o gynefin mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru.
2. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar gyllid ysgolion ar gyfer ysgolion yng Nghanol De Cymru? OQ62865
2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on funding for schools in South Wales Central? OQ62865
Decisions on the level of funding available to schools are made by each local authority as part of their overall budget setting. This is in line with the Welsh Government’s policy that local authorities are best placed to judge local needs and circumstances and to fund schools accordingly.
Mae penderfyniadau ar lefel y cyllid sydd ar gael i ysgolion yn cael eu gwneud gan bob awdurdod lleol yn rhan o'u gwaith ar osod y gyllideb yn gyffredinol. Mae hyn yn unol â pholisi Llywodraeth Cymru mai awdurdodau lleol sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i farnu anghenion ac amgylchiadau lleol ac i ariannu ysgolion yn unol â hynny.
Thank you, Minister, for that response. Many schools in South Wales Central face budget deficits and are under considerable pressure. Will you commit today to making sure that, whatever financial agreement is reached on teachers' pay here in Wales, the Welsh Government will fund fully that commitment and that schools will not have to use their own budgets to make up any shortfalls?
Diolch am yr ymateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Mae llawer o ysgolion yng Nghanol De Cymru yn wynebu diffyg yn eu cyllideb ac o dan bwysau sylweddol. A wnewch chi ymrwymo heddiw i wneud yn siŵr, pa bynnag gytundeb ariannol a gyrhaeddir ar gyflogau athrawon yma yng Nghymru, y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ariannu'r ymrwymiad hwnnw'n llawn ac na fydd yn rhaid i ysgolion ddefnyddio eu cyllidebau eu hunain i wneud iawn am unrhyw ddiffygion?
Can I say to Andrew R.T. Davies, and thank you for that supplementary, that I do of course recognise the pressures schools and local authorities are under? I really appreciate the efforts of the education workforce as they continue to operate in such challenging circumstances.
I should remind the Member that, despite the ongoing budget pressures we've faced, we've continuously prioritised public services. The 4.5 per cent increase to the local government settlement for 2025-26 builds on previous increases of 9.4 per cent in 2022-23, 7.9 per cent in 2023-24 and 3.3 per cent in 2024-25. The additional funding that we put into the local government settlement came with a letter that specified that that funding was there to recognise the pressures that local authorities had identified to me, in schools, in ALN in particular, as well as of course social care. Between this year's extra funding and last year's extra funding, the education sector is set to benefit from an additional £2.62 million in funding to help schools, colleges and other settings meet the needs of their learners.
In terms of your specific point about teachers' pay, we have committed to fund the 4 per cent increase through money already provided to local authorities, and full additional funding for the further 1 per cent. So, schools will not need to find the funding themselves, and that is in recognition of the pressures they're under.
A gaf i ddweud wrth Andrew R.T. Davies, a diolch am y cwestiwn atodol, fy mod wrth gwrs yn cydnabod y pwysau sydd ar ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol? Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi ymdrechion y gweithlu addysg yn fawr wrth iddynt barhau i weithredu o dan amgylchiadau mor heriol.
Dylwn atgoffa'r Aelod, er gwaethaf y pwysau cyllidebol parhaus rydym wedi'i wynebu, ein bod wedi parhau i flaenoriaethu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. Mae'r cynnydd o 4.5 y cant i'r setliad llywodraeth leol ar gyfer 2025-26 yn adeiladu ar gynnydd blaenorol o 9.4 y cant yn 2022-23, 7.9 y cant yn 2023-24 a 3.3 y cant yn 2024-25. Daeth y cyllid ychwanegol a roesom yn y setliad llywodraeth leol gyda llythyr a nodai fod y cyllid hwnnw yno i gydnabod y pwysau yr oedd awdurdodau lleol wedi'i nodi i mi, mewn ysgolion, mewn ADY yn benodol, yn ogystal â gofal cymdeithasol wrth gwrs. Rhwng cyllid ychwanegol eleni a chyllid ychwanegol y llynedd, mae'r sector addysg ar fin elwa o £2.62 miliwn ychwanegol o gyllid i helpu ysgolion, colegau a lleoliadau eraill i ddiwallu anghenion eu dysgwyr.
Ar eich pwynt penodol ynglŷn â chyflogau athrawon, rydym wedi ymrwymo i ariannu'r cynnydd o 4 y cant drwy arian sydd eisoes wedi'i ddarparu i awdurdodau lleol, a chyllid ychwanegol llawn ar gyfer yr 1 y cant pellach. Felly, ni fydd angen i ysgolion ddod o hyd i'r cyllid eu hunain, ac mae hynny er mwyn cydnabod y pwysau sydd arnynt.
Given the significant and growing budget deficits faced by a number of schools in South Wales Central, some reportedly reaching up to £1 million, how can the way of funding education be seen as workable? We know that schools are having to cut staff, merge classes, cancel trips, cut the basics, with budgets stretched to the limit. According to NAHT Cymru, over half of school leaders expect to be in deficit this year. So, what steps are being taken to ensure schools are properly resourced to meet pupils' needs, especially with additional learning needs changes? We hear constantly of teachers saying that they can't meet the needs of pupils. Obviously, the other element, of course, is supporting teacher well-being amid increasing workload, when they're so concerned about those budgets.
O ystyried y diffygion cyllidebol sylweddol a chynyddol y mae nifer o ysgolion yng Nghanol De Cymru yn eu hwynebu, gyda rhai cymaint ag £1 filiwn yn ôl y sôn, sut y gellir ystyried bod y ffordd o ariannu addysg yn ymarferol? Gwyddom fod yn rhaid i ysgolion dorri staff, uno dosbarthiadau, canslo tripiau, torri'r pethau sylfaenol, gyda chyllidebau wedi'u hymestyn i'r eithaf. Yn ôl NAHT Cymru, mae dros hanner yr arweinwyr ysgolion yn disgwyl bod mewn diffyg eleni. Felly, pa gamau sy'n cael eu cymryd i sicrhau bod ysgolion yn cael yr adnoddau priodol i ddiwallu anghenion disgyblion, yn enwedig gyda newidiadau i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol? Rydym yn clywed yn gyson am athrawon yn dweud na allant ddiwallu anghenion disgyblion. Yn amlwg, yr elfen arall, wrth gwrs, yw cefnogi lles athrawon yn wyneb llwyth gwaith cynyddol, pan fyddant mor bryderus am y cyllidebau hynny.
Thank you, Heledd, for that question. You heard me highlight the overall figure that we've provided in additional funding for education over the two financial years. As part of that, we've provided significant amounts of funding going direct to schools through the LAEG, and that money reaches schools directly. We've also, as part of that funding—. And I referred to the ALN pressures; that has been a constant theme raised with me by schools and local authorities. So, we also announced additional funding for ALN as part of that. Since 2020, we've provided over £150 million of revenue grant funding to local authorities and schools to support ALN implementation. On top of that, we've prioritised investing in capital support, particularly for ALN. Over the past five years, there's been more than £170 million invested to improve facilities for learners with ALN. We've also got £750 million in the pipeline as part of the nine-year rolling programme for specialist facilities, including, obviously, special schools and PRUs.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn, Heledd. Fe wnaethoch fy nghlywed yn tynnu sylw at y cyfanswm a ddarparwyd gennym mewn cyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer addysg dros y ddwy flynedd ariannol. Yn rhan o hynny, rydym wedi darparu cyllid sylweddol yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion drwy'r grant addysg awdurdod lleol, ac mae'r arian hwnnw'n mynd yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion. Yn rhan o'r cyllid hwnnw hefyd—. Ac fe gyfeiriais at y pwysau ar ADY; mae honno wedi bod yn thema gyson a godwyd gyda mi gan ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol. Felly, fe wnaethom gyhoeddi cyllid ychwanegol hefyd ar gyfer ADY yn rhan o hynny. Ers 2020, rydym wedi darparu dros £150 miliwn o gyllid grant refeniw i awdurdodau lleol ac i ysgolion i gefnogi'r ddarpariaeth ADY. Yn ychwanegol at hynny, rydym wedi blaenoriaethu buddsoddiad mewn cymorth cyfalaf, yn enwedig ar gyfer ADY. Dros y pum mlynedd diwethaf, mae mwy na £170 miliwn wedi'i fuddsoddi i wella cyfleusterau i ddysgwyr ag ADY. Mae gennym hefyd £750 miliwn yn yr arfaeth yn rhan o'r rhaglen dreigl naw mlynedd ar gyfer cyfleusterau arbenigol, gan gynnwys, yn amlwg, ysgolion arbennig ac unedau cyfeirio disgyblion.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr yn gyntaf—Natasha Asghar.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Welsh Conservatives spokesperson first of all—Natasha Asghar.
Thank you so much, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, too many students are not reaching their full potential when it comes to mathematics here in Wales. Those are not my words, those are the words of Estyn's chief inspector, Owen Evans. His damning verdict comes following a report by Estyn inspectors that found that maths standards across the country are far too low. This, sadly, cannot come as a surprise to the Welsh Government, given our performance in maths has plummeted in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment results under Labour's watch. Maths is, ultimately, the backbone of our future economy, Cabinet Secretary, and we cannot afford to undermine it any further. So, Cabinet Secretary, in light of the latest report, what action is the Government taking, and going to be taking, to turn things around when it comes to maths in our schools?
Diolch, Lywydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae gormod o fyfyrwyr nad ydynt yn cyrraedd eu potensial llawn mewn mathemateg yma yng Nghymru. Nid fy ngeiriau i yw'r rheini, ond geiriau prif arolygydd Estyn, Owen Evans. Daw ei feirniadaeth yn dilyn adroddiad gan arolygwyr Estyn a ganfu fod safonau mathemateg ledled y wlad yn llawer rhy isel. Yn anffodus, ni all hyn fod yn syndod i Lywodraeth Cymru, o ystyried bod ein perfformiad mewn mathemateg wedi plymio yng nghanlyniadau diweddaraf y Rhaglen Ryngwladol Asesu Myfyrwyr o dan oruchwyliaeth Llafur. Yn y pen draw, mathemateg yw asgwrn cefn ein heconomi yn y dyfodol, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ac ni allwn fforddio ei thanseilio ymhellach. Felly, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yng ngoleuni'r adroddiad diweddaraf, pa gamau y mae'r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd, ac yn mynd i'w cymryd, i wella'r sefyllfa o ran mathemateg yn ein hysgolion?
Thank you, Natasha. As you are aware, raising standards in maths and numeracy is a central priority for me. We're working very closely with Estyn to put in place additional support to address the concerns outlined in their report, and I've also accepted all the recommendations for Welsh Government that were set out in their report.
So, one of the things we've done is work closely with Estyn to develop additional granular detail on progression in maths, so that every teacher, whether they're a specialist or not, is equipped to develop learners' numeracy skills. This new national professional support, which has been developed with Swansea University, is currently being piloted. You'll have seen my announcement of the curriculum grant funding. As part of that as well, there is specific funding for a project called 'Primed for success', which is designed to support children in their transition from primary to secondary school, which is an area where we know that there can often be difficulties. As you know, we're working as well to put the literacy and numeracy framework on a statutory footing.
Diolch, Natasha. Fel y gwyddoch, mae codi safonau mewn mathemateg a rhifedd yn flaenoriaeth hollbwysig i mi. Rydym yn gweithio'n agos iawn gydag Estyn i roi cymorth ychwanegol ar waith i fynd i'r afael â'r pryderon a amlinellwyd yn eu hadroddiad, ac rwyf hefyd wedi derbyn yr holl argymhellion ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru a nodwyd yn eu hadroddiad.
Felly, un o'r pethau a wnaethom yw gweithio'n agos gydag Estyn i ddatblygu manylion ychwanegol ar gynnydd mewn mathemateg, fel bod pob athro, boed yn arbenigwr ai peidio, yn gymwys i ddatblygu sgiliau rhifedd dysgwyr. Mae'r cymorth proffesiynol cenedlaethol newydd hwn, a ddatblygwyd gyda Phrifysgol Abertawe, yn cael ei dreialu ar hyn o bryd. Byddwch wedi gweld fy nghyhoeddiad am gyllid grant y cwricwlwm. Fel rhan o hynny hefyd, ceir cyllid penodol ar gyfer prosiect o'r enw 'Primed for success', a gynlluniwyd i gefnogi plant yn eu cyfnod pontio o'r ysgol gynradd i'r ysgol uwchradd, adeg y gwyddom y gall fod yn anodd. Fel y gwyddoch, rydym yn gweithio hefyd i roi'r fframwaith llythrennedd a rhifedd ar sail statudol.
Thanks for your response, Cabinet Secretary; I do appreciate it. I know we've covered students; I want to move on to teachers now.
Estyn's report pointed to aspects of poor teaching being the reason behind pupils' limited progress. It also highlighted a wide variation in the teaching of maths across the country. This variation has been partly put down to the drop in subject-specific support, with teachers having a lack of professional associations to turn to when it comes to needing advice. Concerns were also raised by school leaders about it being difficult to recruit maths specialists, which was resulting in non-specialist teachers being recruited to teach maths. Other issues highlighted in the report included teachers planning tasks to keep pupils busy, rather than focusing on what they wanted to learn, and not challenging students enough. There was also a lack of understanding about the new curriculum requirements and guidance, with teachers not knowing who to approach to answer questions. This simply isn't good enough, Cabinet Secretary. So, Cabinet Secretary, how are you going to ensure Welsh schools get the maths teachers that they truly do need and the correct support is in place to help them deliver the type of education our youngsters deserve?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet; rwy'n ei werthfawrogi'n fawr. Gwn ein bod wedi trafod myfyrwyr; rwyf am symud ymlaen at athrawon nawr.
Nododd adroddiad Estyn fod agweddau ar addysgu gwael yn rheswm dros gynnydd cyfyngedig disgyblion. Tynnodd sylw hefyd at amrywio eang yn y ffordd yr addysgir mathemateg ledled y wlad. Mae'r amrywio hwn wedi'i briodoli'n rhannol i'r gostyngiad mewn cymorth penodol i bynciau, gyda diffyg cymdeithasau proffesiynol i athrawon droi atynt pan fo angen cyngor. Mynegwyd pryderon hefyd gan arweinwyr ysgolion ei bod hi'n anodd recriwtio arbenigwyr mathemateg, gan arwain at recriwtio athrawon nad ydynt yn arbenigwyr i addysgu mathemateg. Roedd materion eraill a amlygwyd yn yr adroddiad yn cynnwys athrawon yn cynllunio tasgau i gadw disgyblion yn brysur, yn hytrach na chanolbwyntio ar yr hyn roeddent am ei ddysgu, a pheidio â herio myfyrwyr yn ddigonol. Roedd diffyg dealltwriaeth hefyd ynghylch gofynion a chanllawiau'r cwricwlwm newydd, ac athrawon heb fod yn gwybod at bwy i droi am atebion. Nid yw hyn yn ddigon da, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Felly, sut rydych chi'n mynd i sicrhau bod ysgolion Cymru'n cael yr athrawon mathemateg y mae cymaint o'u hangen arnynt, a bod y cymorth cywir ar waith i'w helpu i ddarparu'r math o addysg y mae ein pobl ifanc yn ei haeddu?
Thank you. Obviously, the recruitment of maths teachers is a key part of this, and I'm aware that the Children, Young People and Education Committee has been looking at this issue. Obviously, you've seen how challenging some of the figures are, because, if you're a maths graduate, you have a choice of professions that you can go into. So, a key thing for us is to make becoming a teacher of maths as attractive as possible. I know that you're aware of our incentive scheme, which provides additional payments to students who opt to study to teach maths in our schools. But I know as well that we have to look across the range of reasons why we are finding this challenging. That's why I've announced the strategic education workforce plan. You referred in your question to issues around the quality of teaching. Obviously, we discussed that when we had the Estyn report. Estyn are reviewing the quality of teaching and learning for us as well, but, as I said, we're working very closely with Estyn to provide exactly the kind of detail that you highlighted as being something that teachers are struggling with. That's particularly vital if you haven't got a specialist maths teacher delivering that. They do need that additional support.
Diolch. Yn amlwg, mae recriwtio athrawon mathemateg yn rhan allweddol o hyn, ac rwy'n ymwybodol fod y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg wedi bod yn edrych ar y mater. Yn amlwg, rydych chi wedi gweld pa mor heriol yw rhai o'r ffigurau, oherwydd, os oes gennych radd mewn mathemateg, mae gennych ddewis o broffesiynau y gallwch fynd iddynt. Felly, un peth allweddol i ni yw gwneud dod yn athro mathemateg mor ddeniadol â phosibl. Gwn eich bod yn ymwybodol o'n cynllun cymhelliant, sy'n darparu taliadau ychwanegol i fyfyrwyr sy'n dewis astudio i addysgu mathemateg yn ein hysgolion. Ond gwn hefyd fod yn rhaid inni edrych ar draws yr ystod o resymau pam fod hyn yn heriol i ni. Dyna pam fy mod wedi cyhoeddi'r cynllun strategol ar gyfer y gweithlu addysg. Fe gyfeirioch chi yn eich cwestiwn at faterion yn ymwneud ag ansawdd addysgu. Yn amlwg, fe wnaethom drafod hynny pan gawsom adroddiad Estyn. Mae Estyn yn adolygu ansawdd addysgu a dysgu ar ein cyfer ni hefyd, ond fel y dywedais, rydym yn gweithio'n agos iawn gydag Estyn i ddarparu'r math o fanylder a amlygwyd gennych fel rhywbeth y mae athrawon yn cael anhawster ag ef. Mae hynny'n arbennig o hanfodol os nad oes gennych athro mathemateg arbenigol yn darparu hynny. Mae angen y cymorth ychwanegol hwnnw arnynt.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I do sit on the CYPE committee, alongside many of my colleagues. Just to recap, some of the things that I've learned since sitting on the committee, which has only been a few months, are: 20 per cent of students are leaving primary school illiterate; maths standards are dropping to worryingly low levels; poor PISA results; a confusing curriculum; a lack of support for teachers; a teacher recruitment and retention crisis; a discredited reading method being pushed into our schools; soaring absenteeism; poor behaviour and violence in our classrooms; and completely skewed priorities, with £12 million of funding going to music, and just £8.7 million in comparison being spent on maths, literacy, science and technology. My question, Cabinet Secretary, after that long list, is simple: is there anything the Welsh Labour Government is getting right when it comes to education in Wales? Thank you.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n Aelod o'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg, ynghyd â llawer o fy nghyd-Aelodau. I grynhoi, rhai o'r pethau rwyf wedi'u dysgu ers ymuno â'r pwyllgor, mewn ychydig fisoedd yn unig, yw: fod 20 y cant o fyfyrwyr yn gadael yr ysgol gynradd yn anllythrennog; fod safonau mathemateg yn gostwng i lefelau sy'n peri pryder; canlyniadau PISA gwael; cwricwlwm sy'n peri dryswch; diffyg cymorth i athrawon; argyfwng recriwtio a chadw athrawon; dull darllen a wrthbrofwyd yn cael ei wthio ar ein hysgolion; absenoliaeth yn rhemp; ymddygiad gwael a thrais yn ein hystafelloedd dosbarth; a blaenoriaethau cyfeiliornus, gyda £12 miliwn o gyllid yn mynd tuag at gerddoriaeth, a dim ond £8.7 miliwn mewn cymhariaeth yn cael ei wario ar fathemateg, llythrennedd, gwyddoniaeth a thechnoleg. Mae fy nghwestiwn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ar ôl y rhestr hir honno, yn syml: a oes unrhyw beth y mae Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru yn ei wneud yn iawn o ran addysg yng Nghymru? Diolch.
Well, I think your previous questions had had a grain of genuine scrutiny in them and you kind of blew it, really, on that third one, because there was so much misinformation there, I don't really know where to start. The figures that the Conservatives quote on children being illiterate—and I really don't like that term anyway—are based on a very old report. The figures that you've provided on funding support through the curriculum grants are incorrect. And let me say, Natasha, that I make no apologies for funding our national music service. I don't want to live in a country where the only children who can afford to learn about music are the children whose parents can afford to pay for it. But, in any event, what you've said is inaccurate: in the areas of maths, science and literacy, we are spending over £23 million across these priority areas as part of the curriculum grants. So, I respectfully suggest to you that you need to go back and look at your figures.
Wel, rwy'n credu bod rhywfaint o graffu gwirioneddol y tu ôl i'ch cwestiynau blaenorol, ac fe wnaethoch lanast o bethau gyda'ch trydydd cwestiwn, gan fod cymaint o gamwybodaeth yno, nid wyf yn gwybod ble i ddechrau. Mae'r ffigurau y mae'r Ceidwadwyr yn eu dyfynnu ar blant anllythrennog—ac nid wyf yn hoff o'r term hwnnw beth bynnag—yn seiliedig ar adroddiad hen iawn. Mae'r ffigurau a ddarparwyd gennych ar gymorth ariannol drwy grantiau'r cwricwlwm yn anghywir. A gadewch imi ddweud, Natasha, nad wyf yn ymddiheuro am ariannu ein gwasanaeth cerddoriaeth cenedlaethol. Nid wyf eisiau byw mewn gwlad lle mai'r unig blant a all fforddio dysgu am gerddoriaeth yw'r plant y gall eu rhieni fforddio talu amdano. Ond beth bynnag, mae'r hyn rydych wedi'i ddweud yn anghywir: ym meysydd mathemateg, gwyddoniaeth a llythrennedd, rydym yn gwario dros £23 miliwn ar draws y meysydd blaenoriaeth hyn yn rhan o grantiau'r cwricwlwm. Felly, gyda phob parch, rwy'n awgrymu y dylech fynd yn ôl ac edrych ar eich ffigurau.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Cefin Campbell.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Cefin Campbell.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. So, I want to follow the same theme in my first question on the recent mathematics report by Estyn. Its findings were stark, as we've already heard, with it saying that pupil standards in mathematics were too low. What's most troubling, however, is that we've been here before. In 2013, Estyn published a report on good practice in mathematics at Key Stage 4. In 2015, Estyn published a further report, which examined standards in mathematics at Key Stage 3. And as the most recent report states, and I quote:
'Many of the same challenges within the teaching of mathematics remain.'
Now, I know the Welsh Government is a world leader in recycling, but I do think that recycling damning reports into school standards every 10 years is a step too far, and pupils deserve better. Things need to change. So, I presume that other Ministers have worked closely with Estyn, but what will you do differently to every other education Minister who has failed before you?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lywydd. Felly, hoffwn ddilyn yr un thema yn fy nghwestiwn cyntaf ar yr adroddiad mathemateg diweddar gan Estyn. Roedd ei ganfyddiadau'n llym, fel rydym eisoes wedi'i glywed, gyda'r datganiad bod safonau disgyblion mewn mathemateg yn rhy isel. Yr hyn sy'n peri'r pryder mwyaf, fodd bynnag, yw ein bod wedi bod yma o'r blaen. Yn 2013, cyhoeddodd Estyn adroddiad ar arferion da mewn mathemateg yng Nghyfnod Allweddol 4. Yn 2015, cyhoeddodd Estyn adroddiad pellach, a archwiliai safonau mewn mathemateg yng Nghyfnod Allweddol 3. Ac fel y mae'r adroddiad diweddaraf yn ei ddatgan:
'Mae llawer o'r un heriau o fewn addysgu mathemateg yn parhau.'
Nawr, gwn fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn arweinydd byd-eang ym maes ailgylchu, ond rwy'n credu bod ailgylchu adroddiadau damniol ar safonau ysgolion bob 10 mlynedd gam yn rhy bell, ac mae disgyblion yn haeddu gwell. Mae angen i bethau newid. Felly, rwy'n cymryd bod Gweinidogion eraill wedi gweithio'n agos gydag Estyn, ond beth fyddwch chi'n ei wneud yn wahanol i bob Gweinidog addysg arall aflwyddiannus o'ch blaen?
Well, thank you, Cefin, for that question. And if I can just assure you that I am not in any way complacent about the challenges identified in the Estyn report. What keeps me awake at night is the thought that we might let any children down. Now, I can't comment on how directly or not previous Ministers have worked with Estyn on the issue of maths. I can only say to you that I am working very closely with them on the issue of mathematics. And indeed, we have secondees who are currently coming to us from Estyn, who are working on that granular detail that I described in reply to Natasha.
So, what I'm trying to do with Estyn—. Obviously, they're an independent inspectorate, and that's absolutely right, and they have to shine a light on any areas where they think there are deficiencies, and I welcome that. But I have also tried to develop a system where we really do work together in tackling those problems, and they are coming in—as I say, we've got secondees from Estyn—they're working very closely with us. When we are looking at policies, I'm always keen to get a view from Estyn, because they have a particular bird's-eye view of what is going on in schools.
Wel, diolch am eich cwestiwn, Cefin. Ac os caf roi sicrwydd i chi nad wyf mewn unrhyw ffordd yn hunanfodlon ynghylch yr heriau a nodwyd yn adroddiad Estyn. Yr hyn sy'n fy nghadw'n effro yn y nos yw'r syniad y gallem fod yn gwneud cam ag unrhyw blentyn. Nawr, ni allaf wneud sylwadau ar ba mor uniongyrchol ai peidio y mae Gweinidogion blaenorol wedi gweithio gydag Estyn ar fater mathemateg. Ni allaf ond dweud wrthych fy mod i'n gweithio'n agos iawn gyda hwy ar fater mathemateg. Ac yn wir, mae gennym secondeion o Estyn yn ymuno â ni ar hyn o bryd, sy'n gweithio ar y manylion a ddisgrifiais wrth ymateb i Natasha.
Felly, yr hyn rwy'n ceisio'i wneud gydag Estyn—. Yn amlwg, maent yn arolygiaeth annibynnol, fel y dylent fod, ac mae'n rhaid iddynt daflu goleuni ar unrhyw feysydd lle maent yn credu bod diffygion, ac rwy'n croesawu hynny. Ond rwyf hefyd wedi ceisio datblygu system lle rydym yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd o ddifrif i fynd i'r afael â'r problemau hynny, ac maent yn dod i mewn—fel y dywedais, mae gennym secondeion o Estyn—maent yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda ni. Pan fyddwn yn edrych ar bolisïau, rwyf bob amser yn awyddus i gael barn gan Estyn, gan fod ganddynt drosolwg unigryw ar yr hyn sy'n digwydd mewn ysgolion.
Wel, diolch yn fawr iawn. Dwi eisiau symud ymlaen nawr at yr addewidion a wnaethoch chi ar gyfer yr etholiad cyffredinol y llynedd, sef y byddech yn rhoi mwy o arian ar gyfer addysg ac athrawon yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, ar hyn o bryd, mae gan un o bob pum ysgol yng Nghymru ddiffygion yn eu cyllideb, ac mae hynny, ar y raddfa bresennol, yn debygol o godi i'r hanner y flwyddyn nesaf a thros 80 y cant mewn diffygion y flwyddyn ganlynol.
Ar y naill law, mae undebau athrawon wedi mynegi anniddigrwydd ar ôl methu â chael eglurder wrthych chi a yw'r cyllid ychwanegol sydd wedi cael ei dderbyn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn dilyn y cynnydd mewn gwariant ar addysg yn Lloegr yng nghyllideb yr hydref, yn cael ei wario ar ysgolion yng Nghymru. Hefyd, mae methiant Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Gyfunol i anrhydeddu'n llawn y cynnydd mewn yswiriant gwladol i weithwyr yn y sector cyhoeddus yn golygu bod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru dynnu ar eu cronfeydd wrth gefn er mwyn gwneud y gwahaniaeth rhwng y ddau. Felly, mae ysgolion yng Nghymru yn wynebu heriau cyllidol ar ddau ffrynt. Felly, y cwestiwn yw hyn: pan addawodd Llafur bartneriaeth mewn grym, a oedd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn disgwyl, dim ond blwyddyn yn ddiweddarach, y byddai'r bartneriaeth honno rhwng Llafur yng Nghymru a San Steffan yn rhoi hyd yn oed mwy o bwysau ar gyllidebau ysgolion, sydd eisoes dan bwysau mawr?
Thank you very much. I would now like to move on to some promises you made for the general election last year, namely that you would provide more funding for education and teachers in Wales. However, at the moment, one in five schools has a budget deficit, and that, at the current rate, is likely to go up to 50 per cent next year and over 80 per cent in the following year.
On the one hand, the teaching unions have expressed dissatisfaction after failing to get clarity from you as to whether the additional funding received by the Welsh Government, following the increase in expenditure on education in England in the autumn statement, is being spent on schools in Wales. Also, the failure of the UK Government to honour in full the increase in national insurance contributions for workers in the public sector means that the Welsh Government will have to draw on its reserves in order to make up the difference. So, schools in Wales are facing funding challenges on two different fronts. So, the question is this: when Labour pledged a partnership in power, did the Cabinet Secretary expect only a year later that that partnership between Labour in Wales and in Westminster would place even more pressure on school budgets, which are already under huge pressures?
Thank you very much, Cefin. You heard me say in response to Andrew R.T. Davies that, this year and the last financial year, schools and the wider education system in Wales have benefited from an additional £262 million-worth of funding. That is additional to the 4.5 per cent increase in the rate support grant, which also funds education, and if I could say to you that that increase in funding was directly as a result of that partnership in power. When the new UK Labour Government announced their first budget, there was additional funding for us in Wales, which I have been able to invest in our schools.
In terms of, obviously, the most recent announcement, you will have heard of the additional funding that has been announced for Wales, nearly £5 million for Wales, as a result of the most recent announcement by the UK Government. You will be aware that, under devolution, we take the decisions, and I would expect you to support that, on how that money is spent. We will have discussions as a Cabinet on the allocation of additional resources, but I can assure you that I will be a very vocal advocate, as I have been since coming into Government, for more funding for education.
Diolch, Cefin. Fe wnaethoch fy nghlywed yn dweud mewn ymateb i Andrew R.T. Davies, eleni ac yn y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf, fod ysgolion a'r system addysg ehangach yng Nghymru wedi elwa o werth £262 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol. Mae hynny'n ychwanegol at y cynnydd o 4.5 y cant yn y grant cynnal ardrethi, sydd hefyd yn ariannu addysg, a dylwn ddweud wrthych fod y cynnydd hwnnw mewn cyllid yn ganlyniad uniongyrchol i'r bartneriaeth mewn grym. Pan gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Lafur newydd y DU eu cyllideb gyntaf, roedd cyllid ychwanegol i ni yng Nghymru, y bu modd i mi ei fuddsoddi yn ein hysgolion.
O ran y cyhoeddiad diweddaraf, yn amlwg, fe fyddwch wedi clywed am y cyllid ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd ar gyfer Cymru, bron i £5 miliwn i Gymru, o ganlyniad i'r cyhoeddiad diweddaraf gan Lywodraeth y DU. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol, o dan ddatganoli, mai ni sy'n gwneud y penderfyniadau ynglŷn â sut y caiff yr arian hwnnw ei wario, a byddwn yn disgwyl ichi gefnogi hynny. Byddwn yn cael trafodaethau fel Cabinet ar ddyrannu adnoddau ychwanegol, ond gallaf roi sicrwydd i chi y byddaf yn dadlau'n gryf iawn, fel y gwneuthum ers dod i'r Llywodraeth, o blaid mwy o gyllid ar gyfer addysg.
So, it is not clear whether the consequential funding is going into schools, but we will await, maybe, a statement from you on that.
So, I just want to follow up, in my final question, on the behaviour summit that you held a couple of weeks ago. Following the summit, you published a press release with a headline promising five immediate actions to tackle behaviour in schools. Now, while the content of the press release does outline five areas of focus, the tone and language used suggest that some of these are still in the planning or consultation phase, rather than being immediate implementation. Now, as I wasn't invited, I've heard that there was talk of committing to taking things away and giving other issues full consideration. So, can the Cabinet Secretary clarify which of the five areas of focus announced are being implemented immediately, which remain in the planning or consultation phase, and how are schools expected to benefit in the short term from what appears to be a largely aspirational package?
Felly, nid yw'n glir a yw'r cyllid canlyniadol yn mynd i ysgolion, ond fe arhoswn, efallai, am ddatganiad gennych ar hynny.
Felly, hoffwn sôn, yn fy nghwestiwn olaf, am yr uwchgynhadledd ymddygiad a gynhaliwyd gennych ychydig wythnosau yn ôl. Yn dilyn yr uwchgynhadledd, fe gyhoeddoch chi ddatganiad i'r wasg gyda phennawd a oedd yn addo pum cam gweithredu i fynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad mewn ysgolion ar unwaith. Nawr, er bod cynnwys y datganiad i'r wasg yn amlinellu pum maes ffocws, mae'r cywair a'r iaith a ddefnyddiwyd yn awgrymu bod rhai o'r rhain yn dal i fod yn y cyfnod cynllunio neu ymgynghori, yn hytrach na'u bod yn cael eu rhoi ar waith ar unwaith. Nawr, gan na chefais fy ngwahodd, clywais fod sôn wedi bod am ymrwymo i gael gwared ar rai pethau a rhoi ystyriaeth lawn i faterion eraill. Felly, a all Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet egluro pa rai o'r pum maes ffocws a gyhoeddwyd sy'n cael eu rhoi ar waith ar unwaith, pa rai sy'n dal i fod yn y cyfnod cynllunio neu ymgynghori, a sut y disgwylir i ysgolion elwa yn y tymor byr o'r hyn sydd i'w weld yn becyn i ymgyrraedd ato i raddau helaeth?
Thank you, Cefin. I think I was quite clear in my previous answer that schools have benefited from that consequential funding from the UK Government, and decisions are yet to be made about the most recent funding announcement.
In terms of your questions about the behaviour summit, as you said, I set out five immediate actions that we are actively now working on. I won't repeat those actions here, but it was a really rich and productive day. We spent the whole day in workshop discussions, really looking at the granular detail of the challenges schools are facing with behaviour. There are no easy solutions on this, Cefin. If anybody here thinks there's some sort of magic, silver bullet to tackle these issues, then I'm afraid you are wrong, because these are complex issues. I committed at the summit as well—because we had such a granular discussion that I and the Minister for Further and Higher Education were actively involved in—that we wanted to make sure that we captured absolutely everything that was said at that meeting. So, obviously, I summarised five immediate actions that we could take forward, but we will also be publishing a summary of the other issues that were raised as part of the summit. This isn't a simple issue and, as I say, anyone who thinks that it is a simple issue is mistaken.
Diolch, Cefin. Credaf fy mod wedi nodi'n eithaf clir yn fy ateb blaenorol fod ysgolion wedi elwa o'r cyllid canlyniadol hwnnw gan Lywodraeth y DU, ac nid oes penderfyniadau wedi'u gwneud eto ynglŷn â'r cyhoeddiad cyllid diweddaraf.
O ran eich cwestiynau ynglŷn â'r uwchgynhadledd ymddygiad, fel y dywedoch chi, fe nodais bum cam gweithredu uniongyrchol yr ydym yn gweithio arnynt yn weithredol ar hyn o bryd. Nid wyf am ailadrodd y camau gweithredu hynny yma, ond roedd yn ddiwrnod buddiol a chynhyrchiol iawn. Fe wnaethom dreulio'r diwrnod cyfan mewn trafodaethau gweithdy, yn edrych yn fanwl ar fanylion yr heriau y mae ysgolion yn eu hwynebu gydag ymddygiad. Nid oes atebion hawdd ar hyn, Cefin. Os oes unrhyw un yma'n credu bod rhyw fath o ateb hud i'r materion hyn, mae arnaf ofn eich bod yn anghywir, gan fod y rhain yn faterion cymhleth. Ymrwymais yn yr uwchgynhadledd hefyd—gan inni gael trafodaeth mor fanwl yr oeddwn i a'r Gweinidog Addysg Bellach ac Uwch yn rhan weithredol ohoni—ein bod ni eisiau sicrhau ein bod yn nodi popeth a ddywedwyd yn y cyfarfod hwnnw. Felly, yn amlwg, crynhois bum cam gweithredu uniongyrchol y gallem fwrw ymlaen â hwy, ond byddwn hefyd yn cyhoeddi crynodeb o'r materion eraill a godwyd yn rhan o'r uwchgynhadledd. Nid yw hwn yn fater syml, ac fel y dywedaf, mae unrhyw un sy'n credu ei fod yn fater syml yn anghywir.
Nid yw Mick Antoniw yma i ofyn cwestiwn 3.
Mick Antoniw is not in the Chamber to ask question 3.
Ni ofynnwyd cwestiwn 3 [OQ62860].
Question 3 [OQ62860] not asked.
Felly, cwestiwn 4, Natasha Asghar.
So, we'll move to question 4, Natasha Asghar.
4. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am yr uwchgynhadledd genedlaethol ar ymddygiad? OQ62858
4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the national behaviour summit? OQ62858
Following the national behaviour summit, I announced five immediate actions to tackle pressing behaviour issues. The summit outputs will inform a responsive action plan to underpin the future programme of work on behaviour. I am also expediting work on mobile phones in schools with key partners and relevant experts.
Yn dilyn yr uwchgynhadledd genedlaethol ar ymddygiad, cyhoeddais bum cam gweithredu uniongyrchol i fynd i'r afael â materion ymddygiad dybryd. Bydd allbynnau'r uwchgynhadledd yn llywio cynllun gweithredu ymatebol i ategu'r rhaglen waith yn y dyfodol ar ymddygiad. Rwyf hefyd yn hwyluso gwaith ar ffonau symudol mewn ysgolion gyda phartneriaid allweddol ac arbenigwyr perthnasol.
Thank you for your answer, Cabinet Secretary. I must say from the outset how disappointed I am that no opposition Members were, indeed, invited to this summit, especially as this is an issue we can all work together on to resolve united. Having looked at the guest list for the summit, I was somewhat surprised to see that there were more than 30 Welsh Government officials in attendance. Cabinet Secretary, I would appreciate a justification of why so many Government officials were needed at this summit. Tackling poor behaviour and violence in our classrooms is, without a doubt, something that each and every single one of us, regardless of our party affiliation, want to see, especially as it's on an upward trajectory.
This behaviour summit was consistently touted as a major step forward in bringing about change in our schools, so I really do hope it wasn't merely a talking shop and a public relations exercise. The written statement published on 23 May was, for me, light in terms of robust action being taken, and your response to my leader Darren Millar's written question on this summit didn't mention a single thing about weapons or violence in our schools. To allay my fears, Cabinet Secretary, can you please outline some of the solutions that we can expect to see immediately to tackle bad behaviour in our schools as a result of this behaviour summit? Thank you.
Diolch am eich ateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud o'r cychwyn cyntaf pa mor siomedig wyf i na chafodd unrhyw un o Aelodau'r gwrthbleidiau wahoddiad i'r uwchgynhadledd hon, yn enwedig gan fod hwn yn fater y gall pob un ohonom gydweithio arno i'w ddatrys yn unedig. Ar ôl edrych ar restr o westeion yr uwchgynhadledd, cefais fy synnu braidd o weld bod mwy na 30 o swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yn bresennol. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, hoffwn i chi gyfiawnhau pam fod angen cymaint o swyddogion y Llywodraeth yn yr uwchgynhadledd. Mae mynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad gwael a thrais yn ein hystafelloedd dosbarth, heb os, yn rhywbeth y mae pob un ohonom, ni waeth beth fo'n plaid, eisiau ei weld, yn enwedig gan ei fod ar gynnydd.
Cafodd yr uwchgynhadledd ymddygiad hon sylw cyson fel cam mawr ymlaen i sicrhau newid yn ein hysgolion, felly rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr nad siop siarad ac ymarfer cysylltiadau cyhoeddus yn unig ydoedd. I mi, roedd y datganiad ysgrifenedig a gyhoeddwyd ar 23 Mai yn brin o gamau gweithredu cadarn, ac nid oedd unrhyw sôn o gwbl am arfau na thrais yn ein hysgolion yn eich ymateb i gwestiwn ysgrifenedig fy arweinydd Darren Millar ar yr uwchgynhadledd. I leddfu fy ofnau, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a allwch chi amlinellu rhai o'r atebion y gallwn ddisgwyl eu gweld ar unwaith i fynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad gwael yn ein hysgolion o ganlyniad i'r uwchgynhadledd ymddygiad? Diolch.
Thank you, Natasha. You tabled a written question about the summit, where I indicated I was very happy to brief you, Cefin Campbell and Jane Dodds, as well as opposition spokespeople, on the outputs of the summit. So far, nobody has taken me up on that. There were 30 Welsh Government officials at the summit, but the purpose of there being that number of Welsh Government officials was because I had been really clear that I didn't want to have an event where everybody sat there listening while there were policy speeches. I wanted this to be about discussing with people on the front line what we need to do to change things. So, the Welsh Government officials who were there were facilitating and noting the table discussion, and I'm really grateful to them for the work that they did on that. And I think it's quite a surprising thing that you've alighted on, really.
I don't agree with you that the press release was light. We set out five immediate actions that we would be taking. As I said to Cefin, I want to make sure that we capture absolutely everything that was said at the summit on the different tables to make sure that everybody's issues and ideas are fed in. Ahead of the summit, we had the round-table on violence in schools, and I was very grateful to the police and others for participating in that. That also provided us with actions. One of those will be to review the guidance in this area, although, as I've told you before, schools can already immediately exclude somebody who is found to have a weapon in school. We also discussed at the round-table the work that's being done in Cardiff, for instance, on their weapons framework. So, we're keen to learn from good practice in that space, and also to work with the work that's being done to promote a Wales without violence. So, there are many actions arising from the summit. There's only so much that you can put in a press release, and I'll repeat that offer again to brief you and Cefin, and, indeed, any Members who would like to have more detail on the work that we did on the summit. And if I can just take this opportunity, Llywydd, to thank everybody who attended. These are really difficult, knotty issues, but we had a really inspiring, uplifting day, where everybody rolled their sleeves up and cracked on with trying to find solutions to complex problems.
Diolch, Natasha. Fe wnaethoch gyflwyno cwestiwn ysgrifenedig am yr uwchgynhadledd, lle nodais fy mod yn fwy na pharod i roi gwybodaeth i chi, Cefin Campbell a Jane Dodds, yn ogystal â llefarwyr y gwrthbleidiau, am allbynnau'r uwchgynhadledd. Hyd yma, nid oes unrhyw un wedi gofyn i mi am hynny. Roedd 30 o swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yn yr uwchgynhadledd, ond diben cael y nifer hwnnw o swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yno oedd fy mod wedi dweud yn glir iawn nad oeddwn am gael digwyddiad lle roedd pawb yn eistedd yno'n gwrando ar areithiau polisi. Roeddwn am i hyn ymwneud â thrafod gyda phobl ar y rheng flaen yr hyn sydd angen i ni ei wneud i newid pethau. Felly, roedd swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru a oedd yno yn hwyluso ac yn cofnodi'r drafodaeth wrth y bwrdd, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn iddynt am y gwaith a wnaethant ar hynny. Ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn eithaf rhyfeddol eich bod wedi tynnu sylw at hyn, mewn gwirionedd.
Nid wyf yn cytuno â chi fod y datganiad i'r wasg yn brin o gamau gweithredu. Fe wnaethom nodi pum cam gweithredu uniongyrchol y byddem yn eu cymryd. Fel y dywedais wrth Cefin, hoffwn sicrhau ein bod yn cofnodi popeth a ddywedwyd yn yr uwchgynhadledd ar y gwahanol fyrddau i sicrhau bod materion a syniadau pawb yn cael eu nodi. Cyn yr uwchgynhadledd, cawsom y cyfarfod bord gron ar drais mewn ysgolion, ac roeddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn i'r heddlu ac eraill am gymryd rhan yn y cyfarfod hwnnw. Rhoddodd hwnnw gamau gweithredu i ni hefyd. Un o'r rheini fydd adolygu'r canllawiau yn y maes hwn, er, fel y dywedais wrthych o'r blaen, eisoes gall ysgolion wahardd rhywun sy'n cael eu dal gydag arf yn yr ysgol ar unwaith. Fe wnaethom drafod yn y cyfarfod bord gron hefyd y gwaith sy'n mynd rhagddo yng Nghaerdydd, er enghraifft, ar eu fframwaith arfau. Felly, rydym yn awyddus i ddysgu o arferion da yn y maes hwnnw, a hefyd i weithio gyda'r gwaith sy'n mynd rhagddo i hyrwyddo Cymru ddi-drais. Felly, mae llawer o gamau gweithredu yn deillio o'r uwchgynhadledd. Dim ond hyn a hyn y gallwch ei roi mewn datganiad i'r wasg, ac rwy'n ailadrodd y cynnig eto i'ch briffio chi a Cefin, ac yn wir, unrhyw Aelodau a hoffai gael mwy o fanylion am y gwaith a wnaethom yn yr uwchgynhadledd. Ac os caf i fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn, Lywydd, i ddiolch i bawb a fynychodd. Mae'r rhain yn faterion anodd a chymhleth iawn, ond cawsom ddiwrnod ysbrydoledig a chalonogol iawn, lle gweithiodd pawb yn galed a mynd ati i geisio dod o hyd i atebion i broblemau cymhleth.
Nid yw Laura Anne Jones yma i ofyn cwestiwn 5.
Laura Anne Jones is not here to ask question 5.
Ni ofynnwyd cwestiwn 5 [OQ62883].
Question 5 [OQ62883] not asked.
I know it's a sunny day out there, but I do expect Members to be in the Chamber when they have tabled questions.
Gwn ei bod yn ddiwrnod heulog, ond rwy'n disgwyl i'r Aelodau fod yn y Siambr pan fyddant wedi cyflwyno cwestiynau.
Cwestiwn 6, felly.
Question 6, therefore.
I'm glad you're here, Joyce. Your question, Joyce Watson.
Rwy'n falch eich bod yma, Joyce. Eich cwestiwn chi, Joyce Watson.
6. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi oedolion sy'n ddysgwyr mewn addysg bellach yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ62859
6. What is the Welsh Government doing to support adult learners in further education in Mid and West Wales? OQ62859
The Welsh Government is boosting financial support for adult learners from September 2025, with Welsh Government learning grants up to £1,919 to help cover essential costs. Medr funds further education colleges and local authorities to provide a range of learning opportunities for adults, including essential skills, English for speakers of other languages, and vocational skills courses.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cynyddu cymorth ariannol i ddysgwyr sy’n oedolion o fis Medi 2025 ymlaen, gyda grantiau dysgu o hyd at £1,919 gan Lywodraeth Cymru i helpu i dalu am hanfodion. Mae Medr yn ariannu colegau addysg bellach ac awdurdodau lleol i ddarparu ystod o gyfleoedd dysgu i oedolion, gan gynnwys sgiliau hanfodol, Saesneg i siaradwyr ieithoedd eraill, a chyrsiau sgiliau galwedigaethol.
Diolch, Cabinet Secretary. I know that that announcement will come as really good news for those individuals who want to return to learning. I'm really pleased to see the grant is also non-repayable, and it's also been increased to help students with the current crisis in the cost of living for many of those students. So, do you agree with me that providing grants such as this demonstrates that the Welsh Government is committed to supporting adult learners to remain in or return to education and thus raising not only their own expectations and futures, but those of their families?
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Gwn y bydd y cyhoeddiad hwnnw'n newyddion da iawn i unigolion sydd eisiau dychwelyd at ddysgu. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld nad oes rhaid ad-dalu'r grant ychwaith, ac mae hefyd wedi'i gynyddu i helpu myfyrwyr gyda'r argyfwng costau byw presennol sy'n wynebu llawer o'r myfyrwyr hynny. Felly, a ydych chi'n cytuno bod darparu grantiau o'r fath yn dangos bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi dysgwyr sy'n oedolion i aros mewn addysg neu ddychwelyd at addysg, gan wella nid yn unig eu disgwyliadau a'u dyfodol eu hunain, ond rhai eu teuluoedd hefyd?
I'd like to thank Joyce Watson for that supplementary question, and I absolutely agree with what you said there, Joyce. That's why I was so delighted, on 2 June, to be able to announce that, for eligible learners aged 19 plus continuing or starting study in the academic year 2025-26, our Welsh Government learning grant for further education had been increased in line with inflation. Until now, learners have received up to a maximum of £1,500 to help them with the cost of studying a course up to and including level 3, and that amount has actually remained static since 2012. So, I was really delighted to be able to increase that and to increase it by around a third, which, I think, gives a substantial amount of extra help. So, that figure now will rise up to £1,919, and I think that additional £419 will further help those from lowest income households to reduce the financial barriers associated with study, and it demonstrates my continued commitment, and the Welsh Government's continued commitment, to ensuring learners at every stage of their lives can access education. In addition to that, then, we'll be undertaking a full review of the Welsh Government learning grant to mirror our review of the education maintenance allowance, to consider whether, in addition to this uplift, the minimum household income threshold should also be raised in line with inflation, so we can bring even more learners in to benefit from that.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Joyce Watson am ei chwestiwn atodol, ac rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r hyn a ddywedoch chi, Joyce. Dyna pam fy mod mor falch o allu cyhoeddi ar 2 Mehefin, ar gyfer dysgwyr cymwys 19 oed a hŷn sy'n parhau neu sy'n dechrau astudio ym mlwyddyn academaidd 2025-26, fod grant dysgu Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer addysg bellach wedi'i gynyddu yn unol â chwyddiant. Hyd yma mae dysgwyr wedi derbyn hyd at uchafswm o £1,500 i'w helpu gyda chost astudio cwrs hyd at a chan gynnwys lefel 3, ac mae'r swm hwnnw wedi aros yr un fath ers 2012 mewn gwirionedd. Felly, roeddwn wrth fy modd fy mod wedi gallu ei gynyddu, a'i gynyddu oddeutu traean, sydd, yn fy marn i, yn rhoi llawer iawn o gymorth ychwanegol. Felly, bydd y ffigur hwnnw nawr yn codi i £1,919, a chredaf y bydd y £419 ychwanegol yn helpu rhai o gartrefi incwm isel ymhellach i leihau'r rhwystrau ariannol sy'n gysylltiedig ag astudio, ac mae'n dangos fy ymrwymiad parhaus, ac ymrwymiad parhaus Llywodraeth Cymru, i sicrhau y gall dysgwyr gael mynediad at addysg ar bob cam o'u bywydau. Yn ogystal â hynny, felly, byddwn yn cynnal adolygiad llawn o grant dysgu Llywodraeth Cymru i adlewyrchu ein hadolygiad o'r lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg, i ystyried, yn ogystal â'r cynnydd hwn, a ddylid codi'r trothwy ar gyfer isafswm incwm aelwydydd hefyd yn unol â chwyddiant, fel y gallwn sicrhau bod mwy fyth o ddysgwyr yn elwa o hynny.
7. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad am ariannu’r gwaith o gynnal a chadw adeiladau ysgolion? OQ62869
7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the funding of school building maintenance? OQ62869
School building maintenance is the responsibility of local and diocesan authorities, who are best placed to manage their education estates. The Welsh Government continues to support them in this function with £286 million-worth of capital maintenance funding across schools in Wales over the last 10 years.
Cyfrifoldeb awdurdodau lleol ac awdurdodau esgobaethol yw cynnal a chadw adeiladau ysgolion, gan mai hwy sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i reoli eu hystadau addysg. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i'w cefnogi gyda'r swyddogaeth hon, gan ddarparu gwerth £286 miliwn o gyllid cyfalaf cynnal a chadw ar draws ysgolion yng Nghymru dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As you may remember, some time ago, I raised the issue of St Monica's school in Cardiff, which, for a number of years, had been surrounded by scaffolding. Indeed, a number of the children there had started and ended their schooling at the school with scaffolding still around the building. Thankfully, following interventions by the council, that has now been taken down and the works have been completed—but it's not the only school in Cardiff, as you might've seen from the recent coverage about Roath Park Primary School, for example. So, my question, Cabinet Secretary is: what steps can the Welsh Government take to ensure that councils such as Cardiff undertake the remedial and maintenance works as swiftly as possible? Thank you.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fel y cofiwch efallai, beth amser yn ôl, codais fater ysgol Santes Monica yng Nghaerdydd, a oedd, ers nifer o flynyddoedd, wedi'i hamgylchynu gan sgaffaldiau. Yn wir, fe wnaeth nifer o'r plant yno ddechrau a gorffen eu haddysg yn yr ysgol gyda sgaffaldiau o amgylch yr adeilad o hyd. Diolch byth, yn dilyn ymyriadau gan y cyngor, mae'r sgaffaldiau bellach wedi'u tynnu i lawr ac mae'r gwaith wedi'i gwblhau—ond nid dyma'r unig ysgol yng Nghaerdydd, fel y gallech fod wedi'i weld o'r sylw diweddar am Ysgol Gynradd Parc y Rhath, er enghraifft. Felly, fy nghwestiwn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yw: pa gamau y gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cymryd i sicrhau bod cynghorau fel Caerdydd yn cwblhau'r gwaith adfer a chynnal a chadw mor gyflym â phosibl? Diolch.
Thank you very much, Joel. As you've highlighted, there are a number of schools in Cardiff that are in a poor state of repair. I went to see Albany Primary School in Cardiff, which is in that position. I know that Cardiff Council are currently under unprecedented pressure across their education estate and are prioritising their capital funding towards boilers, urgent and managed health and safety and contingencies. But if I can just say to you that I am meeting with Cardiff to discuss this issue. I will want to understand, you know, what those pressures are and the extent to which the local authority is prioritising investment in its school buildings.
Diolch, Joel. Fel y nodoch chi, mae nifer o ysgolion yng Nghaerdydd mewn cyflwr gwael. Euthum i weld Ysgol Gynradd Albany yng Nghaerdydd, sydd yn y sefyllfa honno. Rwy'n gwybod bod Cyngor Caerdydd ar hyn o bryd o dan bwysau digynsail ar draws eu hystad addysg ac yn blaenoriaethu eu cyllid cyfalaf ar gyfer boeleri, gwaith iechyd a diogelwch brys a rheoledig, a hapddigwyddiadau. Ond gallaf ddweud wrthych fy mod yn cyfarfod â Chaerdydd i drafod y mater. Byddaf eisiau deall beth yw'r pwysau ac i ba raddau y mae'r awdurdod lleol yn blaenoriaethu buddsoddiad yn ei hadeiladau ysgol.
8. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod plant sydd â syndrom Tourette yn cael cymorth priodol yn yr ysgol? OQ62878
8. How does the Welsh Government ensure children with Tourette syndrome receive appropriate support in school? OQ62878
Through our reform of the education system, we are supporting children with Tourette syndrome to engage, learn and thrive. Our new curriculum, additional learning needs system and whole-school approach to mental health and well-being are creating a change to the school environment that supports all learners to reach their full potential.
Drwy ddiwygio'r system addysg, rydym yn cefnogi plant sydd â syndrom Tourette i ymgysylltu, dysgu a ffynnu. Mae ein cwricwlwm newydd, ein system anghenion dysgu ychwanegol a'n dull ysgol gyfan o weithredu ar iechyd meddwl a llesiant yn creu newid i amgylchedd yr ysgol sy'n cefnogi pob dysgwr i gyrraedd eu potensial llawn.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. One in 100 people are living with Tourette's and I've recently been contacted by a constituent who has been seeking a diagnosis and assistance for her son, but has been passed between professionals with little progress made. She's been disappointed by the lack of support from the child's school and says there's a total lack of understanding as well about Tourette syndrome.
May I ask what conversations have you had with the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being regarding Tourette syndrome and ensuring that children receive a timely diagnosis? And what plans do you have to improve the quality of training on Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders for teachers and support staff?
I would just like to say that Tourette.org have a really good resource with a little test at the end, which I did, and I didn't quite get the 80 per cent, but I'll be doing it again, and I learned an awful lot. Thank you.
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae un o bob 100 o bobl yn byw gyda Tourette's ac yn ddiweddar daeth etholwr i gysylltiad â mi i ddweud ei bod wedi bod yn gofyn am ddiagnosis a chymorth i'w mab, ond ei bod wedi cael ei throsglwyddo o un gweithiwr proffesiynol i'r llall heb i fawr o gynnydd gael ei wneud. Mae hi wedi cael ei siomi gan ddiffyg cefnogaeth ysgol y plentyn ac mae'n dweud bod diffyg dealltwriaeth lwyr hefyd o syndrom Tourette.
A gaf i ofyn pa sgyrsiau a gawsoch chi gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant ynglŷn â syndrom Tourette a sicrhau bod plant yn cael diagnosis amserol? A pha gynlluniau sydd gennych i wella ansawdd yr hyfforddiant ar syndrom Tourette ac anhwylderau ticiau eraill ar gyfer athrawon a staff cymorth?
Hoffwn ddweud bod gan Tourette.org adnodd da iawn gyda phrawf bach ar y diwedd, ac er imi fethu cael yr 80 y cant o drwch blewyn, byddaf yn ei wneud eto, ac fe ddysgais lawer iawn. Diolch.
Thank you, Carolyn, for that supplementary. I haven't discussed Tourette's specifically with Sarah Murphy, but I have discussed with her and with Jeremy Miles the challenges that we're facing with children waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment and the impact that's having on their education. And I should say—and we've reiterated this numerous times to schools—that children do not need a diagnosis in order to have support in school. So, I think that's an important point in this case.
In terms of training, there are links on Hwb that take school staff to the e-learning resources available via the National Neurodivergence Team and Tourettes Action, and that link is to education support and also provides access to communities of practice covering Tourette's and more generic advice on supporting children who are neurodivergent with a range of co-occurring conditions in school.
As a Government, we've asked Education Support to develop a pilot piece of professional learning for us, which is starting in the autumn. That will cover neurodiversity, mental health and child development. So, that should hopefully help upskill school staff in supporting all learners who are neurodiverse.
If I can say as well, thank you for sharing the resource with me on Tourette's. I didn't have time to do the training because I was preparing for these questions, but I am going to do it at the weekend, and it was very helpful to see. So, diolch yn fawr.
Diolch am y cwestiwn atodol, Carolyn. Nid wyf wedi trafod Tourette's yn benodol gyda Sarah Murphy, ond rwyf wedi trafod gyda hi a gyda Jeremy Miles yr heriau a wynebwn gyda phlant yn aros am asesiad niwroddatblygiadol a'r effaith y mae hynny'n ei chael ar eu haddysg. A dylwn ddweud—ac rydym wedi ailadrodd hyn sawl gwaith wrth ysgolion—nad oes angen diagnosis ar blant er mwyn cael cymorth yn yr ysgol. Felly, rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n bwynt pwysig yn yr achos hwn.
O ran hyfforddiant, mae dolenni ar Hwb sy'n tywys staff ysgol at yr adnoddau e-ddysgu sydd ar gael drwy'r Tîm Niwroamrywiaeth Cenedlaethol a Tourettes Action, ac mae'n darparu dolen at gymorth addysg a hefyd yn darparu mynediad at gymunedau o ymarfer sy'n cynnwys Tourette's a chyngor mwy generig ar gefnogi plant sy'n niwroamrywiol gydag ystod o gyflyrau sy'n cyd-ddigwydd yn yr ysgol.
Fel Llywodraeth, rydym wedi gofyn i Education Support ddatblygu cynllun peilot o ddysgu proffesiynol i ni, sy'n dechrau yn yr hydref. Bydd hynny'n cynnwys niwroamrywiaeth, iechyd meddwl a datblygiad plant. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd hynny'n helpu i uwchsgilio staff ysgol i gefnogi pob dysgwr sy'n niwroamrywiol.
Os caf ddweud hefyd, diolch am rannu'r adnodd gyda mi ar Tourette's. Nid oedd gennyf amser i wneud yr hyfforddiant am fy mod i'n paratoi ar gyfer y cwestiynau hyn, ond rwy'n mynd i'w wneud dros y penwythnos, ac roedd yn ddefnyddiol iawn i'w weld. Felly, diolch yn fawr.
9. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod gan riant y rhyddid i ddewis pa ysgol y caiff ei blentyn fynd iddi? OQ62880
9. How is the Welsh Government ensuring that parents have the freedom to choose which school their child can attend? OQ62880
The school admissions code for Wales explains that admission authorities must make arrangements enabling the parents of children in their area to express a preference for a school and to give reasons for that preference. Admission authorities must comply with parental preferences where there are spaces available.
Mae cod derbyn i ysgolion Cymru yn esbonio bod yn rhaid i awdurdodau derbyn wneud trefniadau sy'n galluogi rhieni plant yn eu hardal i fynegi pa ysgol y maent yn ei dewis ac i roi rhesymau dros y dewis hwnnw. Rhaid i awdurdodau derbyn gydymffurfio â dewisiadau rhieni lle mae lleoedd ar gael.
Thank you for your answer, Cabinet Secretary. I appreciate that the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008 currently remains the foundation for the home-to-school transport framework, and that's currently out for consultation, if I've got that right.
This is an issue I've raised with you before, but under the existing system, free school transport must be provided to the nearest Welsh-medium school, even if there's an English-medium school that's closer to that child's home. Now, that's the right thing to do, because that's based on the duty to promote access to Welsh-medium education. But if the reverse is the case, and there's a Welsh-medium school before an English-medium school, then often it's the case, certainly in my own local authority area, that the local authority will not provide that free school transport to the nearest English-medium school. Now, I wonder if this is something that you're examining as part of this consultation. Often, it comes down to the definition in the guidance of the nearest suitable school. Often, local authorities, they decide what that definition is, rather than it being set out in the Welsh Government guidance. I wonder what your views are on this issue, and whether this is something that you could examine.
Diolch am eich ateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n derbyn mai'r Mesur Teithio gan Ddysgwyr (Cymru) 2008 yw'r sylfaen o hyd ar gyfer y fframwaith cludiant rhwng y cartref a'r ysgol, a'i fod yn destun ymgynghoriad ar hyn o bryd, os ydw i'n gywir.
Mae hwn yn fater a godais gyda chi o'r blaen, ond o dan y system bresennol, rhaid darparu cludiant ysgol am ddim i'r ysgol Gymraeg agosaf, hyd yn oed os oes ysgol cyfrwng Saesneg sy'n agosach at gartref y plentyn. Nawr, dyna yw'r peth iawn i'w wneud, oherwydd mae hynny'n seiliedig ar y ddyletswydd i hyrwyddo mynediad at addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Ond os yw'r gwrthwyneb yn wir, a bod ysgol cyfrwng Cymraeg yn agosach nag ysgol cyfrwng Saesneg, yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn aml, yn sicr yn ardal fy awdurdod lleol fy hun, yw na fydd yr awdurdod lleol yn darparu'r cludiant ysgol am ddim i'r ysgol cyfrwng Saesneg agosaf. Nawr, tybed a yw hyn yn rhywbeth yr ydych chi'n ei archwilio yn rhan o'r ymgynghoriad hwn. Yn aml, mae'n dibynnu ar y diffiniad yn y canllawiau o'r ysgol addas agosaf. Yn aml, awdurdodau lleol sy'n penderfynu beth yw'r diffiniad hwnnw, yn hytrach na'i fod wedi'i nodi yng nghanllawiau Llywodraeth Cymru. Tybed beth yw eich barn chi ar y mater, ac a yw'n rhywbeth y gallech ei archwilio.
Thank you, Russell, for that question. As you've highlighted, the guidance on the learner travel Measure is out for consultation at the moment, and I'd encourage you to feed in any views through that. Part of the challenge with the learner travel Measure has been, I think, a level of inconsistent application of that, and part of the reason for this change to the guidance is to try and get more consistency with local government in terms of the implementation. I think that's really important. You may be aware that Ken Skates and myself had a learner travel summit where we focused on some of these issues, and indeed the issue of consistency across local government was one of the actions arising from that. I mean, in terms of the specifics, obviously I would need to know a little bit more about the school in question. So, I'd suggest that either you write to me or to Ken Skates and we can follow that up.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn, Russell. Fel y nodwch, mae'r canllawiau ar y Mesur teithio gan ddysgwyr yn destun ymgynghoriad ar hyn o bryd, ac rwy'n eich annog i fwydo unrhyw farn drwy'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw. Rhan o'r her gyda'r Mesur teithio gan ddysgwyr yw'r lefel o anghysondeb wrth ei gymhwyso, a rhan o'r rheswm dros y newid i'r canllawiau yw i geisio cael mwy o gysondeb gyda llywodraeth leol o ran ei weithredu. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig iawn. Efallai eich bod yn ymwybodol fod Ken Skates a minnau wedi cael uwchgynhadledd teithio gan ddysgwyr lle gwnaethom ganolbwyntio ar rai o'r materion hyn, ac yn wir roedd mater cysondeb ar draws llywodraeth leol yn un o'r camau a gododd o hynny. O ran y manylion, yn amlwg byddai angen imi wybod ychydig mwy am yr ysgol dan sylw. Felly, hoffwn awgrymu eich bod naill ai'n ysgrifennu ataf i neu at Ken Skates a gallwn fynd ar ei drywydd.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog. Mae pob un o'r cwestiynau ar y rhestr wedi cael eu hateb neu heb eu gofyn heddiw.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary. All questions on the list have either been answered or weren't asked today.
Eitem 3 sydd nesaf, cwestiynau amserol. Dwi wedi dewis un cwestiwn amserol y prynhawn yma. Mae'r cwestiwn hwnnw i'w ateb gan y Cwnsler Cyffredinol ac i'w ofyn gan Luke Fletcher.
Item 3 is next, topical questions. I've selected one topical question this afternoon, and that question is to be answered by the Counsel General and to be asked by Luke Fletcher.
1. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r effaith ar Gymru yn sgil penderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU y bydd cyllid rhanbarthol ar ôl Brexit yn cael ei weinyddu gan y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol yn hytrach na Llywodraeth Cymru? TQ1349
1. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact on Wales of the UK Government's decision that post-Brexit regional funding in Wales will be administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government rather than by the Welsh Government? TQ1349
Thank you, Luke. As the First Minister said only yesterday, in the spending review we have seen £5 billion in terms of public spending. That's money we can spend on the things that matter to the people of Wales, like health, education and quality jobs in our communities. We will, of course, continue to ask for more and insist on our fair share.
Diolch, Luke. Fel y dywedodd y Prif Weinidog ddoe ddiwethaf, yn yr adolygiad o wariant fe welsom £5 biliwn ar gyfer gwariant cyhoeddus. Dyna arian y gallwn ei wario ar y pethau sy'n bwysig i bobl Cymru, fel iechyd, addysg a swyddi o safon yn ein cymunedau. Wrth gwrs, byddwn yn parhau i ofyn am fwy ac yn mynnu ein cyfran deg.
Diolch am yr ymateb yna, Cwnsler Cyffredinol, ond wnes i ddim gofyn am faint o arian sy'n dod i Gymru. Roeddwn i'n gofyn specifically am y post-Brexit funding.
Thank you for that response, Counsel General, but I didn't ask how much money is coming to Wales. I was asking specifically about the post-Brexit funding.
I mean, I noted what the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government said in response to a question from Peredur Owen Griffiths during an earlier session, and I noted as well the evidence given by the First Minister this morning to the culture committee: both have seemingly created a very confused picture.
Now, let's remind ourselves of the timeline here. Ahead of the UK general election, Keir Starmer pledged to restore decision-making powers over the levelling-up and shared prosperity funding to the Welsh Government. Then, during the election, this pledge was revised down to giving Welsh Government an unspecified role in determining how this funding is spent, rather than devolving it in full, and now we're told, through the comprehensive spending review, that power over post-Brexit funds will be retained in full at Westminster, administered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, with input not from the Welsh Government—and let's be clear on this—but from the Wales Office. Now, the messaging is all over the shop.
On the one hand, the spending review says one thing, and on the other, the First Minister this morning was suggesting that what the spending review set out will not be the case. So, quite simply, Cwnsler Cyffredinol, what's going on? What's the Government's position? And who are we to believe—the Chancellor’s spending review or the First Minister?
Nodais yr hyn a ddywedodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Dai a Llywodraeth Leol mewn ymateb i gwestiwn gan Peredur Owen Griffiths mewn sesiwn flaenorol, a nodais hefyd y dystiolaeth a roddwyd gan y Prif Weinidog y bore yma i'r pwyllgor diwylliant: mae'r ddau i'w gweld wedi creu darlun dryslyd iawn.
Nawr, gadewch inni atgoffa ein hunain o'r llinell amser yma. Cyn etholiad cyffredinol y DU, addawodd Keir Starmer adfer pwerau gwneud penderfyniadau dros gyllid ffyniant bro a'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin i Lywodraeth Cymru. Yna, yn ystod yr etholiad, diwygiwyd yr addewid i roi rôl amhenodol i Lywodraeth Cymru benderfynu sut y gwerir y cyllid hwn, yn hytrach na'i ddatganoli'n llawn, a nawr dywedir wrthym, drwy'r adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant, y bydd pŵer dros gronfeydd ar ôl Brexit yn cael ei gadw'n llawn yn San Steffan, a'i weinyddu gan y Weinyddiaeth Dai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol, gyda mewnbwn nid gan Lywodraeth Cymru—a gadewch i ni fod yn glir ar hyn—ond gan Swyddfa Cymru. Nawr, mae'r neges yn ddryslyd iawn.
Ar y naill law, mae'r adolygiad o wariant yn dweud un peth, ac ar y llaw arall, roedd y Prif Weinidog y bore yma yn awgrymu na fydd yr hyn a nodwyd gan yr adolygiad o wariant yn wir. Felly, yn syml iawn, Gwnsler Cyffredinol, beth sy'n digwydd? Beth yw safbwynt y Llywodraeth? A phwy y dylem ei gredu—adolygiad o wariant y Canghellor neu'r Prif Weinidog?
Thank you, Luke. As I said, the UK Government has confirmed that Wales will receive £633 million over three years for local growth funding, and that means that Wales is securing 22.5 per cent of the UK allocation. It is absolutely vital that this funding has greater impact than the legacy shared prosperity fund, which was cobbled together by the previous UK Government, and which, as I'm sure you know, bypassed the Welsh Government and the Senedd. We want to invest these funds in Wales to tackle gaps in regional productivity and address economic inequalities, not just duplicate existing devolved policy and programmes or where there is little evidence of economic impact.
So, exactly similar to the EU structural funds model, we are keen to agree a set of common outcomes with the UK Government against which we can develop a tailor-made Welsh approach with our partners, which fits with devolved policy and the governance and structures existing in Wales. I can give you an example of that. So, we want to take a more integrated approach to be able to look at priorities such as skills innovation and connectivity alongside regeneration-type activity, but the balance should be for us to agree with our Welsh partners. And we've begun work, I'm delighted to say, with those partners, including via our regional investment in Wales steering group, chaired by Carolyn Thomas MS. The group has already considered lessons and international best practice on how we can support our regional and local economies and labour markets, and we've completed a range of work with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or the OECD as it's commonly known, on how international best practice can be applied in Wales to achieve maximum impact from investment in this policy area.
So, I would say that I think it's really, really obvious that Wales has a major say in these funds, that the funds are very welcome, that we are very pleased to have secured such a large amount of the funding. We've retained 22.5 per cent of the total UK share, which is the same percentage allocation we had for EU funding, and that reflects additional needs and structural weaknesses in Wales that we want to be able to try and address.
Diolch, Luke. Fel y dywedais, mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cadarnhau y bydd Cymru'n cael £633 miliwn dros dair blynedd ar gyfer cyllid twf lleol, ac mae hynny'n golygu bod Cymru'n sicrhau 22.5 y cant o ddyraniad y DU. Mae'n gwbl hanfodol fod y cyllid hwn yn cael mwy o effaith na'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin etifeddol, a gafodd ei thaflu at ei gilydd gan Lywodraeth flaenorol y DU, ac a oedd, fel y gwyddoch, rwy'n siŵr, yn osgoi Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Senedd. Rydym am fuddsoddi'r cronfeydd hyn yng Nghymru i fynd i'r afael â bylchau mewn cynhyrchiant rhanbarthol ac i fynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldebau economaidd, nid dim ond dyblygu polisi a rhaglenni datganoledig presennol neu lle nad oes fawr o dystiolaeth o effaith economaidd.
Felly, yn debyg iawn i fodel cronfeydd strwythurol yr UE, rydym yn awyddus i gytuno ar set o ganlyniadau cyffredin gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar gyfer datblygu dull Cymreig wedi'i deilwra gyda'n partneriaid, sy'n cyd-fynd â pholisi datganoledig a'r trefniadau llywodraethu a'r strwythurau sy'n bodoli yng Nghymru. Gallaf roi enghraifft o hynny i chi. Rydym am fabwysiadu dull mwy integredig i allu edrych ar flaenoriaethau fel arloesedd sgiliau a chysylltedd ochr yn ochr â gweithgarwch adfywio, ond dylai'r cydbwysedd fod yn fater i ni ei gytuno â'n partneriaid yng Nghymru. Ac rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud ein bod wedi dechrau gweithio gyda'r partneriaid hynny, gan gynnwys drwy ein grŵp llywio buddsoddi rhanbarthol yng Nghymru, dan gadeiryddiaeth Carolyn Thomas AS. Mae'r grŵp eisoes wedi ystyried gwersi ac arferion gorau rhyngwladol ar sut y gallwn gefnogi ein heconomïau rhanbarthol a lleol a'n marchnadoedd llafur, ac rydym wedi cwblhau ystod o waith gyda'r Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd ar sut y gellir cymhwyso arferion gorau rhyngwladol yng Nghymru i sicrhau'r effaith fwyaf sy'n bosibl o fuddsoddiad yn y maes polisi hwn.
Felly, byddwn i'n dweud fy mod yn credu ei bod hi'n wirioneddol amlwg fod gan Gymru lais mawr yn y cronfeydd hyn, fod croeso mawr i'r cronfeydd, ein bod yn falch iawn o fod wedi sicrhau swm mor fawr o'r cyllid. Rydym wedi cadw 22.5 y cant o gyfanswm cyfran y DU, sef yr un dyraniad canrannol ag a gawsom o gyllid yr UE, ac mae hynny'n adlewyrchu anghenion ychwanegol a gwendidau strwythurol yng Nghymru yr ydym am allu ceisio mynd i'r afael â hwy.
Isn't the reality that, while there will be some discussion between the UK Government and Welsh Government, the reality is that Whitehall and Wales's 22 local authorities will be working together to deliver post-Brexit structural funding? That goes against what the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee said, which both I and Luke Fletcher sit on. That goes against Labour's manifesto and what they were promising. So, what does it come down to? Why is UK Labour not engaging with Welsh Labour on the delivery of this? Is it because they don't trust you on the economy, Counsel General?
Er y bydd rhywfaint o drafodaeth rhwng Llywodraeth y DU a Llywodraeth Cymru, onid y gwir yw mai Whitehall a 22 awdurdod lleol Cymru a fydd yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i ddarparu cyllid strwythurol ar ôl Brexit? Mae hynny'n mynd yn groes i'r hyn a ddywedodd y Pwyllgor Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig, yr wyf i a Luke Fletcher yn aelodau ohono. Mae hynny'n mynd yn groes i faniffesto Llafur a'r hyn yr oeddent yn ei addo. Felly, beth y mae hyn yn ei olygu? Pam nad yw Llafur y DU yn ymgysylltu â Llafur Cymru ar gyflawni hyn? Ai am nad ydynt yn ymddiried ynoch chi ar yr economi, Gwnsler Cyffredinol?
Well, I have to say, goodness me, I see some brass neck from the Conservatives, but that takes the biscuit. I'd just like to point out that the Government you supported, long and hard, completely bypassed all of the regional arrangements, including the Welsh Government, in setting up the shared prosperity fund and, in doing so, also didn't give Wales its fair share. So, I'm taking no lessons from any Conservative about how to run funds in Wales.
Wel, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, mawredd, rwy'n aml yn synnu at hyfdra’r Ceidwadwyr, ond mae hynny'n mynd y tu hwnt. Hoffwn nodi bod y Llywodraeth yr oeddech chi'n ei chefnogi i'r carn wedi osgoi'r holl drefniadau rhanbarthol yn llwyr, gan gynnwys Llywodraeth Cymru, wrth sefydlu'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin ac wrth wneud hynny, nid oedd yn rhoi ei chyfran deg i Gymru ychwaith. Felly, nid wyf am dderbyn unrhyw bregethau gan y Ceidwadwyr ar sut i redeg cronfeydd yng Nghymru.
Cabinet Secretary, the First Minister actually answered a question in culture committee this morning. She was very clear that Wales would be running these programmes. She was very clear that the commitments made by the UK Government last week in the spending review, which did breach the Labour manifesto, but not only breached the Labour manifesto, but broke a promise made by Keir Starmer in Wales at a Welsh Labour conference, and we have to be absolutely clear on that, and no amount of explanations cut that. Now it appears that, following an intervention from the First Minister, Wales will be running these matters, run by the Welsh Government, and I think all of us, wherever we sit in the Chamber this afternoon, want to hear a Minister saying that, and saying that clearly, because this has been a damaging few days for this Government and the UK Government.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, atebodd y Prif Weinidog gwestiwn yn y pwyllgor diwylliant y bore yma. Roedd hi'n glir iawn mai Cymru a fyddai'n rhedeg y rhaglenni hyn. Roedd hi'n glir iawn fod yr ymrwymiadau a wnaed gan Lywodraeth y DU yr wythnos diwethaf yn yr adolygiad o wariant, a oedd yn mynd yn groes i faniffesto Llafur, ond nid yn unig eu bod yn mynd yn groes i faniffesto Llafur, roeddent yn torri addewid a wnaed gan Keir Starmer yng Nghymru mewn cynhadledd Llafur Cymru, ac mae'n rhaid inni fod yn hollol glir ar hynny, ac nid oes unrhyw esboniadau'n cael gwared ar hynny. Nawr mae'n ymddangos y bydd Cymru, yn dilyn ymyrraeth gan y Prif Weinidog, yn rhedeg y materion hyn, byddant yn cael eu rhedeg gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac rwy'n credu bod pob un ohonom, ble bynnag yr eisteddwn yn y Siambr y prynhawn yma, eisiau clywed Gweinidog yn dweud hynny, ac yn dweud hynny'n glir, oherwydd mae'r rhain wedi bod yn ddyddiau niweidiol i'r Llywodraeth hon a Llywodraeth y DU.
Well, I'm happy to confirm, Alun, that my understanding, as well as the First Minister's, is that the funds will be administered by the Welsh Government in Wales, following the commitment of Sir Keir Starmer that that would be the case. I wasn't part of the discussion myself, but my understanding is that the First Minister and the Wales Office are in agreement that that is the way they'll be administered.
Wel, rwy'n hapus i gadarnhau, Alun, mai fy nealltwriaeth i, yn ogystal â'r Prif Weinidog, yw y bydd yr arian yn cael ei weinyddu gan Lywodraeth Cymru yng Nghymru, yn dilyn ymrwymiad Syr Keir Starmer mai dyna fydd yn digwydd. Nid oeddwn yn rhan o'r drafodaeth fy hun, ond fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod y Prif Weinidog a Swyddfa Cymru yn cytuno mai dyna'r ffordd y byddant yn cael eu gweinyddu.
Diolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet a'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol am y sesiwn yna.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary and the Counsel General for that session.
Y datganiadau 90 eiliad sydd nesaf. Y datganiad cyntaf gan Joyce Watson.
The 90-second statements are next. The first statement is from Joyce Watson.
Diolch, Llywydd. This week we mark World Refill Day. We can be proud that Welsh Governments have done much to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution, most recently, the ban on single-use vapes, but we still have a long way to go. This week serves as a powerful reminder that by doing the small things we can all do our bit to prevent tonnes of plastic waste from ending up in landfill or polluting our countryside and wonderful beaches.
The Marine Conservation Society 'State of our beaches' report showed an average of 120 litter items per 100m of beach surveyed in Wales just last year. We can, of course, become desensitised to the stats. So, let's just imagine for a moment, if you were to walk across Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, you could expect to see around 1,440 pieces of litter on that beach alone.
To promote the campaign, the environmental organisation City to Sea is running a five-day challenge, and I'd ask every single one of you to take up one of those challenges and to publicise them widely. They're not difficult. You're being asked to choose one or more single-use plastic items to replace it with a reusable alternative, each day for five days—maybe a coffee cup, carrying a water bottle or a lunchbox instead of a takeaway container, and simply choosing packaging-free grocery options. But it's also a jumping-off point for a broader change, one that sees consumers, business and policy makers work together to embrace reuse and infrastructure that makes refill the norm and accessible for all.
So, this World Refill Day, let's admit that our planet's bin is overflowing and commit to turn the tide on plastic pollution. Whoops.
Diolch, Lywydd. Yr wythnos hon rydym yn nodi Diwrnod Ail-lenwi'r Byd. Gallwn fod yn falch fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud llawer i fynd i'r afael â malltod llygredd plastig, yn fwyaf diweddar gyda'r gwaharddiad ar fêps untro, ond mae gennym ffordd bell i fynd o hyd. Mae'r wythnos hon yn atgoffa'n bwerus y gallwn ni i gyd wneud ein rhan i atal tunelli o wastraff plastig rhag mynd i safleoedd tirlenwi neu lygru ein cefn gwlad a'n traethau gwych.
Dangosodd adroddiad y Gymdeithas Cadwraeth Forol ar gyflwr ein traethau fod 120 eitem o sbwriel ar gyfartaledd ar bob 100 metr o draeth a arolygwyd yng Nghymru y llynedd. Wrth gwrs, efallai na fydd yr ystadegau yn golygu llawer i ni ynddynt eu hunain. Felly, gadewch inni ddychmygu am eiliad, pe baech chi'n cerdded ar draws Freshwater West yn sir Benfro, gallech ddisgwyl gweld tua 1,440 eitem o sbwriel ar y traeth hwnnw'n unig.
Er mwyn hyrwyddo'r ymgyrch, mae'r sefydliad amgylcheddol City to Sea yn cynnal her pum niwrnod, ac rwy'n gofyn i bob un ohonoch gyflawni un o'r heriau hynny a rhoi cyhoeddusrwydd eang iddynt. Nid ydynt yn anodd. Gofynnir i chi ddewis un neu fwy o eitemau plastig untro a defnyddio rhywbeth arall y gellir ei ailddefnyddio yn ei le, bob dydd am bum diwrnod—cwpan coffi efallai, cario potel ddŵr neu focs bwyd yn lle cynhwysydd tecawê, a dim ond dewis opsiynau bwyd heb ddeunydd pecynnu. Ond mae hefyd yn fan cychwyn ar gyfer newid ehangach, un sy'n golygu bod defnyddwyr, busnesau a llunwyr polisi yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i groesawu ailddefnyddio a seilwaith sy'n gwneud ail-lenwi'n norm ac yn hygyrch i bawb.
Felly, ar Ddiwrnod Ail-lenwi'r Byd, gadewch inni gyfaddef bod bin ein planed yn gorlifo ac ymrwymo i droi'r llanw ar lygredd plastig. Wps.
That was a very gentle 'whoops' at the end there, Joyce Watson. Thank you for that. Sioned Williams.
Roedd hwnnw'n 'wps' tawel iawn ar y diwedd, Joyce Watson. Diolch am hynny. Sioned Williams.
Diolch Llywydd. This week is Learning Disability Week and the theme this year is 'Do you see me?', to highlight the importance of people with a learning disability being seen, heard and valued in society. I was glad to chair the Senedd cross-party group on learning disability earlier today, which serves, I think, such an important purpose in ensuring the voices and views of people with learning disabilities, their family, carers and advocates are heard by the Senedd.
We heard from the inspirational Michael Beynon, a Mencap mythbuster, and Richie Horrigan from Gig Buddies Cymru, about how visibility is not just about being seen, but also about being recognised, respected and included. There are, of course, too many people with a learning disability locked away out of sight in hospitals and mental health units when they should not be. The Stolen Lives Homes Not Hospitals campaign is still finding evidence of human rights abuses, which must be stopped.
A topic we often discuss also in the cross-party group is the importance of respite support for carers. Mencap Cymru runs a respite house in Penparcau in Aberystwyth, and 10 brave support workers will be undertaking a parachute jump in September to raise money to install a new sensory room at the respite house. So, pob lwc to them. Mencap have also this week launched their Wales State of the Nation survey 2025, and I urge all Members to share the survey with their constituents, to ensure that the views of people with a learning disability are seen by policy makers. As Michael Beynon so powerfully told the cross-party group today, being visible leads to understanding; understanding leads to inclusion; inclusion leads to real change.
Diolch, Lywydd. Yr wythnos hon yw Wythnos Anabledd Dysgu a'r thema eleni yw 'Ydych chi'n fy ngweld i?', i dynnu sylw at ba mor bwysig yw hi fod pobl ag anabledd dysgu yn cael eu gweld, eu clywed a'u gwerthfawrogi mewn cymdeithas. Roeddwn i'n falch o gadeirio grŵp trawsbleidiol y Senedd ar anabledd dysgu yn gynharach heddiw, sy'n cyflawni diben mor bwysig drwy sicrhau bod lleisiau a safbwyntiau pobl ag anableddau dysgu, eu teuluoedd, gofalwyr ac eiriolwyr yn cael eu clywed gan y Senedd.
Clywsom gan yr ysbrydoledig Michael Beynon, un o chwalwyr mythau Mencap, a Richie Horrigan o Gig Buddies Cymru, ynglŷn â sut y mae bod yn weladwy yn ymwneud â mwy na chael eich gweld, mae hefyd yn ymwneud â gael eich cydnabod, eich parchu a'ch cynnwys. Wrth gwrs, mae yna gormod o bobl ag anabledd dysgu wedi'u cloi allan o'r golwg mewn ysbytai ac unedau iechyd meddwl pan na ddylent fod. Mae ymgyrch Stolen Lives, Cartrefi nid Ysbytai yn dal i ganfod tystiolaeth o gam-drin hawliau dynol, ac mae'n rhaid rhoi diwedd ar hynny.
Pwnc yr ydym yn aml yn ei drafod hefyd yn y grŵp trawsbleidiol yw pwysigrwydd cymorth seibiant i ofalwyr. Mae Mencap Cymru yn rhedeg tŷ seibiant ym Mhenparcau yn Aberystwyth, a bydd 10 o weithwyr cymorth dewr yn gwneud naid parasiwt ym mis Medi i godi arian i osod ystafell synhwyraidd newydd yn y tŷ seibiant. Felly, pob lwc iddynt. Hefyd yr wythnos hon, lansiodd Mencap eu harolwg Cyflwr y Genedl 2025 ar gyfer Cymru, ac rwy'n annog pob Aelod i rannu'r arolwg gyda'u hetholwyr, er mwyn sicrhau bod barn pobl ag anabledd dysgu yn cael eu gweld gan wneuthurwyr polisi. Fel y dywedodd Michael Beynon mor bwerus wrth y grŵp trawsbleidiol heddiw, mae bod yn weladwy yn arwain at ddealltwriaeth; mae dealltwriaeth yn arwain at gynhwysiant; mae cynhwysiant yn arwain at newid go iawn.
This Saturday, the Port Talbot Panthers will proudly travel to Pamplona in Spain to participate in the International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament, also known as the mixed ability rugby world cup—a global celebration of inclusion, resilience and the unifying spirit of sport. The Panthers are one of four teams from Wales that will be competing, the others being Swansea Gladiators, Llanelli Warriors and, in the women's tournament, Merched Cymru. The tournament brings together teams made up of players of all ages, both with and without disabilities, playing under world rugby tournament rules. From its beginnings in Bradford in 2015 to Pamplona this year, it has grown into a worldwide movement, proving that rugby thrives when everyone is involved and welcome.
The Port Talbot Panthers are the embodiment of that ethos. Formed less than seven years ago to ensure that no-one in Port Talbot was left without a place in the game, the Panthers are more than just a team. They are a community. Every week, players of all abilities come together, not just to train, but to experience that friendship and family culture that has been generated by all involved. Every player is valued, every role is respected and everybody participates. The story of this is on the BBC this week, where Jak Powles highlights that ethos at the club and shows what a difference such clubs can make to people's lives.
The Panthers have built a culture of encouragement, teamwork and mutual respect. Their success reflects the best of Welsh rugby values, where pride, resilience and community spirit are more important than any scoreboard—though on this occasion a win would be great. They will go to Spain not just to compete but to show what rugby can be when inclusion is put at the heart of it. I'm sure that everyone here will want to send their best wishes and unwavering support to the Panthers as they represent Port Talbot in Pamplona. They have a proud community that stands behind them every step of the way.
Y dydd Sadwrn hwn, bydd y Port Talbot Panthers yn teithio i Pamplona yn Sbaen i gymryd rhan yn y Bencampwriaeth Rygbi Gallu Cymysg Ryngwladol, a elwir hefyd yn gwpan rygbi'r byd gallu cymysg—dathliad byd-eang o gynhwysiant, gwydnwch a gallu chwaraeon i uno. Mae'r Panthers yn un o bedwar tîm o Gymru a fydd yn cystadlu, a'r lleill yw'r Swansea Gladiators, y Llanelli Warriors, ac yn y bencampwriaeth i fenywod, Merched Cymru. Mae'r bencampwriaeth yn dod â thimau ynghyd sy'n cynnwys chwaraewyr o bob oedran, gydag anableddau a heb anableddau, gan chwarae o dan reolau pencampwriaeth rygbi'r byd. O'i ddechreuadau yn Bradford yn 2015 i Pamplona eleni, mae wedi tyfu i fod yn fudiad byd-eang, gan brofi bod rygbi'n ffynnu pan fydd pawb yn cymryd rhan ac yn cael eu croesawu.
Mae'r Port Talbot Panthers yn ymgorfforiad o'r ethos hwnnw. Fe'i ffurfiwyd lai na saith mlynedd yn ôl i sicrhau nad oedd neb ym Mhort Talbot yn cael ei adael heb le yn y gêm, ac mae'r Panthers yn fwy na dim ond tîm. Maent yn gymuned. Bob wythnos, daw chwaraewyr o bob gallu at ei gilydd, nid yn unig i hyfforddi, ond i brofi'r cyfeillgarwch a'r diwylliant teuluol a geir wrth i bawb gymryd rhan. Mae pob chwaraewr yn cael ei werthfawrogi, mae pob rôl yn cael ei pharchu ac mae pawb yn cymryd rhan. Mae'r stori am hyn ar y BBC yr wythnos hon, lle mae Jak Powles yn tynnu sylw at yr ethos yn y clwb ac yn dangos y gwahaniaeth y gall clybiau o'r fath ei wneud i fywydau pobl.
Mae'r Panthers wedi adeiladu diwylliant o anogaeth, gwaith tîm a pharch cydradd. Mae eu llwyddiant yn adlewyrchu'r gorau o werthoedd rygbi Cymru, lle mae balchder, gwydnwch ac ysbryd cymunedol yn bwysicach nag unrhyw sgorfwrdd—er y byddai buddugoliaeth yn wych ar yr achlysur hwn. Byddant yn mynd i Sbaen nid yn unig i gystadlu ond i ddangos beth y gall rygbi fod pan fydd cynhwysiant yn cael ei roi wrth ei wraidd. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd pawb yma eisiau dymuno'n dda i'r Panthers a'u cefnogi wrth iddynt gynrychioli Port Talbot yn Pamplona. Mae ganddynt gymuned falch sy'n sefyll y tu ôl iddynt bob cam o'r ffordd.
Pob lwc, Panthers. Mwynhewch y profiad.
Good luck, Panthers. Enjoy the experience.
Diolch am y datganiadau 90 eiliad.
Thank you for those 90-second statements.
Eitem 5 sydd nesaf, y ddadl ar y ddeiseb 'Ail-agor llinellau rheilffordd i gysylltu gogledd a de Cymru' yw honno. Dwi'n galw ar Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Deisebau i wneud y cynnig yma, sef Carolyn Thomas.
Item 5 is next, the debate on the petition 'Re-open railway lines to connect the north and south of Wales'. I call on the Chair of the Petitions Committee to move the motion. Carolyn Thomas.
Cynnig NDM8931 Carolyn Thomas
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
Yn nodi’r ddeiseb P-06-1365 'Ail-agor llinellau rheilffordd i gysylltu gogledd a de Cymru', a gasglodd 12,936 o lofnodion.
Motion NDM8931 Carolyn Thomas
To propose that the Senedd:
Notes the petition P-06-1365 'Re-open railway lines to connect the north and south of Wales', which received 12,936 signatures.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
On behalf of the Petitions Committee, thank you for the opportunity to introduce this debate today. In September 2023, Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn put on his walking boots and walked to the Senedd. For anyone living in Cardiff, or even a neighbouring county, that wouldn't be remarkable, but Elfed started his walk in Bangor. His 10-day trek followed the old railway line as closely as is reasonable, and he arrived here in time to meet members of the committee when we first considered his petition seeking to reconnect Cymru with a west coast railway. The petition received 12,936 signatures. The petition text reads:
'Re-open railway lines to connect the north and south of Wales.
'Travelling between the North and the South of Wales is always a long journey, especially when using the railway. If a person is traveling between the Bangor and Cardiff, one has to go outside of Wales on rail to be able to complete the journey.
'Wales needs to be connected internally by rail. The plan to do this would be to reopen the Bangor—Afon-wen and Aberystwyth to Carmarthen lines, and integrating them with the Cambrian railway, and the line from Carmarthen on to Cardiff'.
One of the specific asks of the petition was for a scoping and feasibility study for the Bangor to Afon Wen line. This study was included in the co-operation agreement and was published in February this year. One of the reasons that the committee has waited so long to debate this petition was so that the debate could be informed by that report. The report is written by and for engineers, but it is clear about the scale of the challenge. While most of the route identified in the report remains in the ownership of local authorities, there are 79 places where roads cross the route. There are also a number of homes and businesses that have grown up on the track bed, or close to it, and there are large sections that have been converted to popular active travel routes. While a third of the 43.7 km route is deemed to require minimal intervention, there is 15 per cent that would require high or very high intervention.
As the petitioner says, if we are looking to develop the infrastructure in Wales and to use a greener method of travel, reinstating and reopening this railway would be a step in the right direction and would be beneficial for all of the communities situated along the railway, as well as for Wales as a nation. While the feasibility report focuses on light rail and trams, campaigners would prefer heavy rail, which would allow for faster speeds. They believe passionately that the economic, social and cultural benefits of reopening the railway would make the cost worth paying. They would also like to see a similar piece of work done on the feasibility of the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen section of the line.
I look forward to hearing today's debate. I'm aware of the steps that the Welsh Government has taken to build stronger links between north and south. I'm sure that the Cabinet Secretary will want to share any update he has following his consultation on an express bus linking north and south Wales as well, which closed earlier this year. The bus service proposal has been designed to demonstrate the demand for better west coast links, which would in turn support the case for investing in better permanent infrastructure. The feasibility report for Bangor to Afon Wen has given us lots to think about. It has highlighted the areas where running trains would be relatively easy and those where it might be incredibly difficult, but it has given us a common understanding of where those sticking points are and how they might be resolved.
Ar ran y Pwyllgor Deisebau, diolch am y cyfle i gyflwyno'r ddadl hon heddiw. Ym mis Medi 2023, gwisgodd Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn ei esgidiau cerdded a cherdded i'r Senedd. I unrhyw un sy'n byw yng Nghaerdydd, neu hyd yn oed sir gyfagos, ni fyddai hynny'n rhyfeddol, ond dechreuodd Elfed ei daith gerdded ym Mangor. Dilynodd ei daith 10 diwrnod yr hen reilffordd mor agos ag sy'n rhesymol, a chyrhaeddodd yma mewn pryd i gyfarfod ag aelodau'r pwyllgor pan oeddem yn dechrau ystyried ei ddeiseb yn galw am ailgysylltu Cymru drwy reilffordd arfordir y gorllewin. Denodd y ddeiseb 12,936 o lofnodion. Mae testun y ddeiseb yn dweud:
'Ail-agor llinellau rheilffordd i gysylltu gogledd a de Cymru.
'Mae’r daith rhwng gogledd a de Cymru bob amser yn un hir, yn enwedig wrth ddefnyddio’r rheilffyrdd. Mae teithio ar y trên rhwng Bangor a Chaerdydd yn golygu bod rhaid i rywun fynd y tu allan i Gymru i allu cyrraedd pen y daith.
'Mae angen i’r rheilffyrdd gysylltu Cymru yn fewnol. Y cynllun ar gyfer gwneud hyn fyddai ail-agor llinellau Bangor—Afon-wen ac Aberystwyth i Gaerfyrddin, ac integreiddio’r rhain â lein y Cambrian, a’r lein o Gaerfyrddin i Gaerdydd'.
Un o ofynion penodol y ddeiseb oedd am astudiaeth gwmpasu a dichonoldeb ar gyfer y rheilffordd o Fangor i Afon Wen. Cafodd yr astudiaeth hon ei chynnwys yn y cytundeb cydweithio ac fe'i cyhoeddwyd ym mis Chwefror eleni. Un o'r rhesymau pam y mae'r pwyllgor wedi aros mor hir i drafod y ddeiseb oedd er mwyn i'r ddadl gael ei llywio gan yr adroddiad hwnnw. Mae'r adroddiad wedi'i ysgrifennu gan ac ar gyfer peirianwyr, ond mae'n glir ynglŷn â maint yr her. Er bod y rhan fwyaf o'r llwybr a nodwyd yn yr adroddiad yn parhau i fod ym mherchnogaeth awdurdodau lleol, mae yna 79 o leoedd lle mae ffyrdd yn croesi'r llwybr. Mae yna hefyd nifer o gartrefi a busnesau sydd wedi tyfu ar wely'r trac, neu'n agos ato, ac mae rhannau mawr wedi'u newid yn llwybrau teithio llesol poblogaidd. Er mai ymyrraeth fach iawn y byddai gofyn ei wneud ar draean o'r llwybr 43.7 km, byddai 15 y cant yn galw am ymyrraeth fawr neu fawr iawn.
Fel y dywed y deisebydd, os ydym am geisio datblygu'r seilwaith yng Nghymru a defnyddio dull gwyrddach o deithio, byddai adfer ac ailagor y rheilffordd hon yn gam i'r cyfeiriad cywir a byddai'n fuddiol i'r holl gymunedau sydd wedi'u lleoli ar hyd y rheilffordd, yn ogystal ag i Gymru fel cenedl. Er bod yr adroddiad dichonoldeb yn canolbwyntio ar reilffyrdd ysgafn a thramiau, byddai'n well gan ymgyrchwyr reilffordd drom a fyddai'n caniatáu cyflymderau cyflymach. Maent yn credu'n angerddol y byddai manteision economaidd, cymdeithasol a diwylliannol ailagor y rheilffordd yn gwneud y gost yn werth ei thalu. Hoffent hefyd weld gwaith tebyg yn cael ei wneud ar ddichonoldeb y rhan o'r llinell rhwng Aberystwyth a Chaerfyrddin.
Edrychaf ymlaen at glywed y ddadl heddiw. Rwy'n ymwybodol o'r camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cymryd i adeiladu cysylltiadau cryfach rhwng y gogledd a'r de. Rwy'n siŵr hefyd y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet eisiau rhannu unrhyw ddiweddariad sydd ganddo yn dilyn ei ymgynghoriad ar fws cyflym i gysylltu gogledd a de Cymru, a ddaeth i ben yn gynharach eleni. Mae cynnig y gwasanaeth bws wedi'i gynllunio i ddangos y galw am well cysylltiadau ar arfordir y gorllewin, a fyddai yn ei dro yn cefnogi'r achos dros fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith parhaol gwell. Mae'r adroddiad dichonoldeb ar gyfer Bangor i Afon Wen wedi rhoi llawer i ni feddwl amdano. Mae wedi tynnu sylw at y mannau lle byddai rhedeg trenau'n gymharol hawdd a'r rhai lle gallai fod yn anhygoel o anodd, ond mae wedi rhoi dealltwriaeth gyffredin i ni o ble mae'r rhwystrau hynny a sut y gellid eu datrys.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
Thank you once again, Carolyn, for your work as Chair of this committee. I remember the days when it only needed 50 signatures where it would start to go, but to think that this petition, again, has received over 12,000. It tells me (a) the work of the Petitions Committee is doing very well, and also (b) that our residents and our constituents value that ability to be able to tap in and make their feelings known. So, well done to the petitioner.
The north to south-west Wales feasibility study has helpfully identified a potential indicative preferred route for the whole length between Bangor and Afon Wen, which is 43.75 km. Only approximately a third of the overall route has been initially assessed to have minimal intervention issues. A quarter of the overall route is provisionally assessed as having either high or very high intervention issues, predominantly arising from the requirement for significant engineering interventions, or where a large number of residential or commercial businesses would be impacted by the reopening of the line. However, this is not for a tram-train line, but a traditional railway line as is used in the Conwy valley or along the north Wales coast. I would be pleased to see the costs for the tram-train line option, and separate costs for a line that would support the movement of cargo.
In terms of the first step, clearly, for me, where I am in Aberconwy, a train line between Bangor and Caernarfon, I can support that wholeheartedly. In May 2000, a report commissioned by Gwynedd county council and the Welsh Development Agency was published called 'Reopening of Passenger Railway Lines, Feasibility Study Phase 1'. It recommended the reopening of the Bangor to Caernarfon section as a standard gauge railway. With as many as 10,000 people living in Caernarfon, there would be huge benefit to those residents of a station in their town linking them to the north Wales line. There would be a lot of customers for TfW too. For example, Caernarfon castle alone receives more than 200,000 visitors annually. This castle is one of the top tourist attractions in Wales and a UNESCO world heritage site, so wouldn't it be absolutely superb if tourists could easily travel there direct by train?
I would be pleased if we could for now, for me, but also I understand the focus behind other parts of this line. In doing so, it would be extremely helpful to have a cost estimate for that option, and others such as taking the route along Lôn Las Menai and considering whether or not it is possible to develop an express bus or even a guided busway along some of the roads that run directly between Bangor and Caernarfon.
Moving on to the wider project, travelling between north and south Wales, as you've rightly pointed out, is something we both do twice weekly. Would I do so using the west coast of Wales line to commute? Probably not, and I'll tell you why. It already takes two hours and 45 minutes to get from Porthmadog to Aberystwyth, two hours from Carmarthen to Cardiff, so that's four hours and 45 minutes of travel. At the moment, on a good day, we can do it in four hours. In short, the proposal is for a north-south line, but I think the reality is that those living along the north or south coast could travel considerably faster on the existing route.
What would be really beneficial for residents in north Wales is an improved road infrastructure. As I've said in this Senedd on several occasions, the road between north and south Wales needs strengthening—and straightening, even—at points. I actually thought, when devolution first came in, one of the key priorities was to make Cardiff the capital, as it rightly is, but also to join up north and south more easily, and that has not been achieved after 26 years of devolution.
Thank you again, good luck to the petitioner, and I will be really interested to see how this progresses. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.
Diolch unwaith eto, Carolyn, am eich gwaith fel Cadeirydd y pwyllgor hwn. Rwy'n cofio'r dyddiau pan nad oedd ond angen 50 llofnod iddo ddechrau mynd, ond i feddwl bod y ddeiseb hon, unwaith eto, wedi cael dros 12,000. Mae'n dweud wrthyf (a) fod gwaith y Pwyllgor Deisebau yn gwneud yn dda iawn, a hefyd (b) fod ein trigolion a'n hetholwyr yn gwerthfawrogi'r gallu i allu manteisio a gwneud eu teimladau'n hysbys. Felly, da iawn i'r deisebydd.
Mae'r astudiaeth ddichonoldeb o ogledd i dde-orllewin Cymru wedi nodi llwybr a ffafrir posibl ar gyfer y pellter cyfan rhwng Bangor ac Afon Wen, sef 43.75 km. Dim ond oddeutu traean o'r llwybr cyfan yr aseswyd ar y cychwyn nad oes fawr o broblemau ymyrraeth yn gysylltiedig ag ef. Aseswyd yn amodol fod problemau ymyrraeth mawr neu fawr iawn yn gysylltiedig â chwarter y llwybr cyfan, yn deillio'n bennaf o'r gofyniad am ymyriadau peirianneg sylweddol, neu lle byddai nifer fawr o fusnesau preswyl neu fasnachol yn cael eu heffeithio gan ailagor y llinell. Fodd bynnag, nid ar gyfer llinell trên-tram y mae, ond llinell reilffordd draddodiadol fel yr un a ddefnyddir yn nyffryn Conwy neu ar hyd arfordir gogledd Cymru. Hoffwn weld y costau ar gyfer opsiwn llinell trên-tram, a chostau ar wahân ar gyfer llinell a fyddai'n cynnal symud cargo.
O ran y cam cyntaf, yn amlwg, i mi, lle rwyf i yn Aberconwy, gallaf gefnogi llinell drên rhwng Bangor a Chaernarfon yn llwyr. Ym mis Mai 2000, cyhoeddwyd adroddiad a gomisiynwyd gan Gyngor Sir Gwynedd ac Awdurdod Datblygu Cymru ar astudiaeth ddichonoldeb cam 1 a edrychai ar ailagor llinellau rheilffordd i deithwyr. Argymhellodd y dylid ailagor y rhan o Fangor i Gaernarfon fel rheilffordd mesur safonol. Gyda chymaint â 10,000 o bobl yn byw yng Nghaernarfon, byddai budd enfawr i drigolion gael gorsaf yn eu tref sy'n eu cysylltu â llinell gogledd Cymru. Byddai llawer o gwsmeriaid ar gyfer Trafnidiaeth Cymru hefyd. Er enghraifft, mae castell Caernarfon ei hun yn denu mwy na 200,000 o ymwelwyr bob blwyddyn. Mae'r castell yn un o'r atyniadau twristaidd gorau yng Nghymru ac yn safle treftadaeth y byd UNESCO, felly oni fyddai'n wych pe bai twristiaid yn gallu teithio yno'n uniongyrchol ar y trên?
Am y tro hoffwn pe gallem am nawr, i mi, ond hefyd rwy'n deall y ffocws y tu ôl i rannau eraill o'r llinell hon. Wrth wneud hynny, byddai'n hynod ddefnyddiol cael amcangyfrif o'r gost ar gyfer yr opsiwn hwnnw, ac eraill fel mynd â'r llwybr ar hyd Lôn Las Menai ac ystyried a yw'n bosibl datblygu bws cyflym neu hyd yn oed llwybr bws yn unig ar hyd rhai o'r ffyrdd sy'n rhedeg yn uniongyrchol rhwng Bangor a Chaernarfon.
Gan symud ymlaen at y prosiect ehangach, mae teithio rhwng gogledd a de Cymru, fel y nodoch chi'n gywir ddigon, yn rhywbeth y mae'r ddwy ohonom yn ei wneud ddwywaith yr wythnos. A fyddwn i'n gwneud hynny gan ddefnyddio llinell arfordir gorllewinol Cymru i gymudo? Mae'n debyg na fyddwn, ac fe ddywedaf pam. Mae eisoes yn cymryd dwy awr a 45 munud i gyrraedd o Borthmadog i Aberystwyth, dwy awr o Gaerfyrddin i Gaerdydd, felly dyna bedair awr a 45 munud o deithio. Ar hyn o bryd, ar ddiwrnod da, gallwn ei wneud mewn pedair awr. Yn fyr, mae'r cynnig ar gyfer llinell gogledd-de, ond rwy'n credu mai'r gwir yw y gallai'r rhai sy'n byw ar hyd arfordir y gogledd neu'r de deithio gryn dipyn yn gyflymach ar y llwybr presennol.
Yr hyn a fyddai'n wirioneddol fuddiol i drigolion yng ngogledd Cymru yw gwell seilwaith ffyrdd. Fel y dywedais yn y Senedd hon ar sawl achlysur, mae angen cryfhau'r ffordd rhwng gogledd a de Cymru—a sythu, hyd yn oed—ar bwyntiau. Roeddwn i'n meddwl mewn gwirionedd, pan ddaeth datganoli i mewn am y tro cyntaf, mai un o'r prif flaenoriaethau oedd gwneud Caerdydd yn brifddinas, fel y mae'n iawn iddi fod, ond hefyd i gysylltu'r gogledd a'r de yn haws, ac nid yw hynny wedi'i gyflawni ar ôl 26 mlynedd o ddatganoli.
Diolch eto, pob lwc i'r deisebydd, a bydd yn ddiddorol iawn gweld sut y bydd hyn yn datblygu. Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd.
Dwi eisiau dechrau trwy ddiolch i bawb a lofnododd y ddeiseb yma, ac yn wir i Elfed am ei waith diflino wrth fynd â hyn yn ei flaen. Mae'n tynnu sylw at wirionedd dyfnach fod pobl Cymru eisiau cysylltiadau gwell, nid yn unig â Lloegr, ond gyda'i gilydd. Mae Plaid Cymru wedi galw'n gyson am well cysylltiadau rhwng y gogledd a'r de, a chysylltiadau sy'n uno ein cenedl, nid yn ei rhannu.
Mae'r realiti presennol, lle mae'n haws teithio o'r gogledd i'r de drwy Loegr na thrwy Gymru ei hun, nid yn unig yn anghyfleus ond mae'n symptomatig o system drafnidiaeth sydd wedi ei hesgeuluso, wedi dyddio, ac wedi ei chynllunio i echdynnu ac nid cysylltu. Mae ein rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd yn adlewyrchu economi a luniwyd dros ddegawdau i echdynnu adnoddau, nid i adeiladu cydlyniad cymdeithasol ac economaidd yng Nghymru. Nid oes hyd yn oed un cysylltiad rheilffordd uniongyrchol rhwng y gogledd a'r de, ac eto mae wyth croesfan i Loegr. Dylai trafnidiaeth wasanaethu pobl Cymru, nid eu hanwybyddu.
Yn y cyfamser, mae Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig yn parhau i wario biliynau ar HS2, prosiect y maent yn ei honni sydd o fudd i Gymru a Lloegr, er nad yw'n cyrraedd Cymru o gwbl. Eto i gyd, mae Cymru wedi'i hamddifadu o unrhyw gyllid Barnett sy'n deillio o'r prosiect, gan roi trethdalwyr Cymru dan anfantais amlwg. Heddiw rydym wedi clywed am oedi pellach yn adeiladu HS2 oherwydd costau cynyddol—oedi sy'n tanlinellu faint y byddem wedi ei dderbyn pe bai cyfiawnder cyllidol yn bodoli.
Y gwir yw, mae'r sefyllfa annheg hon yn ganlyniad uniongyrchol i'r ffaith nad oes gan Gymru reolaeth dros ei seilwaith reilffyrdd. Mae hyn nid yn unig yn annheg, mae'n anghynaladwy. Mae'r Ysgrifennydd trafnidiaeth wedi gwrthod datganoli pwerau rheilffyrdd, gan honni bod angen buddsoddi sylweddol i unioni degawdau o esgeulustod. Os mai dyna'r achos, yna onid yw'n gwneud y galw am gyllid i wella ein rheilffyrdd ac i adeiladau y cysylltiadau de â'r gogledd hyn hyd yn oed yn fwy pwysig? Yr unig ffordd i sicrhau ein bod yn cael cyfran deg o wariant trafnidiaeth yw drwy ddatganoli pwerau rheilffyrdd yn llawn.
Hyd yn oed gyda Llywodraeth Lafur newydd yn San Steffan, Llywodraeth sydd wedi cydnabod tanariannu hanesyddol ein rheilffyrdd, mae'r adolygiad gwariant diweddar yn gwneud un peth yn glir: nad oes ganddynt fwriad gwirioneddol i unioni'r cam. Yn wir, Cymru fydd yr unig genedl ddatganoledig i wynebu toriadau i'w chyllideb gyfalaf, yn wahanol i'r Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon. Mae hynny yn dorcalonnus, yn enwedig o ystyried bod Llywodraeth Lafur ar ddwy ochr yr M4, ond dim awydd i weithio'n gydgysylltiedig er lles Cymru.
Dyna pam fod Plaid Cymru yn dal i alw yn glir ac yn ddiamwys am ddatganoli llawn pwerau rheilffyrdd i Gymru. Gyda'r pwerau hynny, gallem adeiladu rhwydwaith sy'n blaenoriaethu cysylltiadau rhwng y gogledd a'r de a rhwng cymunedau ledled Cymru, rhwydwaith wedi'i chynllunio i ddiwallu ein hanghenion ni, nid anghenion rhywle arall. Ni ddylai system reilffyrdd fewnol integredig fod yn freuddwyd i'r genhedlaeth nesaf, dylai fod yn flaenoriaeth i wleidyddion heddiw. Diolch yn fawr.
I would like to start by thanking everyone who signed this petition, and Elfed for his tireless work in progressing the issue. It highlights a deeper truth that the people of Wales want better connections, not only with England, but within Wales too. Plaid Cymru has regularly called for better connections between north and south Wales, and connections that unite our nation, rather than divide it.
The current reality, where it's easier to travel from north to south through England rather than through Wales itself, is not only inconvenient but it's symptomatic of a transport system that has been neglected, is dated, and which is planned to be extractive rather than connective. Our rail network reflects an economy drawn up over decades to extract resources, not to build social and economic cohesion in Wales. There isn't even a single rail connection between north and south, and yet there are eight crossings into England. Transport should serve the people of Wales, not ignore the people of Wales.
In the meantime, the UK Government continues to spend billions of pounds on HS2, a project that they claim will benefit England and Wales, although it doesn't touch upon Wales at all. However, Wales is deprived of any Barnett consequential funding from the project, putting Welsh taxpayers at a clear disadvantage. Today we have heard of further delays in the building of HS2 because of increasing costs—delays that highlight how much we would have received had there been financial justice.
The truth is that this unfair situation is a direct result of the fact that Wales doesn't have control over its rail infrastructure. This is not only unfair, it's unsustainable. The transport Secretary has refused to devolve powers for railways, claiming that there would need to be significant investment to put right decades of neglect. If that is the case, then doesn't it make the demand for funding to improve our railways and to improve north to south connections even more important? The only way of ensuring that we get a fair percentage of transport spend is by devolving powers over railways in full.
Even with a new Labour Government in Westminster, a Government that has acknowledged the long-term underfunding of our railways, the recent spending review makes one thing clear: that they have no real intention to put things right. Indeed, Wales will be the only devolved nation to face cuts to its capital budget, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland. That is heartbreaking, particularly given that there are Labour Governments on both sides of the M4, but no desire to work together for the benefit of Wales.
That's why Plaid Cymru continues to make clear and ambiguous demands for the full devolution of rail powers to Wales. With those powers, we could build a network that prioritises connections between north and south and between communities across Wales, a network planned to meet our needs, not the needs of somewhere else. An internal integrated rail system should not be a pipe dream for the next generation, it should be a priority for politicians of today. Thank you.
The petition clearly shows that there is lots of support across Wales for improving our railways. I guess the debate we don't really have is about the choices we need to make. Because instead of thinking about just one mode of travel, constantly focusing on rail, we need to think about multimodal, integrated transport, and it will be different in different places.
We do know about rail that it is very expensive. We all deeply regret the decision to get rid of these railway lines in the first place. It shouldn't have happened. But now it has happened, the cost of restoring them is very significant. Once the money is spent once, you can't spend it on something else, obviously. The feasibility study that the petition refers to, into the Afon Wen to Caernarfon line, and looking alongside at the outline costs of a Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line, showed that the indicative costs for restoring both of these is in the region of £2 billion. Now, that's £2 billion we don't have to spend on all the other transport priorities we have in Wales. And as the research clearly shows, the number of passengers that would be carried by these train services would be relatively few, which means that the ongoing cost is not just the £2 billion to build it, but the ongoing subsidy, the revenue cost, for running those services, which would be significant. Now, that may be a choice that the Senedd wants to make, but it needs to be clear, the Government needs to choose, that that's a choice it's making over and above something else.
As the study pointed out, you could achieve significant improvement in public transport, particularly between Bangor and Caernarfon, with a light rail option and a rapid coach service, which would cut some 90 minutes off the current north-south trip. That's a much more modest cost of something like £4.5 million to set up, and a £2 million annual running cost. It's not as romantic as a railway, it's not as nice as a railway. We all like to travel by train, but there are real trade-offs that we need to face, and I think there needs to be an air of reality in this debate. Janet Finch-Saunders's contribution was a classic of its type: it said very little and wanted to keep all options open, while sounding as if she supported all of them. When you're in Government, you can't keep that myth running—you have to pick one.
We are clear that the targets that we face as a Senedd, the commitment we have in the Wales transport strategy, to shift public transport journeys from car into public transport and active travel from 32 per cent to 45 per cent, are at the lower end of what we are going to need to achieve if we are going to meet our next lot of climate change targets. Now, those of you who are coming back to the Senedd for the next term will face another carbon budget, and it's a carbon budget much tougher than the carbon budget that we've faced up till now—the carbon budget that these targets are predicated upon. So, it's going to be harder to keep on doing what we've always done. We have to change course if we are going to meet those targets, because there's no point in us all standing here saying how terrible climate change is and having emergency questions when there's flooding in our areas if we're not going to join the dots and understand the contribution transport makes to that. So, an integrated transport approach is what we need.
One of the things I think we have the opportunity for now, from the bus Bill being passed, and from the upgrade in rail that we've seen under this Government—a huge success story under this Government: the massive investment in the metro in south-east Wales, the plans now for north Wales, and the more embryonic plans for south-west Wales—. Together, that creates a much more hefty system. And in Transport for Wales, as a guiding mind, we will now have a body that is able to make judgments about where it would be better to improve bus services or rail services, how they link them together, and how we make a coherent case for getting people easily from A to B. That's what counts. How they do it, which mode of transport, should be a secondary consideration, and that's my concern about this petition.
It starts off, a priori, with a faith-based assumption that the right answer for Wales's transport problems is opening up all the railway lines. And absolutely, as part of a transport network, the railway lines have a key role to play, particularly light rail, which is cheaper to run and is able to run faster. But it needs to be part of a package of measures, and this petition doesn't think of a package of measures, it simply talks about railway lines. And those who will echo that need to confront and answer the question of how they will also fund a better bus service, how they will also fund active travel networks, how they will reach this modal shift target. Simply putting all our eggs, all our investment, in reopening railway lines, without thinking about the other parts of the network, will not do the job that is being asked of us.
Mae'r ddeiseb yn dangos yn glir fod cryn dipyn o gefnogaeth ledled Cymru i wella ein rheilffyrdd. Mae'n debyg fod y ddadl nad ydym yn ei chael yn ymwneud â'r dewisiadau y mae angen i ni eu gwneud. Oherwydd yn hytrach na meddwl am un dull teithio'n unig, gan ganolbwyntio ar reilffyrdd o hyd, mae angen inni feddwl am drafnidiaeth aml-ddull, integredig, a bydd hynny'n wahanol mewn gwahanol leoedd.
Yr hyn a wyddom am reilffyrdd yw eu bod yn ddrud iawn. Mae pob un ohonom yn gresynu'n fawr at y penderfyniad i gael gwared ar y rheilffyrdd hyn yn y lle cyntaf. Ni ddylai hynny fod wedi digwydd. Ond gan ei fod wedi digwydd, mae cost eu hadfer yn sylweddol iawn. Pan fydd yr arian wedi'i wario unwaith, ni allwch ei wario ar rywbeth arall, yn amlwg. Dangosodd yr astudiaeth ddichonoldeb y cyfeiria'r ddeiseb ati, i'r rheilffordd o Afon Wen i Gaernarfon, ynghyd â chostau amlinellol rheilffordd o Gaerfyrddin i Aberystwyth, fod y costau dangosol ar gyfer adfer y ddwy linell reilffordd hyn oddeutu £2 biliwn. Nawr, mae hwnnw'n £2 biliwn nad oes gennym i'w wario ar yr holl flaenoriaethau trafnidiaeth eraill sydd gennym yng Nghymru. Ac fel y mae'r ymchwil yn dangos yn glir, byddai nifer y teithwyr a fyddai'n cael eu cludo gan y gwasanaethau trên hyn yn gymharol fach, sy'n golygu bod y gost barhaus yn cynnwys nid yn unig y £2 biliwn i'w hadeiladu, ond y cymhorthdal parhaus, y gost refeniw, ar gyfer rhedeg y gwasanaethau hynny, a fyddai'n sylweddol. Nawr, efallai fod hynny'n ddewis y mae'r Senedd yn dymuno ei wneud, ond mae angen iddi fod yn ymwybodol, mae angen i'r Llywodraeth wybod wrth wneud y dewis, fod hwnnw'n ddewis y mae'n ei wneud ar draul rhywbeth arall.
Fel y nododd yr astudiaeth, gallech gyflawni gwelliant sylweddol mewn trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yn enwedig rhwng Bangor a Chaernarfon, gydag opsiwn rheilffordd ysgafn a gwasanaeth trên cyflym, a fyddai'n torri oddeutu 90 munud oddi ar y daith bresennol o'r gogledd i'r de. Mae honno'n gost lawer mwy cymedrol o oddeutu £4.5 miliwn i'w sefydlu, a chost flynyddol o £2 filiwn i'w redeg. Nid yw mor rhamantus â rheilffordd, nid yw mor ddeniadol â rheilffordd. Mae pob un ohonom yn hoffi teithio ar y trên, ond mae cyfaddawdau go iawn y mae angen i ni eu hwynebu, a chredaf fod angen rhywfaint o realiti yn y ddadl hon. Roedd cyfraniad Janet Finch-Saunders yn glasur o'i fath: nid oedd yn dweud llawer ac roedd am gadw pob opsiwn ar agor, er ei bod yn swnio fel pe bai'n cefnogi pob un ohonynt. Pan fyddwch yn Llywodraeth, ni allwch gynnal y myth—rhaid ichi ddewis un.
Rydym yn deall bod y targedau a wynebwn fel Senedd, yr ymrwymiad sydd gennym yn strategaeth drafnidiaeth Cymru, i newid dulliau teithio'r cyhoedd o geir i drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus a theithio llesol o 32 y cant i 45 y cant, ar ben isaf yr hyn y bydd angen i ni ei gyflawni os ydym am gyrraedd ein cyfres nesaf o dargedau newid hinsawdd. Nawr, bydd y rhai ohonoch sy'n dod yn ôl i'r Senedd ar gyfer y tymor nesaf yn wynebu cyllideb garbon arall, ac mae'n gyllideb garbon lawer anos na'r gyllideb garbon a wynebwyd gennym hyd yma—y gyllideb garbon y mae'r targedau hyn yn seiliedig arni. Felly, bydd yn anos parhau i wneud yr hyn y buom yn ei wneud. Rhaid inni newid cyfeiriad os ydym am gyrraedd y targedau hynny, gan nad oes pwynt i bawb ohonom godi yma a dweud pa mor ofnadwy yw newid hinsawdd a chael cwestiynau brys pan fydd llifogydd yn ein hardaloedd os nad ydym am gysylltu'r dotiau a deall y cyfraniad y mae trafnidiaeth yn ei wneud i hynny. Felly, dull trafnidiaeth integredig yw'r hyn sydd ei angen arnom.
Un peth y credaf fod gennym gyfle i'w wneud nawr, yn sgil pasio'r Bil bysiau, a'r gwaith uwchraddio ar y rheilffyrdd a welsom o dan y Llywodraeth hon—llwyddiant enfawr o dan y Llywodraeth hon: y buddsoddiad enfawr ym metro'r de-ddwyrain, y cynlluniau nawr ar gyfer y gogledd, a'r cynlluniau cynnar ar gyfer y de-orllewin—. At ei gilydd, mae hynny'n creu system lawer mwy cadarn. Ac yn Trafnidiaeth Cymru, fel meddwl arweiniol, bydd gennym gorff nawr sy'n gallu gwneud penderfyniadau ynglŷn â ble fyddai'n well gwella gwasanaethau bysiau neu wasanaethau rheilffordd, sut y maent yn eu cysylltu â'i gilydd, a sut rydym yn dadlau achos cydlynol dros gludo pobl yn hawdd o A i B. Dyna sy'n cyfrif. Dylai sut y maent yn gwneud hynny, pa ddull trafnidiaeth, fod yn ystyriaeth eilaidd, a dyna fy mhryder i am y ddeiseb hon.
Mae'n dechrau gyda rhagdybiaeth sy'n seiliedig ar ffydd mai'r ateb cywir i broblemau trafnidiaeth Cymru yw ailagor yr holl linellau rheilffordd. Ac yn sicr, fel rhan o rwydwaith trafnidiaeth, mae gan y llinellau rheilffordd rôl allweddol i'w chwarae, yn enwedig rheilffyrdd ysgafn, sy'n rhatach i'w rhedeg ac sy'n gallu rhedeg yn gyflymach. Ond mae angen i hynny fod yn rhan o becyn o fesurau, ac nid yw'r ddeiseb hon yn meddwl am becyn o fesurau, mae'n sôn am linellau rheilffordd yn unig. Ac mae angen i'r rhai a fydd yn adleisio hynny wynebu ac ateb y cwestiwn sut y byddant hefyd yn ariannu gwasanaeth bysiau gwell, sut y byddant hefyd yn ariannu rhwydweithiau teithio llesol, sut y byddant yn cyrraedd y targed o ran newid dulliau teithio. Ni fydd rhoi ein holl adnoddau, ein holl fuddsoddiad, tuag at ailagor llinellau rheilffyrdd, heb feddwl am rannau eraill y rhwydwaith, yn cyflawni'r gwaith y gofynnir i ni ei gyflawni.
Mewn cyflwyniad i adroddiad gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru, fe gyhoeddwyd hyn:
'Mae gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru ddyhead i wella cludiant Gogledd-De yn y Gorllewin drwy archwilio'r potensial ar gyfer ailagor y llwybrau rheilffordd sydd ddim yn cael eu defnyddio bellach rhwng Bangor i Afon Wen ac Aberystwyth i Gaerfyrddin.'
Yn anffodus, dyhead ydy hyn, gyda fawr ddim cynnydd wedi digwydd tuag at wireddu'r dyhead, a dim arwydd bod hyn am newid yn ystod oes y Llywodraeth yma. Efallai, mewn ymateb i ymgyrchu gan Blaid Cymru o gwmpas HS2, fe fydd £0.4 biliwn yn dod i Gymru—llawer llai na'r £4 biliwn sy'n ddyledus i ni—a byddai hanner yr arian yna yn gallu symud tuag at wireddu'r freuddwyd. Mae Lee Waters newydd sôn wrthym ni am £2 biliwn. Wel, mae yna £4 biliwn yn ddyledus i ni oherwydd HS2. Beth ydyn ni'n ei gael? Dim pwynt pedwar biliwn o bunnoedd. Ac o be welaf fi, does yna ddim ceiniog o hwnnw yn dod i'r gorllewin.
Dwi'n ddiolchgar i drefnwyr y ddeiseb, a'r 12,000 o bobl ddaru arwyddo'r ddeiseb, am gadw'r mater ar yr agenda gyhoeddus, a dwi'n cytuno'n llwyr fod angen uno ein cenedl, de-gogledd, drwy ein rheilffyrdd. Fe welwyd y mymryn lleiaf o symudiad tuag at hynny wrth gyhoeddi'r—
The introduction to a report by Transport for Wales reported this:
'Transport for Wales...has an aspiration to improve the North to South transport offering in West Wales by exploring the potential for re-opening the disused rail routes between Bangor to Afon Wen and Aberystwyth to Carmarthen.'
Unfortunately, this is an aspiration, with precious little progress made towards making the aspiration a reality, and no sign that this will change during the life of this Government. Perhaps, in response to campaigning by Plaid Cymru around HS2, £0.4 billion will come to Wales—much less than the £4 billion that we are owed—and half of that funding would enable us to move towards making this aspiration a reality. Lee Waters has just told us about £2 billion. Well, £4 billion is owed to us because of HS2. What are we receiving? One point four billion pounds. And as far as I can see, not a penny of that will come to west Wales.
I'm grateful to the organisers of this petition, and the 12,000 signatories, for keeping this matter on the public agenda, and I agree entirely that we need to unite our nation, from north to south, through our railways. We saw the slightest movement towards this with the publication—
Siân, will you take an intervention? Will you take an intervention?
Siân, a wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad? A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad?
Yes.
Gwnaf.
Thank you for taking the intervention. So, I accept your point that we are underfunded and that we should be getting £4 billion if we had our proper share of rail investment. You said that, if we had that £4 billion, half of it should go towards opening these old railway lines. Then what about the project for a south Wales metro, a south-west Wales metro? How about the project to extend the south Wales metro up into other valleys? How about the project of the north-east Wales metro? On what basis are you saying we should be spending half of our rail investment on reopening old railway lines that carry relatively few passengers?
Diolch am dderbyn yr ymyriad. Felly, rwy'n derbyn eich pwynt ein bod wedi ein tanariannu ac y dylem fod yn cael £4 biliwn pe baem yn cael ein cyfran briodol o fuddsoddiad rheilffyrdd. Fe ddywedoch chi, pe bai gennym y £4 biliwn hwnnw, y dylai ei hanner fynd tuag at ailagor yr hen linellau rheilffordd hyn. Beth, felly, am brosiect metro de Cymru, metro de-orllewin Cymru? Beth am y prosiect i ymestyn metro de Cymru i gymoedd eraill? Beth am brosiect metro gogledd-ddwyrain Cymru? Ar ba sail y dywedwch y dylem fod yn gwario hanner ein buddsoddiad rheilffyrdd ar ailagor hen linellau rheilffordd sy'n cludo nifer cymharol fach o deithwyr?
Mae yna ddiffyg buddsoddi dybryd wedi bod yn ein rheilffyrdd ni ers degawdau, yn ein cludiant cyhoeddus ni. Yng Nghymru mae yna ddiffyg buddsoddi yn ein seilwaith ni wedi bod ers degawdau. Lle mae eich uchelgais chi, Lee? Beth am unioni peth o'r camau yna rŵan? Beth am ddefnyddio'r arian sy'n ddyledus o ganlyniad i HS2? A beth am gwffio am lawer iawn mwy o arian tuag at wario ar ein seilwaith yma yng Nghymru?
Fel rôn i'n dweud, fe welwyd y mymryn lleiaf o symudiad tuag at y dyhead yn cael ei fynegi wrth gyhoeddi'r astudiaeth a oedd yn canolbwyntio ar Fangor i Afon Wen, sef y darn coll o reilffordd sydd ei angen ar gyfer cau'r bwlch rhwng lein y gogledd a lein y Cambrian yn y gogledd-orllewin. Fel dŷch chi'n gwybod, daeth yr astudiaeth yn bosib drwy'r cytundeb cydweithio, ac er ein bod ni'n croesawu rhoi ffocws i'r llwybr penodol yma, roedd meini prawf yr astudiaeth yn gyfyngedig iawn. Roedd yr astudiaeth yn edrych ar fanteision defnyddio'r rheilffordd ysgafn a thechnoleg tram ar gyfer adfer y llinell a ddaeth i ben yn y 1960au.
Casgliad yr adroddiad yw y byddai defnyddio tramiau yn golygu cyfyngu ar y cyflymder teithio. Mae'r astudiaeth, felly, yn argymell astudiaethau pellach er mwyn gweld a fyddai rheilffordd drom yn well opsiwn na rheilffordd ysgafn. Dwi yn gobeithio yn fawr y gellir cael cadarnhad y bydd astudiaeth o'r fath yn cael ei chomisiynu a bod modd defnyddio cyfran fechan iawn, iawn o'r £0.4 biliwn yma ar gyfer hynny. Mae tramiau yn fwy addas ar gyfer ardaloedd trefol, ond mewn ardal wledig, fe all fod—a dwi ddim yn dweud mai dyma'r ateb—mai rheilffordd drom sy'n cynnig y manteision mwyaf.
Dwi felly yn edrych ymlaen at gyflwyniad gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar ogledd Cymru ddiwedd y mis, pan fydd cyfle i wyntyllu rhai o'r materion yma, ac efallai fod yna lygedyn o obaith fod modd cadw'r dyhead o leiaf yn fyw yn ystod tymor y Senedd yma.a
There has been a serious lack of investment in our railways for decades, in our public transport. In Wales there has been a lack of investment in our infrastructure for decades. Where is your ambition, Lee? Why don't we address some of that deficit now? Why don't we use the funding that is owed as a result of HS2? And why don't we fight for much more funding to spend on our infrastructure here in Wales?
As I said, we saw the slightest movement towards this aspiration expressed in the publication of a study that focused on Bangor to Afon Wen, which is that missing piece of railway that is needed to close the gap between the north Wales line and the Cambrian line in the north-west. As you know, the study was made possible by the co-operation agreement, and although we welcome this focus on that specific line, the study's criteria were very limited. The study looked at the benefits of deploying light rail and tram technology to restore the line that was closed in the 1960s.
The findings of the report are that using trams would limit the journey speeds. The study, therefore, recommends that further studies should be undertaken to see whether heavy rail would be a better option than light rail. I very much hope that we can have confirmation that such a study will be commissioned and that a very small proportion of that £0.4 billion can be used to that end. Trams are better suited to urban areas, but in a rural area, it may be—and I'm not saying that this is the solution—that heavy rail offers the greatest benefits.
I therefore look forward to the presentation by Transport for Wales at the cross-party group on north Wales at the end of the month, when there will be an opportunity to explore some of these issues, and perhaps there will be a glimmer of hope that we can at least keep the aspiration alive during this Senedd term.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, a diolch i drefnwyr y ddeiseb am eu gwaith. Mae Plaid Cymru yn gwbl gywir wedi tynnu sylw yn y Siambr yma, dros yr wythnosau a'r misoedd diwethaf, i'r anghyfiawnder sy'n gysylltiedig ag ariannu ein rheilffyrdd ni—neges, wrth gwrs, sydd yn anghyfforddus i Lafur ei chlywed, yn arbennig gan eu bod nhw wedi cael eu gadael i lawr dro ar ôl tro gan eu partneriaid yn Llundain.
Nawr, pe bai'n system rheilffyrdd ni'n seiliedig ar ddwysedd poblogaeth ac angen cymunedol, byddem ni eisoes wedi gweld cysylltiad mewn lle rhwng, er enghraifft, Aberystwyth a Chaerfyrddin yn ne-orllewin Cymru, gyda'r holl fanteision economaidd o ran twristiaeth, y cysylltiadau diwylliannol a mynediad at wasanaethau cyhoeddus hefyd, ac, wrth gwrs, y budd i'r amgylchedd. Ond dim dyma yw'r achos. Fel y mae pawb ohonon ni yn gwybod yn ne-orllewin Cymru, os ydych chi eisiau mynd ar reilffordd o Gaerfyrddin i Aberystwyth, mae'n rhaid i chi fynd trwy Loegr a thrwy'r Amwythig.
Thank you very much, and thank you to the organisers of the petition for their work. Plaid Cymru has quite rightly highlighted in this Chamber, over the past few weeks and months, the injustice related to rail funding—a message, of course, that is uncomfortable for Labour to hear, particularly as they have been let down time and time again by their partners in London.
Now, if our rail system was based on population density and community need, then we would have already seen a connection in place between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen in south-west Wales, with all of the economic benefits that that would bring in terms of tourism, the cultural links, and access to public services too, and, of course, the benefits to the environment. But that is not the case. As each and every one of us knows in south-west Wales, if you want to travel by rail from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth, you have to travel through England and through Shrewsbury.
The paltry £0.4 billion for Welsh railways, announced by Rachel Reeves last week, spread across a period of 10 years, was another stain—repeated again by Heidi Alexander today—on the UK Government's record on this matter. It's a fraction, as we've known for a long time, of what we're owed, and a fraction of what English regions with smaller populations are receiving. And only today we heard that the total cost of HS2 is now about £100 billion, so the money owing to Wales is closer to between £5 billion and £6 billion.
Now, what didn't receive as much attention in the press last week was where exactly this investment would go. South-east Wales will receive five new stations near Cardiff and Newport, while north-east Wales will see improved links near Wrexham. West Wales, as we have heard already from Siân, gets nothing. Never mind a project as ambitious as linking north and south Wales, the spending review was another missed opportunity to back the proposals to build the west Wales parkway railway station near Felindre, north of Swansea, which would greatly have improved connectivity in the surrounding area. The project was estimated in 2019 to cost £20 million, a far cry from the bill for the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth line. We haven't even been given the money for this, and the project continues to be stuck in the planning stage for its sixth year. So, it's the same old story: Wales gets little, west Wales gets less, and Labour are ignoring, letting down and holding back the people that I represent in south-west Wales in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. Diolch yn fawr.
Roedd y £0.4 biliwn pitw ar gyfer rheilffyrdd Cymru, a gyhoeddwyd gan Rachel Reeves yr wythnos diwethaf, wedi'i wasgaru dros gyfnod o 10 mlynedd, yn staen arall—a ailadroddwyd eto gan Heidi Alexander heddiw—ar record Llywodraeth y DU ar y mater hwn. Mae'n rhan bitw, fel y gwyddom ers tro, o'r hyn sy'n ddyledus i ni, a rhan bitw o'r hyn y mae rhanbarthau Lloegr sydd â phoblogaethau llai yn ei gael. A heddiw, clywsom fod cyfanswm cost HS2 bellach oddeutu £100 biliwn, felly mae'r arian sy'n ddyledus i Gymru yn agosach at fod rhwng £5 biliwn a £6 biliwn.
Nawr, yr hyn na chafodd gymaint o sylw yn y wasg yr wythnos diwethaf oedd ble yn union y byddai'r buddsoddiad hwn yn mynd. Bydd de-ddwyrain Cymru yn cael pum gorsaf newydd ger Caerdydd a Chasnewydd, tra bydd gogledd-ddwyrain Cymru yn cael cysylltiadau gwell ger Wrecsam. Nid yw gorllewin Cymru, fel y clywsom eisoes gan Siân, yn cael dim. Heb sôn am brosiect mor uchelgeisiol â chysylltu gogledd a de Cymru, roedd yr adolygiad o wariant yn gyfle arall a gollwyd i gefnogi'r cynigion i adeiladu gorsaf reilffordd parcffordd gorllewin Cymru ger Felindre, i'r gogledd o Abertawe, a fyddai wedi gwella cysylltedd yn yr ardal gyfagos yn sylweddol. Amcangyfrifwyd yn 2019 y byddai'r prosiect yn costio £20 miliwn, sy'n llawer llai na'r bil ar gyfer y llinell reilffordd o Gaerfyrddin i Aberystwyth. Nid ydym wedi cael yr arian ar gyfer hyn hyd yn oed, ac mae'r prosiect yn parhau i fod yn sownd yn y cyfnod cynllunio am ei chweched flwyddyn. Felly, yr un hen stori yw hi: ychydig iawn y mae Cymru'n ei gael, mae gorllewin Cymru yn cael llai fyth, ac mae Llafur yn anwybyddu, yn siomi ac yn llyffetheirio'r bobl rwy'n eu cynrychioli yn ne-orllewin Cymru yn sir Gaerfyrddin, sir Benfro a Cheredigion. Diolch yn fawr.
Galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru, Ken Skates.
I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates.
Diolch, Llywydd. I won't be playing any of the regions of Wales off against each other, not today. I'm going to respond directly to the debate, and begin by thanking Carolyn Thomas for opening this important debate on a very interesting petition. I can assure Members that this Government is committed to improving transport links in all parts of Wales, and that's why I've prioritised high-quality multimodal transport links across the country, and I am proud of the progress that we have made on delivering these changes on rail. As Lee Waters identified, we've invested over £1 billion in the core Valleys lines, the heart, of course, of the south Wales metro, and I recently launched our plans and investment programme for network north Wales, which set out our ambition for improved connectivity across the north Wales region, and, of course, we're rolling out £800 million of new trains across the whole of Wales. That will deliver an 80 per cent increase in the number of trains being used across the Wales and borders network.
And this, of course, is intrinsically linked to the work that we're undertaking to improve bus services, which are vital to improving the connectivity of our communities. Our buses count for three quarters of all public transport journeys, and they are a vital lifeline for some of our most vulnerable and isolated people across Wales. The introduction of the bus Bill aims to deliver bus franchising precisely because it can help those who most need the bus network in both urban and rural communities.
Now, I do recognise both the opportunities and also the challenges presented by the proposal in the petition. While it's attractive to imagine being able to reopen a host of closed former lines in Wales, the resource required is enormous. Heavy rail solutions require significant—.
Diolch, Lywydd. Ni fyddaf yn gosod unrhyw un o ranbarthau Cymru yn erbyn ei gilydd heddiw. Rwy'n mynd i ymateb yn uniongyrchol i'r ddadl, a dechrau drwy ddiolch i Carolyn Thomas am agor y ddadl bwysig hon ar ddeiseb ddiddorol iawn. Gallaf roi sicrwydd i'r Aelodau fod y Llywodraeth hon wedi ymrwymo i wella cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth ym mhob rhan o Gymru, a dyna pam fy mod wedi blaenoriaethu cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth aml-ddull o ansawdd uchel ledled y wlad, ac rwy'n falch o'r cynnydd a wnaethom ar gyflawni'r newidiadau hyn ar y rheilffyrdd. Fel y nododd Lee Waters, rydym wedi buddsoddi dros £1 biliwn yn llinellau craidd y Cymoedd, calon metro de Cymru wrth gwrs, ac yn ddiweddar, lansiais ein cynlluniau a'n rhaglen fuddsoddi ar gyfer rhwydwaith gogledd Cymru, a nodai ein huchelgais ar gyfer gwell cysylltedd ar draws rhanbarth y gogledd, ac wrth gwrs, rydym yn cyflwyno gwerth £800 miliwn o drenau newydd ledled Cymru. Bydd hynny'n sicrhau cynnydd o 80 y cant yn nifer y trenau sy'n cael eu defnyddio ar draws rhwydwaith Cymru a'r gororau.
Ac mae cysylltiad annatod rhwng hynny a'r gwaith a wnawn ar wella gwasanaethau bysiau, sy'n hanfodol i wella cysylltedd ein cymunedau. Mae tri chwarter yr holl deithiau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn cael eu gwneud ar fysiau, ac maent yn rhaff achub hanfodol i rai o'n pobl fwyaf agored i niwed ac ynysig ledled Cymru. Nod cyflwyno'r Bil bysiau yw masnachfreinio bysiau fel y gall helpu'r rhai sydd angen y rhwydwaith bysiau fwyaf mewn cymunedau trefol a gwledig.
Nawr, rwy'n cydnabod y cyfleoedd a'r heriau a gyflwynir gan y cynnig yn y ddeiseb. Er ei bod yn ddeniadol dychmygu gallu ailagor llawer o'r hen linellau rheilffordd yng Nghymru, mae'r adnoddau sydd eu hangen i allu gwneud hynny'n enfawr. Mae atebion rheilffyrdd trwm yn galw am lawer—.
Will you take an intervention?
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad?
Yes, of course.
Gwnaf, wrth gwrs.
First of all, you mentioned the north Wales metro, but there's nothing for Dwyfor Meirionnydd in the north Wales metro. That doesn't benefit the communities I represent. And you mentioned the new trains that are coming online, but you've cut trains on the Cambrian line, so there are no new trains for us there. But when you say it's an enormous resource and it will cost, last week, we heard Mark Drakeford, the finance Minister, say that the Government asked for money from the spending review and they got it. Why didn't you ask for money to build on the plans that have been put forward here, in order to develop the proposals for the Afonwen-Bangor and for the Aberystwyth-Carmarthen line?
Yn gyntaf oll, fe sonioch chi am fetro gogledd Cymru, ond nid oes unrhyw beth i Ddwyfor Meirionnydd ym metro gogledd Cymru. Nid yw o unrhyw fudd i'r cymunedau rwy'n eu cynrychioli. Ac fe sonioch chi am y trenau newydd sy'n dod yn weithredol, ond rydych chi wedi torri trenau ar lein y Cambrian, felly ni fydd unrhyw drenau newydd i ni yno. Ond pan ddywedwch ei fod yn adnodd enfawr ac y bydd yn costio, yr wythnos diwethaf, clywsom Mark Drakeford, y Gweinidog cyllid, yn dweud bod y Llywodraeth wedi gofyn am arian o'r adolygiad o wariant a'u bod wedi'i gael. Pam na ofynnoch chi am arian i adeiladu ar y cynlluniau a gyflwynwyd yma, er mwyn datblygu'r cynigion ar gyfer y llinell reilffordd o Afon Wen i Fangor ac ar gyfer y llinell reilffordd o Aberystwyth i Gaerfyrddin?
Dirprwy Lywydd, I'll just provide a backdrop to the comprehensive spending review. That provides spending for a three-year period. A three-year period develops and delivers some infrastructure, but, if you're looking at long-term programmes, then it's delivery money that you need, which was provided in the comprehensive spending review. Plaid Cymru, I know, recently have called for no investment to be made in cross-border rail services. It appears that Plaid Cymru would like train services to stop at the border. We've heard again, today, that train services shouldn't have to pass into England in order to get to south Wales from north Wales. It's absolute nonsense.
And I firmly believe that it's important to correct Plaid Cymru on the misinformation that they continue to spread about HS2, the consequentials and the CSR. To date, HS2 would have delivered and should have delivered around £350 million in consequentials. By the end of this financial year, it should have delivered a consequential—a Barnett consequential—in the region of £430 million. The £4 billion that Plaid Cymru continue to reference is an estimate of the original Barnett consequential that would have been derived from the entire programme being delivered. We know that the entire programme has been cut short, and today's estimate of costs I think stands at around £57 billion. Now, we don't know what the final cost will be, but that's the whole point of Barnett consequentials, that you get the consequentials on the basis of what money has been spent. We are arguing for a dedicated Wales business unit that can draw down and secure an annual sum of money for maintenance and enhancements of the network. That will deliver the sort of game-changing rail infrastructure that Members on these benches wish to see.
Now, I think Lee Waters made the case brilliantly for common sense, and also provided a reality check on the cost and also the ability to deliver on all of the major infrastructure projects that Members across this Chamber have been calling for. So, while I support in principle the commissioning of feasibility studies on the options for reopening closed lines, they have to be based on a defined need, and so any feasibility work should take into account the latest rail developments, consider both heavy and light rail options, and also, vitally, they must complement our roll-out of bus franchising to provide an integrated transport system.
Now that doesn't mean we will not consider the ask. In north, south and west Wales, our priorities are based on increased use of the core network to key transport links via rail and, of course, to make better use of the bus network in between those links. We've secured and will continue to deliver improvements to those networks to drive an increase in patronage, and, through these changes, we are already delivering that increase in use, which, of course, in turn, is securing increased revenue.
Now, there are closed lines and closed stations right across Wales, with good people in all parts of Wales campaigning for them to be reopened. In my particular area, we have the Ruabon to Llangollen line, we have the Mold to Denbigh line, we've got the Mold to Padeswood line. We've got multiple stations that people wish to reopen. But rail Minister Peter Hendy made an insightful observation at the recent network north Wales summit. He identified why people hanker after rail services over bus services, and it's because rail services are seen as permanent; they are seen as more secure. Through the bus Bill and through heavy investment in the Traws Cymru service, we'll do, through bus services, what many people have only ever believed is possible with rail. We will make them permanent, safe, reliable and secure. Diolch.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, rwyf am roi rhywfaint o gefndir i'r adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant. Mae hwnnw'n darparu gwariant ar gyfer cyfnod o dair blynedd. Mae cyfnod o dair blynedd yn datblygu ac yn darparu peth seilwaith, ond os ydych chi'n edrych ar raglenni hirdymor, arian cyflawni sydd ei angen arnoch, a ddarparwyd yn yr adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant. Gwn fod Plaid Cymru wedi galw'n ddiweddar am beidio â buddsoddi mewn gwasanaethau rheilffordd trawsffiniol. Ymddengys bod Plaid Cymru am i wasanaethau trên stopio ar y ffin. Rydym wedi clywed eto, heddiw, na ddylai gwasanaethau trên orfod mynd i Loegr er mwyn cyrraedd de Cymru o ogledd Cymru. Mae'n nonsens llwyr.
A chredaf yn gryf ei bod yn bwysig cywiro Plaid Cymru o ran y gamwybodaeth y maent yn parhau i'w lledaenu am HS2, y cyllid canlyniadol a'r adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant. Hyd yma, byddai HS2 wedi darparu a dylai fod wedi darparu oddeutu £350 miliwn mewn cyllid canlyniadol. Erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol hon, dylai fod wedi darparu cyllid canlyniadol—cyllid canlyniadol Barnett—o oddeutu £430 miliwn. Mae'r £4 biliwn y mae Plaid Cymru yn parhau i gyfeirio ato yn amcangyfrif o'r cyllid canlyniadol Barnett gwreiddiol a fyddai wedi deillio o gyflawni'r rhaglen gyfan. Gwyddom fod y rhaglen gyfan wedi'i chwtogi, a chredaf fod yr amcangyfrif o gostau heddiw oddeutu £57 biliwn. Nawr, ni wyddom beth fydd y gost derfynol, ond dyna holl bwynt cyllid canlyniadol Barnett, eich bod yn cael y cyllid canlyniadol ar sail yr arian sydd wedi'i wario. Rydym yn dadlau dros uned fusnes bwrpasol i Gymru a all sicrhau swm blynyddol o arian ar gyfer cynnal a chadw a gwneud gwelliannau i'r rhwydwaith. Bydd hynny'n cyflawni'r math o seilwaith rheilffyrdd trawsnewidiol y mae'r Aelodau ar y meinciau hyn yn dymuno'i weld.
Nawr, rwy'n credu bod Lee Waters wedi dadlau'n wych dros synnwyr cyffredin, a hefyd wedi rhoi dos o realiti o ran y gost a'r gallu i gyflawni'r holl brosiectau seilwaith mawr y mae Aelodau ar draws y Siambr hon wedi bod yn galw amdanynt. Felly, er fy mod yn cefnogi, mewn egwyddor, comisiynu astudiaethau dichonoldeb ar yr opsiynau ar gyfer ailagor hen linellau rheilffordd, mae'n rhaid iddynt fod yn seiliedig ar angen diffiniedig, ac felly dylai unrhyw waith dichonoldeb ystyried y datblygiadau rheilffyrdd diweddaraf, ystyried opsiynau rheilffyrdd trwm ac ysgafn, ac yn allweddol, rhaid iddynt ategu cyflwyno masnachfreinio bysiau i ddarparu system drafnidiaeth integredig.
Nawr, nid yw hynny'n golygu na fyddwn yn ystyried yr hyn a ofynnir. Yng ngogledd, de a gorllewin Cymru, mae ein blaenoriaethau'n seiliedig ar gynyddu'r defnydd o'r rhwydwaith craidd i gysylltiadau trafnidiaeth allweddol drwy'r rheilffyrdd, ac wrth gwrs, i wneud gwell defnydd o'r rhwydwaith bysiau rhwng y cysylltiadau hynny. Rydym wedi sicrhau a byddwn yn parhau i gyflawni gwelliannau i'r rhwydweithiau hynny er mwyn ysgogi cynnydd yn y defnydd, a thrwy'r newidiadau hyn, rydym eisoes yn cyflawni'r cynnydd hwnnw yn y defnydd, sydd, yn ei dro, yn sicrhau mwy o refeniw wrth gwrs.
Nawr, mae yna hen linellau rheilffordd a hen orsafoedd ledled Cymru, gyda phobl dda ym mhob rhan o Gymru yn ymgyrchu dros eu hailagor. Yn fy ardal i, mae gennym y llinell reilffordd o Riwabon i Langollen, mae gennym y llinell reilffordd o'r Wyddgrug i Ddinbych, mae gennym y llinell reilffordd o'r Wyddgrug i Padeswood. Mae gennym nifer o orsafoedd y mae pobl yn dymuno eu hailagor. Ond fe wnaeth y Gweinidog rheilffyrdd Peter Hendy sylw craff yn ddiweddar yn uwchgynhadledd rhwydwaith gogledd Cymru. Nododd pam fod pobl yn dyheu mwy am wasanaethau rheilffordd na gwasanaethau bysiau, a'r rheswm yw bod gwasanaethau rheilffordd yn cael eu hystyried yn rhywbeth parhaol; cânt eu hystyried yn fwy diogel. Drwy'r Bil bysiau a thrwy fuddsoddiad sylweddol yng ngwasanaeth Traws Cymru, byddwn yn gwneud, drwy wasanaethau bysiau, yr hyn y mae llawer o bobl wedi credu ei fod ond yn bosibl gyda rheilffyrdd. Byddwn yn eu gwneud yn barhaol, yn ddiogel, yn ddibynadwy ac yn saff. Diolch.
Galwaf ar Carolyn Thomas i ymateb i'r ddadl.
I call on Carolyn Thomas to reply to the debate.
I'd like to thank all the Members for their contributions today. So, Janet supported the line from Bangor to Caernarfon, thinking that would be a really good idea, and improving the A55. Peredur mentioned how the existing line crosses the border, but this would be for a wholly Welsh line, and he supported devolving our railways, along with funding.
Lee highlighted how we need to look at intermodal connective transport, not just rail, and the cost of this will be approximately £2 billion, and we need to balance cost and use along with projects in other areas as well. Siân mentioned that Transport for Wales has this as just an aspiration at the moment; she'd like to see a bit more positivity regarding it. She also talked about the HS2 funding that is owed, and this was also supported by Cefin Campbell.
But consequentials only arrive when money has been spent, as highlighted by the Cabinet Secretary. So, the Cabinet Secretary also identified investment in many multimodal projects across Wales, including the Welsh Government investment of £800 million in new carriages and trains, and many multimodal projects as well, including public bus transport. So, there are lots of great projects happening, and the aspiration of this as well is something that we could possibly keep on the table as well.
I'd like to thank Elfed ap Elwyn, and the other campaigners from Traws Link Cymru for their efforts here. Thank you so much. They're here today.
All of us here are aware that reconnecting and reopening a rail link between north and south would be an enormous undertaking. The feasibility report commissioned by the Welsh Government has made this clear, but it also points to a way that it might one day be possible. What we are learning through the various metro schemes across Wales is that rail projects take time and they need money, but they also need dreams and a vision to make them a reality—and persistence, I must say. I hope that today's debate has allowed us all to reflect on the practical barriers that there are to undoing Dr Beeching's cuts, but, more than that, to dream big dreams and share the dream of a Welsh west coast railway. Diolch yn fawr to everybody. Thank you.
Hoffwn ddiolch i'r holl Aelodau am eu cyfraniadau heddiw. Felly, cefnogodd Janet y llinell reilffordd o Fangor i Gaernarfon, gan feddwl y byddai hynny'n syniad da iawn, a gwella'r A55. Soniodd Peredur sut y mae'r llinell reilffordd bresennol yn croesi'r ffin, ond byddai hyn ar gyfer llinell reilffordd a fyddai'n gyfan gwbl yng Nghymru, a chefnogodd ddatganoli ein rheilffyrdd, ynghyd â chyllid.
Tynnodd Lee sylw at sut y mae angen inni edrych ar drafnidiaeth gysylltiol rhyngfoddol, nid rheilffyrdd yn unig, a bydd cost hyn oddeutu £2 biliwn, ac mae angen inni gydbwyso cost a defnydd ynghyd â phrosiectau mewn mannau eraill hefyd. Soniodd Siân mai dim ond dyhead yw hyn gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd; hoffai weld ychydig mwy o bositifrwydd yn ei gylch. Siaradodd hefyd am y cyllid HS2 sy'n ddyledus, a chefnogwyd hynny gan Cefin Campbell.
Ond ni ddaw cyllid canlyniadol hyd nes y bydd arian wedi'i wario, fel y pwysleisiodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Felly, nododd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet fuddsoddiad hefyd mewn llawer o brosiectau aml-ddull ledled Cymru, gan gynnwys buddsoddiad Llywodraeth Cymru o £800 miliwn mewn cerbydau a threnau newydd, a llawer o brosiectau aml-ddull yn ogystal, gan gynnwys trafnidiaeth bysiau cyhoeddus. Felly, mae llawer o brosiectau gwych yn digwydd, ac mae'r dyhead yn hyn o beth hefyd yn rhywbeth y gallem ei gadw o dan ystyriaeth.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Elfed ap Elwyn, a'r ymgyrchwyr eraill o Traws Link Cymru am eu hymdrechion yma. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Maent yma heddiw.
Mae pob un ohonom yma'n ymwybodol y byddai ailgysylltu ac ailagor cysylltiad rheilffordd rhwng y gogledd a'r de yn dasg enfawr. Mae'r adroddiad dichonoldeb a gomisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru wedi nodi hyn yn glir, ond mae hefyd yn tynnu sylw at ffordd y gallai fod yn bosibl ryw ddydd. Yr hyn a ddysgwn drwy'r cynlluniau metro amrywiol ledled Cymru yw bod prosiectau rheilffordd yn cymryd amser a bod angen arian arnynt, ond mae angen breuddwydion a gweledigaeth hefyd i'w gwireddu—a dyfalbarhad, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud. Rwy'n gobeithio bod y ddadl heddiw wedi caniatáu i bob un ohonom fyfyrio ar y rhwystrau ymarferol i ddadwneud toriadau Dr Beeching, ond yn fwy na hynny, i freuddwydio'n fawr ac i rannu'r freuddwyd o reilffordd ar arfordir gorllewinol Cymru. Diolch yn fawr i bawb.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid nodi adroddiad y pwyllgor? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Nac oes. Felly, derbynnir y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
The proposal is to note the committee's report. Does any Member object? No. The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Eitem 6 heddiw yw cynnig i atal Rheol Sefydlog 13.6 dros dro i ganiatáu cyfraniadau lluosog gan Aelodau unigol yn ystod eitem 7. Galwaf ar aelod o'r Pwyllgor Busnes i wneud y cynnig yn ffurfiol.
Item 6 this afternoon is a motion to suspend Standing Order 13.6 to allow multiple contributions from individual Members during item 7. I call on a member of the Business Committee to formally move.
Cynnig NDM8929 Elin Jones
Cynnig bod y Senedd, yn unol â Rheolau Sefydlog 33.6 a 33.8:
Yn atal Rheol Sefydlog 13.6 dros dro i ganiatáu i Aelodau gyfrannu fwy nag unwaith yn ystod y Ddadl Agored ar NDM8914 yn y Cyfarfod Llawn ddydd Mercher 18 Mehefin 2025.
Motion NDM8929 Elin Jones
To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Orders 33.6 and 33.8:
Suspends Standing Order 13.6 to allow Members to contribute on more than one occasion during the Open Debate on NDM8914 in Plenary on Wednesday 18 June 2025.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Yn ffurfiol.
Formally.
Diolch. A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Nac oes. Felly, derbynnir y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Thank you. Does any Member object? No. The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Eitem 7, dadl agored: diwylliant a'r celfyddydau—braf i'w cael neu'n allweddol i ddyfodol Cymru? Galwaf ar Heledd Fychan i agor y ddadl.
We move, therefore, to item 7, the open debate: arts and culture—nice to have or integral to the future of Wales? I call on Heledd Fychan to open the debate.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Y pwnc dan sylw heddiw ydy diwylliant a’r celfyddydau, a’r cwestiwn mawr ydy: ydyn nhw’n braf i’w cael neu ydyn nhw’n allweddol i ddyfodol Cymru? Mi fyddaf i’n cyflwyno’r ddadl eu bod nhw’n gyfan gwbl allweddol, a’u bod nhw’n ganolog, nid yn unig i’n hunaniaeth ni fel cenedl, ond hefyd i ddatrys rhai o’r heriau mwyaf rydym ni’n eu hwynebu, o iechyd i fynd i’r afael â thlodi, o addysg i’n heconomi. Mae torri’r cyllid yn hytrach na buddsoddi yn y sectorau hyn, heb sôn am beidio â dangos unrhyw uchelgais tuag atyn nhw, wedi bod yn gam gwag gan Lywodraeth Cymru dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, gan adael diwylliant Cymru mewn sefyllfa o argyfwng.
Heddiw, dwi’n edrych ymlaen at glywed y cyfraniadau eraill i’r ddadl, a dwi yn gobeithio mai penllanw hyn bydd cydnabyddiaeth gan bob plaid sydd wedi ei chynrychioli yma o bwysigrwydd buddsoddi yn y sectorau hyn a’r angen i wneud mwy, nid yn unig i’w diogelu, ond i gefnogi eu cyfraniad ehangach. Mae pob darn o waith ymchwil yn y maes hwn yn cadarnhau effaith gadarnhaol diwylliant, a dyna pam dwi'n methu dirnad bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi colli ei ffordd yn llwyr o ran y meysydd hyn. Oherwydd dydy’r celfyddydau ddim yn bodoli mewn seilo, maen nhw’n rhan annatod o gymaint o feysydd polisi gwahanol, gan wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol o ran gallu unigolyn i gyfrannu i gymdeithas. Mae o hefyd yn gwneud synnwyr economaidd, gydag amryw astudiaethau yn dangos am bob £1 sy’n cael ei gwario yn y meysydd hyn, mae o leiaf £4 yn cael ei chynhyrchu nôl i’r economi. Yn wir, yn 2023-24, trosiant y diwydiant celfyddydol a diwylliannol yng Nghymru oedd £1.64 biliwn, ac mae hyn er gwaethaf y tanfuddsoddi a’r diffyg cefnogaeth gan y Llywodraeth. Mi allwn ni wneud gymaint mwy.
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. The topic before us today is arts and culture, and the big question is: are they nice to have or are they integral to the future of Wales? I will be making the case that they are absolutely integral, that they are central, not only to our identity as a nation but to solving some of the greatest challenges that we face, from health to tackling poverty, from education to our economy. Slashing funding rather than investing in these sectors, never mind showing any sense of ambition for them, has been a misstep by the Welsh Government over the last few years, leaving Welsh culture in a situation of crisis.
Today, I look forward to hearing other contributions to this debate, and I very much hope that this will culminate in an acknowledgement by all parties represented here of the importance of investing in these sectors and the need to do more not only to safeguard them, but to support the wider contribution that they make. Every piece of research in this area has confirmed the positive impact of culture, which is why I cannot fathom why the Welsh Government has so utterly lost its way in respect of these areas. Because the arts do not exist in a silo, they are an integral part of so many different policy areas, making a genuine difference in terms of an individual's ability to contribute to society. It also makes economic sense, with various studies showing that, for every £1 spent in these sectors, £4, at least, is generated for the economy. Indeed, in 2023-24, the turnover of the arts and culture industry in Wales was £1.64 billion, and this is despite the underinvestment and lack of support from the Government. We can do so much more.
A recent press release from the Government included a quote from our First Minister claiming that the Government truly values the importance of arts and culture. The quote also mentioned—and this is a direct quote—
'a massive 8.5% increase in day to day funding, reflecting the special place the arts hold in the hearts of people across Wales'.
The same quote also stated that £8 million-worth of capital funding will be
'transformational for arts organisations in enabling them to continue to entertain people across Wales'.
So, everything’s great, right? Nothing to see here. I’d like to take a minute or two to outline why there are so many flaws in just this one press release. Firstly, there is no mention of the importance of arts and culture to Government, nor its impact across portfolios. Yes, the arts do entertain people across Wales, but they do so much more than that. Secondly, of course this year’s increase is welcome, and the capital funding is much needed, but it is a drop in the ocean of what’s needed across the portfolio when you consider that Amgueddfa Cymru alone has circa £100 million-worth of capital maintenance programme backlog across all national museum sites. Also, it doesn’t even bring budgets back to what was being spent on arts and culture at the beginning of this Senedd term, nor reflect how much these sectors were decimated in the 2024-25 budgets, leading to hundreds of job cuts. In fact, the massive uplift equates to a real-terms increase of about 1 per cent between 2023-24 and 2025-26, with revenue funding for all relevant bodies, including Amgueddfa Cymru and the National Library of Wales, remaining at 2023-24 cash levels. This is a real-terms cut of around 2 per cent since 2023-24, and a 17 per cent decline over the last decade. At the same time, over the past decade, as culture is not a statutory service, local authority funding for culture and related services has fallen by 40 per cent. So, the Government can spin all it likes, but the facts speak for themselves, with Wales ranking second from bottom in Europe for per-person spending on cultural services, and third from bottom for sport.
Roedd datganiad i'r wasg yn ddiweddar gan y Llywodraeth yn cynnwys dyfyniad gan ein Prif Weinidog yn honni bod y Llywodraeth o ddifrif yn gwerthfawrogi pwysigrwydd y celfyddydau a diwylliant. Nododd y dyfyniad hefyd—ac mae hwn yn ddyfyniad uniongyrchol—am y cynnydd o 8.5 y cant,
'cynnydd enfawr sy'n adlewyrchu'r lle arbennig sydd gan y celfyddydau yng nghalonnau pobl ledled Cymru.'
Nododd yr un dyfyniad hefyd y bydd cyllid cyfalaf gwerth £8 miliwn
'yn drawsnewidiol i sefydliadau celfyddydol i'w galluogi i barhau i ddiddanu pobl ledled Cymru.'
Felly, mae popeth yn wych, onid yw? Dim byd i'w weld yma. Hoffwn roi munud neu ddau i amlinellu pam fod cymaint o wallau yn yr un datganiad i'r wasg hwn. Yn gyntaf, nid oes unrhyw sôn am bwysigrwydd y celfyddydau a diwylliant i'r Llywodraeth, na'i effaith ar draws portffolios. Mae'n wir fod y celfyddydau'n diddanu pobl ledled Cymru, ond maent yn gwneud cymaint mwy na hynny. Yn ail, wrth gwrs fod y cynnydd eleni i'w groesawu, ac mae gwir angen y cyllid cyfalaf, ond diferyn bach yn y môr ydyw o gymharu â'r hyn sydd ei angen ar draws y portffolio pan ystyriwch fod gan Amgueddfa Cymru yn unig ôl-groniad o oddeutu £100 miliwn yn ei rhaglen gyfalaf cynnal a chadw ar draws pob un o safleoedd yr amgueddfa genedlaethol. Hefyd, nid yw hyd yn oed yn dod â chyllidebau yn ôl i'r hyn yr arferid ei wario ar y celfyddydau a diwylliant ar ddechrau tymor y Senedd hon, nac yn adlewyrchu maint y dinistr i'r sectorau hyn yng nghyllidebau 2024-25, gan arwain at golli cannoedd o swyddi. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'r cynnydd enfawr yn cyfateb i gynnydd o oddeutu 1 y cant mewn termau real rhwng 2023-24 a 2025-26, gyda chyllid refeniw ar gyfer pob corff perthnasol, gan gynnwys Amgueddfa Cymru a Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, yn aros ar lefelau arian parod 2023-24. Mae hwn yn doriad mewn termau real o oddeutu 2 y cant ers 2023-24, a gostyngiad o 17 y cant dros y degawd diwethaf. Ar yr un pryd, dros y degawd diwethaf, gan nad yw diwylliant yn wasanaeth statudol, mae cyllid awdurdodau lleol ar gyfer diwylliant a gwasanaethau cysylltiedig wedi gostwng 40 y cant. Felly, gall y Llywodraeth roi cymaint o sbin ag y mynnant ar hyn, mae'r ffeithiau'n siarad drostynt eu hunain, gyda Chymru'n olaf ond un yn Ewrop o ran gwariant y pen ar wasanaethau diwylliannol, ac yn olaf ond dau o ran chwaraeon.
So, why does this matter? Well, participation in culture, the arts and sports are not nice-to-haves, but essential to who we are and to the very fabric of our communities. They are how we tell our stories, how we express our values, how we express ourselves and how we connect with each other. They are everything that make life worth living, and yet, increasingly, they have come to be regarded as luxuries that can no longer be afforded by those who hold the purse strings.
How did we get to the point of thinking it was acceptable to ask people in a public consultation if they wanted a music service or a museum, or did they want their bins emptied; if people wanted a library or for their elderly relatives to receive care? Or, as we heard during a debate last year, having a previous culture Minister who was happier making the case for cutting funding to the arts so that more could be invested in our NHS, rather than advocating about the power of the arts when it comes to health, and how arts programmes and social prescribing can actually save the NHS money, as demonstrated by some truly brilliant arts and health programmes across Wales. Investing in one should not mean not investing in the other. They are interconnected and all are essential. And by embedding those connections, the money available to spend can be spent more effectively and impactfully.
Personally, I subscribe to the Raymond Williams school of thought that culture is ordinary, not something elitist or exclusionary. In fact, the right to culture, to access, create, participate in and enjoy culture, is a human right—something that has got lost somewhere along the way. And given the deep divisions we are now seeing in society, perhaps we should take a moment to consider whether cuts to culture and the arts may be a contributing factor. After all, culture is essential in fostering social cohesion, which, in turn, fosters diversity and equity while reducing inequalities. As UNESCO states,
'This is why guaranteeing the right to culture is an ethical, social, and economic imperative.'
Adam Johannes, a well-known activist and campaigner on a number of issues, including the arts, recently reminded me in a Facebook post of a campaign that we were both involved in a few years ago, campaigning against the cuts to culture in Cardiff, and specifically the words of local playwright Greg Cullen at the time, in which he reminded Cardiff councillors of how public subsidy of the arts in post-war Britain was a vital part of the vision behind the welfare state.
This was driven by the UK Government’s first ever Minister for the Arts, Jennie Lee, with her groundbreaking White Paper, published 60 years ago to this year, insisting that the arts should be central to everyday life and publicly supported for the benefit of all. She also played a leading role in affirming the view that the arts should be publicly supported because they are a public good, and understood the role of the arts in tackling inequality.
Her White Paper committed the Government to make progress on four objectives. Firstly, financial help for artists, particularly in the early years before they become established; secondly, a great increase in local and regional activity while maintaining the development of national institutions; thirdly, that the Government appreciate the need to sustain and strengthen all that is best in the arts, and that the best must be made more widely available; and fourthly, that there is need for more systematic planning and a better co-ordination of resources. Sixty years on, all four objectives remain as relevant today as they were then, and they are far more ambitious than what’s outlined in the Welsh Government’s recently published 'Priorities for Culture'.
Because what we’ve seen here in Wales is a Labour Government who seem happy to oversee a decline in the number of pupils taking drama and music at school, and the arts becoming as they were in the past—only truly accessible to the few, rather than all of us. Content to oversee libraries, museums and even concert halls lying empty or permanently closing; that we have no official national theatre in the English language; that our internationally acclaimed national opera company faces an uncertain future; or that the only junior conservatoire in Wales is no more. Should we not be up in arms about all of this?
Felly, pam y mae hyn yn bwysig? Wel, nid pethau braf i'w cael yw cyfranogiad mewn diwylliant, y celfyddydau a chwaraeon, ond pethau sy'n hanfodol i bwy ydym ni ac i wead ein cymunedau. Dyma sut yr adroddwn ein straeon, sut y mynegwn ein gwerthoedd, sut y mynegwn ein hunain a sut y cysylltwn â'n gilydd. Maent yn bopeth sy'n gwneud bywyd yn werth ei fyw, ac eto, yn gynyddol, maent wedi dod i gael eu hystyried fel moethusrwydd na ellir ei fforddio mwyach gan y rhai sy'n dal llinynnau'r pwrs.
Sut y gwnaethom gyrraedd pwynt lle credwn ei bod yn dderbyniol gofyn i bobl mewn ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus a oeddent eisiau gwasanaeth cerddoriaeth neu amgueddfa, neu a oeddent eisiau i'w biniau gael eu gwagio; a oedd pobl eisiau llyfrgell, neu i'w perthnasau oedrannus gael gofal? Neu gael Gweinidog diwylliant blaenorol, fel y clywsom yn ystod dadl y llynedd, a oedd yn hapusach yn dadlau dros dorri cyllid i'r celfyddydau fel y gellid buddsoddi mwy yn ein GIG, yn hytrach na dadlau o blaid pŵer y celfyddydau mewn perthynas ag iechyd, a sut y gall rhaglenni celfyddydol a phresgripsiynu cymdeithasol arbed arian i'r GIG mewn gwirionedd, fel y dangoswyd gan raglenni celfyddydau ac iechyd gwirioneddol wych ledled Cymru. Ni ddylai buddsoddi yn un olygu peidio â buddsoddi yn y llall. Maent yn rhyng-gysylltiedig ac mae pob un yn hanfodol. A thrwy sefydlu'r cysylltiadau hynny, gellir gwario'r arian sydd ar gael yn fwy effeithiol.
Yn bersonol, rwy'n cefnogi ysgol o feddwl Raymond Williams fod diwylliant yn rhywbeth cyffredin, nid yn elitaidd neu'n eithriadol. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'r hawl i ddiwylliant, i fynediad, creu, cymryd rhan a mwynhau diwylliant, yn hawl ddynol—rhywbeth sydd wedi mynd ar goll yn rhywle ar hyd y ffordd. Ac o ystyried y rhaniadau dwfn a welwn nawr mewn cymdeithas, efallai y dylem roi eiliad i ystyried tybed a yw toriadau i ddiwylliant a'r celfyddydau yn ffactor sy'n cyfrannu at hynny. Wedi'r cyfan, mae diwylliant yn hanfodol i feithrin cydlyniant cymdeithasol sydd yn ei dro yn meithrin amrywiaeth a thegwch gan leihau anghydraddoldebau. Fel y dywed UNESCO,
'Dyma pam y mae gwarantu'r hawl i ddiwylliant yn hanfodol yn foesegol, yn gymdeithasol ac yn economaidd.'
Yn ddiweddar, fe wnaeth Adam Johannes, ymgyrchydd adnabyddus ar nifer o faterion, gan gynnwys y celfyddydau, fy atgoffa mewn postiad ar Facebook am ymgyrch yr oedd y ddau ohonom yn rhan ohoni ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl yn erbyn y toriadau i ddiwylliant yng Nghaerdydd, ac yn benodol, geiriau'r dramodydd lleol Greg Cullen ar y pryd, pan atgoffodd gynghorwyr Caerdydd fod cymorthdaliadau cyhoeddus i'r celfyddydau ym Mhrydain ar ôl y rhyfel yn rhan hanfodol o'r weledigaeth y tu ôl i'r wladwriaeth les.
Cafodd hyn ei yrru gan Weinidog y Celfyddydau cyntaf erioed Llywodraeth y DU, Jennie Lee, gyda'i Phapur Gwyn arloesol, a gyhoeddwyd 60 mlynedd yn ôl i eleni, yn mynnu y dylai'r celfyddydau fod yn ganolog i fywyd bob dydd a chael eu cefnogi'n gyhoeddus er budd pawb. Chwaraeodd ran flaenllaw hefyd yn cadarnhau'r farn y dylid cefnogi'r celfyddydau yn gyhoeddus oherwydd eu bod yn fudd cyhoeddus, a deallai rôl y celfyddydau wrth fynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldeb.
Ymrwymodd ei Phapur Gwyn y Llywodraeth i wneud cynnydd ar bedwar amcan. Yn gyntaf, cymorth ariannol i artistiaid, yn enwedig yn y blynyddoedd cynnar cyn iddynt ymsefydlu; yn ail, cynnydd mawr mewn gweithgarwch lleol a rhanbarthol gan gynnal datblygiad sefydliadau cenedlaethol ar yr un pryd; yn drydydd, y dylai'r Llywodraeth ddeall yr angen i gynnal a chryfhau'r pethau gorau yn y celfyddydau, ac y dylid sicrhau bod y gorau ar gael yn fwy eang; ac yn bedwerydd, fod angen cynllunio mwy systematig a chydlynu adnoddau'n well. Chwe deg mlynedd yn ddiweddarach, mae'r pedwar amcan yn parhau i fod yr un mor berthnasol heddiw ag yr oeddent bryd hynny, ac maent yn llawer mwy uchelgeisiol na'r hyn a amlinellir yn 'Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer Diwylliant' Llywodraeth Cymru a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar.
Oherwydd yr hyn a welsom yma yng Nghymru yw Llywodraeth Lafur sydd i'w gweld yn hapus i oruchwylio gostyngiad yn nifer y disgyblion sy'n astudio drama a cherddoriaeth yn yr ysgol, a'r celfyddydau'n dod i fod fel roeddent yn y gorffennol— ddim ond yn wirioneddol hygyrch i'r ychydig yn hytrach nag i bob un ohonom. Yn fodlon goruchwylio dros lyfrgelloedd, amgueddfeydd a hyd yn oed neuaddau cyngerdd gwag neu wedi'u cau'n barhaol; nad oes gennym theatr genedlaethol swyddogol yn yr iaith Saesneg; fod ein cwmni opera cenedlaethol o fri rhyngwladol yn wynebu dyfodol ansicr; neu nad yw'r unig conservatoire iau yng Nghymru yn bodoli mwyach. Oni ddylem fod yn gandryll ynglŷn â hyn i gyd?
Dwi'n flin, dwi’n drist, a dwi wedi syrffedu clywed gymaint o wleidyddion yn ceisio cyfiawnhau'r toriadau neu'n ceisio esgus nad ydy’r toriadau mor wael ag y mae’r ystadegau yn ei ddangos. Digon yw digon. Mae’n rhaid i ni heddiw gydnabod difrifoldeb y sefyllfa, a chydnabod bod diwylliant mewn argyfwng. Os ydyn ni eisiau i Gymru ffynnu, os ydyn ni eisiau’r gorau i bobl Cymru, yna mae’n rhaid i ni ailfeddwl safle diwylliant a’r celfyddydau o fewn y Llywodraeth, ac o ran sut ydyn ni’n eu hariannu. Dwi’n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at weddill y cyfraniadau, a diolch ymlaen llaw i bawb fydd yn cymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon.
I’m angry, I'm saddened, and I'm fed up of hearing so many politicians trying to justify the cuts or trying to pretend that the cuts aren't as bad as the statistics show. Enough is enough. Today, we must recognise the gravity of the situation, and the fact that culture is in crisis. If we want Wales to prosper, and if we want the best for the people of Wales, then we must rethink the position of culture and the arts within the Government, and also how we fund them. I look forward very much to hearing the remaining contributions, and I thank you all in advance for taking part in this debate.
It's a pleasure to speak today in this debate on whether arts and culture are luxuries or a necessity. And this shouldn't even be a question we have to pose, and I'll say it plainly: culture isn't a luxury. It is not an extra to be indulged in in times of prosperity; it is fundamental to who we are. It is how we tell our story, cultivate our humanity and shape our future.
Yet for too long that story has been distorted, not only through a funding regime that treats the arts and culture sector as dispensable, but through a political culture that claims ownership of Welsh culture and sets out a remit to the sector that encourages the frivolous waste of taxpayers' money. Meanwhile, the core pillars of our arts and culture sectors, such as our national theatres, museums and opera, are hollowed out and crumbling.
We also have an arts and culture sector entirely reliant on public money, with no attempts by the Welsh Government to cultivate a culture of philanthropy. As a Conservative and a proud Welshman and Briton, defending our shared cultural inheritance and ensuring it passes on to the next generation is paramount. The Minister for culture may continue to deny there is a funding crisis, but this denial doesn't bring solutions to the Welsh National Opera, who are struggling to pay the bills. It doesn't preserve the collections in our museums. The Arts Council of Wales have made it clear that this situation is critical, and the culture committee's report, ‘A decade of cuts’, tells the story in brutal terms. Spending on culture in Wales per head is one of the lowest in Europe, where they invest in the sector not for prestige, but because they understand that culture builds confidence, identity and long-term prosperity.
The national museum in Cardiff needs more than £25 million for essential repairs, yet they only received a small uplift for emergency repairs as a sticking-plaster solution, which Amgueddfa Cymru describe themselves as not going far enough. I dread to think what state our museums will be in in another decade without a dramatic increase in funding.
Although the allocation for culture spending has increased, the increase is small and has been wiped out by the national insurance rise from the UK Labour Government. And yet, even with limited funds, the money allocated is often misdirected. The Welsh Government's remit letter, the formal document sent to arm's-length bodies like the arts council and Amgueddfa Cymru, instructs them to waste money on frivolous ideological schemes rather than investing in pillars of our culture. That remit should be a framework for delivering excellence and giving the sector the freedom to ensure creative expression. Instead, it has become a wish list—[Interruption.] I’ll just finish my sentence. A wish list of ideological jargon, instructing cultural bodies to meet vague social and environmental targets, rather than supporting their core purpose and nurturing the preservation of Welsh culture. Lee.
Mae'n bleser siarad heddiw yn y ddadl hon sy'n holi a yw'r celfyddydau a diwylliant yn foethusrwydd neu'n anghenraid. Ac ni ddylai fod yn gwestiwn y mae'n rhaid inni ei ofyn, ac rwy'n ei ddweud yn glir: nid moethusrwydd yw diwylliant. Nid ychwanegiad i'w fwynhau ar adegau o ffyniant; mae'n sylfaenol i bwy ydym ni. Dyma sut rydym yn adrodd ein stori, yn meithrin ein dynoliaeth ac yn siapio ein dyfodol.
Ond ers gormod o amser mae'r stori honno wedi ei hystumio, nid yn unig drwy gyfundrefn ariannu sy'n trin y sector celfyddydau a diwylliant fel un nad oes raid ei chael, ond trwy ddiwylliant gwleidyddol sy'n hawlio perchnogaeth ar ddiwylliant Cymru ac yn gosod cylch gwaith i'r sector sy'n annog gwastraffu arian trethdalwyr. Yn y cyfamser, mae pileri craidd ein sectorau celfyddydau a diwylliant, fel ein theatrau cenedlaethol, amgueddfeydd ac opera, yn cael eu diberfeddu a'u chwalu.
Mae gennym hefyd sector celfyddydau a diwylliant sy'n gwbl ddibynnol ar arian cyhoeddus, heb unrhyw ymdrech gan Lywodraeth Cymru i feithrin diwylliant o ddyngarwch. Fel Ceidwadwr a Chymro a Phrydeiniwr balch, mae diogelu ein hetifeddiaeth ddiwylliannol gyffredin a sicrhau ei bod yn cael ei throsglwyddo i'r genhedlaeth nesaf yn hollbwysig. Efallai y bydd y Gweinidog diwylliant yn parhau i wadu bod yna argyfwng cyllido, ond nid yw'r gwadu'n dod ag atebion i Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, sy'n cael trafferth talu'r biliau. Nid yw'n cadw'r casgliadau yn ein hamgueddfeydd. Mae Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru wedi dweud yn glir fod y sefyllfa'n ddifrifol, ac mae adroddiad y pwyllgor diwylliant, 'Degawd o doriadau', yn adrodd y stori'n ddi-flewyn-ar-dafod. Mae gwariant ar ddiwylliant yng Nghymru y pen ymhlith yr isaf yn Ewrop, lle maent yn buddsoddi yn y sector nid er bri, ond oherwydd eu bod yn deall bod diwylliant yn adeiladu hyder, hunaniaeth a ffyniant hirdymor.
Mae angen mwy na £25 miliwn ar yr amgueddfa genedlaethol yng Nghaerdydd ar gyfer atgyweiriadau hanfodol, ond dim ond cyfraniad bach a gawsant ar gyfer atgyweiriadau brys fel ateb dros dro, y mae Amgueddfa Cymru eu hunain yn ei ddisgrifio fel cam nad yw'n mynd yn ddigon pell. Rwy'n ofni meddwl beth fydd cyflwr ein hamgueddfeydd mewn degawd arall heb gynnydd dramatig yn y cyllid.
Er bod dyraniad y gwariant ar ddiwylliant wedi cynyddu, mae'r cynnydd yn fach ac wedi ei ddileu gan y cynnydd i yswiriant gwladol gan Lywodraeth Lafur y DU. Ac eto, hyd yn oed gydag arian cyfyngedig, mae'r arian a ddyrennir yn aml yn cael ei gamgyfeirio. Mae llythyr cylch gwaith Llywodraeth Cymru, y ddogfen ffurfiol a anfonir at gyrff hyd braich fel cyngor y celfyddydau ac Amgueddfa Cymru, yn eu cyfarwyddo i wastraffu arian ar gynlluniau ideolegol disylwedd yn hytrach na buddsoddi ym mhileri ein diwylliant. Dylai'r cylch gwaith hwnnw fod yn fframwaith ar gyfer cyflawni rhagoriaeth a rhoi rhyddid i'r sector sicrhau mynegiant creadigol. Yn lle hynny, mae wedi dod yn rhestr ddymuniadau—[Torri ar draws.] Rwy'n mynd i orffen fy mrawddeg. Yn rhestr ddymuniadau o jargon ideolegol, sy'n cyfarwyddo cyrff diwylliannol i gyrraedd targedau cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol amwys, yn hytrach na chefnogi eu pwrpas craidd a meithrin cadwraeth diwylliant Cymru. Lee.
Thank you. I'm interested in the examples you have of what you think is frivolous. You've just given us one there of environmental objectives as being frivolous. Given that we have multiple challenges as a community, including the environment, why can we only tackle one problem with one intervention? Why can't we tackle multiple problems?
Diolch. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb yn yr enghreifftiau sydd gennych o'r hyn y credwch chi sy'n ddisylwedd. Rydych chi newydd roi un i ni yno o amcanion amgylcheddol fel rhywbeth disylwedd. O ystyried ein bod yn wynebu heriau lluosog fel cymuned, gan gynnwys yr amgylchedd, pam y dylem fynd i'r afael ag un broblem gydag un ymyriad yn unig? Pam na allwn fynd i'r afael â phroblemau lluosog?
Fortunately, it's something I've raised before, and the fact that given the problems that the culture sector faces, why are we injecting frivolous money to be spent on those projects when we have a culture crisis? Bodies like Amgueddfa Cymru don't have the money to do repairs to their buildings, so how could they tackle environmental problems? I'm using that as one example, where they can't get the infrastructure right. Myself and Darren Millar visited Llandygai recently, where we went to the National Slate Museum. So, there are good things going on. There was investment in those buildings, but a lot of the buildings have old infrastructure, and if they're there to fulfil environmental targets, as instructed by the Welsh Government, then that's going to be a tall order, and comes at a lot more money than what's being injected by the Welsh Government, who are making those demands on those services.
But, continuing, I'd say the result is money is siphoned away from the cornerstones of our cultural life, our museums, our heritage sites, our orchestras, our language, and redirected towards radical initiatives that score political points but do little to enrich the nation. Welsh National Opera, once the pride of our creative exports, now faces existential threats. Our museums are quite literally falling apart, whilst they also plough money into decolonisation. We should remember too that Britain has an unmatched contribution to cultural preservation through our museums, which stood as guardians of the world's treasures, resurrecting narratives forgotten by time, and reflecting Britain's unique sense of responsibility to chronicle not just its own story, but the tapestry of human civilisation itself. That sense of responsibility and intellectual curiosity on which we led the way is dying here in Wales, due to a Government that prioritised dissertations on Welsh cakes, rather than preserving our heritage for the benefit of the next generation.
Yn ffodus, mae'n rhywbeth a godais o'r blaen, ac o ystyried y problemau y mae'r sector diwylliant yn eu hwynebu, pam ein bod ni'n chwistrellu arian gwirion i'w wario ar y prosiectau hynny pan fo gennym argyfwng diwylliant? Nid oes gan gyrff fel Amgueddfa Cymru arian i wneud gwaith atgyweirio i'w hadeiladau, felly sut y gallent fynd i'r afael â phroblemau amgylcheddol? Rwy'n defnyddio hynny fel un enghraifft, lle na allant gael y seilwaith yn iawn. Ymwelais i a Darren Millar â Llandygai yn ddiweddar, lle aethom i'r Amgueddfa Lechi Genedlaethol. Felly, mae pethau da yn digwydd. Roedd yna fuddsoddiad yn yr adeiladau hynny, ond mae gan lawer o'r adeiladau hen seilwaith, ac os ydynt yno i gyflawni targedau amgylcheddol, fel y cânt gyfarwyddyd i'w wneud gan Lywodraeth Cymru, mae hynny'n mynd i fod yn anodd i'w gyflawni, ac yn costio llawer mwy o arian na'r hyn sy'n cael ei chwistrellu i mewn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, sy'n mynnu hynny gan y gwasanaethau.
Ond os caf barhau, byddwn yn dweud mai'r canlyniad yw bod arian yn cael ei gyfeirio i ffwrdd o gonglfeini ein bywyd diwylliannol, ein hamgueddfeydd, ein safleoedd treftadaeth, ein cerddorfeydd, ein hiaith, ac yn cael ei ailgyfeirio tuag at fentrau radical sy'n sgorio pwyntiau gwleidyddol ond sy'n gwneud fawr ddim i gyfoethogi'r genedl. Mae Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, a oedd ar un adeg yn destun balchder ein hallforion creadigol, bellach yn wynebu bygythiadau i'w bodolaeth. Mae ein hamgueddfeydd yn llythrennol yn disgyn yn ddarnau, tra maent hefyd yn pwmpio arian i mewn i ddad-drefedigaethu. Dylem gofio hefyd fod Prydain wedi cyfrannu mewn modd digyffelyb i gadwraeth ddiwylliannol trwy ein hamgueddfeydd, a oedd yn warcheidwaid trysorau'r byd, yn atgyfodi naratifau a anghofiwyd dros amser, ac yn adlewyrchu ymdeimlad unigryw Prydain o gyfrifoldeb i groniclo nid yn unig ei stori ei hun, ond tapestri gwareiddiad dynol ei hun. Mae'r ymdeimlad hwnnw o gyfrifoldeb a chwilfrydedd deallusol y gwnaethom arwain arno yn marw yma yng Nghymru, oherwydd Llywodraeth a roddai flaenoriaeth i draethodau ar gacennau cri, yn hytrach na gwarchod ein treftadaeth er budd y genhedlaeth nesaf.
Would you take an intervention?
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad?
Sure, yes.
Gwnaf, wrth gwrs.
Do you agree with and support the principle of arm's length, which organisations such as the national museum are governed by, and also appreciate that they are governed by a code of ethics, so that they are bound by this code of ethics in order to achieve accreditation? Surely, you're not suggesting that we should have a say in how these cultural organisations fulfil their remit, which is in the remit letter—those are guidance only. Surely, we should support that arm's-length principle, and that they abide by a code of ethics, because what you're suggesting is that they would break that code of ethics completely and lose accreditation. That's the actual logical conclusion of your argument.
A ydych chi'n cytuno ac yn cefnogi'r egwyddor o hyd braich, sy'n llywodraethu sefydliadau fel yr amgueddfa genedlaethol, ac yn derbyn eu bod yn cael eu llywodraethu gan god moeseg, a'u wedi'u rhwymo gan y cod moeseg hwnnw er mwyn sicrhau achrediad? Does bosibl eich bod yn awgrymu y dylem gael llais yn y ffordd y mae'r sefydliadau diwylliannol hyn yn cyflawni eu cylch gwaith, sydd yn y llythyr cylch gwaith—canllawiau yn unig yw'r rheini. Does bosibl na ddylem gefnogi'r egwyddor hyd braich honno, a'u bod yn glynu wrth god moeseg, oherwydd yr hyn rydych chi'n ei awgrymu yw eu bod yn torri'r cod moeseg hwnnw'n llwyr ac yn colli achrediad. Dyna ben draw rhesymegol eich dadl.
No, I think it's quite the opposite, actually. I think you've interpreted it the wrong way.
Na, mae'n hollol i'r gwrthwyneb mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n credu eich bod wedi ei ddehongli yn y ffordd anghywir.
I was chair of the ethics committee for the UK.
Roeddwn yn gadeirydd y pwyllgor moeseg ar gyfer y DU.
I say that creation and having the freedom to do those things actually breeds creativity, if you're given that autonomy to do so. They're creative people in creative industries and if they're being governed to the point of—. You know, saying 'arm's-length bodies', but that only goes so far as arm's-length bodies. The funding comes but it comes with caveats as well, which are also things like the accreditation, which you're saying. We're saying: give them the funding, but then also the freedom and the autonomy to do those things.
The arm's-length bodies in the arts and culture sector must be refocused, with many of them straying far from their original mission. I've been vocal in criticising the approach of these bodies, especially their disregard for classical music and the opera sector, areas in which Wales has traditionally excelled.
We must also cultivate a culture of philanthropy here at home. That doesn't mean American-style commercialisation; it means encouraging private individuals and businesses to see Welsh arts as a cause worth investing in, and we should be looking for that investment. They have deeper pockets in London, but with large amounts of private donations given to arts and cultural institutions. Here, they are almost entirely reliant on public money, and that just isn't sustainable. I'd be keen to hear from the Minister what he is doing to cultivate a culture of philanthropy.
We must also open our doors to international collaborations for the arts, to embrace platforms like Netflix and Amazon, who are hungry for authentic stories. Wales has those stories in abundance. What we lack is the infrastructure to deliver them consistently on the world stage.
Culture is not something we consume; it's something we live. Our arts and culture sector must be accessible to all, and that's reflected in the Arts Council of Wales strategy 2024-34. Welsh culture must not be politicised and our cultural institutions regarded as elite or out of step with the younger generation. They have to be given the funding and freedom to evolve to ensure their survival.
The Welsh National Opera are doing fantastic work to ensure their productions appeal and reflect to younger people, but as I've stated already, they are having to make vast cuts due to their lack of funding. The closure of National Theatre Wales was also a huge blow, but Michael Sheen's plans for a new theatre of Wales, a bold, people-powered idea that speaks in the language of community, is exciting, and it's the kind of ambition we should celebrate across all parties and something for the Welsh Government to build on.
What I'd like to see the Welsh Government build on is a properly funded arts and culture sector where spending is in line with European nations, following the recommendations of the Senedd's culture committee; a future where our museums don't apologise for our past but interpret it with pride, context and complexity; a culture sector that unites not divides; a remit set for the sector by the Welsh Government that ensures spending on the cornerstones of cultural life and not silly side missions that cause money to be wasted on the bizarre ideological interests of the modern left; a culture and arts sector that is accessible to everyone in Wales, particularly the young, to actively participate in; and a culture of philanthropy to attract private donations so we can rival the money available to the sector in England—
Rwy'n dweud bod creu a chael rhyddid i wneud y pethau hynny yn magu creadigrwydd, os ydych chi'n cael yr ymreolaeth i wneud hynny. Maent yn bobl greadigol mewn diwydiannau creadigol ac os ydynt yn cael eu llywodraethu i'r pwynt—. Wyddoch chi, rydych chi'n dweud 'cyrff hyd braich', ond nid yw hynny ond yn mynd mor bell â chyrff hyd braich. Mae'r cyllid yn dod ond mae cafeatau ynghlwm wrtho hefyd, sy'n bethau fel yr achrediad, sef yr hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud. Rydym ni'n dweud: rhowch y cyllid iddynt, ond hefyd rhowch y rhyddid a'r ymreolaeth i wneud y pethau hynny.
Rhaid ailffocysu'r cyrff hyd braich yn y sector celfyddydau a diwylliant, gyda llawer ohonynt yn gwyro ymhell o'u cenhadaeth wreiddiol. Rwyf wedi beirniadu ymagwedd y cyrff hyn yn hallt, yn enwedig y ffordd y maent yn diystyru'r sector cerddoriaeth glasurol ac opera, meysydd lle mae Cymru wedi rhagori'n draddodiadol.
Mae'n rhaid inni hefyd feithrin diwylliant o ddyngarwch yma gartref. Nid yw hynny'n golygu masnacheiddio yn y ffordd Americanaidd; mae'n golygu annog unigolion preifat a busnesau i weld celfyddydau Cymru fel achos sy'n werth buddsoddi ynddo, a dylem fod yn edrych am y buddsoddiad hwnnw. Mae ganddynt bocedi dyfnach yn Llundain, ond gyda symiau mawr o roddion preifat yn cael eu rhoi i sefydliadau celfyddydol a diwylliannol. Yma, maent bron yn gyfan gwbl ddibynnol ar arian cyhoeddus, ac nid yw hynny'n gynaliadwy. Rwy'n awyddus i glywed gan y Gweinidog beth y mae'n ei wneud i feithrin diwylliant o ddyngarwch.
Mae'n rhaid inni hefyd agor ein drysau i gydweithredu rhyngwladol ar gyfer y celfyddydau, agor ein breichiau i lwyfannau fel Netflix ac Amazon, sy'n llwglyd am straeon unigryw. Mae gan Gymru ddigonedd o'r straeon hynny. Yr hyn nad oes gennym yw'r seilwaith i'w darparu'n gyson ar lwyfan y byd.
Nid rhywbeth i ni ei dreulio yw diwylliant, ond rhywbeth rydym yn ei fyw. Rhaid i'n sector celfyddydau a diwylliant fod yn hygyrch i bawb, ac mae hynny'n cael ei adlewyrchu yn strategaeth Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru 2024-34. Ni ddylid gwleidyddoli diwylliant Cymru a gwneud i'n sefydliadau diwylliannol gael eu hystyried yn elitaidd neu'n amherthnasol i'r genhedlaeth iau. Rhaid iddynt gael cyllid a rhyddid i esblygu i sicrhau eu goroesiad.
Mae Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru yn gwneud gwaith gwych i sicrhau bod eu cynyrchiadau'n apelio ac yn berthnasol i bobl ifanc, ond fel y nodais eisoes, maent yn gorfod gwneud toriadau enfawr oherwydd eu diffyg cyllid. Roedd cau National Theatre Wales hefyd yn ergyd enfawr, ond mae cynlluniau Michael Sheen ar gyfer theatr Cymru newydd, syniad beiddgar, wedi ei bweru gan bobl sy'n siarad yn iaith y gymuned, yn gyffrous, a dyna'r math o uchelgais y dylem ei ddathlu ar draws pob plaid a rhywbeth i Lywodraeth Cymru adeiladu arno.
Yr hyn yr hoffwn weld Llywodraeth Cymru yn adeiladu arno yw sector celfyddydau a diwylliant a ariennir yn briodol lle mae'r gwariant yn debyg i'r hyn a geir yng ngwledydd Ewrop, yn dilyn argymhellion pwyllgor diwylliant y Senedd; dyfodol lle nad yw ein hamgueddfeydd yn ymddiheuro am ein gorffennol ond yn ei ddehongli gyda balchder, cyd-destun a chymhlethdod; sector diwylliant sy'n uno, nid yn rhannu; cylch gwaith a osodir ar gyfer y sector gan Lywodraeth Cymru sy'n sicrhau gwariant ar gonglfeini bywyd diwylliannol ac nid ar genadaethau ymylol gwirion sy'n achosi i arian gael ei wastraffu ar fuddiannau ideolegol hurt y chwith fodern; sector diwylliant a'r celfyddydau sy'n hygyrch i bawb yng Nghymru, yn enwedig yr ifanc, gymryd rhan weithredol ynddo; a diwylliant o ddyngarwch i ddenu rhoddion preifat fel y gallwn gystadlu â'r arian sydd ar gael i'r sector yn Lloegr—
Gareth, I've given you the additional time for interventions.
Gareth, rwyf wedi rhoi'r amser ychwanegol i chi ar gyfer ymyriadau.
I'm concluding now, Deputy Llywydd. That is what the Welsh Conservatives will offer: arts and culture no longer an afterthought, no longer treated as a luxury, but treated as the foundation to the future of Wales. Diolch yn fawr.
Rwy'n dod i ben nawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Dyna fydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn ei gynnig: nid ôl-ystyriaeth yw'r celfyddydau a diwylliant mwyach, ni chânt eu trin fel moethusrwydd, ond fel sylfaen i ddyfodol Cymru. Diolch yn fawr.
I'm very pleased to say that, in Newport, our arts and cultural sector is very much seen, and is, integral to the future of the city. It's a big part of what makes the city vibrant and special. And this is reflected in Newport City Council's recent cultural strategy, which sets out the way forward for that sector in Newport. It's estimated that some 5,500 jobs and £330 million of gross value added is brought to Newport by the cultural sector and creative industries, which I'm pleased to say are thriving.
We have over 40 cultural venues, and footfall in the city centre is greatly aided by a series of events throughout the year, such as the Newport Music Trail, the food festival and the soon-to-happen Big Splash. And, of course, that cultural activity and sector in Newport is absolutely crucial to the identity of the city. We are multicultural, and that variety and richness is reflected in our arts and cultural scene. We do take pride in that diversity. We have a shared feeling of connection and pride around that richness and that multicultural scene.
Newport Cultural Hub is a collaborative space for 21 minority ethnic communities, promoting cultural exchange and inclusivity. We have the Riverfront theatre and arts centre, which is a centrepiece of activity and local pride. There are many performances there by Ballet Cymru, which again is an absolute exemplar when it comes to local activity in Newport, and they also have their own purpose-built base, which has allowed them to flourish and develop.
In terms of education and skills, cultural initiatives and projects provide vital learning opportunities for our young people, especially in underserved areas. Organisations like Urban Circle have been very impressive in providing those opportunities in the more deprived areas of Newport, and opening up new pathways to employment as well as providing confidence and communication and team-working skills.
Newport City Council's cultural strategy emphasises the importance of developing a career pipeline for young people, providing training and career opportunities in the creative sector. This, alongside networking events and start-up support offered by the Newport Creative Industries Cluster Hub, will help cultivate the next generation of creative professionals and emerging talent.
And, of course, the arts are also important for health and well-being benefits, including mental health; so there are accessible cultural programmes in Newport that have helped reduce isolation and improve quality of life—as seen, for example, by local groups such as Age Alive.
Dirprwy Lywydd, Newport's creative scene amplifies Welsh stories, history and language in innovative ways, drawing on the diversity and vibrancy of our communities. Our cultural scene is so highly regarded that the city has been chosen to host Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2027, and also to host UK Pride in September 2026. I do believe that these huge events choosing Newport as their home for those years signifies a profound recognition of the city's cultural vitality and its commitment to inclusivity and heritage. And both of those events will be vital for contributing to the national cultural narrative and 'Cymraeg 2050' goals.
I'm very proud to just give an outline of what's happening and is set to happen in Newport as part of this debate, Dirprwy Lywydd. I do think it shows the city in a very positive light indeed.
Rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud bod ein sector celfyddydol a diwylliannol yng Nghasnewydd yn weladwy iawn, ac yn rhan annatod o ddyfodol y ddinas. Mae'n rhan fawr o'r hyn sy'n gwneud y ddinas yn fywiog ac yn arbennig. Ac fe gaiff hyn ei adlewyrchu yn strategaeth ddiwylliannol ddiweddar Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd, sy'n nodi'r ffordd ymlaen i'r sector yng Nghasnewydd. Amcangyfrifir bod y sector diwylliant a diwydiannau creadigol yn dod ag oddeutu 5,500 o swyddi a £330 miliwn o werth ychwanegol gros i Gasnewydd, ac rwy'n falch o ddweud eu bod yn ffynnu.
Mae gennym dros 40 o leoliadau diwylliannol, ac mae cyfres o ddigwyddiadau drwy gydol y flwyddyn yn cynorthwyo'n fawr i chwyddo nifer yr ymwelwyr yng nghanol y ddinas, megis Llwybr Cerddoriaeth Casnewydd, yr ŵyl fwyd a'r Big Splash a gynhelir cyn bo hir. Ac wrth gwrs, mae'r gweithgarwch diwylliannol a'r sector hwnnw yng Nghasnewydd yn hollbwysig i hunaniaeth y ddinas. Rydym yn amlddiwylliannol, ac mae'r amrywiaeth a'r cyfoeth yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn ein sîn gelfyddydol a diwylliannol. Rydym yn ymfalchïo yn yr amrywiaeth honno. Mae gennym ymdeimlad cyffredin o gysylltiad a balchder ynghylch y cyfoeth hwnnw a'r sîn amlddiwylliannol honno.
Mae Canolfan Ddiwylliannol Casnewydd yn ofod cydweithredol ar gyfer 21 o gymunedau ethnig lleiafrifol sy'n hyrwyddo ymwneud a chynhwysiant diwylliannol. Mae gennym theatr a chanolfan gelfyddydau Glan yr Afon, sy'n ganolbwynt i weithgarwch a balchder lleol. Ceir llawer o berfformiadau yno gan Ballet Cymru, sydd unwaith eto yn esiampl wych o weithgarwch lleol yng Nghasnewydd, ac mae ganddynt eu canolfan bwrpasol eu hunain hefyd sydd wedi caniatáu iddynt ffynnu a datblygu.
Ar addysg a sgiliau, mae mentrau a phrosiectau diwylliannol yn darparu cyfleoedd dysgu hanfodol i'n pobl ifanc, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd na chânt eu gwasanaethu'n ddigonol. Mae sefydliadau fel Urban Circle wedi mynd ati'n effeithiol iawn i ddarparu'r cyfleoedd hynny yn ardaloedd mwy difreintiedig Casnewydd, ac yn agor llwybrau newydd i gyflogaeth yn ogystal â darparu hyder a sgiliau cyfathrebu a gweithio mewn tîm.
Mae strategaeth ddiwylliannol Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd yn pwysleisio pwysigrwydd datblygu llwybr gyrfa i bobl ifanc, gan ddarparu cyfleoedd hyfforddi a gyrfa yn y sector creadigol. Bydd hyn, ochr yn ochr â digwyddiadau rhwydweithio a chefnogaeth i fusnesau newydd a gynigir gan Hyb Clwstwr Diwydiannau Creadigol Casnewydd, yn helpu i feithrin y genhedlaeth nesaf o weithwyr proffesiynol creadigol a thalent newydd.
Ac wrth gwrs, mae'r celfyddydau hefyd yn bwysig er budd iechyd a lles, gan gynnwys iechyd meddwl; felly fe geir rhaglenni diwylliannol hygyrch yng Nghasnewydd sydd wedi helpu i leihau unigrwydd a gwella ansawdd bywyd—fel y gwelwyd, er enghraifft, gan grwpiau lleol fel Age Alive.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae sîn greadigol Casnewydd yn rhoi amlygrwydd i straeon, hanes ac iaith Cymru mewn ffyrdd arloesol, gan dynnu ar amrywiaeth a bywiogrwydd ein cymunedau. Mae ein sîn ddiwylliannol mor uchel ei pharch fel bod y ddinas wedi cael ei dewis i gynnal Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2027, a hefyd i gynnal Pride UK ym mis Medi 2026. Rwy'n credu bod y ffaith bod y digwyddiadau enfawr hyn yn dewis Casnewydd fel cartref ar gyfer y blynyddoedd hynny'n arwydd o gydnabyddiaeth ddofn i egni diwylliannol y ddinas a'i hymrwymiad i gynhwysiant a threftadaeth. A bydd y ddau ddigwyddiad yn allweddol ar gyfer cyfrannu at y naratif diwylliannol cenedlaethol a nodau 'Cymraeg 2050'.
Rwy'n falch iawn o roi amlinelliad yn unig o'r hyn sy'n digwydd ac yn mynd i ddigwydd yng Nghasnewydd yn rhan o'r ddadl hon, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n credu ei fod yn dangos y ddinas mewn golau cadarnhaol iawn.
It's a well-established truth that, for a minority people, without the anchorage of a nation state, culture becomes the vessel through which identity, dignity and memory are sustained. As the Welsh writer and critic Raymond Williams reminded us, 'culture is ordinary.' But, as he also noted, in Wales, that ordinary is also extraordinary, a quiet act of defiance against the tides of political marginalisation and linguistic erasure.
Official histories are, as has been widely observed, written by the victors. The lived experiences of minority nations like Wales, on the other hand, can lie unrecorded. Outside the archive, as Derrida puts it. Beyond the empirical gaze of the historian, a dying culture leaves no archive.
Processes such as linguistic loss or secularisation are rarely recorded. It is to the cultural record that we must turn to measure their effects. In this context, culture is not decoration, it is survival. It is, as the late African writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o argued, not just a matter of heritage, but of how a people perceive themselves and their place in the universe.
Writing about the colonial repression of African languages, Ngũgĩ argued that language and culture are not peripheral to national life, they are its core. How people perceive themselves affects how they look at their culture, at their politics and at the social production of wealth. At their entire relationship to nature and to other beings.
The same holds true in Wales. Without the flourishing of cultural activity—primarily in Welsh, but increasingly from the late nineteenth century onward in English too—there might not be a Senedd. No Welsh Parliament today.
Professor Jane Aaron has charted how Welsh women writers, long before devolution, used fiction and poetry to write Wales into being. Creating cultural spaces that prefigured political ones. We must recognise, then, that culture is not an optional extra for a small post-colonial nation, it is the foundation upon which everything else is built. This is why now, more than ever, we in Wales must foster the arts. Not as a luxury, but as an essential act of nation building; of preserving dignity, of claiming our rightful voice in the world.
Culture is also the crucible that allows others to join us, bringing, when not vilified or marginalised, their own national, ethnic, immigrant and refugee voices into that hybrid Cymreictod, which it is our political duty to foster. One powerful example of this ongoing cultural nation building can be seen in the work of Pontardawe Arts Centre, which stands as a living embodiment of the principles I've outlined. Far from being a peripheral amenity, it is the beating heart of the town and surrounding area, sustained not only by institutional support but by the committed energy of the local community.
The Friends of Pontardawe Arts Centre, founded in 2017 in response to a threat to the centre's future due to local authority spending cuts, has since become a vital force for advocacy and partnership. Their efforts led to the creation of a new community cinema and a sustained programme of cultural investment. And I must declare an interest, Dirprwy Lywydd, that I'm a member of the Friends of Pontardawe Arts Centre.
But the centre's significance is more than infrastructural, it's transformational. CATS, the Class Act Theatre School, runs every Saturday for over 150 students aged six to 19. Its alumni now perform at the national theatre, the Globe and the west end, and some, like Fran Goodridge and Sioned and Sara Dafydd, have gone on to shape Welsh culture at the highest levels, from the national theatre to the Sherman Theatre, to BBC Wales and S4C.
And yet the real value, as one trustee puts it, lies in the transferable skills—confidence, communication, aspiration—that drama and the skills it fosters offer. Former students have gone on to careers in law, education, and journalism. So, culture here is not a pastime, it's a passport to wider opportunity.
The impact also takes visual form. A recent mural project in the underpass between Pontardawe and the supermarket, entitled 'Pontardawe: Past, Present and Future', engaged local schools and community groups in a vibrant act of collective storytelling. With modest grants, the mural transformed a dark space into a celebration of local identity. It's precisely this kind of grass-roots artistic intervention—small in budget, but enormous in meaning—that reminds us culture is not abstract, it is lived, seen, and shared.
The statistics speak for themselves: over 14,000 people attended 500 user group sessions last year alone in Pontardawe Arts Centre; 92 performances drew in more than 18,000 audience members. From hip-hop dance to ballet, from Welsh language theatre to community health classes, Pontardawe Arts Centre transcends demographic and geographic boundaries. It is where culture meets well-being, education and community resilience.
And yet the threats remain. Across administrations, budget strategies often reduce the arts to a cost centre, a candidate for cuts, not investment. But this mindset ignores the wider value to both society and our very nationhood. The arts are not a drain, they're a driver.
Mae'n wirionedd sefydledig, i bobl leiafrifol, heb angor cenedl-wladwriaeth, fod diwylliant yn dod yn gyfrwng ar gyfer cynnal hunaniaeth, urddas a chof. Fel y cawsom ein hatgoffa gan yr awdur a'r beirniad llenyddol o Gymru Raymond Williams, 'mae diwylliant yn gyffredin.' Ond fel y nododd hefyd, yng Nghymru, mae cyffredin hefyd yn anghyffredin, yn weithred dawel o herio llanw ymylu gwleidyddol a dilead ieithyddol.
Fel y nodwyd yn eang, y gorchfygwyr sy'n ysgrifennu'r hanes swyddogol. Gall profiadau bywyd cenhedloedd lleiafrifol fel Cymru, ar y llaw arall, fod heb eu cofnodi. Y tu allan i'r archif, fel y dywed Derrida. Y tu hwnt i olwg empirig yr hanesydd, nid yw diwylliant sy'n marw yn gadael unrhyw archif.
Anaml y cofnodir prosesau fel colli iaith neu seciwlareiddio. Rhaid inni droi at y cofnod diwylliannol i fesur eu heffeithiau. Yn y cyd-destun hwn, nid addurn yw diwylliant, ond goroesiad. Fel y dadleuodd y diweddar awdur Affricanaidd Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, nid mater o dreftadaeth yn unig mohono, ond y ffordd y mae pobl yn gweld eu hunain a'u lle yn y bydysawd.
Wrth ysgrifennu am ormes drefedigaethol ar ieithoedd Affricanaidd, dadleuodd Ngũgĩ nad pethau ymylol i fywyd cenedlaethol yw iaith a diwylliant, ond craidd. Mae sut y mae pobl yn gweld eu hunain yn effeithio ar sut y maent yn edrych ar eu diwylliant, ar eu gwleidyddiaeth ac ar gynhyrchiant cyfoeth cymdeithasol. Ar eu holl berthynas â natur a bodau eraill.
Mae'r un peth yn wir yng Nghymru. Heb ffyniant gweithgarwch diwylliannol—yn bennaf yn Gymraeg, ond yn gynyddol o ddiwedd y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg ymlaen yn Saesneg hefyd—efallai na fyddai gennym Senedd. Dim Senedd Cymru heddiw.
Mae'r Athro Jane Aaron wedi mapio'r ffordd roedd awduron benywaidd o Gymru, ymhell cyn datganoli, yn defnyddio ffuglen a barddoniaeth i ysgrifennu Cymru i fodolaeth. Creu gofodau diwylliannol a ragflaenai rai gwleidyddol. Rhaid inni gydnabod, felly, nad ychwanegiad dewisol yw diwylliant i genedl ôl-drefedigaethol fach, ond sylfaen yr adeiladir popeth arall arni. Dyma pam, nawr yn fwy nag erioed, y mae'n rhaid i ni yng Nghymru feithrin y celfyddydau. Nid fel moethusrwydd, ond fel gweithred hanfodol i adeiladu cenedl; i gadw urddas, i hawlio ein llais cyfreithlon yn y byd.
Diwylliant hefyd yw'r crochan sy'n caniatáu i eraill ymuno â ni, gan ddod â'u lleisiau cenedlaethol, ethnig, mewnfudol a ffoadurol eu hunain, pan na chânt eu difrïo neu eu gwthio i'r cyrion, i'r Cymreictod hybrid y mae'n ddyletswydd wleidyddol arnom i'w feithrin. Mae un enghraifft bwerus o'r adeiladu cenedl diwylliannol parhaus hwn i'w gweld yng ngwaith Canolfan Gelfyddydau Pontardawe, sy'n ymgorfforiad byw o'r egwyddorion a amlinellais. Ymhell o fod yn gyfleuster ymylol, mae'n galon y dref a'r ardal gyfagos, wedi'i gynnal nid yn unig gan gefnogaeth sefydliadol ond gan egni ymroddedig y gymuned leol.
Mae Cyfeillion Canolfan Gelfyddydau Pontardawe, a sefydlwyd yn 2017 mewn ymateb i fygythiad i ddyfodol y ganolfan oherwydd toriadau awdurdodau lleol i wariant, wedi dod yn rym hanfodol o blaid eiriolaeth a phartneriaeth. Arweiniodd eu hymdrechion at greu sinema gymunedol newydd a rhaglen barhaus o fuddsoddiad diwylliannol. Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddatgan diddordeb, Ddirprwy Lywydd, fy mod yn aelod o Gyfeillion Canolfan Gelfyddydau Pontardawe.
Ond mae a wnelo arwyddocâd y ganolfan â mwy na seilwaith, mae'n drawsnewidiol. Cynhelir Ysgol Theatr Class Act bob dydd Sadwrn ar gyfer dros 150 o fyfyrwyr chwech i 19 oed. Mae ei chyn-fyfyrwyr bellach yn perfformio yn y theatr genedlaethol, y Globe a'r West End, ac mae rhai, fel Fran Goodridge a Sioned a Sara Dafydd, wedi mynd ymlaen i siapio diwylliant Cymru ar y lefelau uchaf, o'r theatr genedlaethol i Theatr y Sherman, i BBC Cymru ac S4C.
Ac eto mae'r gwir werth, fel y dywedodd un ymddiriedolwr, yn y sgiliau trosglwyddadwy—hyder, cyfathrebu, dyhead—y mae drama a'r sgiliau y mae'n eu meithrin yn eu cynnig. Mae cyn-fyfyrwyr wedi mynd ymlaen i yrfaoedd yn y gyfraith, addysg a newyddiaduraeth. Felly, nid gweithgaredd hamdden yw diwylliant yma, mae'n basbort i gyfle ehangach.
Mae'r effaith yn weladwy hefyd. Roedd prosiect murlun diweddar yn y danffordd rhwng Pontardawe a'r archfarchnad, o'r enw 'Pontardawe: Gorffennol, Presennol a Dyfodol', yn ymwneud ag ysgolion lleol a grwpiau cymunedol yn cymryd rhan mewn gweithred fywiog o adrodd straeon ar y cyd. Gyda grantiau digon cymedrol, trawsnewidiodd y murlun ofod tywyll yn ddathliad o hunaniaeth leol. Dyna'r union fath o ymyrraeth artistig ar lawr gwlad—bach o ran cyllideb, ond enfawr o ran ei ystyr—sy'n ein hatgoffa nad haniaeth yw diwylliant, caiff ei fyw, ei weld a'i rannu.
Mae'r ystadegau yn siarad drostynt eu hunain: mynychodd dros 14,000 o bobl 500 o sesiynau grŵp defnyddwyr y llynedd yn unig yng Nghanolfan y Celfyddydau Pontardawe; denodd 92 o berfformiadau gynulleidfaoedd o fwy na 18,000 o bobl. O ddawns hip-hop i bale, o theatr Gymraeg i ddosbarthiadau iechyd cymunedol, mae Canolfan y Celfyddydau Pontardawe yn mynd y tu hwnt i ffiniau demograffig a daearyddol. Dyma ble mae diwylliant yn plethu â llesiant, addysg a gwydnwch cymunedol.
Ac eto mae'r bygythiadau'n parhau. Ar draws y gweinyddiaethau, mae strategaethau cyllidebol yn aml yn lleihau'r celfyddydau'n eitem gost, yn rhywbeth i'w ystyried ar gyfer toriadau, nid buddsoddiad. Ond mae'r meddylfryd hwn yn anwybyddu'r gwerth ehangach i gymdeithas a'n cenedl. Nid draen yw'r celfyddydau, ond sbardun.
A ddylai darpariaeth celfyddydau fod yn statudol? Dwi'n meddwl bod angen trafodaeth ar y cwestiwn hwnnw, a byddai'n dda clywed barn pobl eraill ar hynny y prynhawn yma. Byddwn i'n dweud, fan lleiaf, bod yn rhaid i ni gydnabod bod canolfannau celfyddydau fel yr un ym Mhontardawe yn gwneud y gwaith tawel, hanfodol sy'n cynnal ein cymunedau, yn codi dyheadau, ac yn meithrin hyder cenedl.
Ym Mhontardawe, rŷn ni wedi gweld sut mae'r celfyddydau a diwylliant yn rym trawsnewidiol, yn arf i rymuso, sy'n agor drysau i urddas a chyfranogiad mewn stori genedlaethol. Mewn llawer o'n cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig, mae'r rhwystrau i fynediad at ddiwylliant a'r celfyddydau yn real: cost tocyn, cost trafnidiaeth, diffyg hyder. Ond mae canolfannau celfyddydau lleol fel ym Mhontardawe, ac eraill, wrth gwrs, ledled Cymru, yn chwalu'r rhwystrau hynny. Maen nhw'n dod â diwylliant dwyieithog i stepen drws pawb, yn llythrennol.
Rŷn ni'n gwybod bod dod i gysylltiad cynnar â'r celfyddydau yn newid bywydau, yn meithrin hyder, yn gwella llythrennedd, ac yn codi dyheadau, yn enwedig i blant nad ydynt efallai'n gweld eu hunain yn cael eu hadlewyrchu mewn naratifau addysg neu gyflogaeth prif ffrwd. Mewn cymunedau sy'n wynebu tlodi, caledi a thensiynau cymdeithasol, gall cyfranogiad yn y celfyddydau leihau unigedd, cyfrannu at les corfforol a meddyliol, a meithrin ymdeimlad o berthyn. Mae gweithgaredd diwylliannol hefyd yn adfywio cymunedau yn economaidd, yn cefnogi busnesau bach ac yn creu cyflogaeth a llewyrch.
Should arts provision be placed on a statutory footing? I think we need a discussion on that very question, and it would be good to hear other people's views on this matter this afternoon. I would say, at the very least, that we must recognise that our arts centres, like that in Pontardawe, do that crucial, unheralded work that sustains our communities, that raises aspirations, and that fosters a nation's confidence.
In Pontardawe, we have seen how the arts and culture are a transformative force. They're a tool to empower, to open doors to dignity and participation in a national story. In many of our most deprived communities, the barriers to access culture and the arts are real: ticket costs, transport costs, a lack of confidence. But local arts centres like Pontardawe, and others, of course, across Wales, demolish those barriers. They bring bilingual culture to the doorstep, literally.
We know that coming into contact with the arts early on changes lives. It boosts confidence, improves literacy and raises aspirations, particularly for children who do not, perhaps, see themselves being reflected in mainstream educational or employment narratives. In communities facing poverty, hardship and social pressures and tensions, participation in the arts can reduce isolation, contribute to physical and mental well-being, and nurture a sense of belonging. Cultural activity also regenerates communities economically, supports small businesses and creates employment and prosperity.
So, perhaps most powerfully of all, the arts gives our nation and our people a voice. In a nation where levels of poverty and lack of political power too often means silence, where decisions are made about us, not by us, the arts offer a platform for self-expression, self-representation and truth telling. So, we must stop treating the arts and culture as the icing on the cake. They are in fact the yeast.
Felly, yn fwyaf pwerus efallai, mae'r celfyddydau'n rhoi llais i'n cenedl a'n pobl. Mewn cenedl lle mae lefelau tlodi a diffyg pŵer gwleidyddol yn rhy aml yn golygu tawelwch, lle mae penderfyniadau'n cael eu gwneud amdanom ni, nid gennym ni, mae'r celfyddydau'n cynnig llwyfan ar gyfer hunan-fynegiant, hunan-gynrychiolaeth ac adrodd y gwir. Felly, mae'n rhaid inni roi'r gorau i drin y celfyddydau a diwylliant fel eisin ar y gacen. Hwy yw'r burum.
Y burum yn y blawd.
The yeast in the flour.
Sioned, you must finish now.
Sioned, rhaid i chi orffen nawr.
I am finishing. They raise communities, they nourish confidence, they create nationhood. We should never forget that, and our policies should reflect that. Diolch.
Rwy'n gorffen. Maent yn codi cymunedau, maent yn meithrin hyder, maent yn creu cenedligrwydd. Ni ddylem byth anghofio hynny, a dylai ein polisïau adlewyrchu hynny. Diolch.
Y Gweinidog Diwylliant, Sgiliau a Phartneriaeth Gymdeithasol, Jack Sargeant.
The Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i'r Aelodau sydd wedi cyfrannu yn ystod y ddadl mor belled ac i'r Aelodau fydd yn fy nilyn.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to thank the Members who have contributed to this debate and the Members who will follow.
Llywydd, arts and culture are an integral part of our society and of our nation's well-being and its future. A month ago I published the 'Priorities for Culture', and they have been backed by a significant funding package of £15 million that have been welcomed by the sector. Since I was appointed Minister, I have stressed that every person in Wales should have the right to access, to create, to participate in, and to see themselves reflected in the cultural and sporting activity of our nation. And as many of you will know, I'm particularly interested in supporting access to culture for the underprivileged and for the working class. I have consistently sought to highlight examples of where the sector and our additional funding have made a difference, rising above sneers that question if a former apprentice from Connah’s Quay is even cultured enough to understand. And Llywydd, I know that people who share these views forfeit the right to talk about taking culture to every part of Wales.
As I have said before, I believe we need to provide cultural experiences for all children and young people, and break down barriers to access. And a conversation that has always stuck with me is the one that I had with a headteacher of a high school in a working-class community. He told me how many of the children had not visited a local museum that was just only a matter of miles from the school. And we haven't yet, in this open debate, Llywydd, heard from an opposition Member the mention of the additional funding designed to take these very children to the history on their doorstep, funding to support school travel to local museums, and funding to establish a programme of activity in libraries, creating opportunities for children to engage with authors and engage with story-tellers.
Presiding Officer, our budget this year includes an additional £9.6 million revenue and an additional £18.4 million capital funding for arts, culture, creative industries, heritage and sport. And this builds on significant additional funding we provided last year, which included an additional £5 million revenue to our national cultural bodies and Cadw, to support jobs and organisational resilience, and £3.2 million additional capital funding for repairs to the National Museum Cardiff and the National Library of Wales.
Lywydd, mae'r celfyddydau a diwylliant yn rhan annatod o'n cymdeithas ac o lesiant ein cenedl a'i dyfodol. Fis yn ôl cyhoeddais y 'Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer Diwylliant', ac maent wedi cael eu cefnogi gan becyn cyllido sylweddol gwerth £15 miliwn sydd wedi cael ei groesawu gan y sector. Ers i mi gael fy mhenodi'n Weinidog, rwyf wedi pwysleisio y dylai pob unigolyn yng Nghymru gael hawl i fwynhau, i greu, i gymryd rhan, ac i weld eu hunain yn cael eu hadlewyrchu yng ngweithgarwch diwylliannol a chwaraeon ein cenedl. Ac fel y bydd llawer ohonoch yn gwybod, mae gennyf ddiddordeb arbennig mewn cefnogi mynediad at ddiwylliant i'r difreintiedig ac i'r dosbarth gweithiol. Rwyf wedi ceisio tynnu sylw at enghreifftiau o ble mae'r sector a'n cyllid ychwanegol wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth, gan godi uwchlaw'r geiriau o wawd sy'n cwestiynu a yw cyn-brentis o Gei Connah yn ddigon diwylliedig i allu deall. A Lywydd, rwy'n gwybod bod pobl sy'n rhannu'r safbwyntiau hyn yn colli'r hawl i siarad am fynd â diwylliant i bob rhan o Gymru.
Fel y dywedais o'r blaen, rwy'n credu bod angen inni ddarparu profiadau diwylliannol i bob plentyn a pherson ifanc, a chwalu rhwystrau i fynediad. A sgwrs sydd bob amser wedi aros gyda mi yw'r un a gefais gyda phennaeth ysgol uwchradd mewn cymuned ddosbarth gweithiol. Dywedodd wrthyf faint o'r plant nad oedd wedi ymweld ag amgueddfa leol a oedd ond ychydig filltiroedd o'r ysgol. Ac nid ydym eto, yn y ddadl agored hon, Lywydd, wedi clywed sôn gan Aelod o'r wrthblaid am y cyllid ychwanegol a gynlluniwyd i fynd â'r plant hyn at yr hanes ar garreg eu drws, cyllid i gefnogi teithiau ysgol i amgueddfeydd lleol, a chyllid i sefydlu rhaglen o weithgareddau mewn llyfrgelloedd, gan greu cyfleoedd i blant ymgysylltu ag awduron a siarad â'r bobl sy'n adrodd y straeon.
Lywydd, mae ein cyllideb eleni yn cynnwys £9.6 miliwn o refeniw ychwanegol a £18.4 miliwn o gyllid cyfalaf ychwanegol ar gyfer y celfyddydau, diwylliant, y diwydiannau creadigol, treftadaeth a chwaraeon. Ac mae hyn yn adeiladu ar gyllid ychwanegol sylweddol a ddarparwyd gennym y llynedd, a oedd yn cynnwys refeniw ychwanegol o £5 miliwn i'n cyrff diwylliannol cenedlaethol a Cadw, i gefnogi swyddi a chydnerthedd sefydliadol, a £3.2 miliwn o gyllid cyfalaf ychwanegol ar gyfer atgyweiriadau i Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd a Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru.
Will you take an intervention?
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad?
I've a lot to go through, by the way.
Mae gennyf lawer i fynd drwyddo, gyda llaw.
Thank you very much. I do welcome the change of tone since you've been Minister and your clarity in terms of the importance of the arts and access to everyone. Just on that £5 million, though, you must admit that last year was a really, really challenging year for these cultural organisations, and that much of that £5 million went towards supporting voluntary redundancies so that savings could be made year on year. There were hundreds of job cuts in the cultural sector in that financial year, enabled by that £5 million.
Diolch. Rwy'n croesawu'r newid cywair ers i chi fod yn Weinidog a'ch eglurder ynghylch pwysigrwydd y celfyddydau a mynediad i bawb. Ar y £5 miliwn, fodd bynnag, mae'n rhaid ichi gyfaddef bod y llynedd yn flwyddyn wirioneddol heriol i'r sefydliadau diwylliannol hyn, a bod llawer o'r £5 miliwn wedi mynd tuag at gefnogi diswyddiadau gwirfoddol fel y gellid gwneud arbedion o un flwyddyn i'r llall. Cafodd cannoedd o swyddi eu torri yn y sector diwylliannol yn y flwyddyn ariannol honno, wedi'i alluogi gan y £5 miliwn hwnnw.
Well, what I was very keen to see, Presiding Officer, since I came into this post, was investment in the sector, and it was good to get that £5 million over the line and out back into the sector. Since 2022, Presiding Officer, we've awarded more than £5 million to make collections and spaces more accessible to everyone, and to support grass-roots cultural participation, because I take the view that, by doing this, we open up not just spaces and exhibits, but the conversation about our nation's culture to everyone. And while some seem to dictate who is qualified to understand and join in this conversation, I am clear that everyone is.
Llywydd, we have continued to invest in local museum, library and archive services through our transformation capital grant, supporting the modernisation of local services. During the last four years, we have invested nearly £7 million into these local projects.
The development of Celf, the dispersed national contemporary art gallery for Wales, has been a key priority within our programme for government, receiving nearly £7.5 million of investment during this Senedd term. It's a powerful example of this Government's commitment to ensuring access for all and to distributing investment across Cymru. Llywydd, I've already unashamedly set out my stall when it comes to ensuring that museums across Wales are able to host our most significant cultural heritage. And when I told my colleague Carolyn Thomas that I shared her ambition to see the Caergwrle bowl back in north-east Wales, I was speaking about more than just a significant artefact. Communities in Caergwrle and in Wrexham are proud communities, and local schoolchildren should be able to understand and see their history.
Presiding Officer, our capital investment in the sector is now three times higher than it was 10 years ago. We are delivering on high-profile commitments, such as the extensive refurbishment of Theatr Clwyd and the development of a football museum for Wales in Wrexham. And John Griffiths highlighted in his contribution the investment and how the investment is shedding a positive light on the city of Newport.
So, Presiding Officer, in the open debate, I do hope, for the remainder of the open debate—an important debate, and I welcome this debate—that it isn't like logging on to our social media accounts, where we're stuck in an echo chamber where opposition Members only pick out the negatives, Presiding Officer, the negatives that they seek out, ignoring the words of the sector, who have welcomed additional funding, grasping onto the same lines that they would have written even before the funding that they voted against was awarded. So, if they're not prepared to celebrate what the sector has said, and I do hope they take the opportunity to do so, then I will, because our support is making a real difference, not only for large-scale projects, but at the grass-roots level too.
So, let me share, Presiding Officer, with you—
Wel, Lywydd, ers i mi ddod i'r swydd hon, roeddwn yn awyddus iawn i weld buddsoddi yn y sector, ac roedd yn dda cael y £5 miliwn hwnnw dros y llinell ac yn ôl i mewn i'r sector. Ers 2022, Lywydd, rydym wedi dyfarnu mwy na £5 miliwn i wneud casgliadau a gofodau'n fwy hygyrch i bawb, ac i gefnogi cyfranogiad diwylliannol ar lawr gwlad, oherwydd trwy wneud hynny, rydym yn agor nid yn unig gofodau ac arddangosfeydd, ond y sgwrs am ddiwylliant ein cenedl i bawb. Ac er bod rhai i'w gweld yn datgan pwy sy'n gymwys i ddeall ac ymuno yn y sgwrs hon, rwy'n glir fod pawb yn gymwys i wneud hynny.
Lywydd, rydym wedi parhau i fuddsoddi mewn gwasanaethau amgueddfeydd, llyfrgelloedd ac archifdai lleol drwy ein grant cyfalaf trawsnewid, i gefnogi'r gwaith o foderneiddio gwasanaethau lleol. Yn ystod y pedair blynedd diwethaf, rydym wedi buddsoddi bron i £7 miliwn yn y prosiectau lleol hyn.
Mae datblygu Celf, oriel gelf cyfoes genedlaethol wasgaredig ar gyfer Cymru, wedi bod yn flaenoriaeth allweddol yn ein rhaglen lywodraethu, a derbyniodd bron i £7.5 miliwn o fuddsoddiad yn ystod tymor y Senedd hon. Mae'n enghraifft bwerus o ymrwymiad y Llywodraeth hon i sicrhau mynediad i bawb ac i ddosbarthu buddsoddiad ar draws Cymru. Lywydd, rwyf eisoes wedi gosod fy stondin yn ddigywilydd o ran sicrhau bod amgueddfeydd ledled Cymru yn gallu cynnal ein treftadaeth ddiwylliannol fwyaf arwyddocaol. A phan ddywedais wrth fy nghyd-Aelod Carolyn Thomas fy mod yn rhannu ei huchelgais i weld bowlen Caergwrle yn ôl yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru, roeddwn yn siarad am fwy nag arteffact arwyddocaol yn unig. Mae cymunedau yng Nghaergwrle a Wrecsam yn gymunedau balch, a dylai plant ysgol lleol allu deall a gweld eu hanes.
Lywydd, mae ein buddsoddiad cyfalaf yn y sector dair gwaith yn uwch erbyn hyn na'r hyn ydoedd 10 mlynedd yn ôl. Rydym yn cyflawni ymrwymiadau proffil uchel, megis y gwaith adnewyddu helaeth ar Theatr Clwyd a datblygu amgueddfa bêl-droed i Gymru yn Wrecsam. Ac yn ei gyfraniad, nododd John Griffiths y buddsoddiad, a sut y mae'r buddsoddiad yn taflu goleuni cadarnhaol ar ddinas Casnewydd.
Felly, Lywydd, am weddill y ddadl agored—dadl bwysig, ac rwy'n ei chroesawu—rwy'n gobeithio nad yw'n debyg i fewngofnodi i'n cyfrifon cyfryngau cymdeithasol, lle rydym yn sownd mewn siambr adlais lle mae Aelodau'r wrthblaid ond yn nodi'r pethau negyddol, Lywydd, y pethau negyddol y maent yn chwilio amdanynt, gan anwybyddu geiriau'r sector sydd wedi croesawu cyllid ychwanegol, a bachu ar yr un llinellau y byddent wedi'u hysgrifennu hyd yn oed cyn i'r cyllid y gwnaethant bleidleisio yn ei erbyn gael ei ddyfarnu. Felly, os nad ydynt yn barod i ddathlu'r hyn y mae'r sector wedi'i ddweud, ac rwy'n gobeithio y byddant yn manteisio ar y cyfle i wneud hynny, fe wnaf i hynny, oherwydd mae ein cymorth yn gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol, nid yn unig i brosiectau mawr, ond ar lawr gwlad hefyd.
Felly, Lywydd, gadewch imi rannu gyda chi—
Can I just make a quick intervention, please, Minister? Why do you think, then, in his latest report, that the future generations commissioner has said that culture is in crisis in Wales?
A gaf i wneud ymyriad cyflym, os gwelwch yn dda, Weinidog? Pam y credwch, felly, yn ei adroddiad diweddaraf, fod comisiynydd cenedlaethau'r dyfodol wedi dweud ei bod hi'n argyfwng ar ddiwylliant yng Nghymru?
So, as I said, Presiding Officer, it doesn't seem, does it, that the opposition Members want to celebrate what the sector is saying, and the sector—[Interruption.] Let me say what the sector has said. [Interruption.] Let me say what the sector has said: an independent local museum, when they received a recent funding award letter, said, and I quote, 'What has happened in the last 30 minutes here? I opened the e-mail, started crying, texted our chair, who screamed down the phone, and went off to tell the other trustees. This helps us so, so, so much, and we are ridiculously grateful.' So, Llywydd, let's also take the opportunity to highlight some local examples that I even hope opposition Members do take the opportunity to welcome today.
The future of the historic Blackwood Miners' Institute is now looking brighter, thanks to further funding. The building is a phenomenal example of working-class history, and should be celebrated. It was built by subscriptions of miners, built to host culture, and will continue to do so because of our funding. And as I mentioned earlier, Presiding Officer, Theatr Clwyd, a cultural institution in north Wales, but not one mentioned yet today by opposition Members, and both shadow spokespeople have visited the institution recently. Generations, Presiding Officer, of children and adults had their first experiences of theatre here, including a young Jack Sargeant. And our £23.5 million capital investment will mean that this will continue for generations to come. And another example of our significant financial support for culture is the Caerphilly castle development: £8.2 million for phase 1 investment, which is due to complete this July. Also, at Caernarfon castle, there's a major £5 million-worth of investment. So, investment is happening in the sector and should be welcomed.
But this Government, Presiding Officer, has demonstrated its commitment and support for culture, defined in the broadest sense, across a range of policy areas, and it's right that we do that. It's important to remember that as well as funding from my portfolio, there is other investment in culture across the Welsh Government, in areas such as education, sport and energy. For example, there's £1.5 million to support Amgueddfa Cymru's transition to sustainable energy through the Welsh Government's energy service this year. We also support the showcasing and celebration of Welsh culture through Creative Wales—over £14 million this financial year—and Event Wales—over £5 million. We also invest in programmes such as the national music service and creative learning, and of course, Llywydd, the funding that is specifically allocated to support and promote the Welsh language.
Presiding Officer, we are building a recovery after the years of austerity. We are focused on the future and our fundamental principle is that delivering growth must be inclusive, ensuring that everyone can benefit from the power of culture. And for me, Presiding Officer, culture, as I think William Hazlitt once said,
'gives...liberal views; it accustoms the mind to take an interest in things foreign to itself; to love virtue for its own sake...and to fix our thoughts on the remote and permanent, instead of narrow and fleeting objects.'
I look forward to the remainder of the debate and hearing Members celebrate Welsh culture. Diolch.
Fel y dywedais, Lywydd, nid yw'n ymddangos bod Aelodau'r wrthblaid eisiau dathlu'r hyn y mae'r sector yn ei ddweud, a'r sector—[Torri ar draws.] Gadewch i mi ddweud beth y mae'r sector wedi'i ddweud. [Torri ar draws.] Gadewch i mi ddweud yr hyn y mae'r sector wedi'i ddweud: pan gawsant lythyr yn nodi eu dyfarniad cyllid yn ddiweddar, dywedodd amgueddfa annibynnol leol, 'Beth sydd wedi digwydd yn y 30 munud diwethaf? Fe agorais yr e-bost, dechrau crio, anfon neges destun at ein cadeirydd, a sgrechiodd i lawr y ffôn, cyn mynd i ddweud wrth yr ymddiriedolwyr eraill. Mae hyn yn ein helpu ni cymaint, ac rydym yn hurt o ddiolchgar.' Felly, Lywydd, gadewch inni fanteisio ar y cyfle hefyd i dynnu sylw at enghreifftiau lleol y gobeithiaf y bydd Aelodau'r wrthblaid hyd yn oed yn manteisio ar y cyfle i'w croesawu heddiw.
Mae dyfodol hen Sefydliad y Glowyr y Coed Duon bellach yn edrych yn fwy disglair, diolch i gyllid pellach. Mae'r adeilad yn enghraifft anhygoel o hanes dosbarth gweithiol, a dylid ei ddathlu. Fe'i hadeiladwyd gan gyfraniadau glowyr i gynnal diwylliant, a bydd yn parhau i wneud hynny o ganlyniad i'n cyllid. Ac fel y soniais yn gynharach, Lywydd, Theatr Clwyd, sefydliad diwylliannol yng ngogledd Cymru, ond nid oes neb o Aelodau'r wrthblaid wedi'i grybwyll eto heddiw, ac mae llefarwyr y gwrthbleidiau wedi ymweld â'r sefydliad yn ddiweddar. Cafodd cenedlaethau o blant ac oedolion eu profiadau cyntaf o theatr yma, gan gynnwys y Jack Sargeant ifanc. A bydd ein buddsoddiad cyfalaf o £23.5 miliwn yn golygu y bydd hyn yn parhau am genedlaethau i ddod. Ac enghraifft arall o'n cefnogaeth ariannol sylweddol i ddiwylliant yw datblygiad castell Caerffili: £8.2 miliwn ar gyfer buddsoddiad cam 1, sydd i fod i gael ei gwblhau ym mis Gorffennaf. Hefyd, yng nghastell Caernarfon, cafwyd buddsoddiad mawr gwerth £5 miliwn. Felly, mae buddsoddi'n digwydd yn y sector a dylid ei groesawu.
Ond mae'r Llywodraeth hon wedi dangos ei hymrwymiad a'i chefnogaeth i ddiwylliant, wedi'i ddiffinio yn yr ystyr ehangaf, ar draws ystod o feysydd polisi, ac mae'n iawn ein bod ni'n gwneud hynny. Mae'n bwysig cofio, yn ogystal â chyllid o fy mhortffolio i, fod buddsoddiad arall mewn diwylliant yn digwydd ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru, mewn meysydd fel addysg, chwaraeon ac ynni. Er enghraifft, mae £1.5 miliwn i gefnogi trawsnewid i ynni cynaliadwy yn Amgueddfa Cymru drwy wasanaeth ynni Llywodraeth Cymru eleni. Rydym hefyd yn cefnogi arddangos a dathlu diwylliant Cymru trwy Cymru Greadigol—dros £14 miliwn eleni—a Digwyddiadau Cymru—dros £5 miliwn. Rydym hefyd yn buddsoddi mewn rhaglenni fel y gwasanaeth cerddoriaeth cenedlaethol a dysgu creadigol, ac wrth gwrs, Lywydd, y cyllid sy'n cael ei ddyrannu'n benodol ar gyfer cefnogi a hyrwyddo'r Gymraeg.
Lywydd, rydym yn adeiladu adferiad ar ôl y blynyddoedd o gyni. Rydym yn canolbwyntio ar y dyfodol a'n hegwyddor sylfaenol yw bod yn rhaid i'r broses o gyflawni twf fod yn gynhwysol, gan sicrhau bod pawb yn gallu elwa o bŵer diwylliant. Ac i mi, Lywydd, mae diwylliant, fel y dywedodd William Hazlitt,
'yn cynnig...safbwyntiau rhyddfrydig; mae'n gwneud i'r meddwl arfer ag ymddiddori mewn pethau sy'n wahanol iddo'i hun; i garu rhinwedd er ei fwyn ei hun...ac i ganolbwyntio ein meddyliau ar yr hyn sy'n wahanol ac yn barhaol, yn hytrach na gwrthrychau cul a byrhoedlog.'
Edrychaf ymlaen at weddill y ddadl ac at glywed yr Aelodau'n dathlu diwylliant Cymru. Diolch.
The title of the debate is 'Arts and Culture—nice to have or integral to the future of Wales?', and I think the fact that we're asking that question says a lot about the situation we're in. I don't think that that's a question that we would see the Irish asking, I don't think that that's a question that we would see the Scottish asking, or any other country in the world. And I'll come on to some of the stuff that the Minister has said, but I would say, just in response to some of his comments, the future generations commissioner, who Sioned Williams referred to, is independent of Welsh Government and he has said that the culture sector is in crisis.
Now, I know that the Government will want to go out and bat for the sector, and I have every faith, actually, that the Minister wants to see the culture sector thrive, but I also think it's okay sometimes to say that things aren't quite where we want them to be. We know that the funding isn't there. We hear that time and time again from different cultural organisations. And yes, of course they are going to welcome funding that's coming from Government, because the reality is that that funding does save them, but they are still on the breadline as things currently are. It's still a struggle for a lot of those cultural institutions, and what I would have liked to have heard from the Minister is just a bit of an acknowledgement there that things might not be where we want them to be right now, but we will strive to make sure that culture is an integral part of the Government's agenda, going forward. I didn't quite get that from the Minister, at least from my perspective.
In reference to something that Gareth Davies said around culture, for me, culture is inherently political. When you look at south Wales, for example, the south Wales Valleys and the miners' strike, that is culturally integral to those communities. And I think to even try to pretend that it isn't does the culture of those communities a disservice. Culture is inherently political, we should never forget that. The struggles of miners in particular have shaped those communities. They have shaped, for sure, the community I grew up in and my principles as a politician in this place. So, I think to try to deny that culture is inherently political does it a disservice— [Interruption.] I will give way.
Teitl y ddadl yw 'Celfyddydau a Diwylliant—braf i'w cael neu'n allweddol i ddyfodol Cymru?', ac rwy'n credu bod y ffaith ein bod ni'n gofyn y cwestiwn yn dweud llawer am y sefyllfa rydym ynddi. Nid wyf yn credu ei fod yn gwestiwn y byddem yn gweld y Gwyddelod yn ei ofyn, nid wyf yn meddwl ei fod yn gwestiwn y byddem yn gweld yr Albanwyr yn ei ofyn, nac unrhyw wlad arall yn y byd. Ac fe ddof at rai o'r pethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u dweud, ond hoffwn ddweud, mewn ymateb i rai o'i sylwadau, fod comisiynydd cenedlaethau'r dyfodol, y cyfeiriodd Sioned Williams ato, yn annibynnol ar Lywodraeth Cymru ac mae wedi dweud bod y sector diwylliant yn wynebu argyfwng.
Nawr, rwy'n gwybod y bydd y Llywodraeth eisiau canu clodydd y sector, ac mae gennyf bob ffydd, mewn gwirionedd, fod y Gweinidog eisiau gweld y sector diwylliant yn ffynnu, ond rwy'n credu hefyd ei bod yn iawn weithiau inni ddweud nad yw pethau'n union lle rydym eisiau iddynt fod. Fe wyddom nad yw'r cyllid yno. Rydym yn clywed hynny dro ar ôl tro gan wahanol sefydliadau diwylliannol. Ac wrth gwrs eu bod yn mynd i groesawu cyllid sy'n dod gan y Llywodraeth, oherwydd y gwir amdani yw bod y cyllid hwnnw'n eu hachub, ond maent yn dal i fod yn byw ar y gwynt fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd. Mae'n dal i fod yn frwydr i lawer o'r sefydliadau diwylliannol hynny, a'r hyn y byddwn wedi hoffi ei glywed gan y Gweinidog yw ychydig o gydnabyddiaeth efallai nad yw pethau lle rydym eisiau iddynt fod ar hyn o bryd, ond y byddwn yn ymdrechu i wneud yn siŵr fod diwylliant yn rhan annatod o agenda'r Llywodraeth yn y dyfodol. O'm rhan i o leiaf, ni chlywais hynny'n hollol gan y Gweinidog.
Os caf gyfeirio at rywbeth a ddywedodd Gareth Davies ynglŷn â diwylliant, i mi, mae diwylliant yn gynhenid wleidyddol. Pan edrychwch ar dde Cymru, er enghraifft, Cymoedd de Cymru a streic y glowyr, mae'n rhan annatod o'r cymunedau hynny yn ddiwylliannol. Ac rwy'n credu bod hyd yn oed ceisio esgus nad ydyw yn gwneud anghymwynas â diwylliant y cymunedau hynny. Mae diwylliant yn gynhenid wleidyddol, ni ddylem byth anghofio hynny. Mae brwydrau'r glowyr yn enwedig wedi siapio'r cymunedau hynny. Maent yn sicr wedi siapio’r gymuned y cefais i fy magu ynddi a fy egwyddorion fel gwleidydd yn y lle hwn. Felly, rwy'n credu bod ceisio gwadu bod diwylliant yn gynhenid wleidyddol yn gwneud anghymwynas— [Torri ar draws.] Fe ildiaf.
Thank you, Luke. I don't deny that fact, and when I visited the museum in Cardiff recently, I enjoyed the exhibition on the miners' strike, which was the showcase. I think it's finished now, but what I enjoyed was that it gave the history of south Wales, but they also noted that the Point of Ayr colliery in north Wales, just outside my constituency, was the only colliery in the whole of Wales that voted against strike action at that time. So, I was actually happy that that was noted during that, and I actually gave credit to the museum for highlighting that, because they are different communities and those in north Wales are different.
Diolch, Luke. Nid wyf yn gwadu'r ffaith honno, a phan ymwelais â'r amgueddfa yng Nghaerdydd yn ddiweddar, mwynheais yr arddangosfa ar streic y glowyr. Rwy'n meddwl ei bod wedi dod i ben nawr, ond yr hyn a fwynheais oedd ei bod yn rhoi hanes de Cymru, ond roeddent hefyd yn nodi mai glofa'r Parlwr Du yng ngogledd Cymru, ychydig bach y tu allan i fy etholaeth, oedd yr unig lofa yng Nghymru gyfan a bleidleisiodd yn erbyn streic ar yr adeg honno. Felly, roeddwn yn hapus fod hynny wedi cael ei nodi, ac fe ganmolais yr amgueddfa am dynnu sylw at hynny, oherwydd maent yn gymunedau gwahanol ac mae'r rhai yng ngogledd Cymru'n wahanol.
Will you take—?
A wnewch chi dderbyn—?
It's an intervention.
Roeddwn yn gwneud ymyriad.
An intervention on an intervention.
Ymyriad ar ymyriad.
Oh, sorry.
O, mae'n ddwg gennyf.
[Inaudible.]—intervene on an intervention. The Member needs to intervene during the speech.
[Anghlywadwy.]—gwneud ymyriad ar ymyriad. Mae angen i'r Aelod ymyrryd yn ystod yr araith.
But, of course, I will give way to Sioned Williams.
Ond wrth gwrs, fe wnaf ildio i Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Luke. Thank you. I would charge that you're fundamentally misunderstanding what culture is, because you were making the charge in your contribution about ideological projects, but you've just demonstrated yourself that that exhibition in Amgueddfa Cymru reflected the whole experience of the miners' strike.
Diolch, Luke. Byddwn yn dweud eich bod yn camddeall yn sylfaenol beth yw diwylliant, oherwydd roeddech chi'n gwneud y cyhuddiad yn eich cyfraniad am brosiectau ideolegol, ond rydych chi newydd ddangos eich hun fod yr arddangosfa honno yn Amgueddfa Cymru wedi adlewyrchu holl brofiad streic y glowyr.
I highlighted a positive—highlighted a positive.
Roeddwn yn nodi rhywbeth cadarnhaol—nodais rywbeth cadarnhaol.
So, you've really undermined your own argument there, haven't you?
Felly, fe wnaethoch chi danseilio eich dadl eich hun, oni wnaethoch?
No.
Naddo.
Culture is about everything. It's is about all the perspectives, and that's why it's important.
Mae diwylliant yn ymwneud â phopeth. Mae'n ymwneud â'r holl safbwyntiau, a dyna pam y mae'n bwysig.
I'm worried I might become a de facto Llywydd in a minute, but, of course, if Gareth, you want to come back—. But I think what Sioned just said there perfectly, actually, highlights where I disagree with you on your analysis. [Interruption.] Go on, then. Go on.
Rwy'n poeni y gallwn ddod yn Llywydd de facto mewn munud, ond wrth gwrs, os yw Gareth, os ydych chi eisiau dod yn ôl—. Ond rwy'n credu bod yr hyn a ddywedodd Sioned yn nodi'n berffaith mewn gwirionedd lle rwy'n anghytuno â chi ar eich dadansoddiad. [Torri ar draws.] Ewch amdani, felly.
It's an open debate, and I fully expect that to be the case. But I don't think it does undermine the argument, because the Minister there in his contribution before yours was highlighting, well, let's mark some positivity. But that's not to say that we shouldn't be scrutinising or highlighting where things can be improved. He's also looking at those positives, and where, indeed, good examples can be drawn on. I think that's just a mark of good practice myself.
Mae'n ddadl agored, ac rwy'n disgwyl i hynny ddigwydd. Ond nid wyf yn credu ei fod yn tanseilio'r ddadl, oherwydd roedd y Gweinidog yn ei gyfraniad cyn eich cyfraniad chi'n dweud, wel, gadewch inni nodi rhywfaint o bositifrwydd. Ond nid yw hynny'n golygu na ddylem graffu na thynnu sylw at ble y gellir gwella pethau. Mae yntau hefyd yn edrych ar y pethau positif, a lle gellir nodi enghreifftiau da. Rwy'n credu mai arwydd o arfer da yw hynny fy hun.
Daeth y Llywydd i’r Gadair.
The Llywydd took the Chair.
Yes, well, does anyone else want to come in now? [Laughter.] Look, what I want to actually get on to is a position where I agree with the Government wholeheartedly, and that's what the Minister set out around culture being something for everybody. What I do think sometimes is a problem when we talk about culture is we often talk about it up here, and, as a person from my particular background, I have often felt like culture was the preserve of other people, and not for me. And that's completely, completely crazy, when you think about it, because, actually, when you think about culture, and you think of working-class culture in particular, it's all around us: look at the rugby days and the major events that happen. I had a really interesting conversation with one of my mates. I went to watch the opera, and the first thing I got back was, 'What the hell do you want to go and watch the opera for? That's not really for us.' That same mate, by the way, he ended up spending hundreds of pounds on a ticket to go and see an artist at a major event, and I went back to him and said, 'Well, look, to go and watch the opera it cost me £10.'
These sorts of things aren't really—. I don't think these sorts of things are really clearly communicated within particular communities, and I think, actually, that's a negative here. You can go and see the opera far cheaper than you can go and see Taylor Swift, and that's something that I've tried to hammer home over the years, so a lot of my mates, I'm slowly getting through to some of them, I think, but not all of them. But, look, really positive from the Government on access to culture and highlighting culture as not the preserve of people of a certain background and a certain class.
But what I think we need to really understand as well, when we talk about rugby and major events, is actually the multiplier effect that those events have on other sectors and the impact it has on the economy. So, I talk a lot about the hospitality industry; it's an industry that I have experience of. That's an industry that underpins, I think, the cultural sector, because when we go out to watch the rugby, say—jump on a train, an overcrowded train, probably part of the culture—you come into town and you go for food, you go for drink. Now, the food and drink sector within Wales is thriving at the moment. Look at the hospitality sector; that adds something like £4 billion to the Welsh economy. The reason I raise this is because I don't actually think it's fair then to put everything on the door of the culture Minister when it comes to culture and its preservation. It's a cross-Government issue. I would want to see statements by the economy Minister, for example, on culture, like the one we saw a couple of weeks ago on major events, because the impact that culture has on the economy is significant, and I think that's often forgotten about. So, when we talk about funding of culture, when we fund it correctly, the multipliers on different industries then will result in more money within our communities, more money within the coffers of Welsh Government, because then we're making businesses viable. Cardiff, I think, is a really good example; over the last couple of years, the hospitality industry has expanded greatly. Bridgend is another really good example, where the hospitality industry has expanded significantly. We're seeing the regeneration of our high streets. All these things working in tandem can be really good for our communities.
So, what I would want people to take from my contribution is, actually, that the economy is a fundamental part of culture. Culture enhances the economy. It improves the livelihoods of our communities, not just in that cultural sense, but in an economic sense as well.
Ie, wel, a oes unrhyw un arall eisiau dod i mewn nawr? [Chwerthin.] Edrychwch, yr hyn rwyf eisiau dod ato mewn gwirionedd yw lle rwy'n cytuno â'r Llywodraeth yn llwyr, sef yr hyn a nododd y Gweinidog ynglŷn â bod diwylliant yn rhywbeth i bawb. Yr hyn sy'n broblem weithiau pan fyddwn yn siarad am ddiwylliant yw ein bod yn aml yn siarad amdano i fyny yma, ac fel rhywun o fy nghefndir i, rwy'n aml wedi teimlo fel pe bai diwylliant yn rhywbeth i bobl eraill, ac nid i mi. Ac mae hynny'n hollol wallgof, pan fyddwch chi'n meddwl amdano, oherwydd, mewn gwirionedd, pan fyddwch chi'n meddwl am ddiwylliant, ac am ddiwylliant dosbarth gweithiol yn enwedig, mae o'n cwmpas ym mhobman: edrychwch ar y dyddiau rygbi a'r digwyddiadau mawr sy'n digwydd. Cefais sgwrs ddiddorol iawn gydag un o fy ffrindiau. Euthum i weld opera, a'r peth cyntaf a gefais yn ôl oedd, 'Pam ar wyneb y ddaear yr aethost ti i weld opera? Nid yw hynny'n rhywbeth i ni.' Yr un ffrind oedd hwnnw, gyda llaw, a wariodd gannoedd o bunnoedd ar docyn i fynd i weld artist mewn digwyddiad mawr, ac euthum yn ôl ato a dweud, 'Wel, edrych, fe gostiodd £10 i mi fynd i weld opera.'
Nid yw'r mathau hyn o bethau—. Nid wyf yn credu bod y mathau hyn o bethau yn cael eu cyfathrebu'n glir mewn cymunedau penodol, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n elfen negyddol yma. Gallwch fynd i weld opera'n llawer rhatach nag y gallwch fynd i weld Taylor Swift, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth rwyf i wedi ceisio ei gyfleu dros y blynyddoedd, felly rwy'n llwyddo i dorri drwodd gyda rhai o fy ffrindiau'n araf bach rwy'n meddwl, ond nid pob un ohonynt. Ond edrychwch, mae'n gadarnhaol iawn gan y Llywodraeth ar fynediad at ddiwylliant a thynnu sylw at ddiwylliant fel rhywbeth nad yw ar gyfer pobl o gefndir penodol a dosbarth penodol yn unig.
Ond yr hyn rwy'n credu bod angen i ni ei ddeall hefyd, pan fyddwn ni'n siarad am rygbi a digwyddiadau mawr yw'r effaith lluosydd y mae'r digwyddiadau hynny'n ei chael ar sectorau eraill a'r effaith y mae'n ei chael ar yr economi. Felly, rwy'n siarad llawer am y diwydiant lletygarwch; mae'n ddiwydiant y mae gennyf brofiad ohono. Mae'n ddiwydiant sy'n sail i'r sector diwylliannol yn fy marn i, oherwydd pan fyddwn ni'n mynd allan i wylio'r rygbi, dywedwch—neidio ar drên, trên gorlawn, sy'n rhan o'r diwylliant mae'n debyg—rydych chi'n dod i mewn i'r dref ac rydych chi'n mynd am fwyd, rydych chi'n mynd am ddiod. Nawr, mae'r sector bwyd a diod yng Nghymru yn ffynnu ar hyn o bryd. Edrychwch ar y sector lletygarwch; mae'n ychwanegu rhywbeth fel £4 biliwn i economi Cymru. Y rheswm pam rwy'n codi hyn yw nad wyf yn credu ei bod yn deg beio'r Gweinidog Diwylliant felly am bopeth sy'n ymwneud â diwylliant a'i gadwraeth. Mae'n fater trawslywodraethol. Byddwn eisiau gweld datganiadau gan Weinidog yr economi, er enghraifft, ar ddiwylliant, fel yr un a welsom ychydig wythnosau yn ôl ar ddigwyddiadau mawr, oherwydd mae'r effaith y mae diwylliant yn ei chael ar yr economi'n sylweddol, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n aml yn cael ei anghofio. Felly, pan fyddwn yn siarad am ariannu diwylliant, pan fyddwn yn ei ariannu'n gywir, bydd y lluosyddion ar wahanol ddiwydiannau wedyn yn arwain at fwy o arian yn ein cymunedau, mwy o arian yng nghoffrau Llywodraeth Cymru, oherwydd wedyn rydym yn gwneud busnesau'n hyfyw. Mae Caerdydd yn enghraifft dda iawn; dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf, mae'r diwydiant lletygarwch wedi ehangu'n fawr. Mae Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn enghraifft dda iawn arall, lle mae'r diwydiant lletygarwch wedi ehangu'n sylweddol. Rydym yn gweld ein strydoedd mawr yn adfywio. Os yw'r holl bethau hyn yn gweithio ar y cyd, gall fod yn dda iawn i'n cymunedau.
Felly, yr hyn yr hoffwn i bobl ei gael o fy nghyfraniad yw bod yr economi'n rhan sylfaenol o ddiwylliant. Mae diwylliant yn gwella'r economi. Mae'n gwella bywoliaeth ein cymunedau, nid yn ddiwylliannol yn unig, ond yn economaidd hefyd.
Hoffwn i ddechrau trwy ddiolch i Heledd a dwi'n croesawu'r cyfle i gymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon.
I'd like to start by thanking Heledd, and I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate.
And we've already heard much today about our rich and diverse cultural heritage here in Wales, but, as a proud north Walian colleague, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm going to focus this contribution on the cultural contribution of my corner of the country, from the Llangollen international eisteddfod to the Greenfield Valley Heritage Park, things like Flint Castle, and the North Wales International Music Festival held in St Asaph. It's very much something to be celebrated, in some cases venerated, but it's much more than that too, as we've heard today. Our cultural offer is multifaceted, and it has the potential to bring broader benefits to our communities, to our country, to our people, our places and to our environment and our economy. It's not just there as entertainment and to entertain; it has the potential to inspire and empower. Neither, as we heard, does it need to be elite and exclusive; it's at its best as inclusive and bringing communities together.
Ac rydym eisoes wedi clywed llawer heddiw am ein treftadaeth ddiwylliannol gyfoethog ac amrywiol yma yng Nghymru, ond fel Aelod balch o ogledd Cymru, ni ddylai fod yn syndod fy mod i'n mynd i ganolbwyntio yn y cyfraniad hwn ar gyfraniad diwylliannol fy rhan i o'r wlad, o eisteddfod ryngwladol Llangollen i Barc Treftadaeth Dyffryn Maes Glas, pethau fel Castell y Fflint, a Gŵyl Gerdd Ryngwladol Gogledd Cymru a gynhelir yn Llanelwy. Mae'n rhywbeth i'w ddathlu, a'i fawrygu mewn rhai achosion, ond mae'n llawer mwy na hynny hefyd, fel y clywsom heddiw. Mae ein cynnig diwylliannol yn amlochrog, ac mae ganddo botensial i ddod â buddion ehangach i'n cymunedau, i'n gwlad, i'n pobl, ein lleoedd ac i'n hamgylchedd a'n heconomi. Nid yw yno'n unig fel adloniant ac i ddiddanu; mae ganddo botensial i ysbrydoli a grymuso. Nid oes angen iddo fod yn elitaidd ac yn anghynhwysol ychwaith, fel y clywsom; mae ar ei orau fel rhywbeth cynhwysol sy'n dod â chymunedau at ei gilydd.
An institution and a community beacon that is serving as a shining example of that is Theatr Clwyd. Housed on a hill on the edge of Mold, in my constituency, the theatre opened in 1976. I often think now that I don't think we'd see that happening today. It showed ambition beyond its time. It's been going through a multimillion pound transformation, a huge capital investment, thanks in no small part to the Welsh Government, and other funding sources as well. The theatre is actually the biggest producing house in Wales. It is one of the UK's leading cultural organisations, and creates acclaimed and award-winning shows that bring both huge audiences to the theatre itself, but also tours in terms of across Wales and beyond as well.
But the theatre's not just a cultural gem; it's a community one too. They are now the leading provider of music education in Flintshire, and I believe 2,600 children have music lessons through them every week. They do things like they support a specific group to support LGBTQ+ young people. They run health and well-being activities, things like Arts from the Armchair, summer hubs for vulnerable children, and much, much more. The redeveloped building will have new dedicated spaces to enable all of these activities, not just offering a cultural home in the area, but also a community hub as well.
It's also very much playing its part for the environment and our economy too. The redeveloped Theatr Clwyd building will become one of the most environmentally friendly redeveloped theatres throughout Europe. Plus I understand that the scheme, in terms of the redevelopment, has diverted demolition waste from landfill, including things like the reuse of over 2,000 of its original 1970s bricks for a new facade on the building, and the gifting of old theatre seats to smaller community-run theatre and cinema companies.
Back in 2016, their turnover was £4.6 million, and they employed 60 company members, with the economic impact in north Wales at that time calculated at £7.2 million. During the redevelopment, the turnover has been around £7.6 million, with 153 company members, and, following its finish, they've cautiously projected a turnover of £12.8 million; they will have close to 250 core employees and employ over 500 freelancers during the year. That economic impact is likely to grow to over £20 million per year in north-east Wales. Llywydd, the benefits it brings, not just in terms of culture, but the economy, well-being, supporting young and vulnerable groups in the community as well, that's not frivolous. That's fundamental, and I think it's absolutely fabulous as well.
This debate today is really timely in terms of talking about Theatr Clwyd, in that I was really privileged to go, just over a week ago, and see the production of Tick, tick... Boom!, which is the first production within the newly redeveloped theatre. It's a fantastic production—really enjoyed it, great cast—and you could see the impact the updating to lighting and to sound had already made to the experience. As we stood up to give them, rightly, a standing ovation at the end, I actually felt really, really emotional to see the theatre nearing completion—and we expect to have its official opening next month—because, like many people in my area, I grew up with an intense personal connection to that theatre. I was trying to reflect on the first time I actually went there, like Jack mentioned, as well, as a child. I'm not sure whether it was Alice Through the Looking Glass, or Wind in the Willows and Toad of Toad Hall, but what I do remember, sat there in the audience, is just being in awe that those books that I'd read, or had been read to me—actually literally seeing them come to life and the difference that made.
As a slightly older child, it did make a difference to my life in that I don't think I would have gone to university to study English literature if I hadn't had that theatre on my doorstep and the ability to see things performed and, actually, how the written word could actually come to life in that way as well. So, I'm really pleased that that transformative investment secures that theatre for future generations as well.
Before I close, I will try and talk about something else other than Theatr Clwyd, and just indulge myself, because I can see I'm under time. We've talked about culture being for everybody, and that perception that certain parts of culture aren't for everybody, and you touched on the opera, and, as you said it, Luke, I got a message from my wife, who said, 'See, I've introduced you to more culture', because, before we met, I'd never been to the opera, and I first saw some opera performed on holiday, and it was described to me by her as 'This is the greatest hits of opera'. So, I recognised things off adverts and things like that, so then that got me to the next stage and we went to the Wales Millennium Centre, and, eventually, when we went on our honeymoon, I actually had the privilege of going to the New York Met to see opera there, which was incredible.
So, yes, there are different spectrums of our culture. But one of the things, which is my hobby horse, that I'd really like to see in the future, by working together collaboratively to celebrate our communities, is how we celebrate our working-class culture and our heritage. We have got a rich industrial heritage here in Wales and one of my favourite museums—outside of any in Wales, as a caveat—is the People's History Museum in Manchester. I think we've got huge potential to do something like that in Wales, but I would suggest not as a static, fixed site, but actually celebrating all those different sites right across the length and breadth of the country and finding a way to connect them up and engage them into our tourism offer as well. So—
Sefydliad a ffagl gymunedol sy'n esiampl ddisglair o hynny yw Theatr Clwyd. Mae'r theatr, a agorodd ym 1976, wedi'i lleoli ar fryn ar gyrion yr Wyddgrug yn fy etholaeth i. Rwy'n aml yn meddwl nawr nad wyf yn credu y byddem yn gweld hynny'n digwydd heddiw. Dangosai uchelgais o flaen ei oes. Mae wedi bod trwy drawsnewidiad gwerth miliynau o bunnoedd, buddsoddiad cyfalaf enfawr, diolch i Lywodraeth Cymru i raddau helaeth, a ffynonellau cyllido eraill hefyd. Y theatr yw'r tŷ cynhyrchu mwyaf yng Nghymru. Mae'n un o brif sefydliadau diwylliannol y DU, ac mae'n creu sioeau clodwiw ac arobryn sy'n dod â chynulleidfaoedd enfawr i'r theatr ei hun, ond sydd hefyd yn teithio ledled Cymru a thu hwnt yn ogystal.
Ond nid trysor diwylliannol yn unig yw'r theatr; mae'n drysor cymunedol hefyd. Y theatr yw prif ddarparwr addysg gerddorol yn sir y Fflint erbyn hyn, ac rwy'n credu bod 2,600 o blant yn cael gwersi cerddoriaeth drwyddynt bob wythnos. Maent yn gwneud pethau fel cefnogi grŵp penodol sy'n cefnogi pobl ifanc LHDTC+. Maent yn cynnal gweithgareddau iechyd a lles, pethau fel Arts from the Armchair, hybiau haf i blant bregus, a llawer iawn mwy. Bydd gan yr adeilad a ailddatblygir fannau pwrpasol newydd i allu cynnal yr holl weithgareddau hyn, ac fe fydd yn hyb cymunedol yn ogystal â chartref i ddiwylliant yn yr ardal.
Mae hefyd yn chwarae ei rhan dros yr amgylchedd a'n heconomi. Bydd adeilad Theatr Clwyd wedi'i ailddatblygu yn dod yn un o'r theatrau a ailddatblygwyd mwyaf ecogyfeillgar yn Ewrop gyfan. Ac rwy'n deall bod y cynllun, o ran yr ailddatblygiad, wedi dargyfeirio gwastraff dymchwel o safleoedd tirlenwi, gan gynnwys pethau fel ailddefnyddio dros 2,000 o'i frics gwreiddiol o'r 1970au ar gyfer gosod wyneb newydd ar yr adeilad, a rhoi hen seddi theatr i gwmnïau theatr a sinema cymunedol llai.
Yn ôl yn 2016, eu trosiant oedd £4.6 miliwn, ac roeddent yn cyflogi 60 o aelodau yn y cwmni, gyda'r effaith economaidd yng ngogledd Cymru ar y pryd yn £7.2 miliwn. Yn ystod yr ailddatblygiad, mae'r trosiant wedi bod oddeutu £7.6 miliwn, gyda 153 o aelodau o'r cwmni, ac ar ôl i'r lle gael ei orffen, maent wedi cynnig rhagolwg gofalus y bydd yn gweld trosiant o £12.8 miliwn; bydd ganddynt bron i 250 o weithwyr craidd a byddant yn cyflogi dros 500 o weithwyr llawrydd yn ystod y flwyddyn. Mae'r effaith economaidd honno'n debygol o dyfu i dros £20 miliwn y flwyddyn yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru. Lywydd, nid yw'r manteision y mae'n eu cynnig, nid yn unig o ran diwylliant, ond mewn perthynas â'r economi, llesiant, cefnogi grwpiau ifanc a bregus yn y gymuned hefyd, nid yw hynny'n ddisylwedd. Mae'n hanfodol, ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn hollol wych hefyd.
Mae'r ddadl hon heddiw yn amserol iawn o ran siarad am Theatr Clwyd, gan fy mod wedi cael y fraint, ychydig dros wythnos yn ôl, o fynd i weld cynhyrchiad o'r enw Tick, tick... Boom!, sef y cynhyrchiad cyntaf yn y theatr wedi iddi gael ei hailddatblygu. Mae'n gynhyrchiad gwych—fe fwynheais yn fawr, cast gwych—ac fe allech chi weld yr effaith y mae gwella'r goleuadau a'r sain eisoes wedi'i wneud i'r profiad. Wrth i ni godi ar ein traed i'w cymeradwyo ar y diwedd, roeddwn i'n teimlo'n emosiynol iawn wrth weld y theatr yn agos at gael ei chwblhau—ac rydym yn disgwyl cael ei agoriad swyddogol fis nesaf—oherwydd, fel llawer o bobl yn fy ardal, cefais fy magu gyda chysylltiad personol dwfn â'r theatr honno. Roeddwn i'n ceisio meddwl pa bryd oedd y tro cyntaf i mi fynd yno'n blentyn, fel y soniodd Jack hefyd. Nid wyf yn siŵr ai Alice Through the Looking Glass ydoedd, neu Wind in the Willows a Toad of Toad Hall, ond yr hyn rwy'n ei gofio, wrth eistedd yno yn y gynulleidfa, yw'r teimlad o ryfeddod fod y llyfrau yr oeddwn wedi'u darllen, neu a gâi eu darllen i mi—yn llythrennol yn dod yn fyw a'r gwahaniaeth a wnâi hynny.
Fel plentyn ychydig yn hŷn, fe wnaeth wahaniaeth i fy mywyd yn yr ystyr nad wyf yn credu y byddwn wedi mynd i'r brifysgol i astudio llenyddiaeth Saesneg pe na bai gennyf y theatr honno ar garreg fy nrws a'r gallu i weld pethau'n cael eu perfformio a sut y gallai'r gair ysgrifenedig ddod yn fyw yn y ffordd honno hefyd. Felly, rwy'n falch iawn fod y buddsoddiad trawsnewidiol hwnnw'n diogelu'r theatr ar gyfer cenedlaethau'r dyfodol hefyd.
Cyn i mi orffen, fe geisiaf siarad am rywbeth arall heblaw Theatr Clwyd, oherwydd gallaf weld nad yw fy amser ar ben. Rydym wedi siarad am ddiwylliant fel rhywbeth i bawb, a'r canfyddiad nad yw rhai rhannau o ddiwylliant i bawb, ac fe wnaethoch chi gyffwrdd ag opera, ac fel y dywedoch chi, Luke, cefais neges gan fy ngwraig, a ddywedodd, 'Ti'n gweld, fe wnes i dy gyflwyno di i fwy o ddiwylliant', oherwydd, cyn i ni gyfarfod, nid oeddwn erioed wedi bod yn gweld opera, a gwelais opera'n cael ei pherfformio am y tro cyntaf ar wyliau, ac fe wnaeth hi ei ddisgrifio i mi fel 'Dyma binacl y byd opera'. Roeddwn i'n adnabod pethau oddi ar hysbysebion a phethau felly, ac aeth hynny â mi i'r cam nesaf ac fe aethom i Ganolfan Mileniwm Cymru, a phan aethom ar ein mis mêl, cefais y fraint o fynd i'r Met yn Efrog Newydd i weld opera yno, a oedd yn anhygoel.
Felly, mae gwahanol sbectra'n perthyn i'n diwylliant. Ond un o'r pethau rwy'n siarad llawer amdanynt, a rhywbeth yr hoffwn ei weld yn y dyfodol, trwy weithio gyda'n gilydd ar y cyd i ddathlu ein cymunedau, yw'r ffordd y dathlwn ein diwylliant dosbarth gweithiol a'n treftadaeth. Mae gennym dreftadaeth ddiwydiannol gyfoethog yma yng Nghymru ac un o fy hoff amgueddfeydd—ar wahân i'r rhai yng Nghymru—yw Amgueddfa Hanes y Bobl ym Manceinion. Rwy'n credu bod gennym botensial enfawr i wneud rhywbeth tebyg yng Nghymru, ond nid fel safle sefydlog statig, rwy'n awgrymu, ond yn hytrach, dathlu'r holl safleoedd gwahanol ar hyd a lled y wlad a dod o hyd i ffordd o'u cysylltu a'u cynnwys yn ein cynnig twristiaeth hefyd. Felly—
Would you take an intervention? Sorry. I just wanted to say how glad I am to hear a suggestion like that. One of my slight bugbears over the years has always been that we see the funding—not through Government, of course, but privately—of stately homes, for example, but then we see miners' halls, working men's halls, within our communities falling apart. Like you said, there's a rich industrial history within Wales that I don't think is celebrated enough, and we need to find a way to be able to protect some of those institutions and some of those buildings to be able to tell that history.
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad? Mae'n ddrwg gennyf. Roeddwn i ond eisiau dweud pa mor falch wyf i o glywed awgrym o'r fath. Un o'r pethau sydd wedi fy nigio braidd dros y blynyddoedd yw ein bod yn gweld y cyllid—nid trwy Lywodraeth, wrth gwrs, ond yn breifat—i blastai, er enghraifft, ond wedyn fe welwn neuaddau glowyr, neuaddau gweithwyr, yn ein cymunedau'n mynd â'u pen iddynt. Fel y dywedoch chi, mae yna hanes diwydiannol cyfoethog yng Nghymru nad wyf yn credu ei fod yn cael ei ddathlu'n ddigonol, ac mae angen inni ddod o hyd i ffordd o allu diogelu rhai o'r sefydliadau a'r adeiladau hynny er mwyn gallu adrodd yr hanes hwnnw.
Yes, absolutely. And I think we heard mentioned earlier today, in a very different context, Ffynnongroyw and the Point of Ayr colliery, and what's quite sad to me is that, where that miners' institute used to stand in Ffynnongroyw, it's no longer there; it's houses. But what has happened in the past decade is a group of old—'old'; I'm sure they wouldn't like it if I called them 'old'—retired miners from the Point have come together to create a heritage society, and we've actually seen them, on the old pit head, they've been placing a memorial, on the edge of Ffynnongroyw, and around, actually—on the coast path towards Talacre, there's actually signage and there are statues and one of the old pit wheels too. So, it describes that history but in the context of actually seeing our natural landscape at the same time. So, I think there's massive potential to do that across Wales, like I said, and I think not to potentially have it in one site, because I could see us having a kind of I won't say 'argument' but a discussion about where is the most suitable location in Wales to have it. That's why I think if we could do it in an innovative way and have those multiple sites—
Yn hollol. Ac rwy'n credu ein bod wedi clywed sôn yn gynharach heddiw, mewn cyd-destun gwahanol iawn, am Ffynnongroyw a phwll glo'r Parlwr Du, a'r hyn sy'n drist i mi yw nad yw lle roedd sefydliad y glowyr yn arfer bod yn Ffynnongroyw yno mwyach; tai sydd yno. Ond yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd yn y degawd diwethaf yw bod grŵp o hen—'hen'; rwy'n siŵr na fyddent yn hoffi pe bawn i'n eu galw'n 'hen'—glowyr wedi ymddeol o'r Parlwr Du wedi dod at ei gilydd i greu cymdeithas dreftadaeth, ac rydym wedi eu gweld, wrth yr hen bwll, maent wedi bod yn gosod cofeb, ar gyrion Ffynnongroyw, ac o gwmpas—ar lwybr yr arfordir tuag at Dalacre, fe geir arwyddion ac fe geir cerfluniau ac un o hen olwynion pwll hefyd. Felly, mae'n disgrifio'r hanes ond yng nghyd-destun gweld ein tirwedd naturiol ar yr un pryd. Felly, rwy'n meddwl bod potensial enfawr i wneud hynny ledled Cymru, fel y dywedais, ac nid ei gael ar un safle o bosibl, oherwydd gallaf ein gweld yn cael rhyw fath o, nid wyf am ddweud 'dadl', ond trafodaeth, ynglŷn â ble yw'r lleoliad mwyaf addas yng Nghymru i'w gael. Dyna pam rwy'n meddwl os gallem ei wneud mewn ffordd newydd a chael safleoedd lluosog—
Will you take an intervention, briefly? If we're talking about—
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad, yn fyr? Os ydym yn siarad am—
We both looked at the Llywydd when you said 'briefly'.
Edrychodd y ddau ohonom ar y Llywydd pan ddywedoch chi 'yn fyr'.
Yes. If we're talking about fantastic museums, will you join me in saying that one of the best museums is the Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy? If you go there, you can see the Versailles treaty, you can see documents that Lloyd George had written during the 1916 Irish rebellion and uprising and, in that period of time, you can make sense of a lot of what's going on in the world today, and anybody going there will understand and have a greater depth of knowledge of the world that we're living in today.
Ie. Os ydym yn sôn am amgueddfeydd gwych, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i ddweud mai un o'r amgueddfeydd gorau yw Amgueddfa Lloyd George yn Llanystumdwy? Os ewch yno, gallwch weld cytundeb Versailles, gallwch weld dogfennau yr oedd Lloyd George wedi'u hysgrifennu yn ystod gwrthryfel Iwerddon 1916 ac yn y cyfnod hwnnw, gallwch wneud synnwyr o lawer o'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn y byd heddiw, a bydd unrhyw un sy'n mynd yno yn deall ac yn cael gwybodaeth ddyfnach am y byd yr ydym yn byw ynddo heddiw.
Yes, I absolutely agree. And luckily, I have actually visited the museum and, actually, it was a few years ago now, but I think those are the sorts of things that I don't think enough people know about, and actually where and how you can get there. So, I think there is a way we can connect that with our tourism offer too, to bring more people in to share this, and share it with not just people who are coming from outside of Wales, but people who live within Wales.
I am going to close now, Llywydd. Just in closing, yes, we do need to build on that investment and keep investing in our cultural contributions. But I think, as I said, we also need to be innovative and take an inclusive approach, because, as we heard today, our culture is not a luxury or a side note; it's the heart of who we are. It shapes our identities, our communities and drives our economy, so it's really important that we continue to work together to place culture at the heart of our Welsh vision and to see it strong into the future. Diolch.
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr. Ac yn ffodus, fe ymwelais â'r amgueddfa ac roedd hynny rai blynyddoedd yn ôl nawr, ond rwy'n credu mai dyna'r mathau o bethau nad wyf yn credu bod digon o bobl yn gwybod amdanynt, a ble a sut y gallwch chi gyrraedd yno. Felly, rwy'n credu bod yna ffordd y gallwn gysylltu hynny â'n cynnig twristiaeth hefyd, i ddod â mwy o bobl i mewn i rannu hyn, a'i rannu nid yn unig gyda phobl sy'n dod o'r tu allan i Gymru, ond gyda phobl sy'n byw yng Nghymru.
Rwy'n mynd i orffen nawr, Lywydd. I gloi, oes, mae angen inni adeiladu ar y buddsoddiad hwnnw a pharhau i fuddsoddi yn ein cyfraniadau diwylliannol. Ond rwy'n credu, fel y dywedais, fod angen i ni hefyd fod yn arloesol a mabwysiadu agwedd gynhwysol, oherwydd, fel y clywsom heddiw, nid moethusrwydd yw ein diwylliant na rhywbeth ymylol; mae'n ganolog i bwy ydym ni. Mae'n siapio ein hunaniaeth, ein cymunedau ac yn gyrru ein heconomi, felly mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn parhau i weithio gyda'n gilydd i roi diwylliant wrth galon ein gweledigaeth Gymreig a sicrhau ei fod yn gryf ar gyfer y dyfodol. Diolch.
Diolch, Llywydd. Oes yna rywbeth sy’n diffinio pobl yn fwy na’u diwylliant? Mae diwylliant, wrth gwrs, yn rhan annatod o berson; gall berthyn i deulu, i fro, i genedl, i genhedlaeth, i gwmni, hyd yn oed. Mae diwylliant yn rhywbeth hyblyg sydd yn esblygu ac yn addasu ei hun. Ond er gwaethaf yr hyblygrwydd a’r symudedd sydd yn perthyn yn annatod i ddiwylliant, mae e hefyd yn rhywbeth sydd yn perthyn i'r person ac yn ei ddiffinio. Felly, mae’n sefyll i reswm fod diwylliant yn bwysig i’r syniad o’r hunan. Ond mae gan ddiwylliant rôl y tu hwnt i’r mynegiannau personol yma; oherwydd y pwysigrwydd i’r adnabyddiaeth o’r hunan mae o hefyd yn erfyn pwerus iawn wrth edrych ar iechyd a gofal. Ar adegau pan fo costau iechyd a gofal yn cynyddu yn sylweddol, yr adnabyddiaeth o’r angen i wella gofal iechyd meddwl, a phoblogaeth sydd yn heneiddio, mae angen i ni edrych y tu hwnt i gyfyngiadau meddyginiaeth draddodiadol ac edrych ar fodel mwy ataliol, person ganolog, a holistig o ofal iechyd. Ac mae’r diwylliant yn ganolog i hyn—y celfyddydau, ein treftadaeth, creadigrwydd a chymuned.
Felly, dwi am gymryd cyfle heddiw i ddadlau pam fod diwylliant a chelfyddydau yn fwy na rhywbeth sydd yn cyfoethogi ac yn diddanu, ac yn llawer mwy na gyrrwr economaidd, ond eu bod nhw’n ganolog i’n gwasanaeth iechyd a gofal. Fe wnaf i edrych ar elfennau ataliol, eu heffaith ar gyflyrau megis dementia, a’r arbedion ariannol all ddod trwy gymryd rhan yn y celfyddydau a diwylliant i’r gwasanaethau iechyd a gofal.
Mae yna ddigon o ymchwil bellach yn dangos buddiannau'r celfyddydau a diwylliant i les pobl. Yn ôl yn 2017, fe gyhoeddodd grŵp trawsbleidiol San Steffan ar y celfyddydau, iechyd a lles ei adroddiad ar 'Iechyd Creadigol: Y Celfyddydau ar gyfer Iechyd a Lles', oedd yn dod i’r casgliad di-amwys,
'Gall y celfyddydau ein cadw’n iach, ein cynorthwyo mewn gwella a chefnogi byw’n hirach ac yn well.'
Nid datganiad o farn oedd hyn, ond un oedd wedi ei seilio ar dystiolaeth yn edrych ar dros 300 o astudiaethau a channoedd o dystiolaeth oddi wrth gleifion, arbenigwyr ac arweinwyr cymunedol. Fe ganfuwyd bod ymwneud â’r celfyddydau, o baentio i farddoniaeth i gerddoriaeth a dawns, yn gwella iechyd meddwl a chorfforol, yn lleihau unigrwydd cymdeithasol, ac yn cryfhau gwytnwch cymunedau. Wrth glymu hyn i mewn i ofal iechyd, mae’r celfyddydau yn arwain at arosiadau llai yn yr ysbyty, llai o ymweliadau at feddyg teulu a llai o ddefnydd o feddyginiaeth.
Ond mae yma rôl ataliol allweddol hefyd, ynghyd â’r buddion i ddioddefwyr o gyflyrau hirdymor fel dementia. Mae yna hen ddywediad poblogaidd yn y Saesneg, onid oes, 'Prevention is better than cure', ond wrth feddwl am yr elfennau ataliol, yn llawer rhy aml, mi ydyn ni’n disgyn i’r fagl o feddwl am ddeiet neu ymarfer corff. Ond mae cymryd rhan mewn digwyddiadau diwylliannol yr un mor effeithiol ag ymuno â’r gampfa. Mae cymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau celfyddydol, fel canu yn y côr, ymuno â dosbarth dawns gymunedol, neu ymweld ag amgueddfeydd, yn gysylltiedig â lleihau'r risg o iselder, gorbryder ac unigrwydd. Ac nid cyflyrau iechyd meddwl yn unig ydy’r rhain, ond yn aml maen nhw’n arwain at gyflyrau corfforol a meddyliol eraill.
Fe ddangosodd ymchwil yr UCL yn ôl yn 2019 fod pobl oedd yn ymhél â digwyddiadau diwylliannol yn achlysurol 14 y cant yn llai tebygol o farw o fewn misoedd i’r gweithgareddau hynny, â’r rhai oedd yn ymhél â digwyddiadau o’r fath yn aml gyda'r risg o farw bron i draean yn is o fewn cyfnod byr i'r ymweliadau. Ymhellach i hyn, mi ydyn ni’n gwybod bod digwyddiadau celfyddydol i blant yn cryfhau eu llythrennedd emosiynol, eu gwytnwch nhw a chydlyniad cymdeithasol. Mae cynlluniau addysgiadol yn yr ysgolion sydd yn cynnwys integreiddio drama, cerddoriaeth a’r celfyddydau gweledol hefyd yn cryfhau iechyd meddwl, canlyniadau addysgiadol a phresenoldeb yn yr ysgol, sydd oll yn helpu gyda iechyd hirdymor y plentyn a'r person ifanc.
Felly, nid moethusrwydd neis i’w gael ydy’r celfyddydau, ond teclyn hanfodol i wella ansawdd bywyd pobl, ac mae’r buddiannau yma i’w gweld yn amlwg ym mywydau pobl sydd yn byw gyda dementia.
Thank you, Llywydd. Is there anything that defines people more than their culture? Culture, of course, is an essential part of a person; it can belong to a family, to a locality, to a nation, to a generation, to a company, even. And culture is flexible, it evolves and it adapts itself. But despite that flexibility and mobility that are inextricably linked to culture, culture is also something that belongs to the individual and defines them. So, it stands to reason that culture is important to our sense of self. But culture has a role beyond these personal expressions too; due to its importance to the sense of self, it's also an important tool when thinking about health and care. At a time when the cost of health and care is increasing significantly, there's a need to improve mental health care and an ageing population, we must look beyond the limitations of traditional medicine and consider a more preventative, person-centred and holistic model of healthcare. And culture is crucial to this—the arts, our heritage, creativity and community.
Therefore, I want to take the opportunity today to make the case for culture and the arts being more than something that enriches and entertains, and much more than an economic driver, but that they're also central to the health service and the care service. I will look at the preventative aspects, their impact on conditions such as dementia, and the financial savings for the health and care services that may be derived from participation in the arts and cultural activities.
There is now a wealth of research that demonstrates the benefits of arts and culture for people’s well-being. Back in 2017, the cross-party group in Westminster on the arts, health and well-being published its report on 'Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing'. This came to the unequivocal conclusion that
'The arts can help keep us well, aid our recovery and support longer lives better lived.'
This wasn’t a statement of opinion, but a stance that was based on evidence that considered over 300 studies and hundreds of submissions of evidence from patients, specialists and community leaders. The research found that involvement in the arts, from painting to poetry, music to dance, improves mental and physical health, reduces social isolation and strengthens community resilience. Linking this with healthcare, the arts lead to shorter stays in hospital, fewer visits to GP surgeries and less use of medicines.
But there is a crucial preventative role too, as well as the benefits for those living with long-term conditions like dementia. There is a popular expression in English, isn't there, 'Prevention is better than cure’, but in thinking about the preventative elements, far too often we fall into the trap of thinking about diet or exercise alone. But participating in cultural events is just as effective as joining a gym. Taking part in cultural events, like singing in a choir, joining a community dance class, or visiting museums, is linked with lessening the risk of depression, anxiety and loneliness. And these aren’t solely mental health conditions, but can lead to other physical and mental health issues.
UCL research back in 2019 showed that people who attended cultural events occasionally were 14 per cent less likely to die within months of attending those activities, and those who attended such events on a regular basis were almost a third less likely to be at risk of death within a short time of those visits. Further to this, we know that cultural events for children strengthen their emotional literacy, their resilience and their social cohesion. Educational schemes in schools that integrate drama, music and the visual arts also strengthen mental health, educational results and attendance at school, which all assist with children and young people’s long-term health.
So, the arts aren’t a nice-to-have luxury, but are essential to improving people’s quality of life, and these benefits are clearly seen in the lives of people living with dementia.
As dementia strips away memory and cognition, art that reconnects individuals with their sense of identity, humanity and joy is essential. Music, in particular, has been shown to trigger memories, reduce agitation and improve mood in people with advanced dementia.
We have numerous excellent examples of best practice in Wales. You need look no further than the excellent Cartrefi Cymru programme by Age Cymru, where they commission professional artists to go into residential homes for 12-week creative residencies, or the Silver Screen Sisters programme, a pioneering programme between Swansea University, Black Mountains Comedy Festival and comedy performance group Kitsh n Sync, funded by the arts council. It was delivered in six care homes and strengthened communication, reduced isolation, elevated mood, and it also fostered shared emotional experience for residents. Dr Gary Christopher said, and I quote:
'This project is a fantastic example of how the arts can positively impact the lives of people with dementia. By using elements of nostalgia, humour, and movement, the performance creates a shared experience that fosters connection, stimulates deeply personal memory, and improves mood.'
Co Fi, a collaboration between Bryn Seiont Newydd care home and Galeri Caernarfon, is another excellent example, and there are others in Denbighshire, Pembrokeshire and across Wales. These programmes are not just compassionate, they are cost-effective, but they also save money in the long term. Arts-based programmes in Wales and elsewhere save the health and social care system millions of pounds annually.
A Bangor University peer-reviewed social return on investment analysis found that a 12-week visual art programme for people with dementia generated a £5.18 return on social value for every £1 invested. A recent Audit Wales report showed the value of the agreement between the Arts Council of Wales and the NHS confederation, with others, such as The Lancet, citing its effectiveness. And a UK Government review, published in November last year, identified clear value to the health of the individuals resulting in savings for the NHS. For example, older adults attending museum art sessions through the Thursday at the Museum initiative generated a £1,310 per person annual saving from fewer GP visits.
We're at a turning point. As the NHS and public health systems struggle under pressure, we must look to sustainable, innovative models of care. The integration of arts and culture into healthcare is no longer experimental, it's essential. We've heard of social prescribing, well, this is cultural prescribing. We can no longer depend on the arts and cultural sectors to subsidise our healthcare, we must instead see them as a seamless and integrated part of the whole. Diolch yn fawr.
Wrth i ddementia gael gwared ar gof a gwybyddiaeth, mae celf sy'n ailgysylltu unigolion â'u synnwyr o hunaniaeth, dynoliaeth a llawenydd yn hanfodol. Dangoswyd bod cerddoriaeth yn enwedig yn sbarduno atgofion, yn lleihau cynnwrf ac yn gwella hwyliau mewn pobl â dementia datblygedig.
Mae gennym nifer o enghreifftiau rhagorol o arferion gorau yng Nghymru. Nid oes angen i chi edrych ymhellach na rhaglen ardderchog Cartrefi Cymru gan Age Cymru, lle maent yn comisiynu artistiaid proffesiynol i fynd i gartrefi preswyl am gyfnodau preswyl creadigol o 12 wythnos, neu raglen Silver Screen Sisters, rhaglen arloesol rhwng Prifysgol Abertawe, Gŵyl Gomedi'r Mynyddoedd Du a'r grŵp perfformio comedi Kitsh n Sync, a ariennir gan gyngor y celfyddydau. Fe'i cyflwynwyd mewn chwe chartref gofal a llwyddodd i gryfhau cyfathrebu, lleihau unigrwydd, codi hwyliau, a meithrin profiad emosiynol a rennir yn y preswylwyr. Dywedodd Dr Gary Christopher:
'Mae'r prosiect hwn yn enghraifft wych o sut y gall y celfyddydau effeithio'n gadarnhaol ar fywydau pobl â dementia. Drwy ddefnyddio elfennau o hiraeth, hiwmor a symudiad, mae'r perfformiad yn creu profiad a rennir sy'n meithrin cysylltiad, yn ysgogi cof personol iawn, ac yn gwella hwyliau.'
Mae Co Fi, cydweithrediad rhwng cartref gofal Bryn Seiont Newydd a Galeri Caernarfon, yn enghraifft ardderchog arall, a cheir eraill yn sir Ddinbych, sir Benfro a ledled Cymru. Mae'r rhaglenni hyn nid yn unig yn dosturiol, maent yn gosteffeithiol, ond maent hefyd yn arbed arian yn y tymor hir. Mae rhaglenni sy'n seiliedig ar y celfyddydau yng Nghymru a mannau eraill yn arbed miliynau o bunnoedd i'r system iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol bob blwyddyn.
Canfu dadansoddiad enillion cymdeithasol ar fuddsoddiad a adolygwyd gan gymheiriaid ym Mhrifysgol Bangor fod rhaglen gelf weledol 12 wythnos ar gyfer pobl â dementia yn cynhyrchu enillion o £5.18 o werth cymdeithasol am bob £1 a fuddsoddir. Dangosodd adroddiad diweddar Archwilio Cymru werth y cytundeb rhwng Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru a chydffederasiwn y GIG, gydag eraill, fel The Lancet, yn nodi ei effeithiolrwydd. Ac roedd adolygiad gan Lywodraeth y DU, a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Tachwedd y llynedd, yn nodi gwerth clir i iechyd yr unigolion gan arwain at arbedion i'r GIG. Er enghraifft, cynhyrchodd oedolion hŷn a fynychodd sesiynau celf amgueddfa trwy gynllun Thursday at the Museum arbediad blynyddol o £1,310 y pen drwy lai o ymweliadau â meddygon teulu.
Rydym ar drobwynt. Wrth i'r GIG a systemau iechyd cyhoeddus ddod o dan bwysau, rhaid inni droi at fodelau gofal cynaliadwy, arloesol. Nid rhywbeth arbrofol yw integreiddio'r celfyddydau a diwylliant mewn gofal iechyd mwyach, mae'n hanfodol. Clywsom am bresgripsiynu cymdeithasol, wel, dyma bresgripsiynu diwylliannol. Ni allwn ddibynnu mwyach ar y sectorau celfyddydol a diwylliannol i sybsideiddio ein gofal iechyd, ac yn lle hynny rhaid inni eu gweld fel rhan ddi-dor ac integredig o'r cyfan. Diolch yn fawr.
I must say I'm really enjoying the debate, and I should start with the confession that I was a member of the Welsh Government Cabinet that decided to cut the arts and culture budget. The hideous waiting lists we faced after COVID and the Tory cuts from austerity gave us some really tough choices, invidious judgments. And arts and culture, we can't escape from the fact, are seen as softer targets. It is easier to cut grants than it is to close hospitals. We may not like that, but it is a fact. It's much harder to put a number on the benefits of arts and culture, but we can put some.
The FSB estimated in 2022 that Wales's creative industries generate 5.8 per cent of Wales's total GDP—5.8 per cent—employing some 90,000 people. And anyone who's visited the Bad Wolf Studios just close to us here in the bay and seen a major tv production in action would be blown away, not just by the creativity, but by the economic force the sector represents. And not just in Cardiff: in Llanelli, Tinopolis Cymru employ more than 120 full-time staff. That's a major employer of good jobs.
And it's not just about economic impact. Just a few hundred yards away from Tinopolis, in Llanelli town centre, in the old Zion chapel, you'll find People Speak Up, a small organisation that's using the arts to make a big difference. Their well-being programme connects communities through storytelling, spoken word, creative writing and participatory arts, and nearly 3,000 people came through their doors in the last 12 months.
Culture can heal, and we're fortunate in Llanelli to have a rich range of choirs, bands and local societies, and a first-class theatre, Y Ffwrnes, in the centre of town. It was there last October that I saw a thoughtful and moving performance of the play Carwyn, written by Owen Thomas and Gareth Bale, and it told the story of Carwyn James, the towering rugby coach, and it was a product of the Welsh theatre ecosystem: an idea born at a Sherman Theatre script slam, incubated in the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven, and toured across Wales in small theatres. Like all good theatre, it entertained, it was funny, and it stimulated. It made you think, in this case about community, sexuality, meritocracy, myth and memory, and loneliness. It moved. That's what arts and culture does at its best. It puts a different lens on how we look at the world, how we think about our place in the world.
I haven't seen many plays in recent years. I've made numerous visits to our outstanding Wales Millennium Centre to see musicals, and we're fortunate to have such a venue of international standing in our capital, and an artistic team that curates such a broad range of productions that appeal to so many varied audiences. I've enjoyed there fairly recently The Book of Mormon, Hamilton and Waitress—west-end standard productions—but also the augmented reality production Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin. And for this immersive production, my family each put on a virtual reality headset and we were transported to Alabama in 1955 to witness the little-known forerunner to Rosa Parks, bravely refusing to give up her seat on the bus. It was remarkable. It sparked conversations with my children. It made me think deeply about my own white privilege, and it triggered my imagination of how digital storytelling can take the arts in new directions. But it was Carwyn in Llanelli that reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the theatre. I'm excited by Michael Sheen's plans for a Swansea-based Welsh national theatre, and I've booked my tickets for the Swansea Grand Theatre to see Russell T. Davies's take on Our Town in January.
I've been blown away by a run of plays at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre in recent months. Tim Price's superb take on the miners' strike, Odyssey '84, with a first-class cast, was deeply moving and thought-provoking. A play can break your heart, and this one did. Hijinx Theatre's remarkable telling of how the movement of disabled people living in shared housing in Cardiff began was extraordinary. Neurodivergent and neurotypical actors sharing the stage to tell a story I was completely unaware of, in a way that made me laugh and cry. Arts and culture helps us to understand our past and our present in unique ways, and ways you can't measure in gross domestic product.
Azuka Oforka, a new playwright, gave me a piece of theatre I will never forget. The Women of Llanrumney was a searing and intimate tale of slavery, its links with Wales, its disfiguring impact on people's souls and, ultimately, a rebellion against it. It spoke to me in a way a book or a song simply could not. Port Talbot Gotta Banksy by Paul Jenkins, based on verbatim interviews with everyday people in the town, was a terrific piece of theatre that literally gave people a voice. And Martin Decker's solo one-man show a few weeks ago did a serious thing with a lightness of touch, on the subject of men's mental health and the role of fathers.
Each of these pieces of art and culture provided a value that cannot be captured in a cost-benefit analysis. But I recognise that it is only possible to stage theatre like this because of public investment, and there are many calls on that. Weighing which priority to fund is not easy. But as we make those choices, we mustn't forget the value of art and culture, even if we can't always quantify it. Diolch.
Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod yn mwynhau'r ddadl yn fawr, a dylwn ddechrau gyda'r cyfaddefiad fy mod yn aelod o Gabinet Llywodraeth Cymru a benderfynodd dorri cyllideb y celfyddydau a diwylliant. Rhoddodd y rhestrau aros erchyll a wynebwyd ar ôl COVID a'r toriadau Torïaidd yn sgil cyni ddewisiadau anodd iawn i ni. Ac ni allwn ddianc rhag y ffaith bod y celfyddydau a diwylliant yn cael eu hystyried fel targedau meddalach. Mae'n haws torri grantiau nag yw hi i gau ysbytai. Efallai nad ydym yn hoffi hynny, ond mae'n ffaith. Mae'n llawer anos rhoi ffigurau ar fanteision celfyddydau a diwylliant, ond fe allwn roi rhai.
Amcangyfrifodd y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach yn 2022 fod diwydiannau creadigol Cymru yn cynhyrchu 5.8 y cant o gyfanswm cynnyrch domestig gros Cymru—5.8 y cant—gan gyflogi tua 90,000 o bobl. A byddai unrhyw un sydd wedi ymweld â'r Bad Wolf Studios yn agos atom yma yn y bae ac wedi gweld cynhyrchiad teledu mawr ar waith yn cael ei syfrdanu, nid yn unig gan y creadigrwydd, ond gan y grym economaidd y mae'r sector yn ei gynrychioli. Ac nid yng Nghaerdydd yn unig: yn Llanelli, mae Tinopolis Cymru yn cyflogi mwy na 120 o staff amser llawn. Mae'n gyflogwr mawr a chanddo swyddi da.
Ac mae'n ymwneud â mwy nag effaith economaidd yn unig. Ychydig gannoedd o lathenni i ffwrdd o Tinopolis, yng nghanol tref Llanelli, yn hen gapel Seion, fe welwch People Speak Up, sefydliad bach sy'n defnyddio'r celfyddydau i wneud gwahaniaeth mawr. Mae eu rhaglen lesiant yn cysylltu cymunedau trwy adrodd straeon, y gair llafar, ysgrifennu creadigol a chelfyddydau cyfranogol, a daeth bron i 3,000 o bobl trwy eu drysau yn ystod y 12 mis diwethaf.
Gall diwylliant wella pobl, ac rydym yn ffodus yn Llanelli i gael ystod gyfoethog o gorau, bandiau a chymdeithasau lleol, a theatr o'r radd flaenaf, y Ffwrnes, yng nghanol y dref. Yno fis Hydref diwethaf gwelais berfformiad meddylgar a theimladwy o'r ddrama Carwyn, a ysgrifennwyd gan Owen Thomas a Gareth Bale. Adroddai hanes Carwyn James, yr hyfforddwr rygbi aruthrol, ac roedd yn gynnyrch ecosystem theatr Cymru: syniad a aned mewn slam sgriptiau gan Theatr y Sherman, ei ddeor yn Theatr y Torch yn Aberdaugleddau, a'i deithio ledled Cymru mewn theatrau bach. Fel pob drama dda, roedd yn diddanu, roedd yn ddoniol, ac roedd yn ysgogi. Fe wnaeth i chi feddwl, yn yr achos hwn am gymuned, rhywioldeb, meritocratiaeth, myth a chof, ac unigrwydd. Roedd yn deimladwy iawn. Dyna beth y mae celfyddydau a diwylliant yn ei wneud ar ei orau. Mae'n rhoi lens wahanol ar sut yr edrychwn ar y byd, sut rydym yn meddwl am ein lle yn y byd.
Nid wyf wedi gweld llawer o ddramâu yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Rwyf wedi ymweld ar sawl achlysur â Chanolfan Mileniwm Cymru i weld sioeau cerdd, ac rydym yn ffodus fod gennym leoliad ag iddo gymaint o enwogrwydd rhyngwladol yn ein prifddinas, a thîm artistig sy'n curadu ystod mor eang o gynyrchiadau i apelio at gymaint o gynulleidfaoedd amrywiol. Yn weddol ddiweddar, mwynheais The Book of Mormon, Hamilton a Waitress—cynyrchiadau o safon y west-end—ond hefyd y cynhyrchiad realiti estynedig Colored: The Unsung Life of Claudette Colvin. Ac ar gyfer y cynhyrchiad technoleg ymgolli hwn, gwisgodd fy nheulu benset realiti rhithwir a chawsom ein cludo i Alabama ym 1955 i weld y rhagflaenydd dewr i Rosa Parks nad oes llawer yn wybyddus amdani, a wrthododd ildio ei sedd ar y bws. Roedd yn rhyfeddol. Fe wnaeth sbarduno sgyrsiau gyda fy mhlant. Fe wnaeth i mi feddwl yn ddwfn am fy mraint wen fy hun, ac fe gyneuodd fy nychymyg ynglŷn â sut y gall adrodd straeon digidol fynd â'r celfyddydau i gyfeiriadau newydd. Ond Carwyn yn Llanelli a wnaeth adfywio fy mrwdfrydedd dros y theatr. Mae cynlluniau Michael Sheen ar gyfer theatr genedlaethol Gymreig yn Abertawe yn fy nghyffroi, ac rwyf wedi archebu fy nhocynnau i fynd i Theatr y Grand Abertawe i weld dehongliad Russell T. Davies o Our Town ym mis Ionawr.
Cefais fy syfrdanu gan gyfres o ddramâu yn Theatr y Sherman yng Nghaerdydd yn ystod y misoedd diwethaf. Roedd dehongliad gwych Tim Price o streic y glowyr, Odyssey '84, gyda chast o'r radd flaenaf, yn deimladwy iawn ac yn ysgogi'r meddwl. Gall drama dorri eich calon, ac fe wnaeth hon. Roedd y ffordd ryfeddol yr adroddodd Hijinx Theatre sut y dechreuwyd symud pobl anabl a oedd yn byw mewn tai a rennir yng Nghaerdydd yn anhygoel. Actorion niwroamrywiol a niwronodweddiadol yn rhannu'r llwyfan i adrodd stori nad oeddwn yn ymwybodol ohoni o gwbl, mewn ffordd a wnaeth i mi chwerthin a chrio. Mae celfyddydau a diwylliant yn ein helpu i ddeall ein gorffennol a'n presennol mewn ffyrdd unigryw, a ffyrdd na allwch eu mesur mewn cynnyrch domestig gros.
Rhoddodd Azuka Oforka, dramodydd newydd, ddarn o theatr i mi na fyddaf byth yn ei anghofio. Roedd The Women of Llanrhymni yn stori ysgytwol a pherthnasol am gaethwasiaeth, ei chysylltiadau â Chymru, ei heffaith anffurfiol ar eneidiau pobl, ac yn y pen draw, gwrthryfel yn ei herbyn. Siaradodd â mi mewn ffordd na allai llyfr neu gân ei wneud. Roedd Port Talbot Gotta Banksy gan Paul Jenkins, yn seiliedig ar gyfweliadau gair am air gyda phobl gyffredin yn y dref, yn ddarn gwych o theatr a roddodd lais i bobl yn llythrennol. Ac fe wnaeth sioe un dyn Martin Decker ychydig wythnosau yn ôl rywbeth difrifol gydag ysgafnder, ar bwnc iechyd meddwl dynion a rôl tadau.
Roedd pob un o'r darnau hyn o gelfyddyd a diwylliant yn darparu gwerth na ellir ei gyfleu mewn dadansoddiad cost a budd. Ond rwy'n cydnabod mai dim ond oherwydd buddsoddiad cyhoeddus y mae'n bosibl llwyfannu theatr o'r fath, ac mae yna lawer o alw am fuddsoddiad o'r fath. Nid yw pwyso a mesur pa flaenoriaeth i'w ariannu yn hawdd. Ond wrth inni wneud y dewisiadau hynny, rhaid inni beidio ag anghofio gwerth celfyddyd a diwylliant, hyd yn oed os na allwn bob amser ei feintioli. Diolch.
Fel llefarydd tai fy mhlaid, dwi'n dweud yn aml fod tai yn ymwneud yn sylfaenol â phobl. Gellir cyfleu hyn mewn ffordd bwerus gan ddefnyddio'r celfyddydau creadigol, gan ganiatáu gwahanol sgyrsiau am y dewisiadau sydd ar gael i ni, a pham fod tai mor bwysig. Roeddwn i wrth fy modd yn gweld tîm cymunedau'n creu cartrefi Cwmpas yn arbrofi â drama i alluogi sgyrsiau am botensial tai cydweithredol. A dwi'n argymell bod pawb yn edrych ar y gwaith maen nhw wedi'i gomisiynu o'r enw Brewing Eggshells for Faulty Tower Changelings. A dyna chi deitl gwerth chweil, yn wir.
Fe all y celfyddydau creadigol gefnogi ymgysylltiad cymunedol, a grymuso cymunedau i ddatblygu gweledigaeth ar gyfer eu tai yn y dyfodol. Mae'r celfyddydau yn gallu caniatáu pobl i feddwl yn wahanol a chael sgyrsiau gwahanol a all ddod â phobl ynghyd â gweledigaeth gyffredin. Dwi wedi gweld sut mae hynna wedi cael ei ddefnyddio i drafod tai mewn ardal wledig yn ne Kerry, Iwerddon. Fe all y celfyddydau creadigol ein helpu ni efo syniadau arloesol, ond, wrth gwrs, mae angen y gronfa honno o artistiaid cymunedol arnom ni i alluogi hynny.
Dwi am droi at fy rôl fel Aelod Arfon, a dwi yn falch iawn o gynrychioli etholaeth sydd yn fwrlwm o ddiwylliant sydd wedi ei wreiddio yn ein cymunedau, yn ein canolfannau celfyddydol ac, yn wir, ym mhob agwedd o'n bywydau ni. Fe glywais i'n ddiweddar am y gwaith sy'n digwydd yn Bradford fel Dinas Diwylliant, a dwi wedi cael fy argyhoeddi y gallai dinas y Fenai arddel teitl Dinas Diwylliant yn y dyfodol.
Gwnaf ddewis un enghraifft yn unig o ddinas diwylliant y Fenai, enghraifft sydd yng nghanol y bwrlwm yma yn Arfon, sef Cwmni'r Frân Wen. Dyma enghraifft ardderchog o werth allweddol y celfyddydau yng Nghymru. Wedi’i leoli ym Mangor, mae Frân Wen yn arbenigo mewn prosesau cyd-greu arloesol efo plant, pobl ifanc a chymunedau. Yn 2024, fe agorodd Frân Wen y ganolfan Nyth, trawsnewidiad ysbrydoledig o hen eglwys i ganolfan gelfyddydol gynhwysol, gynaliadwy a chroesawgar, sy’n gosod cydweithio, adfywio cymunedol ac arloesedd artistig wrth galon y gwaith.
Mae gwaith Frân Wen yn adlewyrchu cymdeithas amrywiol Cymru heddiw, gan roi lle canolog i leisiau sydd wedi eu tangynrychioli. Maen nhw'n hyrwyddo’r Gymraeg fel iaith fyw ac yn grymuso pobl i leisio’u stori. Mae Frân Wen hefyd yn enghraifft gref o sut y gall buddsoddi mewn celfyddydau gyfrannu at iechyd, lles, addysg, sgiliau, economi leol ac uchelgais genedlaethol. Yn wir, nid rhywbeth braf i’w gael, ond rhan hanfodol o ddyfodol ffyniannus Cymru.
Gwnaf i sôn am ddau o’u prosiectau nhw. Mae'r Stiwdio Lles yn brosiect rhwng Celfyddydau Cymunedol Gwynedd, gwasanaethau cefnogi llesiant myfyrwyr Prifysgol Bangor, a meddygfa Bodnant, wedi’i anelu at bobl ifanc rhwng 18 a 30 oed sy’n profi gorbryder, unigedd neu iselder. Mae’r Stiwdio Lles yn darparu gofod diogel i’r cyfranogwyr archwilio’u hemosiynau a’u profiadau drwy gyfrwng celf, gyda chefnogaeth artistiaid proffesiynol. Yn hytrach na bod yn ymatebol i broblemau iechyd meddwl, mae’r prosiect yn weithred ataliol sy’n cynnig dull arall i ymdopi a datblygu hunanhyder. Mae’r llwyddiant cynnar yn profi potensial y dull yma i greu newid cadarnhaol a chynaliadwy mewn bywydau pobl ifanc, ac yn tynnu sylw at rôl y celfyddydau wrth gefnogi gwasanaethau iechyd a llesiant ehangach.
Cynhyrchiad ydy Dynolwaith gan y dramodydd ifanc Leo Drayton, sy’n archwilio’r daith bersonol a chymdeithasol o drawsnewid hunaniaeth rhywedd. Mae’r ddrama’n gydgynhyrchiad efo Theatr y Sherman yng Nghaerdydd, ac yn teithio ledled Cymru yn ystod yr hydref y flwyddyn yma. Ochr yn ochr â'r cynhyrchiad, mae Frân Wen yn lansio rhaglen ddatblygu ar gyfer artistiaid sy’n dod o’r gymuned LGBTQ+ Cymraeg, gan fynd i’r afael yn uniongyrchol â’r diffyg cynrychiolaeth hanesyddol yn y diwydiant. Dwi'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr iawn i weld y ddrama ac i weld y gwaith sydd yn digwydd o gwmpas y rhaglen ddatblygu hefyd.
Er gwaethaf y llwyddiant artistig a’r effaith gymdeithasol sy’n amlwg yn achos Frân Wen, mae’r cwmni, fel llawer o sefydliadau diwylliannol yng Nghymru, yn gweithredu o dan bwysau ariannol sylweddol. Does dim osgoi y ffaith yna. Mi oedd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn gofyn inni fod yn bositif. Dwi yn bod yn bositif. Dwi yn adnabod nifer fawr o brosiectau positif. Dwi yn adnabod y llesiant cenedlaethol sydd yn gallu deillio o'r celfyddydau. Ond mae'n rhaid cydnabod y realiti hefyd o weithredu dan bwysau ariannol sylweddol. Mae’r sefyllfa bresennol yn tanseilio gallu’r sector i gynllunio’n gynaliadwy, gallu'r sector i gadw talent greadigol, a gallu’r sector i gwrdd ag anghenion cymunedau sy'n dibynnu ar y celfyddydau fel ffordd o fynegiant, datblygiad a chysylltiad cymdeithasol.
I gloi, nid moethusrwydd ydy buddsoddi yn y celfyddydau. Mae’r sector diwylliannol a’r celfyddydau yn ecosystem arbennig iawn y dylem ni fod yn ymfalchïo yn fawr iawn ynddi. Mae hi'n gonglfaen i economi, iechyd, addysg a hunaniaeth Cymru.
As housing spokesperson for my party, I say very often that housing is directly related to people. This can be powerfully conveyed by using the creative arts, facilitating different conversations about the options available to us, and why housing is so important. I was delighted to see the communities creating homes team at Cwmpas experimenting with drama to facilitate conversations about the potential of co-operative housing. I encourage everyone to look at the work that they've commissioned called Brewing Eggshells for Faulty Tower Changelings. That's a very worthwhile title, I'm sure you'll agree.
The creative arts can support community engagement, and can empower communities to develop a vision for housing in the future. The arts can enable people to think differently and to have different conversations that can bring people together with a shared vision. I have seen how this has been used to discuss rural housing in south Kerry, Ireland. The creative arts can help us with innovative ideas, but, of course, we need that pool of community artists to enable this to happen.
I want to turn to my role as the Member for Arfon, and I'm very proud to represent a constituency that is alive with culture that is rooted in our communities, in our cultural centres and, indeed, in every aspect of our lives. Recently, I heard about the work that is being done in Bradford as City of Culture, and I'm convinced that the city on the Menai could hold the title of City of Culture in future.
I will select but one example from the Menai city of culture, an example that is at the heart of the vibrant scene here in Arfon, namely Cwmni'r Frân Wen. Here's an excellent example of the critical value of the arts in Wales. Based in Bangor, Frân Wen specialises in innovative co-production processes with children, young people and communities. In 2024, Frân Wen opened the Nyth centre, the inspiring transformation of a former church into an inclusive, sustainable and welcoming arts centre, which places co-operation, community regeneration and artistic innovation at the heart of the work.
Frân Wen’s work reflects the diverse society of today’s Wales, centred on underrepresented voices. They promote Welsh as a living language and empower people to share their stories. Frân Wen is also an excellent example of how investing in the arts can contribute to health outcomes, well-being, skills, the local economy and national ambition. Indeed, it’s not a nice-to-have, but an integral part of a prosperous future for Wales.
I will mention but two of their many projects. The Well-being Studio is a project between Gwynedd Community Arts, Bangor University’s student support services, and Bodnant surgery. It's a project aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 30 experiencing anxiety, loneliness or depression. The studio provides a safe space for participants to examine their emotions and experiences through the medium of art, supported by professional artists. Rather than being reactive to mental health issues, the project is a preventative step that provides alternative coping strategies and aids the development of self-confidence. Its early success demonstrates the potential of this method to create positive and sustainable change in young people’s lives, and highlights the role of the arts in supporting wider health and well-being services.
Dynolwaith, secondly, is a production by the young playwright Leo Drayton, which examines the personal and social journey through gender identity transition. The play is a co-production with the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff and will be touring across Wales during the autumn of this year. Alongside the production, Frân Wen is launching a development programme for artists from the LGBTQ+ community in Wales, directly responding to the historical lack of representation in the industry. I very much look forward to seeing the drama and to seeing the work that is being done through this development programme.
Despite the artistic success and the clear social impact emanating from Frân Wen’s work, the company, like many cultural organisations in Wales, does operate under significant financial pressure. There is no avoiding that fact. The Minister asked us to be positive. I am being positive. I do acknowledge the number of projects that are having a positive impact. I acknowledge the national well-being that can emanate from the arts. But we do have to acknowledge the reality too of operating under significant financial pressure. The current situation does undermine the ability of the sector to plan sustainably, to retain creative talent, and the sector's ability to meet the needs of communities that depend on the arts as a means of expression, development and social connection.
To conclude, investment in the arts is not a luxury. The culture sector and the arts make up a special ecosystem that we should take a great deal of pride in. It's a cornerstone of the economy, health, education and identity of Wales.
I agree with Siân Gwenllian that investing in the arts is not a luxury. At the moment, we have really serious challenges around community cohesion, and therefore the arts is one of the ways in which we can bring people together to discuss wicked issues that we need to all get our heads around.
Rwy'n cytuno â Siân Gwenllian nad yw buddsoddi yn y celfyddydau yn foethusrwydd. Ar hyn o bryd, mae gennym heriau difrifol iawn yn ymwneud â chydlyniant cymunedol, ac felly mae'r celfyddydau yn un o'r ffyrdd y gallwn ddod â phobl at ei gilydd i drafod materion anodd y mae angen i bawb ohonom gael ein pennau o'u cwmpas.
Before I return to more local issues, I'd just like to reminisce that Theatr Clwyd was where I saw Porth y Byddar, exclusively in Welsh, in 2007; but because I knew the story, I was able to follow it. But I didn't realise until now, because I just looked it up, that 'Porth y Byddar' means 'Deaf Gate', which seems to me far more suitable than the revival, which was called Drowned Out. Simply because the whole story of Tryweryn is all about the deafness of the corporation of Liverpool and the city of Liverpool councillors, who couldn't understand—. Or rather, I think they did at one level, because that's why they went for an Act of Parliament rather than a planning application. But the point of the whole story is that it was the arrogance of people who didn't live there and had no investment in the community who thought they could just trample all over local thought and feeling and culture. And, of course, the rest is history.
Going back to more general issues, Lee Waters has already talked about a lot of the fantastic works that have been developed at the Sherman Theatre, which is in my constituency, and it's such a privilege to have them there. One of the pieces of art that Lee didn't mention is something called Hot Chicks, which was about two teenagers bunking off school, hanging out in a chicken shop, who get sucked into drug dealing and prostitution. A very contemporary story, given what we know now about other terrible things that have gone on in communities across the UK. Recruited by older women, acting on behalf of a gangster, these vulnerable young women were attracted by the money and the glamour until they were too deep in to be able to get out. It was a very powerful thing—with just three actors. It was amazingly well done.
But we also have other things. I can remember, for example, at the Wales Millennium Centre back in December 2018, seeing a fantastic and such a powerful play called Behind the Label, which is about homelessness, which was delivered by Theatre Versus Oppression, which empowered vulnerable adults to share their stories that got them into and out of homelessness. There was the depth of the commitment of the Wallich, where these people had been supported on that journey back into being able to sustain their own tenancies, and enabling these people, who had such terrible histories, to be able to share it with the public at large, as well as the healing process of reliving their traumas that had triggered them to becoming homeless in the first place, which is such an essential ingredient on the path to recovery.
We, of course, also have Michael Sheen's depiction of Nye Bevan, which isn't just something that has everybody giving a standing ovation when it's played in Wales, but it also helps educate the rest of the UK about the importance of Nye Bevan, as well as the importance of keeping our NHS public.
I now want to talk a little bit about another wicked issue, which is around breastfeeding. The mission statement of the Arts Council of Wales is to create arts that are integral to the health and well-being of the nation. How are they going to deliver on that when, although 60 per cent of authors, writers and translators are female, only one in 10 feature film writers are female? And though a quarter of all tv dramas are written by women, that's halved when you analyse who is writing in the prime-time slots. So, I think that the women's view of the world is under-represented still, and I'm sure many of us are not surprised at that.
Three years ago, men still accounted for three quarters of all credited writers in UK theatre performances, and there is no positive portrayal of breastfeeding in mainstream film, television or theatre. So, how can we use our arts and culture to challenge the absolutely stigmatising presentation of breastfeeding as something that's weird? Everybody seems to think that breastfeeding is a good idea, but breasts are for feeding babies, not selling newspapers, and that, I'm afraid, is still the prevalent view.
We know that breast is the best outcome. Indeed, the latest YouGov poll last year couldn't find a single person who was prepared to say that infant formula was as good as breast, never mind better than breast, yet the low breastfeeding rates in the UK are a major public health issue, and they're even more depressing in Wales than in the other nations. I think it's also a massive social justice issue, because it is the most available and cost-effective public health intervention—and we're seeking to become a Marmot nation—impacting positively on both the health of the mother and the child, which we largely leave to the voluntary sector after 6 o'clock in the evening, which is, guess what, when mother and child are struggling with tiredness.
How many health boards prioritise supporting women to help them start and sustain breastfeeding during those initial days and weeks of that mother and baby's journey? That's a question I'll leave with you. It's not many. Because we know that 60 per cent of people start breastfeeding at birth, but by six weeks, it's down to 25 per cent—so, they've definitely left the hospital by then—and at six months, only 16 per cent are giving any breast milk at all.
Cyn dychwelyd at faterion mwy lleol, rwyf am gofio mai Theatr Clwyd oedd lle gwelais Porth y Byddar, yn Gymraeg yn unig, yn 2007; ond oherwydd fy mod i'n gwybod y stori, gallwn ei ddilyn. Ond nid oeddwn i'n sylweddoli tan nawr, oherwydd rwyf newydd edrych, fod 'Porth y Byddar' yn golygu 'Deaf Gate', sy'n ymddangos i mi yn llawer mwy addas na'r adfywiad, a elwid yn Drowned Out. Yn syml oherwydd bod holl stori Tryweryn yn ymwneud â byddardod corfforaeth Lerpwl a chynghorwyr dinas Lerpwl, na allent ddeall—. Neu'n hytrach, rwy'n credu eu bod ar un lefel, oherwydd dyna pam y gwnaethant fynd am Ddeddf Seneddol yn hytrach na chais cynllunio. Ond pwynt yr holl stori yw mai haerllugrwydd pobl nad oeddent yn byw yno ac nad oedd ganddynt unrhyw fuddsoddiad yn y gymuned a wnaeth iddynt feddwl y gallent sathru dros feddwl a theimlad a diwylliant lleol. Ac wrth gwrs, mae'r gweddill yn hanes.
I fynd yn ôl at faterion mwy cyffredinol, mae Lee Waters eisoes wedi siarad am lawer o'r gweithiau gwych sydd wedi'u datblygu yn Theatr y Sherman, sydd yn fy etholaeth i, ac mae'n gymaint o fraint eu cael yno. Un o'r gweithiau o gelfyddyd na wnaeth Lee sôn amdanynt yw rhywbeth o'r enw Hot Chicks, a oedd yn ymwneud â dwy yn eu harddegau yn chwarae triwant o'r ysgol, yn treulio'u hamser mewn siop decawê, ac sy'n cael eu rhwydo mewn byd o werthu cyffuriau a phuteindra. Stori gyfoes iawn, o ystyried yr hyn a wyddom nawr am bethau ofnadwy eraill sydd wedi digwydd mewn cymunedau ledled y DU. Wedi'u recriwtio gan fenywod hŷn, yn gweithredu ar ran gangster, cafodd y menywod ifanc bregus hyn eu denu gan yr arian a'r hudoliaeth nes eu bod i mewn yn rhy ddwfn i allu dod allan. Roedd yn bwerus iawn—gyda dim ond tri actor. Cafodd ei wneud yn anhygoel o dda.
Ond mae gennym bethau eraill hefyd. Er enghraifft, yng Nghanolfan Mileniwm Cymru yn ôl ym mis Rhagfyr 2018, gallaf gofio gweld drama wych ac mor bwerus o'r enw Behind the Label, yn ymwneud â digartrefedd, a gyflwynwyd gan Theatre Versus Oppression, a oedd yn grymuso oedolion bregus i rannu eu straeon a'u tynnodd i mewn ac allan o ddigartrefedd. Roedd dyfnder ymrwymiad y Wallich, lle roedd y bobl hyn wedi cael eu cefnogi ar y daith honno yn ôl i allu cynnal eu tenantiaethau eu hunain, a galluogi'r bobl hyn, a oedd â hanesion mor ofnadwy, i allu eu rhannu gyda'r cyhoedd yn gyffredinol, yn ogystal â'r broses wella o ail-fyw eu trawma a oedd wedi achosi iddynt ddod yn ddigartref yn y lle cyntaf, sy'n elfen mor hanfodol ar y llwybr i adferiad.
Wrth gwrs, mae gennym hefyd ddehongliad Michael Sheen o Nye Bevan, sydd nid yn unig yn rhywbeth sy'n gwneud i bawb godi ar eu traed i gymeradwyo pan gaiff ei ddangos yng Nghymru, ond mae hefyd yn helpu i addysgu gweddill y DU am bwysigrwydd Nye Bevan, yn ogystal â phwysigrwydd cadw ein GIG yn gyhoeddus.
Rwyf eisiau siarad ychydig nawr am fater arall, sy'n ymwneud â bwydo ar y fron. Datganiad cenhadaeth Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yw creu celfyddydau sy'n rhan annatod o iechyd a llesiant y genedl. Sut y mae cyflawni hynny pan nad oes ond un o bob 10 o awduron ffilmiau nodwedd yn fenywod, er bod 60 y cant o awduron, ysgrifenwyr a chyfieithwyr yn fenywod? Ac er bod chwarter yr holl ddramâu teledu wedi'u hysgrifennu gan fenywod, caiff hynny ei haneru pan fyddwch chi'n dadansoddi pwy sy'n ysgrifennu yn y slotiau oriau brig. Felly, rwy'n credu nad yw golwg menywod ar y byd yn cael ei gynrychioli'n ddigonol o hyd, ac rwy'n siŵr nad oes llawer ohonom yn synnu at hynny.
Dair blynedd yn ôl, dynion oedd tri chwarter yr holl awduron perfformiadau theatr yn y DU, ac nid oes portreadu cadarnhaol o fwydo ar y fron mewn ffilm, teledu neu theatr prif ffrwd. Felly, sut y gallwn ni ddefnyddio ein celfyddydau a'n diwylliant i herio'r modd y caiff cynrychiolaeth o fwydo ar y fron ei stigmateiddio fel rhywbeth sy'n rhyfedd? Mae pawb i'w gweld yn meddwl bod bwydo ar y fron yn syniad da, ond pwrpas bronnau yw bwydo babanod, nid gwerthu papurau newydd, a dyna, rwy'n ofni, yw'r farn gyffredin o hyd.
Fe wyddom mai bwydo ar y fron yw'r peth gorau i'w wneud. Yn wir, ni allai pôl piniwn diweddaraf YouGov y llynedd ddod o hyd i unrhyw unigolyn a oedd yn barod i ddweud bod fformiwla babanod cystal â'r fron, heb sôn am fod yn well na'r fron, ond mae'r cyfraddau bwydo ar y fron isel yn y DU yn broblem iechyd cyhoeddus mawr, ac maent hyd yn oed yn fwy digalon yng Nghymru nag yn y gwledydd eraill. Rwy'n credu ei fod hefyd yn fater cyfiawnder cymdeithasol enfawr, oherwydd dyma'r ymyrraeth iechyd cyhoeddus mwyaf hygyrch a chosteffeithiol—ac rydym yn ceisio dod yn genedl Marmot—sy'n effeithio'n gadarnhaol ar iechyd y fam a'r plentyn, mater rydym yn ei adael i raddau helaeth i'r sector gwirfoddol ar ôl 6 o'r gloch y nos, sef, dyfalwch beth, pan fydd mam a phlentyn yn brwydro yn erbyn blinder.
Faint o fyrddau iechyd sy'n blaenoriaethu cefnogi menywod i'w helpu i ddechrau a chynnal bwydo ar y fron yn ystod y dyddiau a'r wythnosau cyntaf o daith y fam a'r babi? Dyna gwestiwn y gwnaf ei adael gyda chi. Nid yw'n llawer. Oherwydd fe wyddom fod 60 y cant o bobl yn dechrau bwydo ar y fron ar adeg yr enedigaeth, ond erbyn chwe wythnos, mae i lawr i 25 y cant—felly, maent yn bendant wedi gadael yr ysbyty erbyn hynny—ac yn chwe mis oed, dim ond 16 y cant sy'n rhoi unrhyw laeth y fron o gwbl.
I'll need you to bring your comments to an end now. If you could wind down.
Bydd angen i chi ddod â'ch sylwadau i ben nawr. Os gallwch ddirwyn i ben.
Okay. I'll come back, then.
O'r gorau. Fe ddof yn ôl, felly.
Okay. That's fine. Julie Morgan. No. Cefin Campbell, then Julie Morgan.
O'r gorau. Mae hynny'n iawn. Julie Morgan. Na. Cefin Campbell, wedyn Julie Morgan.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, a diolch am y ddadl hon. Mae wedi bod yn gwbl ysbrydoledig, a dweud y gwir, clywed am brofiadau pobl wahanol a'u perthynas a'r celfyddydau, a chydnabyddiaeth hefyd bod y celfyddydau'n llenwi'r gofod o ran ein hanwybodaeth o'r byd o'n cwmpas ni. Mae'n caniatáu i ni ymateb yn emosiynol i gelf ac i gerddoriaeth, i chwaraeon, i ddawns, a phob math o gyfryngau celfyddydol gwahanol.
Ond fel sydd eisoes wedi cael ei ddweud yn y ddadl hon, mae'r celfyddydau a'n diwylliant ni'n fwy na rhywbeth neis i'w gael, ac mae hynny'n arbennig o wir pan ddaw hi at y cysylltiad rhwng y celfyddydau a diwylliant ac addysg yn arbennig. Addysg, fel rŷn ni'n gwybod, sy'n gosod y seiliau ar gyfer ein dyfodol ni fel cenedl. Yng Nghymru, rŷn ni'n wlad sydd â hanes cyfoethog o hunaniaeth ddiwylliannol hynod o falch, ac mae addysg wastad wedi bodoli y tu hwnt i'r ystafell ddosbarth fel mynegiant o hwnna.
Drwy addysg, rŷn ni'n trosglwyddo ein hanes, ein diwylliant, ein hiaith a'n gwerthoedd o un genhedlaeth i'r nesaf, ac rŷn ni'n gwneud hynny ar gyfer ein pobl ifanc, a rhoi profiadau arbennig iddyn nhw y byddan nhw'n eu gwerthfawrogi am weddill eu bywyd. Mae'r celfyddydau'n rhan bwysig o sut mae addysg yn defnyddio'r mynegiant hwnnw i roi'r profiadau yna i'n plant a'n pobl ifanc. A does dim ond rhaid inni feddwl nôl i ychydig wythnosau nôl i fel oedd Eisteddfod yr Urdd, er enghraifft, ym Margam, eisteddfod Dur a Môr, wedi rhoi cymaint o brofiadau celfyddydol, diwylliannol—celf a dawns a cherddoriaeth o bob math—i blant o bob math o gefndiroedd, o bob math o gartrefi, ac ieithoedd gwahanol hefyd.
Yn 2013 fe gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru adroddiad ar y celfyddydau ac addysg, a dywedodd yr adroddiad hwn:
'Yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain...bydd addysg yn dod yn sail...i gymdeithas greadigol, economi greadigol a diwylliant creadigol.'
Ac aeth yr adroddiad ymlaen i ddweud y bydd creadigrwydd, neu fod yn
'agored i gaffael gwybodaeth newydd a sgiliau arloesol, yn llunio ein byd'
mewn ffordd gwbl chwyldroadol. Nawr, dyna weledigaeth bwerus, ond ydyn ni wedi colli golwg ar y weledigaeth honno? Oherwydd os ydyn ni yn wirioneddol gredu yn y weledigaeth, pam taw'r celfyddydau—cerddoriaeth, drama a'r celfyddydau gweledol—sydd wastad ar frig y rhestr o bethau i gael eu torri pan fydd cyllidebau ysgolion a chyllidebau’r celfyddydau yn gyffredinol yn dynn? Pam fod profiadau diwylliannol, a all fod yn sbardun ar gyfer taith pobl ifanc, taith yrfaol gwbl sylfaenol i blentyn, yn cael eu trin fel opsiynau dymunol yn hytrach nag fel agweddau hanfodol o addysg gyflawn? Ystyriwch y plentyn sy'n ymweld ag amgueddfa am y tro cyntaf ac yn cael cipolwg ar ei hanes ei hun, ar ei filltir sgwâr ei hun, neu'r person ifanc sy'n dod o hyd i'w lais ef neu hi ei hun drwy ddrama, y person ifanc yna sy'n canu yn y Gymraeg am y tro cyntaf, neu'r person ifanc sy'n darganfod angerdd dros gerddoriaeth sy'n eu helpu nhw drwy eiliadau tywyll yn eu bywyd.
Nid rhyw fuddion ymylol yw'r rhain, maen nhw'n brofiadau sy'n newid bywydau. Ac mae sefydliadau fel Amgueddfa Cymru, er enghraifft, wrth wraidd nifer o'r profiadau hyn. Y llynedd yn unig, fe gyrhaeddodd eu rhaglenni addysg nhw bron i 288,000 o ddysgwyr ledled Cymru, ac nid niferoedd yn unig yw'r rhain, ond maen nhw’n 288,000 o gyfleoedd unigryw i newid bywydau.
Nawr, os ydyn ni'n archwilio lleisiau'r genhedlaeth Windrush, er enghraifft, i gefnogi dysgwyr niwroamrywiol, drwy bartneriaethau fel Coleg Pinc—maen nhw'n gwneud addysg yn real, yn berthnasol ac yn gynhwysol, a hynny yn ein dwy iaith genedlaethol ni. Maen nhw hefyd yn darparu prentisiaethau, yn datblygu sgiliau a chyfleoedd i wirfoddoli, gan helpu pobl ifanc i feithrin hyder a rhoi cychwyn iddyn nhw ar yrfaoedd posibl. Dyma addysg yn ei hystyr lawn—nid dysgu am y byd yn unig, ond dysgu sut i'w lunio, sut i'w newid.
Mae'r ffaith nad yw cyllid Amgueddfa Cymru gan Lywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn sicr dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, a'r ffaith ei bod wedi gweld dwsinau o ddiswyddiadau oherwydd hynny, yn warth, a dweud gwir, achos mae'r amgueddfa wedi chwarae rhan mor ganolog yn newid bywydau cymaint o blant a phobl ifanc, ac oedolion hefyd. Ac mewn byd lle mae'r Llywodraeth yn gweld y celfyddydau a'n diwylliant fel rhywbeth dymunol, nid hanfodol, y rheini o gefndiroedd mwyaf difreintiedig sy'n dioddef, achos, fel rŷn ni wedi clywed yn barod, mae rhieni dosbarth canol yn gallu fforddio llenwi'r gwagle hwnnw.
Fel y dywedodd yr Athro Mark O'Neill, cyn-bennaeth Amgueddfeydd Glasgow, a oedd wedi rhoi tystiolaeth i bwyllgor diwylliant y Senedd yn ddiweddar, a dwi'n dyfynnu yn Saesneg:
Thank you very much, and thank you for bringing this debate forward. It's been quite inspiring to hear about people's experiences and their relationships with the arts, and the recognition that the arts fill that gap in terms of our ignorance of the world around us. They allow us to respond emotionally to art, music, sport, dance and all sorts of different media.
But as has already been said in this debate, the arts and our culture are more than a nice-to-have. That's particularly true when it comes to the relationship between the arts, culture and education particularly. Education, as we know, lays the foundation for our future as a nation. In Wales, we are a nation with a rich history of cultural identity and we're very proud of that, and education has always existed beyond the classroom as an expression of that.
Through education, we transmit our history, our culture, our language and our values from one generation to the next, and we do that for our young people, to give them those special experiences that they will appreciate for the rest of their lives. The arts are an important part of how education uses that expression to provide those experiences to our children and young people. And one need only think back to a few weeks ago to how the Urdd Eisteddfod, for example, in Margam, the Dur a Môr eisteddfod, gave so many cultural and artistic experiences—art, dance, music of all kinds—experienced by children from all different backgrounds and all kinds of different homes, and different languages too.
In 2013 the Welsh Government published a report on the arts and education, and that report said this:
'In this twenty-first century, schooling will...become the basis of a creative society, of a creative economy and a creative culture.'
And the report went on to say that creativity, or being
'open to the acquisition of new knowledge and innovative skills, will shape our world'
in a completely transformative way. Now, that's a powerful vision, but have we lost sight of that vision? Because if we truly believe in that vision, why is it the arts—music, theatre and the visual arts—are always top of the list of things to be cut when school budgets and arts budgets more generally become tight? Why are cultural experiences, which can inspire the journey of young people, a completely fundamental journey for children, treated as 'nice to haves' rather than crucial elements of a complete education? Consider the child who visits a museum for the first time and gets a glance of his or her own history, his own patch, or the young person who finds his or her voice through theatre, the young person who sings in the Welsh language for the first time, or the young person who finds a passion for music that helps them through difficult, dark times in their lives.
These aren't peripheral benefits, they are life-changing experiences. And organisations like Amgueddfa Cymru, for example, are at the heart of many of these experiences. Last year alone their education programmes reached almost 288,000 pupils and learners across Wales, and these aren't simply statistics, they are 288,000 unique opportunities to change lives.
Now, if we look at the voices of the Windrush generation, for example, in supporting neurodiverse pupils, through partnerships such as Pinc College—they make education real, relevant and inclusive, and that is done through the medium of both our national languages. They also provide apprenticeships, develop skills and opportunities to volunteer, helping young people to nurture confidence and to give them possible career starts. This is education in its real, fullest sense—not just learning about the world, but learning how to create the world, how to change it.
The fact that the funding of Amgueddfa Cymru from Welsh Government hasn't been certain over recent years, and the fact that there have been dozens of job losses as a result of that, is a disgrace, truth be told, because the museum has played such a central role in changing the lives of so many children and young people, and adults too. And in a world where the Government sees the arts and our culture as a ‘nice to have’ rather than as essential, it's those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds that suffer most, because, as we've already heard, middle-class parents can afford to fill that gap.
As Professor Mark O'Neill, the former head of Glasgow Museums, who provided evidence to the Senedd culture committee recently, and I quote in English, said:
'The greatest predictor of museum visiting is the prior level of education. People with poor or no educational qualifications usually have had a bad experience of school and of learning, they see museums as schooly places that are not for them.'
'Y rhagfynegydd mwyaf o ran ymweld ag amgueddfeydd yw'r lefel o addysg flaenorol. Fel arfer, mae pobl sydd â chymwysterau addysgol gwael neu ddim cymwysterau addysgol o gwbl wedi cael profiad gwael yn yr ysgol ac o ddysgu, ac maent yn ystyried amgueddfeydd yn lleoedd ysgolaidd nad ydynt ar eu cyfer hwy.'
Mewn geiriau eraill, os ŷch chi wedi cael profiadau gwael yn yr ysgol, rŷch chi'n llai tebygol o deimlo bod amgueddfeydd neu'r celfyddydau ar eich cyfer chi ac yn perthyn i chi. Mae hynny yn drasiedi, oherwydd ei fod yn golygu ein bod ni'n atgyfnerthu anghydraddoldeb, nid yn torri lawr, ond yn cau pobl ifanc o gefndiroedd difreintiedig allan o brofiadau pwysig bywyd.
Mae'r Cwricwlwm i Gymru newydd yn cynnig gobaith. Mae ei faes dysgu a phrofiad celfyddydau mynegiannol yn feiddgar ac yn gynhwysol, ac mae'n cydnabod bod y celfyddydau yn helpu dysgwyr i fod yn hyderus, yn wydn ac yn llythrennog yn emosiynol. Ond eto, rwy'n gofyn i ni ein hunain: ydyn ni'n rhoi'r adnoddau digonol i'n hysgolion i gyflawni y weledigaeth hon?
Ac rwy'n gorffen yn fan hyn, Llywydd. Mae dyfodol plant Cymru yn llythrennol yn y fantol, ac mae'r cyfrifoldeb arnom ni i weithredu. Ac os nad ydym ni'n ariannu'r celfyddydau yn ei hysgolion yn ddigonol, rŷn ni'n bradychu ein nodau polisi, ac yn bradychu plant Cymru hefyd, ac yn eu hamddifadu o gyfoeth diwylliannol cwbl hanfodol. Ac os ŷn ni am sicrhau dyfodol lle mae pob plentyn yng Nghymru yn ffynnu, mae'n rhaid inni fuddsoddi yn y celfyddydau a'r diwylliant sydd yn gysylltiedig ag ef drwy addysg, nid fel ystyriaeth ymylol, ond fel darpariaeth cwbl sylfaenol. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
In other words, if you have had poor experiences at school, you're less likely to feel that museums and the arts are for you and belong to you. That is a tragedy, because it does mean that we are reinforcing inequality, not breaking down barriers, but closing people from disadvantaged backgrounds out of those important experiences in life.
The new Curriculum for Wales does provide hope. The area of learning and experience in the expressive arts is bold and inclusive, and it acknowledges that the arts help learners to be confident, resilient and emotionally literate. But again, I urge us all to ask the question: are we providing adequate resources for our schools to deliver this vision?
And I will conclude here, Llywydd. The future of children in Wales is literally at stake here, and we have a responsibility to act. And if we don't fund the arts in our schools adequately, then we are betraying our policy goals, and we are betraying the children of Wales too, and depriving them of the crucial cultural wealth of our nation. And if we are to ensure a future where every child in Wales prospers, we must invest in the arts and in culture related to it through education, not as a peripheral consideration, but as a fundamental provision. Thank you.
I'm really pleased to take part in this debate, and thanks to Heledd and Sioned for bringing it. It's been so inspiring listening to all the vibrant arts activities that are taking place throughout Wales. I think it's been a wonderful debate.
The arts are absolutely crucial to us. They inform every aspect of our lives and are absolutely integral to the future of Wales. The wide range of arts and culture that we've heard discussed here today shows how far they reach, if you think of dance and arts and sculpture, the plays we have heard about, musicals, films, classical music, all types of music. I think every aspect of the arts is absolutely crucial and really important to our lives in Wales.
And I think, as a nation in Wales, we do have a deep sense of pride in our arts and culture. That is whether it is the Welsh culture, as we see it, or any of the other wonderful cultures that have flourished here as a result of people from all over the world wanting to make Wales their home. And it is so exciting and uplifting to see those cultures. And I think we do have a rich tapestry of arts and cultures in all different forms, and I think this is absolutely essential for our future and absolutely integral to all we do. I absolutely support the Minister in what he says about how art should be accessible to absolutely everybody, and I think it's crucial that as children grow up, everybody has access to the arts. I think that point has been made by many people—that it must not be an elitist pursuit, it must be for everyone, everywhere.
We know that the benefits of the arts have actually transformed some people's lives, and I was going to talk about some of the areas where that has happened today. For example, within the criminal justice system, arts have meant that prisoners have had a way of expressing themselves in a much more informal and personal way. It leads to them gaining new skills, improving employment opportunities, and helps to build new positive identities that they can take with them into the outside world. And one of the leading organisations that delivers arts in prisons is Koestler Arts. They found through their work that prisoners' mental health, well-being, confidence, education, skills and relationships have all been improved because of access to arts. And they run an awards programme that encourages prisoners to take part. One of the participants said:
'Taking part in the Koestler Awards gave me motivation, self-confidence, and a sense of purpose. It allowed me to prove to myself what I’m capable of. Having my work appraised on its own merits, not connected to my status as a prisoner, was an uplifting experience.'
Rwy'n falch iawn o gymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon, a diolch i Heledd a Sioned am ei chyflwyno. Mae wedi bod mor ysbrydoledig gwrando ar yr holl weithgareddau celfyddydol bywiog sy'n digwydd ledled Cymru. Rwy'n credu ei bod wedi bod yn ddadl wych.
Mae'r celfyddydau'n gwbl hanfodol i ni. Maent yn llywio pob agwedd ar ein bywydau ac yn hollbwysig i ddyfodol Cymru. Mae'r ystod eang o gelfyddydau a diwylliant rydym wedi'u clywed yn cael eu trafod yma heddiw yn dangos pa mor bell y maent yn cyrraedd, os ydych chi'n meddwl am ddawns a chelf a cherfluniaeth, y dramâu y clywsom amdanynt, sioeau cerdd, ffilmiau, cerddoriaeth glasurol, pob math o gerddoriaeth. Rwy'n credu bod pob agwedd ar y celfyddydau'n gwbl hanfodol ac yn wirioneddol bwysig i'n bywydau yng Nghymru.
Ac fel cenedl yng Nghymru, mae gennym ymdeimlad dwfn o falchder yn ein celfyddydau a'n diwylliant. Mae hynny'n wir boed yn ddiwylliant Cymreig, fel y'i gwelwn, neu unrhyw un o'r diwylliannau gwych eraill sydd wedi ffynnu yma o ganlyniad i bobl o bob cwr o'r byd yn dymuno ymgartrefu yng Nghymru. Ac mae mor gyffrous ac ysbrydoledig gweld y diwylliannau hynny. Ac mae gennym dapestri cyfoethog o gelfyddydau a diwylliannau o bob math, ac rwy'n credu bod hyn yn gwbl hanfodol ar gyfer ein dyfodol ac yn ganolog i bopeth a wnawn. Rwy'n cefnogi'r Gweinidog yn llwyr yn yr hyn a ddywed ynglŷn â sut y dylai celf fod yn hygyrch i bawb, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn hanfodol, wrth i blant dyfu i fyny, fod gan bawb fynediad at y celfyddydau. Mae'r pwynt hwnnw wedi'i wneud gan lawer o bobl—na ddylai fod yn rhywbeth elitaidd, rhaid iddo fod i bawb, ym mhobman.
Gwyddom fod manteision y celfyddydau wedi trawsnewid bywydau rhai pobl, ac roeddwn yn mynd i sôn am rai o'r meysydd lle mae hynny wedi digwydd heddiw. Er enghraifft, yn y system cyfiawnder troseddol, mae'r celfyddydau wedi golygu bod gan garcharorion ffordd o fynegi eu hunain mewn ffordd lawer mwy anffurfiol a phersonol. Mae'n eu galluogi i ddysgu sgiliau newydd, gwella cyfleoedd cyflogaeth, a helpu i adeiladu hunaniaethau cadarnhaol newydd y gallant fynd â hwy gyda hwy i'r byd y tu allan. Ac un o'r sefydliadau blaenllaw sy'n cyflwyno celfyddydau mewn carchardai yw Koestler Arts. Fe wnaethant ganfod drwy eu gwaith fod iechyd meddwl, lles, hyder, addysg, sgiliau a pherthnasoedd carcharorion i gyd wedi gwella oherwydd mynediad at y celfyddydau. Ac maent yn cynnal rhaglen wobrwyo sy'n annog carcharorion i gymryd rhan. Dywedodd un o'r cyfranogwyr:
'Rhoddodd cymryd rhan yng Ngwobrau Koestler gymhelliant, hunanhyder, ac ymdeimlad o bwrpas i mi. Fe ganiataodd imi brofi i mi fy hun beth rwy'n gallu ei wneud. Roedd cael fy ngwaith wedi'i gloriannu yn ôl ei rinweddau ei hun, heb ei gysylltu â fy statws fel carcharor, yn brofiad calonogol.'
I think that projects like this do offer these opportunities that are enabling people to get back into a normal life after a period in prison.
The arts also afford us the opportunity to learn more about and understand the different cultures that are here in our communities. For example, there is an exhibition in the Pierhead at the moment, which is being sponsored by Lynne Neagle, which has been put together by Gypsies and Travellers in the Torfaen area. There are some wonderful photographs of the traditional Gypsy and Traveller culture and some poems that have been written by the young people at the West Monmouth School. And I thought that the young people who had written these poems were absolutely inspiring, and to talk to them and to talk about what it meant to write this poetry was so moving, and especially one poem that I was very struck by, which was written about their mum and what it meant for them to have their mother.
Gypsy and Traveller culture isn't well known amongst many people in Wales. It's often overlooked and it's often discriminated against. So, I'm very pleased that we've got this exhibition here in the Senedd and that it's going to be there for some weeks. And, of course, I think that we should use this opportunity to pay tribute to Isaac Blake, who has been a pioneer for Gypsy and Romani, through the Romani Cultural and Arts Company, and has campaigned for all forms of Gypsy art and culture. And interestingly, in 2023, Isaac launched an initiative to champion the voices of emerging Gypsy writers, and this was supported very well by the Books Council of Wales. And those sorts of initiatives that allow voices that haven't been heard to be heard I think are absolutely crucial to the arts scene in Wales.
We've heard a lot about the importance of the arts for health, and I was contacted in the lead-up to this debate by a constituent who works at Swansea Bay University Health Board as a music in health facilitator. The health board offered a music in hospitals programme from March 2024-25. Music was provided by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Live Music Now, Music in Hospitals and Care and the Welsh National Opera. And the independent evaluation showed that it improved recovery, reduced medication use, eased staff stress, and in the neuro rehabilitation wards alone, music helped to reduce patient agitation, cut staff sickness and saved the NHS an estimated £110,000 a year. This wasn't nice to have, it was essential, measurable and life changing. And in my constituency, we're building the new Velindre hospital at the moment. The arts are going to be built into that building, and I'm very keen that we do have a piano in the foyer, because I think that the opportunities to bring things together in that way is so important.
And I do want to mention as well the Forget-me-not Chorus, another wonderful organisation that uses singing to support people with dementia. And I think, if you go to those performances and see people with dementia come alive when they're singing, when they recognise the songs, even though their memories might have lapsed, the way that they come back I think is absolutely wonderful.
But this debate was about, 'Is it nice to have or is it essential?', and I think we're nearly all saying that it's absolutely crucial, absolutely essential. As Lee said, it's easier to cut the arts than to close a hospital, but what I think we're doing by having this debate is showing the long-term impact that the arts in our society have. There have been blows recently. I was deeply upset that, in the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the junior conservatoire closed. I think that that was very, very disappointing. And to see any opportunity lost like that is a great blow. But I think that we have got a vibrant sector in Wales. It's great to see, as has been mentioned already, Michael Sheen coming forward to say that he's starting up the national theatre in Swansea, just this week, I believe, and, in Cardiff, we have a benefactor who is going to fund a new museum of modern art, which is very exciting as well, and I visited the pop-up exhibition in the Temple of Peace last week, which was absolutely stunning. So, there are so many things that are happening—very exciting—but I think it's up to us now to make absolutely certain that these are integral to our way of life.
Credaf fod prosiectau fel hyn yn cynnig cyfleoedd sy'n galluogi pobl i ddychwelyd i fywyd normal ar ôl cyfnod yn y carchar.
Mae'r celfyddydau hefyd yn rhoi cyfle i ni ddysgu mwy am y gwahanol ddiwylliannau sydd yma yn ein cymunedau a'u deall. Er enghraifft, mae arddangosfa yn y Pierhead ar hyn o bryd, sy'n cael ei noddi gan Lynne Neagle, ac sydd wedi'i pharatoi gan Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yn ardal Torfaen. Mae yno ffotograffau gwych o ddiwylliant traddodiadol y Sipsiwn a'r Teithwyr a cherddi a gyfansoddwyd gan bobl ifanc yn Ysgol Gorllewin Mynwy. Ac roeddwn yn credu bod y bobl ifanc a oedd wedi cyfansoddi'r cerddi hyn yn gwbl ysbrydoledig, ac roedd siarad â hwy a siarad am yr hyn a olygai i ysgrifennu'r farddoniaeth hon mor gyffrous, ac yn enwedig un gerdd a wnaeth argraff fawr arnaf, a gyfansoddwyd am eu mam a'r hyn a olygai cael eu mam iddynt.
Nid yw diwylliant Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yn gyfarwydd iawn i lawer o bobl yng Nghymru. Yn aml, caiff ei ddiystyru, ac yn aml, fe wahaniaethir yn ei erbyn. Felly, rwy'n falch iawn fod gennym yr arddangosfa hon yma yn y Senedd a'i bod yn mynd i fod yno am rai wythnosau. Ac wrth gwrs, dylem ddefnyddio'r cyfle hwn i dalu teyrnged i Isaac Blake, sydd wedi bod yn arloeswr ar ran Sipsiwn a Romani, drwy Gwmni Diwylliannol a Chelfyddydau Romani, ac sydd wedi ymgyrchu dros bob math o gelf a diwylliant Sipsiwn. Ac yn ddiddorol, yn 2023, lansiodd Isaac fenter i hyrwyddo lleisiau Sipsiwn sy'n awduron newydd, a chafodd gefnogaeth dda iawn gan Gyngor Llyfrau Cymru. Ac mae'r mathau hynny o fentrau sy'n caniatáu i leisiau nad ydynt wedi cael eu clywed gael eu clywed yn gwbl hanfodol i'r sîn gelfyddydol yng Nghymru.
Rydym wedi clywed llawer o sôn am bwysigrwydd y celfyddydau ar gyfer iechyd, a chyn y ddadl hon, cysylltodd etholwr â mi sy'n gweithio ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Bae Abertawe fel hwylusydd cerddoriaeth mewn iechyd. Mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi cynnig rhaglen gerddoriaeth mewn ysbytai ers mis Mawrth 2024-25. Darparwyd cerddoriaeth gan Gerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC, Live Music Now, Music in Hospitals and Care ac Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru. A dangosodd y gwerthusiad annibynnol fod hynny wedi gwella adferiad, wedi lleihau'r defnydd o feddyginiaeth, wedi lleddfu straen staff, ac yn y wardiau adsefydlu niwrolegol yn unig, fod cerddoriaeth wedi helpu i leihau cynnwrf cleifion, wedi lleihau salwch staff ac wedi arbed oddeutu £110,000 y flwyddyn i'r GIG. Nid rhywbeth braf i'w gael ydoedd, roedd yn hanfodol, yn fesuradwy ac yn newid bywydau. Ac yn fy etholaeth i, rydym yn adeiladu ysbyty newydd Felindre ar hyn o bryd. Bydd y celfyddydau'n cael eu hymgorffori yn yr adeilad hwnnw, ac rwy'n awyddus iawn inni gael piano yn y cyntedd, gan y credaf fod y cyfleoedd i ddod â phethau at ei gilydd yn y ffordd honno mor bwysig.
A hoffwn sôn hefyd am y Forget-me-not Chorus, sefydliad gwych arall sy'n defnyddio canu i gefnogi pobl â dementia. Ac os ewch i'r perfformiadau hynny a gweld pobl â dementia yn dod yn fyw pan fyddant yn canu, pan fyddant yn adnabod y caneuon, er y gallai eu hatgofion fod wedi diflannu, mae'r ffordd y dônt yn ôl yn hollol wych.
Ond roedd y ddadl hon yn ymwneud â, 'A yw'n rhywbeth braf i'w gael neu a yw'n hanfodol?', ac rwy'n credu bod bron bob un ohonom yn dweud ei fod yn gwbl hanfodol, yn hollbwysig. Fel y dywedodd Lee, mae'n haws torri'r celfyddydau na chau ysbyty, ond yr hyn a wnawn drwy gael y ddadl hon yw dangos yr effaith hirdymor sydd gan y celfyddydau yn ein cymdeithas. Cafwyd ergydion yn ddiweddar. Roeddwn yn siomedig iawn, yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerdd a Drama Cymru, fod y conservatoire iau wedi cau. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n siomedig tu hwnt. Ac mae gweld unrhyw gyfle'n cael ei golli yn y fath fodd yn ergyd fawr. Ond mae gennym sector bywiog yng Nghymru. Mae'n wych gweld, fel y nodwyd eisoes, Michael Sheen yn dweud ei fod yn dechrau'r theatr genedlaethol yn Abertawe, yr wythnos hon rwy'n credu, ac yng Nghaerdydd, mae gennym noddwr sy'n mynd i ariannu amgueddfa gelf fodern newydd, sy'n gyffrous iawn hefyd, ac ymwelais â'r arddangosfa dros dro yn y Deml Heddwch yr wythnos diwethaf, a oedd yn gwbl ryfeddol. Felly, mae cymaint o bethau'n digwydd—cyffrous iawn—ond mater i ni nawr yw gwneud yn berffaith siŵr fod y rhain yn rhan ganolog o'n ffordd o fyw.
I've had requests for two further interventions. Firstly, Sioned Williams, then Jenny Rathbone, and then I'll call Heledd Fychan to respond. Sioned Williams.
Rwyf wedi cael ceisiadau am ddau ymyriad pellach. Yn gyntaf, Sioned Williams, wedyn Jenny Rathbone, ac yna byddaf yn galw ar Heledd Fychan i ymateb. Sioned Williams.
Ie, diolch, Llywydd. Roeddwn i jest eisiau pigo lan ar ddau beth, mewn gwirionedd, yn dilyn cyfraniad Cefin Campbell o ran perthynas y celfyddydau gydag addysg, achos mae'r celfyddydau o fewn y cwricwlwm ac o fewn addysg, ac mewn cyswllt ag ysgolion a'n pobl ifanc, nid yn unig yn datblygu dysgwyr, ond hefyd yn gallu sicrhau eu bod nhw'n cael eu haddysgu'n well. Hynny yw, mae'r hyn ŷn ni'n ceisio ei ddysgu iddyn nhw yn fwy effeithiol nag yw e jest mewn ystafell ddosbarth yn unig.
A meddwl am ddrama, er enghraifft, roeddwn i wedi sôn yn ddiweddar, pan oeddwn i'n ymateb i strategaeth celfyddydau a diwylliant y Llywodraeth, am Theatr na nÓg, sy'n gwmni drama yng Nghastell Nedd sy'n creu cynyrchiadau theatr mewn addysg o'r safon uchaf, a wnaethon nhw'n ddiweddar ddod â chynhyrchiad i ardal Caerdydd, Y Naid, oedd yn ymwneud â cheisio rhybuddio pobl ifanc, pwno'r neges yna adref iddyn nhw, fel ei bod hi gyda nhw ar hyd eu hieuenctid nhw, ynglŷn â bod yn ofalus o gwmpas dŵr, a pheryglon dŵr agored. Wel, chafodd disgyblion dros Gymru ddim y cyfle i weld hynny oherwydd diffyg cyllid. Felly, mae e bron â bod yn rhywbeth mae yna elfen iechyd cyhoeddus iddo, ond hefyd i wneud â'r ffordd ŷn ni'n addysgu'n disgyblion ni yn fwy effeithiol.
A jest yr ail bwynt, yn gyflym, hefyd.
Yes, thank you, Llywydd. I just wanted to pick up on two points following on from the contribution made by Cefin Campbell in terms of the relationship between the arts and education, because the arts within the curriculum and education, and in relation to schools and young people, not only develop learners, but also can ensure that they are better educated. In terms of what we're trying to teach them, it's more effective than it is just in the classroom alone.
Thinking about drama, for example, I mentioned recently, in response to the arts and culture strategy put forward by the Welsh Government, Theatr na nÓg, which is a drama company in Neath that puts on high-quality theatre in education productions, and they recently brought a production to Cardiff, Just Jump, that sought to warn young people—to drive that message home, so that they heeded the message throughout their lives— about being safe around water, and the dangers of open water. Well, pupils across Wales didn't have the opportunity to see that production because of lack of funding. So, there is almost a public health element to it, but also it's about how we teach our young people more effectively.
And also the second point, just quickly.
Many people have spoken so eloquently about the power of drama. We all understand this, don't we? They're a way to create empathy, to know that you belong; that is obviously the essence of culture. And I think, in these days of division, of the threats to democracy, we've got to remember that the evolution of drama and democracy are completely intertwined historically, aren't they? It happened in ancient Greece, and that's no coincidence. Drama is such a powerful tool to ensure that we understand social change, that we understand things that happen within our society, like the divisions that are caused by class or race or colonialism—so, again, that essential power of drama. We heard recently in the Equality and Social Justice Committee, in our inquiry on social cohesion, how drama did in fact help, didn't it, in one community: we had evidence from England telling us about that having this drama workshop really did help with some of the racial tensions that were happening in that community. So, I just wanted to make those two further points.
Mae llawer o bobl wedi siarad mor huawdl am bŵer drama. Mae pob un ohonom yn deall hyn, onid ydym? Mae'n ffordd o greu empathi, i wybod eich bod yn perthyn; dyna hanfod diwylliant, yn amlwg. Ac ar adeg o raniadau, o fygythiadau i ddemocratiaeth, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni gofio bod esblygiad drama a democratiaeth wedi'u cydblethu'n llwyr yn hanesyddol, onid ydynt? Digwyddodd yn yr hen Roeg, ac nid yw hynny'n gyd-ddigwyddiad. Mae drama'n arf mor bwerus i sicrhau ein bod yn deall newid cymdeithasol, ein bod yn deall pethau sy'n digwydd yn ein cymdeithas, fel y rhaniadau a achosir gan ddosbarth neu hil neu drefedigaethedd—felly, unwaith eto, pŵer hanfodol drama. Clywsom yn ddiweddar yn y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, yn ein hymchwiliad i gydlyniant cymdeithasol, sut y gwnaeth drama helpu, oni wnaeth, mewn un gymuned: cawsom dystiolaeth o Loegr yn dweud wrthym fod cael gweithdy drama wedi helpu'n fawr gyda rhai o'r tensiynau hiliol yn y gymuned honno. Felly, roeddwn am wneud y ddau bwynt pellach hynny.
I just wanted to go back to the issue of breastfeeding and the importance of countering the negative attitudes that people put upon women, where they think that it's more appropriate for people to be feeding in the toilet than in the restaurant, which is really so shocking. There's no doubt that breasts have been captured by commercial interests, sexualized, as opposed to being a vehicle for nourishing our children. I've seen three examples of visual art to promote breastfeeding. One is in Wakefield, where Wakefield Council commissioned women to take prints of their breasts and then paint them to be made into a mural, which was then displayed in a shopping centre for a—. It was a deliberate attempt to promote breastfeeding and celebrate women's achievements. And they went on to deliver a breastfeeding and community peer support service to help more families to breastfeed. In Northern Ireland, Derry and Strabane had even lower levels of breastfeeding than the rest of Northern Ireland, and a mural of a mum feeding a baby is on permanent display on the gable end of a wall of a building appropriately called the Pram Centre. A part of the picture is pixelated deliberately to cover the breasts:
'We wanted it to be censored because we wanted it to be like what it's like to feed here in Derry because as mums we do feel censored when it comes to feeding,'
explained the project co-ordinator, Sinead O'Kane. The black-and-white mother and baby are surrounded by a wreath, which represents the circle of support required in any breastfeeding journey. The black-and-white mum and baby represent how it truly feels to breastfeed, their love and their connections. The Derry mural was inspired by a similar one in Greenock, an area I know well as I was involved in covering the occupation of Scott Lithgow. Greenock had a similar mural, which led to a 5 per cent increase in breastfeeding in Greenock. So, come on, Wales: we need a mural to promote breastfeeding in some of the poorest places where the least breastfeeding is going on and where it's most needed.
Roeddwn eisiau mynd yn ôl at fater bwydo ar y fron a phwysigrwydd mynd i'r afael â'r agweddau negyddol sydd gan bobl tuag at fenywod, lle maent yn credu ei bod yn fwy priodol i bobl fwydo yn y toiled nag yn y bwyty, sydd mor ofnadwy. Nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth fod bronnau wedi'u cipio gan fuddiannau masnachol, eu rhywioli, yn hytrach na bod yn gyfrwng i faethu ein plant. Rwyf wedi gweld tair enghraifft o gelf weledol i hyrwyddo bwydo ar y fron. Mae un yn Wakefield, lle comisiynodd Cyngor Wakefield fenywod i wneud printiau o'u bronnau ac yna eu peintio i'w troi'n furlun, a gafodd ei arddangos mewn canolfan siopa am—. Roedd yn ymgais fwriadol i hyrwyddo bwydo ar y fron a dathlu cyflawniadau menywod. Ac aethant yn eu blaenau i ddarparu gwasanaeth bwydo ar y fron a chefnogaeth gan gymheiriaid yn y gymuned i helpu mwy o deuluoedd i fwydo ar y fron. Yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, roedd gan Derry a Strabane lefelau hyd yn oed yn is o fwydo ar y fron na gweddill Gogledd Iwerddon, ac mae murlun o fam yn bwydo baban i'w weld yn barhaol ar dalcen adeilad o'r enw Pram Centre, yn briodol iawn. Mae rhan o'r llun wedi'i bicselu'n fwriadol i orchuddio'r bronnau:
'Roeddem am iddo fod wedi'i sensro am ein bod am iddo adlewyrchu sut beth yw bwydo yma yn Derry, oherwydd fel mamau, rydym yn teimlo ein bod yn cael ein sensro mewn perthynas â bwydo,'
eglurodd cydlynydd y prosiect, Sinead O'Kane. Mae'r fam a'r baban du a gwyn wedi'u hamgylchynu gan dorch, sy'n cynrychioli'r cylch o gefnogaeth sydd ei angen mewn unrhyw daith bwydo ar y fron. Mae'r fam a'r baban du a gwyn yn cynrychioli sut y mae'n teimlo i fwydo ar y fron mewn gwirionedd, eu cariad a'u cysylltiadau. Ysbrydolwyd murlun Derry gan un tebyg yn Greenock, ardal rwy'n ei hadnabod yn dda er pan oeddem yn adrodd ar feddiannu Scott Lithgow. Roedd gan Greenock furlun tebyg, a arweiniodd at gynnydd o 5 y cant mewn bwydo ar y fron yn Greenock. Felly, dewch, Gymru: mae angen murlun arnom i hyrwyddo bwydo ar y fron yn rhai o'r lleoedd tlotaf sydd â'r lefelau isaf o fwydo ar y fron a lle mae ei angen fwyaf.
Heledd Fychan nawr, sy'n ymateb i'r ddadl.
Heledd Fychan, to reply to the debate.
Diolch, Llywydd, a gaf i ddiolch o galon i bawb sydd wedi cyfrannu i'r ddadl yma? Mae wedi bod yn hyfryd cael dwy awr o drafodaeth ar ddiwylliant, ac, o'r holl e-byst dwi wedi eu cael yn yr wythnos diwethaf yma, buasai 20 awr wedi gallu cael eu llenwi yn llawn, oherwydd un o'r pethau sydd yn eithriadol o bwysig ydy dathlu. Mae yna bethau anhygoel yn digwydd yn y maes hwn yng Nghymru. Mae peth ohono fo, ydy, yn cael ei gefnogi gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac, wrth gwrs, dwi'n dathlu hynny. Maen nhw'n drawsnewidiol, maen nhw mor bwysig, a rydym ni'n ennill gwobrau yn rhyngwladol am hyn. Mae gwledydd eraill yn edrych i rai o'r prosiectau hyn, a dwi'n falch fy mod i wedi cynnig teitl pryfoclyd a'n bod ni'n cael cyfle i gael y drafodaeth yma.
Mae yna gwestiynau mae rhai o'r Aelodau wedi eu gofyn heddiw, a dwi eisiau dychwelyd at y rheini wrth gloi'r ddadl yma. O ran cwestiwn Sioned Williams, o ran statudol a diwylliant, mae hwn yn gwestiwn dwi wir eisiau i ni gael trafodaeth fel Senedd arno fo, oherwydd rydym ni i gyd yn gwybod am yr heriau sy'n wynebu llywodraeth leol ar y funud. Dydyn nhw ddim yn gallu fforddio'r pethau statudol ar y funud. Dyna pam rydym ni wedi gweld sefyllfaoedd gwallgof fel awdurdod lleol yn gorfod gofyn, 'Ydych chi eisiau eich bins wedi eu casglu neu ydych chi eisiau amgueddfa?' Sut fath o ddewis ydy hwnnw? Fel roeddwn i'n dweud ar ddechrau'r ddadl: ydych chi eisiau i'r hen berson yn eich teulu chi sy'n fethedig gael gofal neu ydych chi eisiau llyfrgell? Dydyn nhw ddim yn ddewisiadau hawdd o gwbl i unrhyw un, ond dydyn nhw ddim yn ddewisiadau teg. Wrth gwrs, wedyn rydych chi'n mynd i gael 99 y cant o bobl yn dweud eu bod nhw eisiau gofal, os mai dyna'r dewis.
Ond beth dwi'n gobeithio rydym ni wedi'i ddangos heddiw ydy eu bod nhw i gyd yn bwysig a hefyd fod yna ffyrdd gwell y gallwn ni ddefnyddio'r cyllid sydd ar gael gennym ni i greu'r cysylltiadau hyn. Wedi'r cyfan, ddoe, mi gawsom ni drafodaeth, onid oeddem, ei bod hi'n 10 mlynedd ers cael Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015, ond mae'n ymddangos i fi bod cyllidebau Llywodraeth yn dal i weithio mewn seilos a'n bod ni'n colli cyfleon wedyn o ran edrych, 'Reit, os ydyn ni'n buddsoddi mewn rhaglenni iechyd a lles, faint mae hynny'n arbed i'r NHS?' Pam ar y funud mae'r mwyafrif o'r gwariant o ran y rhaglenni celfyddydol yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd ni yn dod gan Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru yn hytrach nag o fewn y gwasanaeth iechyd ei hun? Nid rhaglenni opsiynol ydy'r rhai o'r rhaglenni hyn; maen nhw yr un mor effeithiol â meddyginiaeth. Felly, pam nad ydy o'n rhan greiddiol o'r gyllideb fwyaf? Rydym ni'n gwario'r mwyaf ar y gwasanaeth iechyd, felly, pam ddylai fo ddod o'r gyllideb leiaf, sef yr un ar ddiwylliant?
Dwi'n gobeithio gwnaiff y Gweinidog gymryd yr her, oherwydd, a bod yn deg, nid chi ddylai fod yn gorfod ymateb i hyn, ond y Llywodraeth i gyd, i ofyn, 'Sut ydyn ni am ateb yr her a sicrhau bod y celfyddydau a diwylliant yn cael eu hintegreiddio i mewn i bob portffolio, fel ein bod ni'n gallu manteisio i'r eithaf?' Pan fo'r buddsoddiad yna'n cael ei wneud, a hynny gan y Llywodraeth, mae o'n talu ar ei ganfed. Wrth gwrs, mae pobl yn mynd i fod yn ysgrifennu a dweud diolch, ond mae yna gymaint o brosiectau sy'n gorfod cau, amgueddfeydd yn cau, y math o gymunedau sydd heb ddim mynediad i ddiwylliant bellach oedd yna yn y gorffennol. Felly, mae yna waith mawr i ni ei wneud i edrych ar sut ydyn ni'n mynd i adfer cyllidebau.
Thank you, Llywydd, and may I express heartfelt thanks to everyone who's contributed to the debate? It's been wonderful to have a two-hour debate on culture, and, from all the e-mails I've had during this last week, we could have filled 20 hours, because one of the things that is extremely important to do is to celebrate. There are incredible things happening in this sphere in Wales. Some of it, yes, is supported by Welsh Government, and, of course, I celebrate that. They are transformational things, they are so very important, and we win awards internationally for this. Other countries look to some of these projects, and I am pleased that I did provide a provocative title and that we had this opportunity for the debate.
There have been questions posed by Members today, and I want to return to those in closing the debate. In terms of Sioned Williams's question, on the statutory in relation to culture, this is a question that I truly want us to discuss as a Senedd, because we all know of the challenges facing local government at the moment. They cannot afford the statutory elements now. That's why we have these crazy situations such as a local authority having to ask, 'Do you want your bins collected or do you want a museum?' What kind of choice is that? As I said at the opening of the debate: do you want the elderly person in your family to receive care or do you want a library? They are not easy choices for anyone, but they're not fair choices either. Of course, you're going to get 99 per cent of people saying that they want care for their relatives, if that's the option.
But what I hope we've demonstrated today is that they are all important and also that there are better ways in which we could use the funding that is available to us to create these connections. After all, yesterday, we had a debate, didn't we, on 10 years since the inception of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, but it appears to me that Government budgets still work in silos and that we lose the opportunities then to consider, 'Well, if we're investing in health and well-being programmes, how much is that saving the NHS?' Why at the moment is most of the spend in terms of the arts programmes in our health service coming from the Arts Council of Wales rather than from within the health budget itself? Some of these programmes are not optional; they're just as effective as drugs. So, why isn't it a core part of our biggest budget? We spend most on the health service, so why should it come from the smallest budget, which is the culture budget?
I do hope that the Minister will take up that challenge, because, to be fair, it's not you who should have to respond to this, but the Government as a whole, in order to ask, 'How are we going to meet that challenge and ensure that the arts and culture are integrated into all portfolios so that we can take full advantage?' When that investment is made by Government, it pays off. Of course, people will be writing and thanking us for that, but there are so many projects that are having to close, museums are closing, the kinds of communities that have no access to culture now that was there in the past. So, there is a huge amount of work for us to do to consider how we can restore these budgets.
The other question was posed by Lee Waters. And I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to be part of Government when those horrific budget settlements were coming to Wales, and those difficult decisions. What I hope that we can reflect on now is how can we rebuild and rebuild differently so that we are able to take advantage of everything that the arts and culture are able to offer across all portfolios.
Lots of people mentioned opera today, for instance. Well, their programme, post COVID, in terms of helping people to develop lung capacity—those kinds of programmes really help people who are suffering with the impact of long COVID, and those are the kinds of programmes, because they’ve lost funding, that they can’t sustain any longer. So, we think of opera as something just happening in theatres like the Wales Millennium Centre, but it’s those kinds of projects that, unfortunately, come to an end, and that’s what I mean about sustainable funding.
In terms of Theatr Clwyd, I’m really pleased, Hannah, that you mentioned that, because that shows, also, the fact that we weren’t investing in the infrastructure continuously—it got to the point where that building was either going to close or it needed major investment. And I was moved to tears when I went around Theatr Clwyd recently; the work they do is phenomenal. It is a blueprint for every theatre, not just in Wales, but internationally. We should be so, so proud of every penny of public funding that’s gone into that. But also they’ve managed to raise £11.5 million-worth of investment, much of that from outside of Wales, because of that vision. So, we can attract funding when we put public funding in as well. But there are countless theatres across Wales that are in dire need of investment.
Gofynnwyd y cwestiwn arall gan Lee Waters. Ac ni allaf ddychmygu sut beth oedd bod yn rhan o'r Llywodraeth pan oedd y setliadau cyllideb erchyll hynny'n dod i Gymru, a'r penderfyniadau anodd hynny. Yr hyn y gobeithiaf y gallwn fyfyrio arno nawr yw sut y gallwn ailadeiladu ac ailadeiladu'n wahanol fel y gallwn fanteisio ar bopeth y gall y celfyddydau a diwylliant ei gynnig ar draws pob portffolio.
Soniodd llawer o bobl am opera heddiw, er enghraifft. Wel, mae eu rhaglen, ar ôl COVID, o ran helpu pobl i ddatblygu cynhwysedd yr ysgyfaint—mae'r mathau hynny o raglenni'n help mawr i bobl sy'n dioddef effeithiau COVID hir, a dyna'r mathau o raglenni, gan eu bod wedi colli cyllid, na allant eu cynnal mwyach. Felly, rydym yn meddwl am opera fel rhywbeth sy'n digwydd mewn theatrau fel Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, ond y mathau hynny o brosiectau sy'n dod i ben, yn anffodus, a dyna rwy'n ei olygu o ran cyllid cynaliadwy.
Ar Theatr Clwyd, rwy'n falch iawn, Hannah, eich bod wedi sôn am hynny, gan fod hynny'n dangos hefyd y ffaith nad oeddem yn buddsoddi yn y seilwaith yn barhaus—cyrhaeddodd y pwynt lle roedd yr adeilad hwnnw naill ai'n mynd i gau neu roedd angen buddsoddiad sylweddol arno. Ac roeddwn yn fy nagrau pan euthum o gwmpas Theatr Clwyd yn ddiweddar; mae'r gwaith a wnânt yn anhygoel. Mae'n lasbrint ar gyfer pob theatr, nid yn unig yng Nghymru, ond yn rhyngwladol. Dylem fod mor falch o bob ceiniog o gyllid cyhoeddus sydd wedi mynd tuag at hynny. Ond maent hefyd wedi llwyddo i godi buddsoddiad gwerth £11.5 miliwn, llawer ohono o'r tu allan i Gymru, oherwydd y weledigaeth honno. Felly, gallwn ddenu cyllid pan fyddwn yn rhoi cyllid cyhoeddus i mewn hefyd. Ond mae gwir angen buddsoddiad ar theatrau dirifedi ledled Cymru.
Os ydym ni'n edrych ar ganolfan y celfyddydau yn Aberystwyth, adeiladwyd ar yr un amser â Theatr Clwyd—gwaith gwych, ond mae angen fuddsoddiad sylweddol erbyn hyn. Os ydym ni'n edrych hefyd ar ailddatblygiad Sain Ffagan, mi oedd hwnnw'n fuddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ond hefyd wnaeth ddenu cyllid o'r tu allan, a daeth yn Art Fund museum of the year. Ond, wedyn, mae'n rhaid i ni sicrhau bod y cyllid yna i sicrhau bod ansawdd Sain Ffagan yn aros yna, yn lle ein bod ni wedyn angen prosiect gwerth degau o filiynau yn y dyfodol. Ac mae honno’n her i'r Llywodraeth.
If we look at the arts centre in Aberystwyth, which was built at the same time as Theatr Clwyd—excellent work, but it needs significant investment now. If we also look at the redevelopment of St Fagans, that was an investment from the Welsh Government, but it also attracted external funding, and became the Arts Fund's museum of the year. But then we have to ensure that the funding is in place to ensure that the standards are maintained there, rather than us having to have another project worth tens of millions of pounds in the future. And that's a challenge for the Government.
Many people have shared with me, also, their personal stories. We've talked a lot about those big projects today, but I just wanted to share some of the things that constituents wrote to me about when I said I was holding this debate. One constituent shared how taking part in programmes that have allowed her to express herself creatively—I'm sure I've said that wrong, sorry—through sport has had a tremendously positive effect on her mental health, helping her overcome trauma that she has suffered as a victim of domestic abuse. She told me, 'My confidence is a million miles ahead of where it used to be. My self-esteem is better, and I no longer avoid anything and everything that scares me.'
Another constituent shared her story of losing her sight for 18 months at only 26 years old, due to complications from diabetes. During that time, she faced discrimination, and the lack of psychological support, coupled with the significant challenges, took a heavy toll on her mental health. Arts became her lifeline during that period of isolation and hardship, with painting, learning to play the ukulele and writing poetry giving her a purpose and helping her to stay connected to herself. It was essential to her well-being and recovery, and provided a way to process the pain. Similarly, a mother shared with me the transformational effect that music has had on her autistic son, stating, 'If it was not for the art of music, I do not know what he would do. He struggles in school and in society, but you can put an instrument in his hands and he just gets it. He can't regulate his emotions, he can't emote his feelings, but he can tell you through his music.'
Others have told me how the arts helped them overcome grief, illness, and provided a path to employment. There are so many benefits, and it is a shame that we have reached a point when we are being told by so many in the sector that they are in crisis and things can't continue. Other nations are realising how foolish the cuts that they've made have been, with both Ireland and Scotland now making huge commitments in recent years to invest more in arts and culture. It is time for Wales to do the same.
Mae llawer o bobl wedi rhannu eu straeon personol gyda mi hefyd. Rydym wedi siarad llawer am y prosiectau mawr heddiw, ond roeddwn eisiau rhannu rhai o'r pethau yr ysgrifennodd etholwyr ataf amdanynt pan ddywedais fy mod yn cynnal y ddadl hon. Rhannodd un etholwr sut y mae cymryd rhan mewn rhaglenni sydd wedi caniatáu iddi fynegi ei hun yn greadigol—rwy'n siŵr fy mod wedi dweud hynny'n anghywir, mae’n ddrwg gennyf—drwy chwaraeon wedi cael effaith gadarnhaol iawn ar ei hiechyd meddwl, gan ei helpu i oresgyn trawma a ddioddefodd fel dioddefwr cam-drin domestig. Dywedodd wrthyf, 'Mae fy hyder filiwn o filltiroedd ymhellach ymlaen o ble'r arferai fod. Mae fy hunan-barch yn well, ac nid wyf mwyach yn osgoi unrhyw beth a phopeth sy'n fy nychryn.'
Rhannodd etholwr arall ei stori am golli ei golwg am 18 mis pan oedd ond yn 26 oed, oherwydd cymhlethdodau'n gysylltiedig â diabetes. Yn y cyfnod hwnnw, wynebodd wahaniaethu, a chafodd y diffyg cefnogaeth seicolegol, ynghyd â'r heriau sylweddol, effaith fawr ar ei hiechyd meddwl. Bu'r celfyddydau yn rhaff achub iddi yn y cyfnod hwnnw o ynysigrwydd a chaledi, gyda phaentio, dysgu chwarae'r iwcalili ac ysgrifennu barddoniaeth yn rhoi pwrpas iddi ac yn ei helpu i gadw mewn cysylltiad â hi ei hun. Roedd yn hanfodol i'w lles a'i hadferiad, ac yn ffordd o brosesu'r boen. Yn yr un modd, rhannodd mam yr effaith drawsnewidiol y mae cerddoriaeth wedi'i chael ar ei mab awtistig, gan ddatgan, 'Oni bai am gerddoriaeth, nid wyf yn gwybod beth fyddai'n ei wneud. Mae'n ei chael hi'n anodd yn yr ysgol ac yn y gymdeithas, ond gallwch roi offeryn yn ei ddwylo, ac mae'n bwrw iddi. Ni all reoleiddio ei emosiynau, ni all fynegi ei deimladau, ond gall ddweud wrthych drwy ei gerddoriaeth.'
Mae eraill wedi dweud wrthyf sut y gwnaeth y celfyddydau eu helpu i oresgyn galar, salwch, a darparu llwybr at gyflogaeth. Mae cymaint o fanteision, ac mae'n drueni ein bod wedi cyrraedd pwynt lle mae cymaint yn y sector yn dweud wrthym eu bod mewn argyfwng ac na all pethau barhau. Mae gwledydd eraill yn sylweddoli pa mor ffôl yw'r toriadau a wnaed ganddynt, gydag Iwerddon a'r Alban bellach yn gwneud ymrwymiadau enfawr yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf i fuddsoddi mwy yn y celfyddydau a diwylliant. Mae'n bryd i Gymru wneud yr un peth.
Felly, yr her inni rŵan fel Senedd ydy sut ydyn ni am unioni hynny. Mae yna gytundeb wedi bod bod hyn yn werth chweil a'n bod ni'n gweld y cysylltiad rhwng portffolios gwahanol, ond beth ydyn ni am wneud am hyn? Dwi'n gobeithio y gallwn ni gydweithio, oherwydd dyma'r sialens i'r Senedd nesaf. Rydyn ni wedi clywed gan nifer o Weinidogion i'r pwyllgor diwylliant a chwaraeon dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf fod y Llywodraeth eisiau buddsoddi mwy yn yr ataliol, ond dydy o byth i'w weld yn digwydd. Felly, sut ydyn ni'n gallu rhoi Deddf cenedlaethau'r dyfodol ar waith yma a sicrhau ein bod ni'n gallu buddsoddi a gwneud y cysylltiadau yma?
Felly, wrth gloi'r ddadl heddiw, hoffwn ddiolch i bawb sy'n gweithio yn y meysydd hyn, a diolch eto i bawb sydd wedi cysylltu a chyfrannu yn y ddadl. Dwi'n gobeithio ein bod ni heddiw wedi gallu cyflwyno'r achos yn glir o ran pam mae diwylliant a'r celfyddydau yn hanfodol i ddyfodol Cymru. Maen nhw'n greiddiol i bob ohonom ni, yn unigolion ac yn gymunedau, a thra eu bod nhw wedi bod yn achubiaeth i nifer, er na fyddan nhw efallai'n achub bywyd pob un ohonom ni, maen nhw'n sicr yn gwneud ein holl fywydau'n werth eu byw. Diolch.
So, the challenge for us now as a Senedd is how are we going to put this right. There has been agreement that this is valuable and that we understand the link between different portfolios, but what will we do about it? I hope that we can work together, because this is a challenge for the next Senedd. We have heard from many Ministers at the culture and sport committee over recent years that the Government wants to invest more in the preventative, but it never seems to happen. So, how can we put the well-being of future generations Act into operation here and ensure that we can invest and make these connections?
So, in closing today's debate, I'd like to thank everyone who works in these areas, and I'd like to thank everyone who's been in touch and has contributed to the debate. I hope that today we have been able to make a clear case in terms of why culture and the arts are crucial to the future of Wales. They're at the heart of everything we do as individuals and communities, and whilst they have been a saviour to many, although they perhaps won't save the lives of every one of us, they certainly enrich all of our lives. Thank you.
Dyna ddiwedd, felly, ar y ddadl agored am y prynhawn yma.
That concludes today's open debate.
Detholwyd y gwelliannau canlynol: gwelliant 1 yn enw Heledd Fychan, a gwelliant 2 yn enw Jane Hutt. Os derbynnir gwelliant 1, caiff gwelliant 2 ei ddad-dethol.
The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Heledd Fychan, and amendment 2 in the name of Jane Hutt. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected.
Yr eitem nesaf yw eitem 8. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr yw hon ar ffordd liniau'r M4. Dwi'n galw ar Sam Rowlands i wneud y cynnig.
The next item is item 8, the Welsh Conservatives debate on the M4 relief road, and I call on Sam Rowlands to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM8930 Paul Davies
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn gresynu bod y mis hwn yn nodi chwe blynedd ers i brosiect ffordd liniaru'r M4 gael ei ddileu.
2. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ddarparu ffordd liniaru'r M4.
Motion NDM8930 Paul Davies
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Regrets that this month marks six years since the M4 relief road project was scrapped.
2. Calls on the Welsh Government to deliver an M4 relief road.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch, Llywydd. It's a pleasure to open this debate this evening and move our motion in the name of Paul Davies.
It's been six long years since the Labour Welsh Government scrapped the M4 relief road, a scheme that the Welsh people had demanded and that Welsh Labour had actually committed to in their manifesto. It was a golden opportunity not to just ease congestion for motorists, but to boost the Welsh economy and demonstrate to the world that Wales is open for business. It was perhaps the then First Minister's most consequential legacy: the breaking of a manifesto commitment and the slowing down of the Welsh economy. And that decision didn't come quickly, let's remember; it came after delays and procrastination, all of which cost taxpayers huge sums of money and wasted precious time.
The Welsh Government spent £135.7 million of public money on plans for the M4 relief road before scrapping it. FOI requests from the Welsh Conservatives on the scheme found that 29 homes were purchased for over £15 million through compulsory purchase orders. Two of these properties were bought for £575,000 and £400,000 in April 2019, just two months before the First Minister decided to ditch the scheme. At least £44 million was spent by the Welsh Government on development costs and a public inquiry, an inquiry that, in fact, backed the building of the relief road, saying the economic benefit of the project would outweigh the cost by 2:1. At every step of this journey, there's been indecision and money wasted. At the end of it all, it's been the Welsh people who've had to suffer as a result.
And nothing has been done to ease congestion around Newport ever since. Indeed, the First Minister acknowledged that there is still a problem. Anyone who drives in that area, especially around rush hours and at weekends, will say that's an understatement of the century. Even in all the time since the relief road was scrapped, Labour have refused to take substantive action in order to tackle the serious problems of congestion in the area, and there's still no sign of much-needed action.
But the real problem here, though, is not just those grindingly slow traffic jams, as just some minor inconvenience, the damage here to the Welsh economy and links with the south-west of England and beyond is the real issue we need to be talking about. We all know that we have some of the poorest and neediest communities here in Wales. And we need the transformative power of business and industry to invest in Wales to help us fix this problem. We know confidence in the transport network is an essential part of that, particularly when considering the huge amount of transport that comes into Wales via the M4. But what's clear is that Labour don't seem to care about the economy in Wales, and certainly don't prioritise it. They don't seem to understand that the basic foundation of a healthy and prosperous community is a flourishing economy that requires strong infrastructure and transport links. Even kids playing games like SimCity and Cities: Skylines on a PlayStation will know they've got to get your roads right for anything to work, and Labour certainly don't understand the basics.
And it's Labour who put their misinformed ideology above everything else. It's no surprise that Wales's economy has been weakened over the last quarter of a century of Labour and Plaid Cymru rule, leaving workers in Wales with the lightest pay packets and our economic inactivity at the highest rate in Great Britain. It's Labour and Plaid Cymru's way of thinking that cares more about giving us 36 more politicians in the Senedd and a default 20 mph speed limit than it does caring about our economy and supporting our communities, priorities that show how out of touch Labour and their friends in Plaid Cymru really are.
The Welsh Conservatives are committed to delivering the M4 relief road. It’s a commonsense decision. We want to boost the Welsh economy and ease congestion for motorists. We’ve been committed to the relief road for years, both as Welsh Conservatives and in government at Westminster. Welsh Labour took the opposite approach, shunning support from London for the relief road, putting politics above the livelihoods of real people. Labour’s war on motorists needs to end, for the sake of the Welsh economy and for all the people we represent. I call on Members to support our motion this evening.
Diolch, Lywydd. Mae'n bleser agor y ddadl hon heno a chyflwyno ein cynnig yn enw Paul Davies.
Mae wedi bod yn chwe blynedd hir ers i Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru ddileu ffordd liniaru'r M4, cynllun yr oedd pobl Cymru wedi ei fynnu ac yr oedd Llafur Cymru wedi ymrwymo iddo yn eu maniffesto. Roedd yn gyfle euraidd nid yn unig i leddfu tagfeydd i fodurwyr, ond i roi hwb i economi Cymru a dangos i'r byd fod Cymru yn agored i fusnes. Efallai mai dyma waddol mwyaf y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd: torri ymrwymiad maniffesto ac arafu economi Cymru. Ac ni ddaeth y penderfyniad hwnnw'n gyflym, gadewch i ni gofio; daeth ar ôl oedi a gohirio, a chostiodd y cyfan symiau enfawr o arian i drethdalwyr a gwastraffu amser gwerthfawr.
Gwariodd Llywodraeth Cymru £135.7 miliwn o arian cyhoeddus ar gynlluniau ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4 cyn cefnu arni. Canfu ceisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar y cynllun fod 29 o gartrefi wedi'u prynu am dros £15 miliwn drwy orchmynion prynu gorfodol. Prynwyd dau o'r adeiladau hyn am £575,000 a £400,000 ym mis Ebrill 2019, ddau fis yn unig cyn i'r Prif Weinidog benderfynu rhoi'r gorau i'r cynllun. Gwariwyd o leiaf £44 miliwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar gostau datblygu ac ymchwiliad cyhoeddus, ymchwiliad a oedd mewn gwirionedd yn cefnogi adeiladu'r ffordd liniaru, gan ddweud y byddai budd economaidd y prosiect yn gorbwyso'r gost ar gymhareb o 2:1. Ar bob cam o'r daith hon, gwelwyd diffyg penderfyniad a gwastraff arian. Ar ddiwedd y cyfan, pobl Cymru sydd wedi gorfod dioddef o ganlyniad.
Ac ni wnaed unrhyw beth i leddfu tagfeydd o amgylch Casnewydd byth ers hynny. Yn wir, cydnabu'r Prif Weinidog fod yna broblem o hyd. Bydd unrhyw un sy'n gyrru yn yr ardal honno, yn enwedig o gwmpas oriau brig ac ar benwythnosau, yn dweud bod hynny'n eithriadol o amlwg. Yn yr holl amser ers rhoi'r gorau i'r ffordd liniaru, mae Llafur wedi gwrthod rhoi camau sylweddol ar waith i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau difrifol tagfeydd yn yr ardal, ac nid oes unrhyw arwydd o weithredu mawr ei angen.
Ond nid y tagfeydd traffig poenus o araf hynny'n unig yw'r broblem go iawn yma, fodd bynnag, gan mai anghyfleustra bach yn unig yw hynny; y niwed i economi Cymru a'r cysylltiadau â de-orllewin Lloegr a thu hwnt yw'r broblem wirioneddol y mae angen inni siarad amdani. Rydym i gyd yn gwybod bod gennym rai o'r cymunedau tlotaf a mwyaf anghenus yma yng Nghymru. Ac mae angen pŵer trawsnewidiol busnes a diwydiant arnom i fuddsoddi yng Nghymru i'n helpu i ddatrys y broblem honno. Fe wyddom fod hyder yn y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth yn rhan hanfodol o hynny, yn enwedig wrth ystyried y lefel eithriadol o drafnidiaeth sy'n dod i Gymru ar hyd yr M4. Ond yr hyn sy'n amlwg yw nad yw'n ymddangos bod Llafur yn poeni am yr economi yng Nghymru, ac yn sicr nid ydynt yn ei blaenoriaethu. Nid yw'n ymddangos eu bod yn deall mai'r sail sylfaenol i gymuned iach a ffyniannus yw economi ffyniannus sy'n galw am seilwaith a chysylltiadau trafnidiaeth cryf. Mae hyd yn oed plant sy'n chwarae gemau fel SimCity a Cities: Skylines ar PlayStation yn gwybod bod yn rhaid ichi gael eich ffyrdd yn iawn er mwyn i unrhyw beth weithio, ac yn sicr nid yw Llafur yn deall y pethau sylfaenol.
A Llafur sy'n rhoi eu hideoleg gyfeiliornus uwchlaw popeth arall. Nid yw'n syndod fod economi Cymru wedi cael ei gwanhau dros y chwarter canrif diwethaf o reolaeth Llafur a Phlaid Cymru, gan adael gweithwyr yng Nghymru gyda'r pecynnau cyflog ysgafnaf a'n hanweithgarwch economaidd ar gyfradd uwch nag unman arall ym Mhrydain. Dyma ffordd o feddwl Llafur a Phlaid Cymru sy'n poeni mwy am roi 36 o wleidyddion ychwanegol i ni yn y Senedd a therfyn cyflymder diofyn o 20 mya nag am ein heconomi a chefnogi ein cymunedau, blaenoriaethau sy'n dangos cymaint y mae Llafur a'u ffrindiau ym Mhlaid Cymru wedi colli gafael ar bethau mewn gwirionedd.
Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi ymrwymo i ddarparu ffordd liniaru'r M4. Mae'n benderfyniad synnwyr cyffredin. Rydym am roi hwb i economi Cymru a lleddfu tagfeydd i fodurwyr. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i'r ffordd liniaru ers blynyddoedd, fel Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ac fel llywodraeth yn San Steffan. Dewisodd Llafur Cymru yr agwedd groes i hynny, gan osgoi cymorth o Lundain i'r ffordd liniaru, a rhoi gwleidyddiaeth uwchlaw bywoliaeth pobl go iawn. Mae angen i ryfel Llafur yn erbyn modurwyr ddod i ben, er mwyn economi Cymru ac er mwyn yr holl bobl a gynrychiolwn. Galwaf ar yr Aelodau i gefnogi ein cynnig heno.
Rwyf wedi dethol y ddau welliant i'r cynnig. Os derbynnir gwelliant 1, bydd gwelliant 2 yn cael ei ddad-dethol. Peredur Owen Griffiths i gynnig gwelliant 1.
I have selected the amendments to the motion. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected. I call Peredur Owen Griffiths to move amendment 1.
Gwelliant 1—Heledd Fychan
Dileu’r cyfan a rhoi yn ei le:
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn nodi bod y mis hwn yn nodi chwe blynedd ers y penderfyniad i beidio â bwrw ymlaen â phrosiect ffordd liniaru'r M4.
2. Yn gresynu at:
a) y gostyngiad mewn termau real yng nghyllideb cyfalaf Cymru a achoswyd gan adolygiad o wariant diweddaraf Llywodraeth y DU, a fydd yn rhwystro gallu Cymru i fuddsoddi mewn prosiectau seilwaith ar raddfa fawr, gan gynnwys prosiect ffordd liniaru'r M4; a
b) methiant Llywodraeth Cymru i ailffocysu cyllid a neilltuwyd yn wreiddiol ar gyfer prosiect ffordd liniaru'r M4 tuag at weledigaeth amgen ar gyfer rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig a chynaliadwy i Gymru, gan gynnwys rhoi blaenoriaeth i fynd i'r afael â'r problemau tagfeydd traffig o amgylch Casnewydd.
Amendment 1—Heledd Fychan
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that this month marks six years since the decision not to proceed with the M4 relief road project.
2. Regrets:
a) the real terms decrease in Wales's capital budget caused by the latest UK Government spending review, which will severely impede Wales's ability to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects, including on an M4 relief road project; and
b) the failure of Welsh Government to quickly refocus funding originally earmarked for the M4 relief road project towards an alternative vision for a sustainable integrated Welsh transport network, including giving priority to addressing the congestion issues around Newport.
Cynigiwyd gwelliant 1.
Amendment 1 moved.
Diolch, Llywydd, a dwi'n symud y gwelliant.
Bwriad gwelliant Plaid Cymru heddiw ydy ceisio sbarduno trafodaeth ehangach i fynd i'r afael â'r sefyllfa ar yr M4, ond hefyd y tu hwnt i'r ardal leol, oherwydd nid un rhan o’r draffordd yw'r broblem, ond y dasg fwy o adeiladu rhwydwaith drafnidiaeth multimodal sydd yn addas i bobl Cymru heddiw ac ar gyfer y dyfodol. Ar ôl dros 25 mlynedd mewn grym, mae'n amlwg nad ydy'r Blaid Lafur wedi llwyddo i gyflawni hynny. Mae'n wir bod chwe blynedd bellach wedi pasio ers y penderfyniad i beidio â bwrw ymlaen â chynllun y ffordd osgoi, ac er mai dim ond wythnos yn ôl y galwodd y Torïaid yn y Siambr hon am foratoriwm ar gynlluniau solar ar sail pryderon am fwyd a’r amgylchedd, heddiw nhw sydd ar flaen y gad am ffordd newydd drwy dir SSSI. Maen nhw'n dweud bod wythnos yn amser hir mewn gwleidyddiaeth, ac mae hynny'n wir iawn heddiw.
Ond mae trigolion lleol, ac unrhyw un sy'n cael eu heffeithio gan dagfeydd, yn gwbl resymol yn gofyn pa gynnydd ar y datrysiad sydd wedi'i ddatblygu iddyn nhw. Fel un sydd wedi cael fy nal mewn traffig yn yr ardal yma droeon, rwy'n rhannu'r un rhwystredigaeth. Ond yn hytrach na mynd yn ôl dro ar ôl tro ar yr un penderfyniad, mae'n rhaid i ni ofyn sut y gallwn ni gysylltu ein cymunedau yn well, sut y gallwn ni ei gwneud hi'n haws i bobl gyrraedd eu gwaith, eu hysgolion, eu gwasanaethau lleol, heb ddibynnu ar ffyrdd prysur â thagfeydd, a sut y gallwn ni wneud hynny mewn ffordd sydd yn fforddiadwy, yn deg, ac yn amgylcheddol gynaliadwy?
Thank you, and I move the amendment.
The intention of the Plaid Cymru amendment today is to spark a wider discussion to tackle the issue on the M4, but also beyond the local area, because one part of the motorway isn't the problem, but the wider task of building a multimodal transport system that is appropriate for the people of Wales today and for the future. After 25 years in power, it's clear that the Labour Party hasn't succeeded in delivering that. It's true that six years have now passed since the decision not to pursue the relief road scheme, and it was only a week ago the Tories called in this Chamber for a moratorium on solar schemes on the basis of concerns about the environment, but today they are calling for a new road through SSSI land. They say that a week is a long time in politics, and that's particularly true today.
I've heard local residents and anyone who is impacted by traffic jams entirely reasonably asking what solutions have been developed for them. As someone who's been caught in traffic in the area time and time again, I share the frustrations. But rather than going back time and time again on the same decision, we have to ask how we can connect our communities better, how we can make it easier for people to get to work or schools or local services without depending on busy, congested roads, and how we can do that in a way that is affordable, fair and environmentally sustainable?
We’ve just seen how lengthy and costly the completion of the Heads of the Valleys road has been. After 23 years of roadworks and around £2 billion later, the Welsh Government will now pay more than £40 million a year for 30 years to a private firm before the road will be publicly owned in 2055. So, these questions matter even more, given the financial backdrop we're operating in. The recent UK Government spending review has dealt a serious blow to Wales's ability to invest in infrastructure, with our capital budget squeezed in real terms over the next few years and Wales receiving considerably less than even individual cities in England. Plaid Cymru has been very clear this is unacceptable. Wales deserves the tools and the funding to invest in the future, not just patchwork solutions, but a real long-term plan.
Rydym newydd weld pa mor hir a chostus yw hi wedi bod i gwblhau ffordd Blaenau'r Cymoedd. Ar ôl 23 mlynedd o waith ffordd a thua £2 biliwn yn ddiweddarach, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru bellach yn talu mwy na £40 miliwn y flwyddyn am 30 mlynedd i gwmni preifat cyn i'r ffordd ddod yn eiddo cyhoeddus yn 2055. Felly, mae'r cwestiynau hyn hyd yn oed yn fwy pwysig, o ystyried y cefndir ariannol rydym yn gweithredu ynddo. Mae adolygiad o wariant Llywodraeth y DU yn ddiweddar wedi rhoi ergyd ddifrifol i allu Cymru i fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith, gyda'n cyllideb gyfalaf wedi'i gwasgu mewn termau real dros y blynyddoedd nesaf a Chymru'n cael llawer llai na hyd yn oed dinasoedd unigol yn Lloegr. Mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn glir iawn fod hyn yn annerbyniol. Mae Cymru'n haeddu'r offer a'r cyllid i fuddsoddi yn y dyfodol, nid atebion tameidiog yn unig, ond cynllun hirdymor go iawn.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn rhy araf i symud ymlaen o ddadl yr M4 i gyflwyno ateb gwirioneddol, ateb sy'n cynnwys rhwydwaith wedi'i integreiddio—bysiau, trenau, teithio llesol a'r ffyrdd, wrth gwrs—ond wedi'i gynllunio fel rhan o ddarlun ehangach, oherwydd os mai dim ond mwy o ffyrdd yr adeiladwn, bydd mwy o geir, mwy o dagfeydd. Mae'n rhaid i'n darparu datrysiad sydd yn gweithio ar gyfer pobl a'r amgylchedd, datrysiad sydd nid yn unig yn cysylltu Cymru a Lloegr, ond yn cysylltu ein cymunedau yma yng Nghymru. Testun siom ydy’r diffyg gwaith strategol sydd i’w weld wedi cael ei wneud gan y Llywodraeth dros y chwe blynedd diwethaf i ddatblygu a delifro ar gyfer pobl y de-ddwyrain a phawb arall sydd yn defnyddio'r rhan yma o'r M4.
Llywydd, mae Plaid Cymru'n credu mewn Cymru sydd wedi'i chysylltu'n well, sydd yn fwy gwydn ac yn fwy parod i wynebu’r heriau sydd i ddod. Mae hynny'n dechrau gyda sgyrsiau gonest am flaenoriaethau ac yn parhau gyda chyllido teg, buddsoddiad strategol ac uchelgais sy'n cynnwys pob cwr o Gymru. Diolch yn fawr.
The Welsh Government has been too slow in making progress in terms of the M4 debate to put forward a genuine solution, one which involves an integrated transport network—trains, buses, active travel and roads, of course—but planned as part of a broader picture, because if we only build more roads, there'll be more cars, more traffic jams. We have to provide a solution that works for the people of Wales and the environment, solutions that don't just connect Wales with England, but connect communities here in Wales. It's disappointing that there's been a lack of strategic work by the Government over the past six years to deliver for the people of south-east Wales and everyone else who uses this part of the M4.
Llywydd, Plaid Cymru believes in a Wales that is better connected and is more resilient and more able to face future challenges, and that starts with honest conversations about priorities and continues with fair funding, strategic investment and ambition that includes every part of Wales. Thank you.
Ydy gwelliant 2 yn cael ei gynnig yn ffurfiol gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet?
Is amendment 2 moved formally by the Cabinet Secretary?
Gwelliant 2—Jane Hutt
Dileu popeth a rhoi yn ei le:
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn cydnabod yr angen am rwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig, deniadol a chynaliadwy sy’n cefnogi pobl ac economi’r rhanbarth, a hynny’n unol ag argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru (Comisiwn Burns) fel dewis amgen cynaliadwy a fforddiadwy yn lle creu traffordd M4 newydd.
2. Yn gresynu at addewidion gwag a diffyg cyllid gan lywodraethau Ceidwadol blaenorol ar gyfer argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru ynghylch materion heb eu datganoli, a hynny fel dewis ymarferol yn lle ffordd liniaru’r M4.
3. Yn cefnogi dull Llywodraeth Cymru o weithio mewn partneriaeth â Llywodraeth y DU, Cyd-bwyllgor Corfforedig y rhanbarth ac awdurdodau lleol er mwyn cyflawni argymhellion yr Arglwydd Burns i ddarparu dewisiadau cynaliadwy heb eu hail yn lle’r M4.
4. Yn croesawu cyhoeddiad Llywodraeth y DU yn yr adolygiad o wariant ar gyfer 2026-27 i 2029-30 o ran cyllid ar gyfer cyflawni argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru fel dewis arall yn lle ffordd liniaru’r M4.
Amendment 2—Jane Hutt
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises the need for an integrated, attractive and sustainable transport network which supports the people and economy of the region as recommended in the South East Wales Transport Commission (the Burns Commission) as a sustainable and affordable alternative to a new M4 motorway.
2. Deplores the empty promises and lack of funding from past Conservative governments for the non-devolved recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission as viable alternatives to the M4 relief road.
3. Supports the Welsh Government's approach of working in partnership with the UK Government, the region’s Corporate Joint Committee and local authorities to deliver the recommendations of Lord Burns to provide high quality sustainable alternatives to the M4.
4. Welcomes the announcement of the UK Government in the 2026-27 to 2029-30 spending review of funding for the South East Wales Transport Commission's recommendations to be realised as an alternative to a M4 relief road.
Cynigiwyd gwelliant 2.
Amendment 2 moved.
Mae wedi cael ei symud. Felly, Jenny Rathbone nesaf.
Yes, it has been moved. So, Jenny Rathbone is next.
Thank you very much. A note to the Conservatives, who, after six years, have come up with nothing better than decrying an old and discredited plan: if you're in a hole, stop digging. [Interruption.] If you're in a hole, stop digging, the reason being that it was completely pointless to spend £1.5 billion plus plus—£2 billion in reality—on a scheme that would only cause more congestion two or three years later. That is not a good way to spend money.
Diolch. Nodyn i'r Ceidwadwyr, sydd, ar ôl chwe blynedd, wedi gallu gwneud dim byd gwell na beirniadu hen gynllun a gafodd ei wrthbrofi: os ydych chi mewn twll, rhowch y gorau i gloddio. [Torri ar draws.] Os ydych chi mewn twll, rhowch y gorau i gloddio, a'r rheswm yw ei bod yn gwbl ddibwynt gwario £1.5 biliwn a mwy—£2 biliwn mewn gwirionedd—ar gynllun a fyddai ond yn achosi mwy o dagfeydd ddwy neu dair blynedd yn ddiweddarach. Nid yw honno'n ffordd dda o wario arian.
Thank you for the opening remarks there, Jenny Rathbone, but your own Welsh Government public inquiry said there would be a 2:1 benefit of this taking place. So, do you see that as completely pointless?
Diolch am y sylwadau agoriadol yno, Jenny Rathbone, ond dywedodd eich ymchwiliad cyhoeddus Llywodraeth Cymru eich hun y byddai budd o 2:1 pe bai hyn yn digwydd. Felly, a ydych chi'n ystyried hynny'n gwbl ddibwynt?
No, but that is not the conclusion. The conclusion of experts like Mark Barry is that you will always get more congestion. If you build more roads, you have then more cars, just as Peredur—
Nac ydw, ond nid dyna'r casgliad. Casgliad arbenigwyr fel Mark Barry yw y byddwch chi bob amser yn cael mwy o dagfeydd. Os adeiladwch chi fwy o ffyrdd, fe gewch chi fwy o geir, yn union fel y nododd Peredur—
So, get rid of all roads.
Felly, cael gwared ar bob ffordd.
No, not get rid of all roads, but you have got to have a much more effective and sustainable way of shifting large numbers of people at peak times, and that has to be done with public transport. The alternative is to absolutely create a total air congestion nightmare for my constituents who live on Newport Road, and who are going to be dying as a result of the air pollution created by even more congestion. That is not the way forward.
So, we absolutely need to get on with creating the alternatives, which has been extremely slow, but that is because the Burns report, as you will be aware, is based around the east-west lines that run out of Cardiff as the spine of the metro. Until last week or the week before, we didn't have the money in sight for the UK Government to step up to the plate and make those lines fit for purpose for running the metro, as well as the main lines going to London, Bristol and elsewhere. We do now have this money, and therefore we need to now be seeing progress from the UK Government.
One of the things that I want to ask Ken Skates is what discussions he may have had with Heidi Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, about the pace with which her department is going to procure a contractor to upgrade the four east-west lines running between Cardiff and the English border, so that we can have spades in the ground on 1 April next year, because I appreciate the money that's been allocated by Rachel Reeves is in next year's budget. We need to ensure that people can see the difference that that's going to make, because that is what has been holding us up until now. Wales has not had the budget to spend money on somebody else's responsibility, and the UK Government under the Tories absolutely refused to come up with this money. So, there is plenty more we need to do about sustainable transport.
Na, nid cael gwared ar bob ffordd, ond mae'n rhaid ichi gael ffordd lawer mwy effeithiol a chynaliadwy o symud nifer fawr o bobl ar adegau brig, ac mae'n rhaid gwneud hynny gyda thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Y dewis arall yw creu hunllef aer yn sgil tagfeydd i fy etholwyr sy'n byw ar Heol Casnewydd, ac sy'n mynd i fod yn marw o ganlyniad i'r llygredd aer a gaiff ei greu gan fwy a mwy o dagfeydd. Nid dyna'r ffordd ymlaen.
Felly, mae angen i ni fwrw ymlaen i greu'r dewisiadau amgen, sydd wedi bod yn araf iawn, ond mae hynny oherwydd bod adroddiad Burns, fel y gwyddoch, wedi'i seilio ar y llinellau dwyrain-gorllewin sy'n rhedeg allan o Gaerdydd fel asgwrn cefn y metro. Tan yr wythnos diwethaf neu'r wythnos cynt, nid oedd gennym arian i Lywodraeth y DU gamu i'r adwy a gwneud y llinellau hynny'n addas i'r diben ar gyfer rhedeg y metro, yn ogystal â'r prif linellau sy'n mynd i Lundain, Bryste a mannau eraill. Mae gennym yr arian hwn nawr, ac felly mae angen i ni weld cynnydd nawr gan Lywodraeth y DU.
Un o'r pethau yr wyf am ofyn i Ken Skates yw pa drafodaethau y gallai fod wedi'u cael gyda Heidi Alexander, yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Drafnidiaeth, ynglŷn â pha mor gyflym y gall ei hadran fynd ati i gaffael contractwr i uwchraddio'r pedair llinell dwyrain-gorllewin sy'n rhedeg rhwng Caerdydd a ffin Lloegr, fel y gallwn ddechrau'r gwaith adeiladu ar 1 Ebrill y flwyddyn nesaf, oherwydd rwy'n deall mai yng nghyllideb y flwyddyn nesaf y mae'r arian a ddyrannwyd gan Rachel Reeves. Mae angen i ni sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu gweld y gwahaniaeth y bydd hynny'n ei wneud, gan mai dyna sydd wedi bod yn ein dal yn ôl hyd yma. Nid yw'r gyllideb wedi bod gan Gymru i wario arian ar gyfrifoldeb rhywun arall, ac fe wnaeth Llywodraeth y DU o dan y Torïaid wrthod yn lân â dod o hyd i'r arian hwn. Felly, mae llawer mwy y mae angen i ni ei wneud am drafnidiaeth gynaliadwy.
Would you accept that it was the UK Conservative Government that gave the opportunity to increase travel into Wales, and the benefits of that in terms of tourism, through things like scrapping the tolls on the Bristol channel, for example? Those sorts of things pave the way for innovation, pave the way for increased use of our roads, and, indeed, the economic impacts, in a positive sense, of those decisions made.
A fyddech chi'n derbyn mai Llywodraeth Geidwadol y DU a roddodd y cyfle i gynyddu teithio i mewn i Gymru, a manteision hynny o ran twristiaeth, trwy bethau fel cael gwared ar y tollau ar fôr Hafren, er enghraifft? Mae'r mathau hynny o bethau yn paratoi'r ffordd ar gyfer arloesedd, yn paratoi'r ffordd ar gyfer mwy o ddefnydd o'n ffyrdd, ac yn wir, effeithiau economaidd, mewn ystyr gadarnhaol, y penderfyniadau a wneir.
It's an intervention and I've got it. The tolls, obviously, have massively increased the cost of housing on the east side of Wales, because a lot of people have moved in from Bristol and that's increased the price in places like the constituency represented by Laura Anne Jones.
Mae'n ymyriad ac rwyf wedi'i gael. Mae'r tollau, yn amlwg, wedi arwain at gynnydd enfawr ym mhris tai ar ochr ddwyreiniol Cymru, oherwydd mae llawer o bobl wedi symud i mewn o Fryste ac mae hynny wedi cynyddu'r prisiau mewn llefydd fel yr etholaeth a gynrychiolir gan Laura Anne Jones.
So, bring back the tolls.
Felly, dewch â'r tollau yn eu holau.
Let me tell you about the future. [Interruption.] Inevitably, there will be road charging in the future, because the money that is currently paid by people who buy petrol or diesel in the fuel levy is going down and down every single year. So, what is going to be the alternative for repairing roads? It'll have to be by—. The fair solution to that has got to be about charging people for use of roads, particularly at peak times. So, you'll have to get used to that idea, because that money isn't going to be available—[Interruption.] Well, when you get on a train, you don't expect to travel for nothing, do you? You expect to pay a fare. There's no particular difference why—[Interruption.] If you're stupid enough—[Interruption.] If you're—
Gadewch i mi ddweud wrthych chi am y dyfodol. [Torri ar draws.] Yn anochel, bydd codi tâl am ddefnyddio ffyrdd yn y dyfodol, oherwydd mae'r arian sy'n cael ei dalu ar hyn o bryd gan bobl sy'n prynu petrol neu diesel yn yr ardoll tanwydd yn mynd i lawr ac i lawr bob blwyddyn. Felly, beth fydd y dewis arall ar gyfer atgyweirio ffyrdd? Bydd yn rhaid iddo ddigwydd drwy—. Mae'n rhaid i'r ateb teg i hynny ymwneud â chodi tâl ar bobl am ddefnyddio ffyrdd, yn enwedig ar oriau brig. Felly, bydd yn rhaid i chi ddod i arfer â'r syniad hwnnw, oherwydd nid yw'r arian hwnnw'n mynd i fod ar gael—[Torri ar draws.] Wel, pan fyddwch chi'n mynd ar drên, nid ydych chi'n disgwyl teithio am ddim, ydych chi? Rydych chi'n disgwyl talu pris. Nid oes gwahaniaeth arbennig pam—[Torri ar draws.] Os ydych chi'n ddigon dwp—[Torri ar draws.] Os ydych chi—
I'm just going to say there are other people in this Chamber who are interested in this debate. So, if we can have less of the discussion between Jenny Rathbone and some of the Tory Members—
Rwy'n mynd i ddweud bod yna bobl eraill yn y Siambr sydd â diddordeb yn y ddadl. Felly, os gallwn gael llai o drafodaeth rhwng Jenny Rathbone a rhai o'r Aelodau Torïaidd—
I apologise, Presiding Officer.
Rwy'n ymddiheuro, Lywydd.
—and address the Chamber and engage the Chamber as a whole. And that's not a criticism of you in particular, Jenny Rathbone; it's as much a contribution—
—ac annerch y Siambr ac ymwneud â'r Siambr gyfan. Ac nid yw'n feirniadaeth ohonoch chi'n arbennig, Jenny Rathbone; mae'n llawn cymaint o gyfraniad—
It is a well-established principle—
Mae'n egwyddor sefydledig—
Yes, you carry on.
Ie, parhewch.
—that in other cities, including London, where you have congestion, you are going to need to contain that congestion and persuade people that there are alternative ways of travelling at busy times, particularly journeys to work and to schools. These are the easiest journeys to predict and to enable people to do in an alternative manner. But you cannot do that, obviously, until we have the public transport that we need to enable people to conduct those things. So, we have to get on with the metro now that we've got the capital investment to upgrade those rail lines, and we need to see rapid progress on this front, because we have indeed waited five years with the plan in place, but without the money to go ahead with it.
—mewn dinasoedd eraill, gan gynnwys Llundain, lle mae gennych dagfeydd, y bydd angen i chi gyfyngu ar y tagfeydd hynny a pherswadio pobl fod yna ffyrdd amgen o deithio ar adegau prysur, yn enwedig teithiau i'r gwaith ac i ysgolion. Dyma'r teithiau hawsaf i'w rhagweld ac i alluogi pobl i'w gwneud mewn ffordd arall. Ond yn amlwg, ni allwch wneud hynny hyd nes y bydd gennym y drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sydd ei hangen arnom i alluogi pobl i wneud y pethau hynny. Felly, mae'n rhaid inni fwrw ymlaen â'r metro gan fod gennym bellach y buddsoddiad cyfalaf i uwchraddio'r rheilffyrdd hynny, ac mae angen inni weld cynnydd cyflym yn hyn o beth, oherwydd rydym wedi aros pum mlynedd gyda'r cynllun yn ei le, ond heb arian i fwrw ymlaen.
Unsurprisingly, the M4 is a hot topic of conversation in many parts of south-east Wales, especially Newport and the surrounding areas. My constituents are regularly faced with bumper-to-bumper traffic and long delays on this vital route because it's simply not fit for purpose. These never-ending clogs are not just a nightmare for those stuck in them, they're also a major economic roadblock. The constant gridlock and unreliable nature of the M4 is undoubtedly making Wales a less attractive place to do business. The M4 in Newport was ranked within the top-50 traffic hotspots in Europe and was the fourth most congested stretch of urban motorway in the United Kingdom. That is nothing to be proud of.
Once upon a time we were promised a meaningful solution in the form of an M4 relief road, and I think there was a sigh of relief when the project was indeed unveiled. There was certainly going to be light at the end of the tunnel. But any hope of ending motorist misery on the M4 was short-lived when former First Minister Mark Drakeford stopped the project in its tracks. And let's not forget, more than £100 million of taxpayers' money went down the drain, as well as the Welsh Government's, when they scrapped this much-needed project. The short-sighted decision to abandon the relief road was a sucker punch to many and went against the recommendations of a planning inspector who backed the scheme as value for money.
It must have also been a huge blow to our former First Minister, Vaughan Gething, who in 2018 said, and I quote:
'Doing nothing is no longer an option on the M4 relief road. Businesses across South and West Wales need certainty that the M4 will not be left as it is. I am determined that we will act and go ahead with an M4 relief road.'
And he even signed his message off with a cheeky hashtag saying, 'ChangeTakesCourage'. Even the current Cabinet Secretary for transport originally supported this relief road's plans before performing a screeching u-turn. Yes, I'm looking at you, Mr Skates.
Presiding Officer, I want to say something I don't say very often: I must say that I do agree with a Labour Senedd Member, because my Newport West colleague was bang on the money when she said the decision to axe the relief road, and, again, I quote,
'condemns Newport to further decades of heavy congestion, idling traffic and toxic fumes.'
In the six long years since the relief road was canned, things have gone from bad to worse on the M4. Not only do daily bottlenecks still plague this stretch of road, but now we have 50 mph speed-limit cameras exacerbating the problems further. Following the Government's warped decision to end and axe the M4 relief road plans, we were told the Burns commission would be able to crack the issue. And what was their solution? Invest in rail, create rapid bus routes, build cycleway corridors, encourage working remotely, and, of course, introduce those dreaded 50 mph speed cameras, which I mentioned earlier. I really hate to be the one to break the news to the Welsh Government, but nothing is working, and the fact remains that we still need an M4 relief road here in 2025.
The Welsh Conservatives recognise the pressing need for this infrastructure project, and the Welsh Conservative Government will put spades in the ground and deliver this essential project. Some say we shouldn't do it, but doing nothing costs more in lost productivity, lost investment and lost opportunities. We need action. We need ambition, and we need the M4 relief road in Newport and the whole of south-east Wales to get moving once again. Businesses, motorists, visitors and, more importantly, my constituents, deserve better than this. It is clear the Labour Government has no interest in putting Wales's economic needs first. It is clear that the Welsh Conservatives are the only ones ready to take action to unleash our country's true potential. Thank you.
Nid yw'n syndod fod yr M4 yn bwnc llosg mewn sawl rhan o dde-ddwyrain Cymru, yn enwedig Casnewydd a'r ardaloedd cyfagos. Mae fy etholwyr yn wynebu traffig disymud ac oedi hir ar y llwybr allweddol hwn am nad yw'n addas i'r diben. Mae'r tagfeydd diddiwedd hyn nid yn unig yn hunllef i'r rhai sydd wedi'u dal ynddynt, maent hefyd yn dagfa economaidd fawr. Heb os, mae'r tagfeydd cyson a natur annibynadwy yr M4 yn gwneud Cymru yn lle llai deniadol i wneud busnes. Roedd yr M4 yng Nghasnewydd ymhlith y 50 man problemus gwaethaf i draffig yn Ewrop ac yn bedwerydd darn o draffordd drefol lle ceid y mwyaf o dagfeydd yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Nid yw hynny'n destun balchder.
Amser maith yn ôl cawsom addewid o ateb ystyrlon ar ffurf ffordd liniaru'r M4, ac rwy'n credu bod ochenaid o ryddhad pan gafodd y prosiect ei gyflwyno. Byddai golau ar ddiwedd y twnnel. Ond roedd unrhyw obaith o roi diwedd ar ddiflastod modurwyr ar yr M4 yn fyrhoedlog pan roddodd y cyn-Brif Weinidog Mark Drakeford stop ar y prosiect. A gadewch inni beidio ag anghofio, aeth mwy na £100 miliwn o arian trethdalwyr ac arian Llywodraeth Cymru i lawr y draen pan roesant y gorau i'r prosiect mawr ei angen hwn. Roedd y penderfyniad cibddall i gefnu ar y ffordd liniaru yn ergyd galed i lawer ac yn mynd yn groes i argymhellion arolygydd cynllunio a gefnogai'r cynllun fel un a oedd yn dangos gwerth am arian.
Rhaid ei fod yn ergyd enfawr hefyd i'n cyn-Brif Weinidog, Vaughan Gething, a ddywedodd yn 2018, a dyfynnaf:
'Nid yw gwneud dim yn opsiwn bellach mewn perthynas â ffordd liniaru’r M4. Mae angen sicrwydd ar fusnesau ar draws De a Gorllewin Cymru na fydd yr M4 yn cael ei gadael fel y mae ar hyn o bryd. Rwy'n benderfynol y byddwn yn gweithredu ac yn bwrw ymlaen â ffordd liniaru'r M4.'
Ac fe wnaeth hyd yn oed orffen ei neges gyda hashnod powld yn dweud, 'ChangeTakesCourage'. Roedd hyd yn oed yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet dros drafnidiaeth presennol yn cefnogi cynlluniau'r ffordd liniaru ar y dechrau cyn gwneud tro pedol enfawr. Ydw, rwy'n edrych arnoch chi, Mr Skates.
Lywydd, rwyf am ddweud rhywbeth nad wyf yn ei ddweud yn aml iawn: rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod yn cytuno ag Aelod Llafur o'r Senedd, oherwydd roedd fy nghyd-Aelod o Orllewin Casnewydd yn llygad ei lle pan ddywedodd fod y penderfyniad i gael gwared ar y ffordd liniaru,
'yn condemnio Casnewydd i ddegawdau eto o dagfeydd trwm, traffig yn sefyllian a nwyon gwenwynig.'
Yn y chwe blynedd hir ers i gynlluniau’r ffordd liniaru gael eu dileu, mae pethau wedi mynd o ddrwg i waeth ar yr M4. Nid yn unig fod tagfeydd dyddiol yn dal i blagio'r darn hwn o ffordd, nawr mae gennym gamerâu terfyn cyflymder 50 mya sy'n gwaethygu'r problemau ymhellach. Yn dilyn penderfyniad gwallgof y Llywodraeth i roi diwedd ar gynlluniau ffordd liniaru'r M4, dywedwyd wrthym y byddai comisiwn Burns yn gallu datrys y mater. A beth oedd eu hateb? Buddsoddi mewn rheilffyrdd, creu llwybrau bysiau cyflym, adeiladu coridorau llwybrau beicio, annog gweithio o bell, ac wrth gwrs, cyflwyno'r camerâu cyflymder 50 mya ofnadwy hynny y soniais amdanynt yn gynharach. Rwy'n casáu gorfod torri'r newyddion i Lywodraeth Cymru, ond nid oes dim yn gweithio, a'r ffaith amdani yw bod angen ffordd liniaru'r M4 yma o hyd yn 2025.
Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn cydnabod yr angen brys am y prosiect seilwaith hwn, a bydd Llywodraeth Geidwadol yng Nghymru yn sicrhau bod y gwaith yn dechrau ar gyflawni'r prosiect hanfodol hwn. Mae rhai'n dweud na ddylem ei wneud, ond mae gwneud dim yn costio mwy mewn cynhyrchiant a gollir, buddsoddiad a gollir a chyfleoedd a gollir. Mae angen gweithredu. Mae angen uchelgais arnom, ac mae angen ffordd liniaru'r M4 yng Nghasnewydd a de-ddwyrain Cymru gyfan i gael pethau i symud eto. Mae busnesau, modurwyr, ymwelwyr, ac yn bwysicach fyth, fy etholwyr, yn haeddu gwell na hyn. Mae'n amlwg nad oes gan y Llywodraeth Lafur ddiddordeb mewn rhoi anghenion economaidd Cymru yn gyntaf. Mae'n amlwg mai'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yw'r unig rai sy'n barod i weithredu i ryddhau gwir botensial ein gwlad. Diolch.
Llywydd, south-east Wales needs an integrated transport system of road, bus, rail, walking and cycling, as many other countries have managed to create. An integrated transport system for our communities, economy and environment. And, fortunately, we have a blueprint for just that, the Burns commission report and recommendations, now to be taken forward by its delivery unit, led by Professor Simon Gibson.
Now we also have the very welcome UK Government comprehensive spending review announcement of hundreds of millions of pounds for Wales's railways, enabling work on the five new stations between Severn Tunnel Junction and Cardiff, recommended by Burns, three of which are in Newport East: Magor and Undy, Llanwern and Somerton.
A 'walk-to' station at Magor and Undy has been the subject of a decade-long campaign by a very effective and committed campaign group, and by the local community—and that campaign group itself is drawn from that local community. This walkway station is quite advanced in terms of preparatory work and is ready for spades in the ground.
The Llanwern station would be in an area where a lot of people currently drive to Cardiff and Bristol to work—drive along the M4 motorway. A station there would give them a very convenient and sustainable alternative to the car, and I believe would be very significant for the modal shift that we so badly need, if we are to deal with that congestion on the M4 and general congestion on our roads around Newport. The Somerton station would be in a densely populated part of Newport, which would benefit greatly from rail services better connecting it through public transport.
Dedicated bus lanes could make a big difference to dealing with and improving the situation regarding congestion on the roads in inner Newport. And there is much happening on active travel that could be built upon and further developed.
Llywydd, an integrated transport system is the right way forward to deal with congestion around Newport: right for our communities, right for our economy and right for our environment. Roads, bus, rail, walking and cycling, Burns has provided the plan, the UK Government comprehensive spending review has provided the funding to get work under way, and all we have to do now is proceed with urgency after far too much delay.
Lywydd, mae de-ddwyrain Cymru angen system drafnidiaeth integredig o ffyrdd, bysiau, rheilffyrdd, cerdded a beicio, fel y mae llawer o wledydd eraill wedi llwyddo i'w chreu. System drafnidiaeth integredig ar gyfer ein cymunedau, ein heconomi a'n hamgylchedd. Ac yn ffodus, mae gennym lasbrint ar gyfer hynny, adroddiad ac argymhellion comisiwn Burns, sydd i'w ddatblygu nawr gan ei uned gyflawni, dan arweiniad yr Athro Simon Gibson.
Nawr hefyd mae gennym gyhoeddiad adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant gan Lywodraeth y DU o gannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd ar gyfer rheilffyrdd Cymru, gan alluogi gwaith ar y pum gorsaf newydd rhwng Cyffordd Twnnel Hafren a Chaerdydd, gwaith a argymhellwyd gan Burns, ac mae tair ohonynt yn Nwyrain Casnewydd: Magwyr a Gwndy, Llan-wern a Somerton.
Mae gorsaf rodfa ym Magwyr a Gwndy wedi bod yn destun ymgyrch degawd o hyd gan grŵp ymgyrchu effeithiol ac ymroddedig iawn, a chan y gymuned leol—ac mae'r grŵp ymgyrchu ei hun yn deillio o'r gymuned leol honno. Mae'r gwaith paratoi ar yr orsaf rodfa'n eithaf datblygedig ac mae'n barod ar gyfer dechrau adeiladu.
Byddai gorsaf Llan-wern mewn ardal lle mae llawer o bobl ar hyn o bryd yn gyrru i Gaerdydd a Bryste i'r gwaith—maent yn gyrru ar hyd traffordd yr M4. Byddai gorsaf yno'n rhoi dewis arall cyfleus a chynaliadwy iawn iddynt yn lle'r car, ac rwy'n credu y byddai'n bwysig iawn ar gyfer newid dulliau teithio fel y mae cymaint o angen i ni ei wneud os ydym am fynd i'r afael â'r tagfeydd ar yr M4 a'r tagfeydd cyffredinol ar ein ffyrdd o amgylch Casnewydd. Byddai gorsaf Somerton mewn rhan ddwys ei phoblogaeth o Gasnewydd a fyddai'n elwa yn fawr o wasanaethau rheilffyrdd i'w chysylltu'n well drwy drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus.
Gallai lonydd bysiau pwrpasol wneud gwahaniaeth mawr i wella'r sefyllfa o ran tagfeydd ar y ffyrdd yng nghanol Casnewydd. Ac mae llawer yn digwydd ar deithio llesol y gellid ei adeiladu a'i ddatblygu ymhellach.
Lywydd, system drafnidiaeth integredig yw'r ffordd iawn ymlaen i ymdrin â thagfeydd o amgylch Casnewydd: y ffordd iawn i'n cymunedau, y ffordd iawn i'n heconomi a'r ffordd iawn i'n hamgylchedd. Ffyrdd, bysiau, rheilffyrdd, cerdded a beicio, mae Burns wedi darparu'r cynllun, mae adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant Llywodraeth y DU wedi darparu'r cyllid i ddechrau'r gwaith, a'r cyfan sy'n rhaid i ni ei wneud nawr yw bwrw ymlaen ar frys ar ôl llawer gormod o oedi.
I'm glad that we're taking the time to debate the M4 relief road here in the Senedd today, because, let's make no mistake, this is an issue that our constituents are talking about, and they're talking about it a lot because this really matters to them and it's not difficult to understand why. The M4 ranks as one of the top-50 traffic hotspots in Europe, and it's currently the fourth most congested stretch of urban motorway in the UK. Back in 2017, it was reported that Wales's only motorway was brought to a standstill almost 30 times a day, costing our economy an additional £165 million every year.
And what have we seen from the Welsh Government instead? Yes, a blanket refusal to do anything about it. So far, the Welsh Government has wasted a total of £157 million on this project without a single inch of road being built. So, whilst commuters and businesses across south Wales sit in traffic hell every single day, this Government sticks its fingers in its ears and pretends that there is no problem. And it's funny, because, once upon a time, the Labour Party did know that this was a problem, or at least they pretended they did, so much so that they included that promise in their 2016 manifesto, promising to build an M4 relief road to alleviate traffic concerns in south Wales. But by 2019, just three years later, they ditched the project. Llywydd, if this Labour Party's willing to lie to the public on such a fundamental issue in their manifesto, how on earth can the people of Wales have any faith about what's in their next one?
Rwy'n falch ein bod ni'n rhoi amser i drafod ffordd liniaru'r M4 yma yn y Senedd heddiw, oherwydd, gadewch inni beidio â chamgymryd, mae hwn yn fater y mae ein hetholwyr yn siarad amdano, ac maent yn siarad llawer amdano oherwydd mae hyn yn bwysig iawn iddynt ac nid yw'n anodd deall pam. Mae'r M4 yn un o'r 50 man problemus gwaethaf o ran traffig yn Ewrop, ac ar hyn o bryd dyma'r pedwerydd darn o draffordd drefol lle ceir y mwyaf o dagfeydd yn y DU. Yn ôl yn 2017, adroddwyd bod unig draffordd Cymru yn dod i stop bron 30 gwaith y dydd, gan gostio £165 miliwn ychwanegol i'n heconomi bob blwyddyn.
A beth a welwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn lle hynny? Ie, gwrthodiad cyffredinol i wneud unrhyw beth yn ei gylch. Hyd yn hyn, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwastraffu cyfanswm o £157 miliwn ar y prosiect heb adeiladu'r un fodfedd o ffordd. Felly, tra bo cymudwyr a busnesau ledled de Cymru yn eistedd mewn uffern traffig bob dydd, mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn rhoi ei bysedd yn ei chlustiau ac yn esgus nad oes unrhyw broblem. Ac mae'n ddoniol, oherwydd, ers talwm, roedd y Blaid Lafur yn gwybod bod hon yn broblem, neu o leiaf roeddent yn esgus eu bod yn gwybod, cymaint felly nes iddynt gynnwys yr addewid hwnnw yn eu maniffesto yn 2016, gan addo adeiladu ffordd liniaru'r M4 i leddfu problemau traffig yn ne Cymru. Ond erbyn 2019, dair blynedd yn unig yn ddiweddarach, fe wnaethant gefnu ar y prosiect. Lywydd, os yw'r Blaid Lafur hon yn fodlon dweud celwydd wrth y cyhoedd ar fater mor sylfaenol yn eu maniffesto, sut ar y ddaear y gall pobl Cymru fod ag unrhyw ffydd ynghylch yr hyn sydd yn eu maniffesto nesaf?
I wondered if you could tell us how, in any way, going ahead with the M4 relief road would have been in line with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which is about ensuring that we're not imposing on future generations such a waste of money.
Roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allech chi ddweud wrthym sut, mewn unrhyw ffordd, y byddai bwrw ymlaen â ffordd liniaru'r M4 wedi cyd-fynd â Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015, sy'n ymwneud â sicrhau nad ydym yn gorfodi gwastraff arian o'r fath ar genedlaethau'r dyfodol.
Thank you, Jenny. Maybe you could answer that question, given you stood on that manifesto.
Diolch, Jenny. Efallai y gallech chi ateb y cwestiwn hwnnw, o ystyried eich bod chi wedi sefyll ar y maniffesto hwnnw.
Well, I—
Wel—
There's a particular irony, isn't there, about a Government that all too often says it doesn't have enough taxpayers' money to spend on all the stuff it wants to, yet at the same time can waste hundreds of millions of pounds on a road that has never been built.
Let me turn to the Plaid Cymru amendment quickly, because it is an exercise, I think, that Plaid Cymru amendment, in saying absolutely nothing. Plaid, from both the amendment today and the contribution that we heard, won't be clear with the public on whether they want to see an M4 relief road built, and I think any prospective Government needs to be serious with the public about whether it wants to see that relief road happen. I think, Llywydd, they've taken a leaf out of Ronan Keating's book: they say it best when they say nothing at all. [Laughter.]
Now, the under-reported fact about that decision to cancel the M4 relief road, and the one I wanted to focus on today, is that the Welsh Government chose not only to cancel the road project itself, but also the crucial junction upgrades along the M4 too, and nowhere has that particular decision been more keenly felt than in the city I represent, Swansea. Short-sighted decisions by this Welsh Labour Government have meant that crucial junction upgrades across the city were ditched too, including but not limited to the likes of junction 45 in Ynysforgan and junction 47 in Penllergaer.
In Swansea, most people use the M4 every day, or at the very least the areas around the M4, for daily commuting and for other travel around the city. The lack of a sufficient transport infrastructure within the city makes anything else practically unviable. Commuters in those areas tell me about the pain of having to navigate through the village of Penllergaer at peak times. Those living in Pontarddulais regularly tell me about the dangerous junction they feel they face in Hendy, and commuters in Morriston regularly mention the pain of having to tackle Ynysforgan roundabout. All those could and should have been relieved by a Welsh Labour Government that was committed to delivering for all parts of Wales, but instead it was shelved and forgotten about, plans gathering dust on a ministerial shelf.
That's why I launched my campaign locally in the city to get Swansea moving, and constituents have signed a petition on my website to resurrect these plans for these crucial junction upgrades along the M4. And, in turn, I've asked both the First Minister and the Cabinet Minister for transport to look again at the plans. And, in their defence, they have indicated that they will do that, and I've repeatedly indicated that I'm happy to do whatever I can to make sure that that happens. But people in Swansea will expect that work to be concluded as soon as possible, particularly as we edge closer towards the next election. People want to know whether this is a Government that will do the right thing by the people of Swansea, invest in transport, upgrade those junctions, build the M4 relief road, get Swansea moving, get Wales moving, and if this Welsh Labour Government won't do it, they should know a Welsh Conservative Government will.
Mae yna eironi arbennig, onid oes, ynghylch Llywodraeth sy'n rhy aml yn dweud nad oes ganddi ddigon o arian trethdalwyr i'w wario ar yr holl bethau y mae hi eisiau gwario arnynt, ond ar yr un pryd yn gallu gwastraffu cannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd ar ffordd nad yw erioed wedi'i hadeiladu.
Gadewch imi droi at welliant Plaid Cymru yn gyflym, oherwydd mae'r gwelliant hwn gan Blaid Cymru yn ymarfer mewn dweud dim byd. Nid yw Plaid Cymru, o'r gwelliant heddiw a'r cyfraniad a glywsom, yn mynd i ddweud yn glir wrth y cyhoedd a ydynt am weld ffordd liniaru yr M4 yn cael ei hadeiladu, ac rwy'n credu bod angen i unrhyw ddarpar Lywodraeth fod o ddifrif gyda'r cyhoedd pa un a yw am weld y ffordd liniaru honno'n digwydd. Lywydd, rwy'n meddwl eu bod yn gwneud fel y dywedodd Ronan Keating: maent yn ei ddweud orau pan nad ydynt yn dweud unrhyw beth o gwbl. [Chwerthin.]
Nawr, y ffaith na chaiff ei hadrodd ddigon am y penderfyniad i ganslo ffordd liniaru'r M4, a'r un roeddwn am ganolbwyntio arni heddiw, yw bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dewis canslo nid yn unig y prosiect ffordd ei hun, ond hefyd y gwaith uwchraddio hanfodol ar y cyffyrdd ar hyd yr M4 hefyd, ac mae'r penderfyniad hwnnw wedi cael ei deimlo'n fwyaf poenus yn y ddinas rwy'n ei chynrychioli, Abertawe. Mae penderfyniadau cibddall gan y Llywodraeth Lafur hon yng Nghymru wedi golygu bod gwaith uwchraddio hanfodol ar gyffyrdd ar draws y ddinas hefyd wedi'i ganslo, yn cynnwys, ond heb fod yn gyfyngedig i, gyffordd 45 yn Ynysforgan a chyffordd 47 ym Mhenlle'r-gaer.
Yn Abertawe, mae'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn defnyddio'r M4 bob dydd, neu o leiaf yr ardaloedd o amgylch yr M4, ar gyfer cymudo ac ar gyfer teithio fel arall o amgylch y ddinas. Mae diffyg seilwaith trafnidiaeth digonol yn y ddinas yn gwneud unrhyw beth arall yn anymarferol. Mae cymudwyr yn yr ardaloedd hynny'n dweud wrthyf am y boen o orfod llywio trwy bentref Penlle'r-gaer ar oriau brig. Mae'r rhai sy'n byw ym Mhontarddulais yn dweud wrthyf yn rheolaidd am y gyffordd beryglus y teimlant eu bod yn ei hwynebu yn Hendy, ac mae cymudwyr yn Nhreforys yn sôn yn rheolaidd am y boen o orfod ymdopi â chylchfan Ynysforgan. Gallai'r pethau hynny i gyd fod wedi cael eu lleddfu gan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru a fyddai wedi ymrwymo i gyflawni ar gyfer pob rhan o Gymru, ond yn lle hynny cefnwyd ar y gwaith, gan adael y cynlluniau i hel llwch ar silff y Gweinidog.
Dyna pam y lansiais fy ymgyrch yn lleol yn y ddinas i gael Abertawe i symud, ac mae etholwyr wedi llofnodi deiseb ar fy ngwefan i atgyfodi'r cynlluniau hyn ar gyfer y gwaith uwchraddio hanfodol ar y cyffyrdd ar hyd yr M4. Ac rwyf wedi gofyn i'r Prif Weinidog a'r Gweinidog Cabinet dros drafnidiaeth edrych eto ar y cynlluniau. Ac a bod yn deg â hwy, maent wedi nodi y byddant yn gwneud hynny, ac rwyf wedi nodi dro ar ôl tro fy mod i'n hapus i wneud beth bynnag a allaf i wneud yn siŵr fod hynny'n digwydd. Ond bydd pobl yn Abertawe yn disgwyl i'r gwaith hwnnw gael ei gwblhau cyn gynted â phosibl, yn enwedig wrth inni agosáu at yr etholiad nesaf. Mae pobl eisiau gwybod a fydd hon yn Llywodraeth sy'n mynd i wneud y peth iawn i bobl Abertawe, buddsoddi mewn trafnidiaeth, uwchraddio'r cyffyrdd hynny, adeiladu ffordd liniaru'r M4, cael Abertawe i symud, cael Cymru i symud, ac os na fydd Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru yn gwneud hynny, dylent wybod y bydd Llywodraeth Geidwadol yng Nghymru yn ei wneud.
'We've been committed to the relief road for years',
Sam Rowlands said as he opened the debate, and, in fact, in June 2020, Boris Johnson commissioned the union connectivity review to look at links across the UK, and indeed, a month after launching it, he said in the House of Commons that they would build a new M4, and it would, as he said,
'provide the Vicks Inhaler to the nostrils of the Welsh dragon'.
So, those were the expectations he put on the review he'd set up to do just that. But, in fact, the review looked at the M4 proposals, and it looked at the Burns report, and it said very clearly that supporting relieving congestion on the M4 corridor was best done by,
'speedily implementing the Burns Commission recommendations'.
So much for the Conservatives consistently supporting an M4—their own Government in London set up a commission that rejected them and said that the Burns report was more effective. I'd be very happy to take an intervention from the Conservative benches on this point, specifically, because it completely contradicts everything they've said, and they're talking absolute nonsense.
Instead, the Burns commission set out a proposal to reduce congestion through a programme of new stations, routes, development of light rail and bus rapid transit. Was any money put forward by the UK Government to fund this report that its own union connectivity report supported? No. Nothing. In fact, we had the fantasy proposal for electrification of north Wales, with no business case behind it, no plans behind it, no consultation with Network Rail—simply a press release in the run-up to an election campaign.
We've just heard from the Conservatives that the people of Swansea expect nothing more than the upgrading of junctions. The people of Swansea were told they'd have electrification of the south Wales main line by the Conservative Government. They promised it time after time. Did they do it? No, they didn't. They cancelled it. Did the Conservatives here condemn them? No, they did not. Had that been in place, we could have fast-tracked the proposals of the Burns commission to start delivering that congestion relief, but that hasn't been able to happen.
There was no money from the Conservative Government to implement the union connectivity review recommendations of implementing the Burns report, not a penny. So, now we've had to come in, with a massive black hole, and start that process. I'm very pleased to see the beginning of that investment now coming so we can get on with implementing those recommendations.
The problem with this debate is it's not evidence based, it's faith based. Transport experts accept, politicians somehow struggle to, the phenomenon that new roads lead to more traffic. This has been internationally proven beyond doubt. To give you an example, the Flintshire red route said in its business case that congestion levels on the new 13 km dual carriageway, which Mark Isherwood opposed, would be back to current levels within 15 years. So they would have spent over £200 million on a new road that would have been, by its own business case, refilled with traffic within 15 years. That's what the evidence shows. That's what the international studies show, and yet, time and time again, we hear the claims from the Conservative benches of how this will relieve traffic. It will not relieve traffic, it'll create more traffic. [Interruption.] I'm happy to give way to Sam Kurtz.
'Rydym wedi ymrwymo i'r ffordd liniaru ers blynyddoedd',
meddai Sam Rowlands wrth agor y ddadl, ac mewn gwirionedd, ym mis Mehefin 2020, comisiynodd Boris Johnson yr adolygiad o gysylltedd yr undeb i edrych ar gysylltiadau ledled y DU, ac yn wir, fis ar ôl ei lansio, dywedodd yn Nhŷ'r Cyffredin y byddent yn adeiladu M4 newydd, ac y byddai, fel y dywedodd,
'yn darparu'r Vicks Inhaler i ffroenau'r ddraig Gymreig'.
Felly, dyna'r disgwyliadau a oedd ganddo ar gyfer yr adolygiad a sefydlodd i wneud yn union hynny. Ond mewn gwirionedd, edrychodd yr adolygiad ar gynigion yr M4, ac edrychodd ar adroddiad Burns, a dweud yn glir iawn mai'r ffordd orau o gefnogi camau i leddfu tagfeydd ar goridor yr M4 oedd,
'drwy fynd ati'n gyflym i weithredu argymhellion Comisiwn Burns'.
Prin y gellid dweud bod y Ceidwadwyr wedi bod yn gyson eu cefnogaeth i ffordd liniaru'r M4—sefydlodd eu Llywodraeth eu hunain yn Llundain gomisiwn a'u gwrthododd a dweud bod adroddiad Burns yn fwy effeithiol. Rwy'n hapus iawn i dderbyn ymyriad oddi ar feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr ar y pwynt hwn yn benodol oherwydd mae'n gwrth-ddweud popeth a ddywedwyd ganddynt, ac maent yn siarad nonsens llwyr.
Yn lle hynny, nododd comisiwn Burns gynnig i leihau tagfeydd trwy raglen o orsafoedd newydd, llwybrau, datblygu rheilffyrdd ysgafn a thrafnidiaeth fysiau cyflym. A gyflwynwyd unrhyw arian gan Lywodraeth y DU i ariannu'r adroddiad a gefnogwyd gan ei adroddiad ei hun ar gysylltedd yr undeb? Naddo. Dim. Mewn gwirionedd, fe gawsom y cynnig ffantasi i drydaneiddio rheilffordd gogledd Cymru, heb unrhyw achos busnes yn sail iddo, dim cynlluniau'n sail iddo, dim ymgynghori â Network Rail—dim ond datganiad i'r wasg yn y cyfnod cyn ymgyrch etholiadol.
Rydym newydd glywed gan y Ceidwadwyr nad yw pobl Abertawe yn disgwyl dim byd mwy nag uwchraddio cyffyrdd. Dywedodd y Llywodraeth Geidwadol wrth bobl Abertawe y byddent yn trydaneiddio prif linell de Cymru. Fe wnaethant addo hynny dro ar ôl tro. A wnaethant hynny? Naddo. Fe wnaethant ei ganslo. A wnaeth y Ceidwadwyr yma eu condemnio? Naddo. Pe bai hynny wedi bod ar waith, gallem fod wedi cyflymu cynigion comisiwn Burns i ddechrau cyflawni camau i liniaru'r tagfeydd, ond ni fu modd i hynny ddigwydd.
Ni chafwyd unrhyw arian gan y Llywodraeth Geidwadol i weithredu argymhellion adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb i weithredu adroddiad Burns, dim ceiniog. Felly, nawr rydym ni wedi gorfod camu i mewn, gyda thwll du enfawr, a dechrau'r broses honno. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld dechrau'r buddsoddiad hwnnw'n dod fel y gallwn fwrw ymlaen i weithredu'r argymhellion hynny.
Y broblem gyda'r ddadl hon yw nad yw'n seiliedig ar dystiolaeth, mae'n seiliedig ar ffydd. Mae arbenigwyr trafnidiaeth yn derbyn, er bod gwleidyddion rywsut yn cael trafferth i wneud hynny, y ffenomen fod ffyrdd newydd yn arwain at fwy o draffig. Mae hyn wedi'i brofi'n rhyngwladol y tu hwnt i amheuaeth. I roi enghraifft i chi, dywedodd llwybr coch sir y Fflint yn ei achos busnes y byddai lefelau tagfeydd ar y ffordd ddeuol newydd 13 km o hyd, a wrthwynebai Mark Isherwood, yn ôl i'r lefelau presennol o fewn 15 mlynedd. Felly byddent wedi gwario dros £200 miliwn ar ffordd newydd a fyddai, yn ôl ei achos busnes ei hun, wedi cael ei hail-lenwi â thraffig o fewn 15 mlynedd. Dyna'r hyn y mae'r dystiolaeth yn ei ddangos. Dyna'r hyn y mae'r astudiaethau rhyngwladol yn ei ddangos, ac eto, dro ar ôl tro, clywn yr honiadau oddi ar feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr ynglŷn â sut y bydd hyn yn lliniaru traffig. Ni fydd yn lliniaru traffig, bydd yn creu mwy o draffig. [Torri ar draws.] Rwy'n hapus i ildio i Sam Kurtz.
I thank the Member for giving way. Don't you see the irony and hypocrisy then, when the Member for Blaenau Gwent stands up and trumpets the Heads of the Valleys road, advocating for the increase of business in his area, the economic business that it's driving, yet you stand there and say that this is a no-go whatsoever? Do you understand the irony and hypocrisy in that?
Diolch i'r Aelod am ildio. Onid ydych chi'n gweld yr eironi a'r rhagrith felly, pan fydd yr Aelod dros Flaenau Gwent yn codi i sôn yn llafar iawn am ffordd Blaenau'r Cymoedd, gan gefnogi'r cynnydd i fusnes yn ei ardal, y busnes economaidd y mae'n ei sbarduno, ac eto rydych chi'n sefyll yno ac yn dweud nad oes unrhyw bosibilrwydd o wneud hyn o gwbl? A ydych chi'n deall yr eironi a'r rhagrith yn hynny?
I'm pointing out what the evidence, internationally, says about the impact that roads have on traffic.
Rwy'n tynnu sylw at yr hyn y mae'r dystiolaeth, yn rhyngwladol, yn ei ddweud am yr effaith y mae ffyrdd yn ei chael ar draffig.
So Alun's wrong.
Felly mae Alun yn anghywir.
I'm pointing out the impact it has on traffic. You make it more attractive to drive, it'll encourage more people to drive. You make it more attractive to use public transport, it'll encourage more people to use it.
We saw that with the removal of the Severn bridge tolls in 2018. In advance of that, the traffic was forecast to rise by 17 per cent if the tolls were removed. A study that year by Monmouthshire council showed that traffic levels would rise by 20 to 25 per cent once the tolls were removed. What happened? We now have the figures from National Highways that show that traffic has increased by 34 per cent since the tolls were removed. That's what happens when you increase road capacity, when you encourage and incentivise driving—32,000 vehicles a day now crossing the Severn bridge.
A University of London study last year showed that, as a result, more people are now commuting from Newport to Bristol. Because what happens when you increase road capacity is people simply move further away from their place of work. So they drive further. As a result, house prices within a 5 km range of the bridge are now up by 13 per cent, double the rise in Newport. So that's what happens. People travel more. They travel further from their place of living to their work, and more journeys are created. So, as soon as you've built the road, the traffic congestion levels are up and, lo and behold, what's the next demand? Build another road to relieve the congestion. And round and round we go. And the evidence is clear, it doesn't work.
Rwy'n tynnu sylw at yr effaith y mae'n ei chael ar draffig. Rydych chi'n ei gwneud hi'n fwy deniadol i yrru, bydd yn annog mwy o bobl i yrru. Rydych chi'n ei gwneud hi'n fwy deniadol i ddefnyddio trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, bydd yn annog mwy o bobl i ddefnyddio trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus.
Gwelsom hynny gyda chael gwared ar dollau pont Hafren yn 2018. Cyn hynny, rhagwelwyd y byddai'r traffig yn cynyddu 17 y cant pe bai'r tollau'n cael eu dileu. Dangosodd astudiaeth y flwyddyn honno gan Gyngor Sir Fynwy y byddai lefelau traffig yn codi 20 i 25 y cant ar ôl i'r tollau gael eu dileu. Beth a ddigwyddodd? Mae gennym y ffigurau gan National Highways nawr sy'n dangos bod traffig wedi cynyddu 34 y cant ers i'r tollau gael eu dileu. Dyna sy'n digwydd pan fyddwch chi'n cynyddu capasiti ffyrdd, pan fyddwch chi'n annog ac yn cymell gyrru—mae 32,000 o gerbydau y dydd yn croesi pont Hafren erbyn hyn.
Dangosodd astudiaeth gan Brifysgol Llundain y llynedd, o ganlyniad, fod mwy o bobl bellach yn cymudo o Gasnewydd i Fryste. Oherwydd yr hyn sy'n digwydd pan fyddwch chi'n cynyddu capasiti ffyrdd yw bod pobl yn symud ymhellach i ffwrdd o'u man gwaith. Felly maent yn gyrru ymhellach. O ganlyniad, mae prisiau tai o fewn 5 km i'r bont bellach wedi cynyddu 13 y cant, dwbl y cynnydd yng Nghasnewydd. Felly dyna beth sy'n digwydd. Mae pobl yn teithio mwy. Maent yn teithio ymhellach o'u man byw i'w gwaith, ac mae mwy o deithiau'n cael eu creu. Felly, cyn gynted ag y byddwch chi wedi adeiladu'r ffordd, mae lefelau tagfeydd traffig yn codi ac wele, beth yw'r alwad nesaf? Adeiladu ffordd arall i liniaru'r tagfeydd. A rownd a rownd yr awn. Ac mae'r dystiolaeth yn glir, nid yw'n gweithio.
The Brynglas tunnels have become a national symbol—a bottleneck where people sit stationary for miles in traffic. It's a perfect illustration of 26 years of mismanagement under Welsh Labour administrations. Confused and contradictory policies, a Government that says, 'We're not building any more roads to save the planet, so we're going to make people sit in traffic pumping out pollution instead'. It illustrates what people already believe we are: an overregulated place where growth goes to die. Surely we don't want people to think that Offa's Dyke is the dividing line between stagnation and growth. We want to be building infrastructure and reversing the decline. And who's to blame for this? It's the Welsh Labour Government.
The Welsh Government scrapped the M4 relief road in 2019 after spending £157 million on plans, inquiries and property purchases. Let's be clear: that's £157 million of taxpayers' money gone with not a single stretch of new road to show for it. And what did they offer instead, Llywydd? Excuses and not alternatives. They said that it was too expensive, but they found the money for extra Senedd Members, for pet projects, for a 20 mph policy that frustrated drivers and cost millions. And meanwhile, the one project that could have genuinely improved the lives of thousands of people commuting to work, transporting goods or simply getting their kids to school is buried.
Let's not kid ourselves, this wasn't a financial decision, it was ideological, and the people paying the price are the ones that Labour claim to stand up for. Just ask anyone who has spent an hour staring at brake lights outside Newport; ask a business that has had to factor in delays as part of its daily routine, or a paramedic trying to get through gridlock in an emergency. When you speak to anyone who lives in England and has travelled to south Wales, they invariably comment on the horrendous journey travelling on the M4. It's notorious and terrible for business. We are not asking for a vanity project, we are asking for a functioning spine to our economy, a proper gateway into south Wales.
The planning inspector said that the case for building the relief road was compelling and so did former Ministers—First Ministers, I should say. But the Welsh Government decided to ignore the opinion of the inspector and break their own manifesto commitment. Even Boris Johnson was blunt. He called it 'the Vicks inhaler to the nostrils of the Welsh dragon', and he had a point. We need to clear the congestion and pump some oxygen into our economy for our logistics, for the day-to-day lives of our ordinary people who can't afford to sit in endless tailbacks while politicians pat themselves on the back for saving the wetlands.
The finance Minister once said that there are no easy answers, but most people believe that the answer is obvious. They are frustrated and at their wits' end, because they just want things done, they want to see things built. The Conservatives have backed this road at every step, in every manifesto and every session. The Welsh Conservatives would work with the UK Government to secure the funding, as the previous Conservative UK Government said they'd do, or reprioritise transport spending over a period of several years. Unlike Welsh Labour and their long-term Welsh nationalist bedfellows, we are not wedded to grand gestures at the expense of common sense.
To close, Llywydd, let's be ambitious, let's stop wasting time and start laying the foundations. We should build an M4 relief road and show the people of Wales that we are serious about their time, their economies and their futures. And I will just say, to put a footnote to that, why were these roads first built? They weren't built and developed just by magic, they were built because of the increase in the car industry and everything that went with that. Maybe that road going through Newport and that stretch of M4 was right for its time, but times have developed, time has moved on, developments have happened, the car industry is as buoyant as ever it was and increasing through the development of EVs. So, the demand is still there and we're not keeping up with the demand. We see projects in England always developing, they've invested in smart motorways, the M6 in the north has gone through rapid changes over the years. We have seen such development in other areas. My closing advice would just be let's not make Wales the outlier here. Let's invest in our infrastructure, develop the infrastructure we've got and make it fit for the twenty-first century, because from what I see travelling down here via car, we're still stuck in the 1970s.
Mae twnelau Bryn-glas wedi dod yn symbol cenedlaethol—tagfa lle mae pobl yn eistedd yn llonydd mewn traffig am filltiroedd. Mae'n enghraifft berffaith o 26 mlynedd o gamreoli o dan weinyddiaethau Llafur Cymru. Polisïau dryslyd sy'n gwrth-ddweud ei gilydd, Llywodraeth sy'n dweud, 'Nid ydym yn adeiladu mwy o ffyrdd er mwyn achub y blaned, felly fe wnawn i bobl eistedd mewn traffig yn pwmpio llygredd allan yn lle hynny'. Mae'n dangos yr hyn y mae pobl eisoes yn ei gredu ydym ni: lle wedi'i or-reoleiddio lle'r aiff twf i farw. Yn sicr nid ydym am i bobl feddwl mai Clawdd Offa yw'r ffin rhwng marweiddio a thwf. Rydym eisiau adeiladu seilwaith a gwrthdroi'r dirywiad. A phwy sydd ar fai am hyn? Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru.
Fe wnaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ddileu ffordd liniaru'r M4 yn 2019 ar ôl gwario £157 miliwn ar gynlluniau, ymchwiliadau a phrynu eiddo. Gadewch inni fod yn glir: dyna £157 miliwn o arian trethdalwyr wedi mynd heb yr un darn o ffordd newydd i ddangos amdano. A beth a gynigiwyd ganddynt yn lle hynny, Lywydd? Esgusodion ac nid dewisiadau amgen. Roeddent yn dweud ei fod yn rhy ddrud, ond fe wnaethant ddod o hyd i'r arian ar gyfer Aelodau ychwanegol o'r Senedd, ar gyfer eu hoff brosiectau, ar gyfer polisi 20 mya a achosodd rwystredigaeth i yrwyr ac a gostiodd filiynau. Ac yn y cyfamser, mae'r un prosiect a allai fod wedi gwella bywydau miloedd o bobl sy'n cymudo i'r gwaith, sy'n cludo nwyddau neu sy'n mynd â'u plant i'r ysgol wedi'i gladdu.
Peidiwn â thwyllo ein hunain, nid penderfyniad ariannol oedd hwn, roedd yn benderfyniad ideolegol, a'r bobl sy'n talu'r pris yw'r rhai y mae Llafur yn honni eu bod yn sefyll drostynt. Gofynnwch i unrhyw un sydd wedi treulio awr yn syllu ar oleuadau brêc y tu allan i Gasnewydd; gofynnwch i fusnes sydd wedi gorfod cyfrif oedi'n rhan o'u trefn ddyddiol, neu barafeddyg sy'n ceisio gwneud ei ffordd drwy dagfa mewn argyfwng. Pan fyddwch chi'n siarad ag unrhyw un sy'n byw yn Lloegr ac sydd wedi teithio i dde Cymru, maent yn anochel o nodi'r siwrnai ofnadwy wrth deithio ar yr M4. Mae iddi enw drwg ac mae'n ofnadwy i fusnes. Nid ydym yn gofyn am brosiect porthi balchder, rydym yn gofyn am asgwrn cefn gweithredol i'n heconomi, porth priodol i dde Cymru.
Dywedodd yr arolygydd cynllunio fod yr achos dros adeiladu'r ffordd liniaru'n gymhellol a dywedodd cyn-Weinidogion hynny hefyd—Prif Weinidogion, dylwn ddweud. Ond penderfynodd Llywodraeth Cymru anwybyddu barn yr arolygydd a thorri eu hymrwymiad maniffesto eu hunain. Roedd hyd yn oed Boris Johnson yn ddi-flewyn-ar-dafod. Galwodd ef yn 'Vicks Inhaler i ffroenau'r ddraig Gymreig', ac roedd ganddo bwynt. Mae angen inni glirio'r tagfeydd a phwmpio rhywfaint o ocsigen i'n heconomi ar gyfer ein logisteg, ar gyfer bywydau beunyddiol ein pobl gyffredin na allant fforddio eistedd mewn tagfeydd diddiwedd tra bod gwleidyddion yn canmol eu hunain am achub y gwlyptiroedd.
Dywedodd y Gweinidog cyllid unwaith nad oes unrhyw atebion hawdd, ond mae'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn credu bod yr ateb yn amlwg. Maent yn rhwystredig ac ar ben eu tennyn, oherwydd maent eisiau cael pethau wedi'u gwneud, maent eisiau gweld pethau'n cael eu hadeiladu. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr wedi cefnogi'r ffordd hon ar bob cam, ym mhob maniffesto a phob sesiwn. Byddai'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau'r cyllid, fel y dywedodd Llywodraeth Geidwadol flaenorol y DU y byddent yn ei wneud, neu'n ailflaenoriaethu gwariant trafnidiaeth dros gyfnod o sawl blwyddyn. Yn wahanol i Lafur Cymru a'u cymheiriaid hirdymor, y cenedlaetholwyr Cymreig, nid ydym yn ffafrio ystumio mawreddog ar draul synnwyr cyffredin.
I gloi, Lywydd, gadewch inni fod yn uchelgeisiol, gadewch inni roi'r gorau i wastraffu amser a dechrau gosod y sylfeini. Dylem adeiladu ffordd liniaru'r M4 a dangos i bobl Cymru ein bod o ddifrif ynglŷn â'u hamser, eu heconomïau a'u dyfodol. Ac i roi troednodyn i hynny, pam y cafodd y ffyrdd hyn eu hadeiladu yn y lle cyntaf? Ni chawsant eu hadeiladu a'u datblygu drwy ryw wyrth, fe'u hadeiladwyd oherwydd y cynnydd yn y diwydiant ceir a phopeth a oedd yn mynd gyda hynny. Efallai fod llwybr y ffordd trwy Gasnewydd a'r darn hwnnw o'r M4 yn iawn ar gyfer ei gyfnod, ond mae amseroedd wedi datblygu, mae amser wedi symud yn ei flaen, mae datblygiadau wedi digwydd, mae'r diwydiant ceir mor fywiog ag erioed ac ar gynnydd yn sgil datblygu cerbydau trydan. Felly, mae'r galw'n dal yno ac nid ydym yn dal i fyny â'r galw. Rydym yn gweld prosiectau yn Lloegr yn datblygu drwy'r amser, maent wedi buddsoddi mewn traffyrdd clyfar, mae'r M6 yn y gogledd wedi mynd trwy newidiadau cyflym dros y blynyddoedd. Rydym wedi gweld datblygiad o'r fath mewn mannau eraill. Fy nghyngor i gloi fyddai inni beidio â gwneud Cymru yn eithriad yma. Gadewch inni fuddsoddi yn ein seilwaith, datblygu'r seilwaith sydd gennym a'i wneud yn addas ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, oherwydd o'r hyn rwy'n ei weld wrth deithio yma mewn car, rydym yn dal i fod yn sownd yn y 1970au.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru nawr i gyfrannu. Ken Skates.
The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales now to contribute. Ken Skates.
Diolch, Llywydd. I know the difficulties and the frustrations that congestion on the M4 can cause. Since the decision that was referenced in the motion was made, we have not stood still—we have acted, we have invested. Indeed, Lord Burns and the South East Wales Transport Commission put forward recommendations on both the short- and long-term solutions to relieve congestion, and the short-term measures have been fully implemented on the M4.
This Government also swiftly established a dedicated Burns delivery unit in Transport for Wales, tasked with carrying out the necessary design and business casework to turn these recommendations into projects. That work was overseen by an independent chair, Professor Simon Gibson—a highly respected businessman and community figure. His dynamic leadership culminated in the publication of his prospectus last year, and I'm extremely grateful for the work that Simon and his team have done.
The backbone of the Burns proposals is the upgrade of the relief lines between Cardiff and Newport, along with five new railway stations located in east Cardiff, west Newport, Somerton, Llanwern, and Magor and Undy. This work will enable thousands of new train journeys each year, reducing congestion on the M4 by offering a sustainable and quality alternative to having to drive. The Burns unit has done the technical work to set out the positive business case for the proposed stations. I'm delighted that in last week's comprehensive spending review, the UK Labour Government committed funding for the relief lines and the five new stations. This is a monumental step forward for the region and for Wales, because it will deliver these stations, and we look forward to working closely with Network Rail and the UK Government to design, develop and build them at pace.
Turning to devolved matters, we have funded Transport for Wales to develop designs for improving active travel and public transport connections in central Newport. We're delivering on Lord Burns's recommendations to improve the A48 connection between central Newport through to Cardiff to host a continuous bus rapid transit route and segregated active travel link. Cardiff Council, I'm pleased to say, are making improvements to this connection from their end, funded by the Welsh Government.
In addition, last week, I officially opened the final phase of the Heads of the Valleys road—the culmination of a multibillion pound investment to improve connectivity and to support economic growth. The A465 will relieve pressure on the M4 by providing alternative access to south-west Wales from the north and the midlands.
As part of my commitment to better transport, we have made it a priority to maintain and fix our roads after 14 years of austerity, investing an extra £25 million to fix potholes and defects on our trunk roads and unlocking £120 million for local authorities to do the same. We're investing over £1 billion to upgrade the core Valleys lines and delivering a turn-up-and-go metro service. This will transform rail travel for passengers, with faster and more frequent services, operated by brand new trains, thanks to our £800 million investment in new fleets.
We all know that major infrastructure projects do not happen overnight. The Welsh Government remains committed—
Diolch, Lywydd. Rwy'n gwybod am yr anawsterau a'r rhwystredigaethau y gall tagfeydd ar yr M4 eu hachosi. Ers i'r penderfyniad y cyfeirir ato yn y cynnig gael ei wneud, nid ydym wedi sefyll yn llonydd—rydym wedi gweithredu, rydym wedi buddsoddi. Yn wir, cyflwynodd yr Arglwydd Burns a Chomisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru argymhellion ar yr atebion tymor byr a hirdymor i leddfu tagfeydd, ac mae'r mesurau tymor byr wedi'u gweithredu'n llawn ar yr M4.
Sefydlodd y Llywodraeth hon hefyd uned gyflawni Burns bwrpasol yn Trafnidiaeth Cymru, gyda'r dasg o gyflawni'r gwaith achos cynllunio a busnes angenrheidiol i droi'r argymhellion hyn yn brosiectau. Goruchwyliwyd y gwaith hwnnw gan gadeirydd annibynnol, yr Athro Simon Gibson—dyn busnes uchel ei barch a ffigwr cymunedol. Daeth ei arweinyddiaeth ddeinamig i ben gyda chyhoeddi ei brosbectws y llynedd, ac rwy'n hynod ddiolchgar am y gwaith y mae Simon a'i dîm wedi'i wneud.
Asgwrn cefn cynigion Burns yw uwchraddio'r llinellau lliniaru rhwng Caerdydd a Chasnewydd, ynghyd â phum gorsaf reilffordd newydd yn nwyrain Caerdydd, gorllewin Casnewydd, Somerton, Llan-wern, a Magwyr a Gwndy. Bydd y gwaith hwn yn arwain at filoedd o deithiau trên newydd bob blwyddyn, gan leihau tagfeydd ar yr M4 trwy gynnig dewis arall cynaliadwy ac o ansawdd yn lle gorfod gyrru. Mae uned Burns wedi gwneud y gwaith technegol i nodi'r achos busnes cadarnhaol ar gyfer y gorsafoedd arfaethedig. Rwy'n falch iawn fod Llywodraeth Lafur y DU wedi ymrwymo cyllid ar gyfer y llinellau lliniaru a'r pum gorsaf newydd yn yr adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant yr wythnos diwethaf. Mae hwn yn gam enfawr ymlaen i'r rhanbarth ac i Gymru, oherwydd bydd yn darparu'r gorsafoedd hyn, ac edrychwn ymlaen at weithio'n agos gyda Network Rail a Llywodraeth y DU i'w cynllunio, eu datblygu a'u hadeiladu'n gyflym.
I droi at faterion datganoledig, rydym wedi ariannu Trafnidiaeth Cymru i ddatblygu cynlluniau ar gyfer gwella teithio llesol a chysylltiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yng nghanol Casnewydd. Rydym yn cyflawni argymhellion yr Arglwydd Burns i wella cysylltiad yr A48 rhwng canol Casnewydd a Chaerdydd i gynnal llwybr cludiant cyflym parhaus i fysiau a chysylltiad teithio llesol ar wahân. Rwy'n falch o ddweud bod Cyngor Caerdydd yn gwneud gwelliannau i'r cysylltiad hwn ar eu pen hwy, wedi'u hariannu gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Yr wythnos diwethaf hefyd, fe agorais gam olaf ffordd Blaenau'r Cymoedd yn swyddogol—penllanw buddsoddiad gwerth biliynau o bunnoedd i wella cysylltedd ac i gefnogi twf economaidd. Bydd yr A465 yn lleddfu'r pwysau ar yr M4 drwy ddarparu mynediad amgen i dde-orllewin Cymru o'r gogledd a chanolbarth Lloegr.
Yn rhan o fy ymrwymiad i well trafnidiaeth, rydym wedi blaenoriaethu cynnal a chadw ac atgyweirio ein ffyrdd ar ôl 14 mlynedd o gyni, gan fuddsoddi £25 miliwn ychwanegol i drwsio tyllau a diffygion ar ein cefnffyrdd a datgloi £120 miliwn i awdurdodau lleol wneud yr un peth. Rydym yn buddsoddi dros £1 biliwn i uwchraddio llinellau craidd y Cymoedd ac yn darparu gwasanaeth metro cyrraedd-a-mynd. Bydd hyn yn trawsnewid teithio ar y trên i deithwyr, gyda gwasanaethau cyflymach ac amlach ar drenau newydd sbon, diolch i'n buddsoddiad o £800 miliwn mewn fflydoedd newydd.
Rydym i gyd yn gwybod nad yw prosiectau seilwaith mawr yn digwydd dros nos. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau'n ymrwymedig—
There's an intervention request.
Mae yna gais am ymyriad.
I will in a moment. The Welsh Government remains committed to delivering a transport network that works for everyone, because this is not just about infrastructure—this is about people, it's about communities, it's about economic growth, and driving prosperity for all.
Fe wnaf mewn eiliad. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau'n ymrwymedig i ddarparu rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth sy'n gweithio i bawb, oherwydd mae hyn yn ymwneud â mwy na seilwaith yn unig—mae'n ymwneud â phobl, mae'n ymwneud â chymunedau, mae'n ymwneud â thwf economaidd, a gyrru ffyniant i bawb.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for taking that intervention. I'm also conscious of the comments of Lee Waters, when he mentioned residents driving from Newport to Bristol for work. On the off chance that I go to Bristol, I go down the M49 and I see all the businesses being built along there, all the distribution hubs—Lidl, Amazon, Tesco—all the big employers. How are you proposing that those companies come to Wales, with all that you've just mentioned there?
Diolch am dderbyn yr ymyriad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n ymwybodol hefyd o sylwadau Lee Waters, pan soniodd am drigolion yn gyrru o Gasnewydd i Fryste i'w gwaith. Os byddaf yn mynd i Fryste, rwy'n mynd i lawr yr M49 ac rwy'n gweld yr holl fusnesau sy'n cael eu hadeiladu yno, yr holl ganolfannau dosbarthu—Lidl, Amazon, Tesco—yr holl gyflogwyr mawr. Sut rydych chi'n awgrymu y daw'r cwmnïau hynny i Gymru, gyda'r cyfan rydych chi newydd ei grybwyll yno?
Investment in public transport infrastructure is proven to be an economic growth generator and indeed a magnet for business investment. You only need to look at places like the East Bay in California, where huge investment went into a public transport intervention, rather than into further road expansion. The Bay Area rapid transport system has led to the regeneration of countless communities in the East Bay—communities that were locked out of economic opportunities.
In closing, whereas last week we heard the Tories call again for more investment in north Wales, more investment in west Wales, and more investment in mid Wales, today they have confirmed that it will be those regions that will foot the bill for a £2 billion M4 relief road.
Profwyd bod buddsoddiad mewn seilwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn cynhyrchu twf economaidd ac yn wir yn fagnet i fuddsoddiad busnes. Nid oes ond angen i chi edrych ar lefydd fel East Bay yn Califfornia, lle aeth buddsoddiad enfawr tuag at ymyriadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, yn hytrach nag at ehangu ffyrdd ymhellach. Mae system trafnidiaeth gyflym Bay Area wedi arwain at adfywio cymunedau dirifedi yn East Bay—cymunedau a oedd wedi'u cloi allan o gyfleoedd economaidd.
I gloi, er inni glywed y Torïaid yn galw eto yr wythnos diwethaf am fwy o fuddsoddiad yng ngogledd Cymru, mwy o fuddsoddiad yng ngorllewin Cymru, a mwy o fuddsoddiad yng nghanolbarth Cymru, heddiw maent wedi cadarnhau mai'r rhanbarthau hynny a fydd yn talu'r bil am ffordd liniaru'r M4 gwerth £2 biliwn.
Will the Minister take an intervention?
A wnaiff y Gweinidog dderbyn ymyriad?
Sorry—
Mae'n ddrwg gennyf—
I think the Minister has completed his contribution.
Rwy'n credu bod y Gweinidog wedi gorffen ei gyfraniad.
Laura Anne Jones now to respond to the debate.
Laura Anne Jones nawr i ymateb i'r ddadl.
Diolch, Llywydd. Firstly, diolch to everyone who has contributed to this really important debate, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary, of course, for your response. As our spokesperson Sam Rowlands said, this month marks six years since Mark Drakeford scrapped the M4 relief road, wasting millions of pounds in the process. As Natasha Asghar said, for the people of our region of South Wales East, this decision continues to have a profound impact on our daily lives and the local economy. The M4 through Newport is a critical artery, not only for my region, but, as Tom Giffard rightly said, for Wales. It connects businesses to markets, workers to jobs, communities to opportunities, and it is vital for our tourism. Yet for years it has, as the Cabinet Secretary recognises, been a bottleneck, causing frustration, delays and economic losses, and it doesn't really give that good first impression when you enter Wales, does it?
The Brynglas tunnels are notorious for their congestion, with traffic often at a standstill during peak hours. As Natasha Asghar says, this is a notorious traffic hotspot. This isn't just an inconvenience, it's a barrier to growth, to prosperity. We could and should have seen an M4 relief road by now, and a multitude of other infrastructure projects. [Interruption.] Yes, of course, I was just about to quote you. [Laughter.]
Diolch, Lywydd. Yn gyntaf, diolch i bawb sydd wedi cyfrannu at y ddadl wirioneddol bwysig hon, a diolch am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fel y dywedodd ein llefarydd Sam Rowlands, y mis hwn mae'n chwe blynedd ers i Mark Drakeford gefnu ar ffordd liniaru'r M4, gan wastraffu miliynau o bunnoedd yn y broses. Fel y dywedodd Natasha Asghar, i bobl ein rhanbarth ni yn Nwyrain De Cymru, mae'r penderfyniad hwn yn parhau i gael effaith ddofn ar ein bywydau bob dydd a'r economi leol. Mae'r M4 drwy Gasnewydd yn ffordd brifwythiennol hollbwysig, nid yn unig i fy rhanbarth i, ond i Gymru, fel y dywedodd Tom Giffard yn gywir ddigon. Mae'n cysylltu busnesau â marchnadoedd, gweithwyr â swyddi, cymunedau â chyfleoedd, ac mae'n hanfodol i'n twristiaeth. Ond ers blynyddoedd mae wedi bod yn dagfa, fel y mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cydnabod, gan achosi rhwystredigaeth, oedi a cholledion economaidd, ac nid yw'n rhoi argraff gyntaf dda pan fyddwch chi'n dod i mewn i Gymru.
Mae enw drwg i dwneli Bryn-glas am dagfeydd, gyda thraffig yn aml ar stop yn ystod oriau brig. Fel y dywed Natasha Asghar, mae iddo enw drwg fel man problemus i draffig. Nid anghyfleustra'n unig mohono, mae'n rhwystr i dwf, i ffyniant. Fe allem ac fe ddylem fod wedi gweld ffordd liniaru ar gyfer yr M4 erbyn hyn, a llu o brosiectau seilwaith eraill. [Torri ar draws.] Iawn, wrth gwrs, roeddwn i ar fin eich dyfynnu. [Chwerthin.]
Do you accept that Boris Johnson's union connectivity review endorsed the Burns report over an M4 relief road?
A ydych chi'n derbyn bod adolygiad o gysylltedd yr undeb Boris Johnson wedi cymeradwyo adroddiad Burns ynghylch ffordd liniaru'r M4?
There are lots of things that the Burns report said that we obviously would get behind, but there is a dire need for something to open up that gateway to Wales. I'm sure that you can see the lack of inward investment that has come from not solving this massive traffic problem as you enter the main part of south Wales. As you said earlier, and Gareth Davies, in the words of the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, an M4 relief road would indeed have been the Vicks vapour in the nostrils of the Welsh dragon, and would have made it roar again.
Unfortunately, what we've heard today is that we have a Government intent on punishing people who drive cars, pushing off inward investment and bringing Wales to a grinding halt. We heard from many about the high cost of the M4 relief road, but we know that the independent inspector himself said that it would actually make us back over £1.50 for every £1 spent on it. Sam Rowlands said it would benefit the economy 2:1. We also heard Peredur Griffiths and John Griffiths, both having environmental concerns, but, again, the independent planning inspector said the scheme had substantial environmental benefits. That's not me saying that, that's the independent inspector.
We heard a speech mentioning the Gwent levels. The planning inspector said that only 2 per cent of the Gwent levels would be affected by this project, and said that the plans in place to limit the impact would have made the levels larger and in better condition in the medium term than they are today. So, if we're concerned for the Gwent levels, perhaps building that road would have been the right thing to do.
And we heard that strange Labour point and Plaid point that's been made by Jenny Rathbone and Peredur Griffiths, which said—and again, sorry, by Lee Waters—that if you build more roads, people will use them. Well, yes, that's actually the idea, isn't it? We want to attract people to Wales.
Jenny Rathbone said there's an alternative, and alternatives here have been very slow. They have, that's very, very true. Even if we finish the south Wales metro overnight, it would only reduce traffic by 5.9 per cent, and the M4 around Newport is plagued by an abnormally high number of delays.
Mae yna lawer o bethau a ddywedodd adroddiad Burns y byddem yn eu cefnogi, ond mae gwir angen rhywbeth i agor y porth i Gymru. Rwy'n siŵr y gallwch weld y diffyg mewnfuddsoddiad sydd wedi dod o beidio â datrys y broblem draffig enfawr hon wrth i chi ddod i mewn i'r brif ran o dde Cymru. Fel y dywedoch chi'n gynharach, a Gareth Davies, yng ngeiriau'r cyn-Brif Weinidog, Boris Johnson, byddai ffordd liniaru'r M4 wedi bod yn Vicks Inhaler yn ffroenau'r ddraig Gymreig, a byddai wedi gwneud iddi ruo eto.
Yn anffodus, yr hyn a glywsom heddiw yw bod gennym Lywodraeth sy'n mynd ati'n fwriadol i gosbi pobl sy'n gyrru ceir, gan droi mewnfuddsoddiad ymaith a dod â Chymru i stop. Clywsom gan lawer am gost uchel ffordd liniaru'r M4, ond gwyddom fod yr arolygydd annibynnol ei hun wedi dweud y byddai'n gwneud dros £1.50 yn ôl i ni am bob £1 a werid arni. Dywedodd Sam Rowlands y byddai'n darparu 2:1 o fudd i'r economi. Clywsom Peredur Griffiths a John Griffiths, y ddau â phryderon amgylcheddol, ond unwaith eto, dywedodd yr arolygydd cynllunio annibynnol fod gan y cynllun fanteision amgylcheddol sylweddol. Nid fi sy'n dweud hynny, ond yr arolygydd annibynnol.
Clywsom araith yn sôn am wastadeddau Gwent. Dywedodd yr arolygydd cynllunio mai dim ond 2 y cant o wastadeddau Gwent a fyddai'n cael eu heffeithio gan y prosiect hwn, a dywedodd y byddai'r cynlluniau a oedd ar waith i gyfyngu ar yr effaith wedi gwneud y gwastadeddau'n fwy o faint ac wedi gwella eu cyflwr yn y tymor canolig na'r hyn ydynt heddiw. Felly, os ydym yn poeni am wastadeddau Gwent, efallai mai adeiladu'r ffordd honno fyddai wedi bod y peth iawn i'w wneud.
Ac fe glywsom y pwynt rhyfedd gan Lafur a'r pwynt gan Blaid Cymru gan Jenny Rathbone a Peredur Griffiths, a ddywedai—ac eto, gan Lee Waters, mae'n ddrwg gennyf—os ydych chi'n adeiladu mwy o ffyrdd, y bydd pobl yn eu defnyddio. Wel, ie, dyna'r syniad, onid e? Rydym eisiau denu pobl i Gymru.
Dywedodd Jenny Rathbone fod yna ddewis arall, a bod dewisiadau amgen yma wedi bod yn araf iawn. Mae hynny'n berffaith wir. Hyd yn oed pe baem yn gorffen metro de Cymru dros nos, byddai ond yn lleihau traffig 5.9 y cant yn unig, ac mae'r M4 o amgylch Casnewydd yn cael ei phlagio gan lefel anarferol o uchel o oedi.
Would you take an intervention, Laura?
A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad, Laura?
Yes, of course, yes.
Gwnaf, wrth gwrs.
And just one of the alternatives that are often trumpeted by the Labour Members here is around active travel, and you'll see the Wales audit report showing that £200 million has been spent on cycle paths in Wales, with a zero increase in the number of cyclists. Do you think that that £200 million seems like a potential waste of money?
A dim ond un o'r dewisiadau amgen y mae'r Aelodau Llafur yma'n llafar iawn amdanynt yw teithio llesol, ac fe welwch adroddiad archwilio Cymru yn dangos bod £200 miliwn wedi'i wario ar lwybrau beicio yng Nghymru, heb unrhyw gynnydd o gwbl yn nifer y beicwyr. A ydych chi'n meddwl efallai y gallai'r £200 miliwn hwnnw gael ei weld yn wastraff arian?
I don't need to say anything to that, it speaks for itself: yes, absolutely. What is needed is capacity to satisfy the demand that is provably there of people wanting to come to Wales, and we should be thankful and supportive of that. As Sam Rowlands said, it's worth remembering that Labour used to be in favour of this project, and the arguments in favour have not changed. As Tom Giffard said, it was in your manifesto. The author of that manifesto, of course, being none other than the Cabinet Secretary Ken Skates. I'm not sure an awful lot's changed since then, except your mind—[Interruption.] I'd love to hear the reasoning of actually why you've changed your mind so considerably. Things haven't changed that much. As Tom Giffard said, it is what the public wants.
Lee Waters says a relief road is based on faith, not evidence. Can you tell me, is that why it was in the manifesto, then? That's why you put things in your manifesto, based on faith, not evidence, the figures.
The road review has been criticised for its lack of ambition and failure to address the urgent needs of a growing and dynamic Wales. It seems from Jenny Rathbone that we have road tax to look forward to now as well.
In contrast, the M4 relief road was not just a road, it was a gateway to opportunity. The Conservatives removing tolls, as was spoken about today, on the bridge, encourages more people to Wales, and, yes, the stats are fantastic, Lee, for tourism, for business. Opening up Wales to a bed of opportunity should be celebrated, but we shouldn't then stop the traffic in Newport. It needs to be unblocked.
The M4 relief road has the potential to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds in private sector investment, boost productivity and create jobs. Business leaders across Wales, including the Confederation of British Industry and the Institute of Directors, supported the project, recognising the importance for our economy. In 2019, over 90 business leaders, including Sir Terry Matthews, senior executives of Aston Martin, Tata, Admiral, called on the Welsh Government to press ahead with that £1.4 billion M4 relief road in Newport. These weren't just a collection of names, were they, but people who really have their finger on the pulse of the Welsh economy.
Economic analysis has also highlighted the potential benefits of the relief road. The Welsh Government's own analysis from March 2006 found that the M4 relief road would have saved south Wales business an estimated £34 million a year in transport costs, increased the GVA of south Wales by £39 million per annum, created access to new employment sites and made Wales open for business and investment. But the opportunity was missed, and the train stations that John Griffiths outlined, of course they are welcome—absolutely welcome—but they're not going to cut the mustard and they're not going to solve that traffic problem.
As Sam Rowlands alluded to, over £24 million was spent on compulsory purchases for the project. What's happened to them? What's happened to that money? Where has it gone?
Plaid's amendment doesn't regret the M4 relief road decision, and Peredur Griffiths talks about an alternative vision for a sustainable integrated transport network, which is quite a mouthful, and it's really politician speak. We need more roads, and sometimes it's just easier if you say that. In this Chamber, there are some people, like on our benches, who believe that if you build roads, you grow the economy, and there are some that believe that building roads is bad for the environment. Plaid should make it clear where they stand on that divide, so the people of Wales know exactly what you stand for, and Labour have done the same thing. It's quite frankly bizarre to most people that, to Labour and Plaid, the concept of building roads is controversial. The planning inspector said the case for this road is compelling; anyone who has driven through the Brynglas tunnels knows the case for this road is compelling. Yes, we do need an integrated transport network, and the Welsh Government even recognise that, despite being largely responsible for the lack of one in the last two decades, but we also need an M4 relief road. It's not one or the other, we can have both, and the Welsh Conservatives, when we're in Government, with Darren Millar as our First Minister, will build that road.
Not doing anything, as Natasha Asghar says, condemns Newport to endless traffic and toxic fumes. So, I call on this Senedd to do the right thing, to do the right thing for the future of Wales, for future generations. Let's build that M4 relief road and make Wales open for business.
Nid oes angen i mi ddweud unrhyw beth am hynny, mae'n siarad drosto'i hun: ydw, yn sicr. Yr hyn sydd ei angen yw capasiti i fodloni'r galw y gellir profi ei fod yno ymhlith pobl sydd eisiau dod i Gymru, a dylem fod yn ddiolchgar a chefnogi hynny. Fel y dywedodd Sam Rowlands, mae'n werth cofio bod Llafur yn arfer bod o blaid y prosiect hwn, ac nid yw'r dadleuon o blaid wedi newid. Fel y dywedodd Tom Giffard, roedd yn eich maniffesto. Awdur y maniffesto hwnnw, wrth gwrs, oedd neb llai nag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet Ken Skates. Nid wyf yn siŵr fod llawer iawn wedi newid ers hynny, heblaw eich meddwl—[Torri ar draws.] Byddwn wrth fy modd yn clywed y rhesymeg pam eich bod wedi newid eich meddwl i'r fath raddau. Nid yw pethau wedi newid cymaint â hynny. Fel y dywedodd Tom Giffard, dyma beth y mae'r cyhoedd ei eisiau.
Mae Lee Waters yn dweud bod ffordd liniaru'n seiliedig ar ffydd, nid tystiolaeth. A allwch chi ddweud wrthyf, ai dyna pam ei fod yn y maniffesto, felly? Dyna pam eich bod chi'n rhoi pethau yn eich maniffesto, yn seiliedig ar ffydd, nid ar dystiolaeth, y ffigurau.
Mae'r adolygiad ffyrdd wedi cael ei feirniadu am ei ddiffyg uchelgais a'i fethiant i fynd i'r afael ag anghenion brys Cymru ddeinamig sy'n tyfu. Mae'n ymddangos gan Jenny Rathbone fod gennym dreth ffordd i edrych ymlaen ati nawr hefyd.
Mewn cyferbyniad, nid ffordd yn unig oedd ffordd liniaru'r M4, roedd yn borth i gyfle. Mae'r ffaith bod y Ceidwadwyr wedi cael gwared ar dollau ar y bont, fel y nodwyd heddiw, yn annog mwy o bobl i ddod i Gymru, ac mae'r ystadegau'n wych, Lee, i dwristiaeth, i fusnes. Dylid dathlu agor Cymru i gyfle, ond ni ddylem roi stop ar y traffig yng Nghasnewydd wedyn. Mae angen cael gwared ar y tagfeydd.
Mae gan ffordd liniaru'r M4 botensial i ddatgloi cannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd mewn buddsoddiad sector preifat, i hybu cynhyrchiant a chreu swyddi. Cefnogwyd y prosiect gan arweinwyr busnes ledled Cymru, gan gynnwys Cydffederasiwn Diwydiant Prydain a Sefydliad y Cyfarwyddwyr, gan gydnabod y pwysigrwydd i'n heconomi. Yn 2019, galwodd dros 90 o arweinwyr busnes, yn cynnwys Syr Terry Matthews, uwch-swyddogion gweithredol Aston Martin, Tata, Admiral, ar Lywodraeth Cymru i fwrw ymlaen â'r ffordd liniaru M4 gwerth £1.4 biliwn yng Nghasnewydd. Nid casgliad o enwau yn unig oedd y rhain ond pobl sydd â'u bys ar bwls economi Cymru.
Mae dadansoddiadau economaidd hefyd wedi tynnu sylw at fanteision posibl y ffordd liniaru. Canfu dadansoddiad Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun ym mis Mawrth 2006 y byddai ffordd liniaru'r M4 wedi arbed oddeutu £34 miliwn y flwyddyn i fusnesau de Cymru mewn costau cludiant, wedi arwain at gynnydd o £39 miliwn y flwyddyn yng ngwerth ychwanegol gros de Cymru, wedi creu mynediad at safleoedd cyflogaeth newydd ac wedi agor Cymru i fusnesau a buddsoddiad. Ond collwyd y cyfle, ac mae croeso i'r gorsafoedd trên a ddisgrifiodd John Griffiths, wrth gwrs hynny—croeso mawr—ond nid ydynt yn ddigon ac nid ydynt yn mynd i ddatrys y broblem draffig.
Fel y nododd Sam Rowlands, gwariwyd dros £24 miliwn ar bryniannau gorfodol ar gyfer y prosiect. Beth sydd wedi digwydd i'r rheini? Beth sydd wedi digwydd i'r arian hwnnw? Ble mae wedi mynd?
Nid yw gwelliant Plaid Cymru yn gresynu at y penderfyniad ynghylch ffordd liniaru'r M4, ac mae Peredur Griffiths yn sôn am weledigaeth amgen ar gyfer rwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig cynaliadwy, sy'n llond ceg braidd, ac iaith gwleidyddiaeth yw hynny mewn gwirionedd. Mae angen mwy o ffyrdd arnom, ac mae'n haws weithiau i chi ddweud hynny. Yn y Siambr hon, mae yna rai pobl, fel ar ein meinciau ni, sy'n credu os ydych chi'n adeiladu ffyrdd, eich bod chi'n tyfu'r economi, ac mae yna rai sy'n credu bod adeiladu ffyrdd yn ddrwg i'r amgylchedd. Dylai Plaid Cymru ddweud yn glir ble maent yn sefyll ar y rhaniad hwnnw, fel bod pobl Cymru yn gwybod yn union beth rydych chi'n sefyll drosto, ac mae Llafur wedi gwneud yr un peth. Mae'n eithaf rhyfeddol i'r mwyafrif o bobl fod y cysyniad o adeiladu ffyrdd yn ddadleuol i Lafur a Phlaid Cymru. Dywedodd yr arolygydd cynllunio fod yr achos dros y ffordd hon yn gymhellol; mae unrhyw un sydd wedi gyrru trwy dwneli Bryn-glas yn gwybod bod yr achos dros y ffordd hon yn gymhellol. Oes, mae angen rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig arnom, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru hyd yn oed yn cydnabod hynny, er mai hi sy'n bennaf gyfrifol am ein hamddifadu o un dros y ddau ddegawd diwethaf, ond mae angen ffordd liniaru'r M4 arnom hefyd. Nid yw'n fater o'r naill neu'r llall, gallwn gael y ddau, a bydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, pan fyddwn ni'n Llywodraeth, gyda Darren Millar yn Brif Weinidog, yn adeiladu'r ffordd honno.
Fel y dywed Natasha Asghar, mae peidio â gwneud dim yn condemnio Casnewydd i draffig diddiwedd a mygdarth gwenwynig. Felly, rwy'n galw ar y Senedd hon i wneud y peth iawn, i wneud y peth iawn ar gyfer dyfodol Cymru, ar gyfer cenedlaethau'r dyfodol. Gadewch inni adeiladu ffordd liniaru'r M4 a sicrhau bod Cymru ar agor i fusnes.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig heb ei ddiwygio? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? [Gwrthwynebiad.] Oes, mae yna wrthwynebiad, felly fe gymrwn ni bleidlais ar yr eitem yma, os nad oes yna dri Aelod yn moyn i fi ganu'r gloch.
The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] There are objections. We will therefore move to a vote on this item, unless three Members wish for the bell to be rung.
Gohiriwyd y pleidleisio tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
Voting deferred until voting time.
Heb hynny, felly, fe wnawn ni gymryd pleidlais ar yr eitem rŷn newydd ei chlywed. Felly, mae'r bleidlais gyntaf ar y cynnig heb ei ddiwygio ar ddadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar ffordd liniaru'r M4. Felly, pleidlais ar y cynnig heb ei ddiwygio yn enw Paul Davies. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. Mae pawb wedi pleidleisio. O blaid 12, neb yn ymatal a 32 yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi'i wrthod.
We will proceed to the vote on the item that we've just discussed. So, the first vote is on the motion without amendment on the Welsh Conservatives debate on the M4 relief road. I call for a vote on the motion without amendment, tabled in the name of Paul Davies. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 12, no abstentions and 32 against. Therefore, the motion is not agreed.
Eitem 8. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Ffordd liniaru'r M4. Cynnig wedi'i ddiwygio: O blaid: 12, Yn erbyn: 32, Ymatal: 0
Gwrthodwyd y cynnig
Item 8. Welsh Conservatives Debate - M4 relief road. Motion without amendment: For: 12, Against: 32, Abstain: 0
Motion has been rejected
Gwelliant 1 fydd nesaf, felly, ac os derbynnir gwelliant 1, bydd gwelliant 2 yn cael ei ddad-ddethol. Pleidlais ar welliant 1 yn enw Heledd Fychan. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid naw, neb yn ymatal a 35 yn erbyn. Mae gwelliant 1 wedi'i wrthod.
We'll move now to amendment 1, therefore, and if amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected. I call for a vote on amendment 1, tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour nine, no abstentions and 35 against. Therefore, amendment 1 is not agreed.
Eitem 8. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Ffordd liniaru'r M4. Gwelliant 1, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Heledd Fychan: O blaid: 9, Yn erbyn: 35, Ymatal: 0
Gwrthodwyd y gwelliant
Item 8. Welsh Conservatives Debate - M4 relief road. Amendment 1, tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan: For: 9, Against: 35, Abstain: 0
Amendment has been rejected
Gwelliant 2, felly. Agor y bleidlais ar welliant 2 yn enw Jane Hutt. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 23, neb yn ymatal a 21 yn erbyn. Mae gwelliant 2 wedi'i dderbyn.
Amendment 2. Open the vote on amendment 2, tabled in the name of Jane Hutt. Close the vote. In favour 23, no abstentions and 21 against. Therefore, amendment 2 is agreed.
Eitem 8. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Ffordd liniaru'r M4. Gwelliant 2, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Jane Hutt: O blaid: 23, Yn erbyn: 21, Ymatal: 0
Derbyniwyd y gwelliant
Item 8. Welsh Conservatives Debate - M4 relief road. Amendment 2, tabled in the name of Jane Hutt: For: 23, Against: 21, Abstain: 0
Amendment has been agreed
Mae'r bleidlais olaf, felly, ar y cynnig wedi'i ddiwygio. Agor y bleidlais.
So, the final vote is on the motion as amended. Open the vote.
Cynnig NDM8930 fel y'i diwygiwyd:
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn cydnabod yr angen am rwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig, deniadol a chynaliadwy sy’n cefnogi pobl ac economi’r rhanbarth, a hynny’n unol ag argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru (Comisiwn Burns) fel dewis amgen cynaliadwy a fforddiadwy yn lle creu traffordd M4 newydd.
2. Yn gresynu at addewidion gwag a diffyg cyllid gan lywodraethau Ceidwadol blaenorol ar gyfer argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru ynghylch materion heb eu datganoli, a hynny fel dewis ymarferol yn lle ffordd liniaru’r M4.
3. Yn cefnogi dull Llywodraeth Cymru o weithio mewn partneriaeth â Llywodraeth y DU, Cyd-bwyllgor Corfforedig y rhanbarth ac awdurdodau lleol er mwyn cyflawni argymhellion yr Arglwydd Burns i ddarparu dewisiadau cynaliadwy heb eu hail yn lle’r M4.
4. Yn croesawu cyhoeddiad Llywodraeth y DU yn yr adolygiad o wariant ar gyfer 2026-27 i 2029-30 o ran cyllid ar gyfer cyflawni argymhellion Comisiwn Trafnidiaeth De-ddwyrain Cymru fel dewis arall yn lle ffordd liniaru’r M4.
Motion NDM8930 as amended:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises the need for an integrated, attractive and sustainable transport network which supports the people and economy of the region as recommended in the South East Wales Transport Commission (the Burns Commission) as a sustainable and affordable alternative to a new M4 motorway.
2. Deplores the empty promises and lack of funding from past Conservative governments for the non-devolved recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission as viable alternatives to the M4 relief road.
3. Supports the Welsh Government's approach of working in partnership with the UK Government, the region’s Corporate Joint Committee and local authorities to deliver the recommendations of Lord Burns to provide high quality sustainable alternatives to the M4.
4. Welcomes the announcement of the UK Government in the 2026-27 to 2029-30 spending review of funding for the South East Wales Transport Commission's recommendations to be realised as an alternative to a M4 relief road.
Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 23, neb yn ymatal a 21 yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi'i ddiwygio wedi'i dderbyn.
Close the vote. In favour 23, no abstentions and 21 against. Therefore, the motion as amended is agreed.
Eitem 8. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Ffordd liniaru'r M4. Cynnig wedi’i ddiwygio: O blaid: 23, Yn erbyn: 21, Ymatal: 0
Derbyniwyd y cynnig fel y'i diwygiwyd
Item 8. Welsh Conservatives Debate - M4 relief road. Motion as amended: For: 23, Against: 21, Abstain: 0
Motion as amended has been agreed
Dyna ddiwedd ar y pleidleisiau a diwedd ar ein gwaith ni am heddiw.
That concludes voting and brings proceedings to a close for today.
Daeth y cyfarfod i ben am 18:58.
The meeting ended at 18:58.