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Ar 11 Gorffennaf, ar adeg cyhoeddi Papur Gwyn ar ofal a chymorth yn Lloegr, rhyddhaodd Llywodraeth y DU adroddiad cynnydd ar ddyfodol talu am ofal cymdeithasol. Roedd hyn yn dilyn adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd y llynedd gan y Comisiwn ar Dalu am Ofal a Chymorth yn Lloegr (Comisiwn Dilnot).

Yn ei hadroddiad cynnydd, mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cadarnhau ei bod yn derbyn egwyddor y prif argymhellion a wnaed gan y Comisiwn, sef cyflwyno cap oes ar gost y gofal y mae rhywun yn ei dderbyn, a chynnydd yn y trothwy asedau ar gyfer y rhai sydd mewn gofal preswyl (yr uchafswm cyfalaf). Mae hefyd wedi datgan ei bwriad i roi’r newidiadau hyn ar waith, ond wrth wneud yr ymrwymiad hwn, mae wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith fod hyn yn golygu her ariannol sylweddol iawn yn yr hinsawdd economaidd sydd ohoni. O’r herwydd, mae wedi datgan y bydd angen ystyried, fel rhan o’r adolygiad nesaf o wariant yn hydref 2013, sut a phryd y dylid cyflwyno newidiadau o’r fath.      

Rwy’n croesawu’r ffaith fod Llywodraeth y DU bellach wedi ymateb i adroddiad y Comisiwn, ac wedi awgrymu sut y mae’n bwriadu symud ymlaen yn Lloegr. Fodd bynnag, mae’n siom i mi nad yw’r ymateb hirddisgwyliedig hwn yn mynd y tu hwnt i’r prif ymrwymiad hwn a nodi manylion sut a phryd y caiff yr argymhellion hynny eu rhoi ar waith.

Byddwch yn gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo ers tro i greu system newydd o dalu am ofal cymdeithasol Nghymru, a bod honno’n deg, yn fforddiadwy ac yn gynaliadwy yn y tymor hir. Mae ein polisïau yng Nghymru yn ein gosod ar y blaen ym maes gofal a chymorth effeithiol. Er enghraifft, y llynedd fe wnaethom ni gyflwyno uchafswm wythnosol o £50 am y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol dibreswyl y bydd rhywun yn eu derbyn ac sydd dan ein deddfwriaeth ni. Mae’n bleser gennyf weld bod pobl ledled Cymru bellach yn elwa ar y newid hwnnw.  Diddorol yw nodi bod y Comisiwn wedi dilyn dull pragmataidd a syml tebyg wrth wneud yr argymhelliad hwn ynglŷn â chapio cyfraniad oes unigolyn tuag at eu gofal, a bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi derbyn egwyddor y dull hwnnw fel ffordd ymlaen.

Fodd bynnag, mae safbwynt Llywodraeth y DU, fel y’i nodir yn yr adroddiad cynnydd, yn golygu problem fawr i ni wrth geisio symud yr agenda hon yn ei blaen ar hyn o bryd. Rydym yn amcangyfrif y byddai’r gost o weithredu newidiadau tebyg yng Nghymru i’r rhai sydd yn Adroddiad y Comisiwn, petaem ni’n dymuno hynny, tua £100 miliwn y flwyddyn yn ôl costau heddiw, gan godi yn y blynyddoedd sydd i ddod gydag effaith newidiadau demograffig.  Felly, byddem yn cael ein rhwystro rhag cymryd camau ar y raddfa hon heb i fuddsoddiad o arian newydd ddod i Gymru dan fformiwla Barnett, yn debyg i’r symiau sylweddol y ceisir eu cael yn Lloegr dan yr adolygiad nesaf o wariant a gynhelir gan Lywodraeth y DU.

Diddorol i mi oedd gweld bod datganiad Llywodraeth y DU yn cynnwys cynigion ar gyfer gofynion gorfodol i ohirio talu costau gofal fel nad oes angen gwerthu cartref y teulu er mwyn symud i ofal preswyl. Yng Nghymru, bu gennym Reoliadau yn eu lle ers 2003 sy’n caniatáu taliadau gohiriedig am lety preswyl, a Chyfarwyddiadau sy’n gosod dyletswydd ar awdurdodau lleol i dynnu sylw pob preswylydd cymwys a phosibl at y taliadau gohiriedig, a’u cynnig iddynt. Cyflwynwyd y newid hwn trwy drosglwyddo £2\.7 miliwn o adnoddau ar gyfer llywodraeth leol i’r Grant Cynnal Refeniw. Pan fydd manylion cynigion Llywodraeth y DU ar gael, byddwn yn ymgynghori â llywodraeth leol a rhai sy’n cynrychioli buddiannau defnyddwyr gofal i weld a oes angen ystyried cryfhau’r trefniadau ar gyfer taliadau gohiriedig yng Nghymru.  

Wrth baratoi ar gyfer unrhyw newidiadau yn y dyfodol, gwyddoch ein bod ni eisoes yng Nghymru wedi cyhoeddi Papur Gwyrdd ar dalu am ofal, ac fe wnaethom ni ymgynghori’n eang gydag ystod eang o randdeiliaid ymhob rhan o Gymru i weld pa fath o system a fyddai’n derbyn cefnogaeth eang ymhlith y cyhoedd yma yng Nghymru. Yn fwy diweddar, rwyf wedi ail\-sefydlu Grŵp Rhanddeiliaid i Gynghori am Dalu am Ofal, ac wedi gofyn iddo ystyried rhinweddau argymhellion y Comisiwn a pha mor briodol ydynt i Gymru. Mae wrthi’n llunio ei adroddiad ar fy nghyfer, a byddaf yn cyhoeddi hwnnw wedi imi ei dderbyn. Hefyd, yng ngoleuni’r bwriadau y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi eu datgan ynglŷn â gwneud rhagor o waith ac ymgynghori ar y gwahanol opsiynau sy’n bodoli ar gyfer y math o system ddiwygio y gellid ei chael, byddwn ni hefyd eisiau parhau ac ymestyn y trafod yng Nghymru. O ganlyniad i hynny, buaswn hefyd eisiau sefydlu deialog trawsbleidiol ynglŷn â ffyrdd o ymdrin â’r mater pwysig hwn.    

Mae’r materion y mae datganiad Llywodraeth y DU a’i Phapur Gwyn yn tynnu sylw cyffredinol atynt yn rhai heriol ond yn flaenoriaeth uchel. Dyna pam fy mod, yng Nghymru, wedi nodi ein cyfeiriad polisi yn ein Papur Gwyn, ‘Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol Cynaliadwy i Gymru: Fframwaith Gweithredu’, ac wedi cwblhau ymgynghoriad eang ar y Bil Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol (Cymru) a gaiff ei gyflwyno i ddiben craffu yn gynnar y flwyddyn nesaf. Rwy’n falch o adrodd bod cytundeb barn cryf o blaid ein cynlluniau.







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On 11 July, as part of its publication of a White Paper on care and support in England, the UK Government issued a progress report on the future of paying for social care. This follows the publication last year of the report of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support in England (the Dilnot Commission).


 


In its progress report the UK Government has confirmed its acceptance of the principle of the key recommendations made by the Commission; namely the introduction of a lifetime cap on the cost of care a person receives and an increase in the asset threshold for those in residential care (the capital limit). It has also announced its intention to introduce these changes in practice but in making this commitment, it has highlighted the very significant funding challenge this presents in the current economic climate. Consequently it has announced that how and when such changes should be introduced will need to be considered as part of the next spending review, scheduled for autumn 2013\.  


 


I welcome the fact that the UK Government has now made a response to the Commission’s report and signalled the course of action that it intends to follow for England.  However, I am disappointed that its long awaited response does not go beyond this headline commitment and lay out the detail of how and when such recommendations would be implemented.


 


You will know that the Welsh Government has a long standing commitment to build a new system of paying for social care in Wales that is fair, affordable and sustainable in the long term. Our policies in Wales place us at the forefront of effective care and support. For example last year we introduced a weekly maximum charge of £50 for all those non\-residential social services a person receives that are covered by our legislation. I am delighted to see that people across Wales are now benefitting from that change.  It is interesting to note that the Commission followed a similarly pragmatic and straightforward approach in making its recommendation around capping an individual's lifetime contribution towards their care costs and that the UK Government has accepted the principle of that approach as a good way forward.


 


However, the UK Government’s position, outlined in its progress report, does present a significant problem to us in trying to move this agenda on any further at this time.  We estimate that the cost of implementing similar changes in Wales to those outlined in the Commission’s Report, should we wish to do so, would be around £100 million a year at today’s costs and rising with the impact of demographic change in coming years.  We would therefore be restricted from taking action on this scale without an investment of new money coming to Wales under the Barnett formula, comparable to the significant sums that will be sought for England under the UK Government’s next spending review.


 


I was interested to see the UK Government’s announcement included proposals for mandatory requirements to defer payment of care costs so that a family home does not need to be sold to move into residential care. In Wales we have had Regulations in place since 2003 which allow deferred payments for residential accommodation and Directions which place a duty on local authorities to draw attention to, and offer deferred payments to, all eligible or prospective residents. This change was introduced with resources of £2\.7 million for local government transferred into the Revenue Support Grant. When the details of the UK Government’s proposals are available we will consult with local government and care user interests about whether any strengthening of the deferred payments arrangements in Wales needs to be considered. 


 


In preparation for any future changes you will know that previously we have issued in Wales a Green Paper on paying for care and undertook extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders across Wales to find out what kind of system would command broad public support here.  More recently I have re\-established the Paying for Care Stakeholder Advisory Group and asked it to consider the merits of the Commission’s recommendations and their appropriateness for Wales. It is currently drafting its report to me and I will publish this once I receive it. Also, in light of the UK Government’s stated intentions to undertake further work and consultation on the various options for the shape a reform system could take, we will also want to continue and extend the engagement in Wales.  As a result I would also want to establish cross party dialogue about how we tackle this important issue.  


The issues highlighted more generally by the UK Government’s announcement and in its White Paper are challenging but a high priority to address. That is why in Wales I have already set out our policy direction in our White Paper ‘Sustainable Social Services: A Framework for Action’ and have completed an extensive consultation on the Social Services (Wales) Bill that will be introduced for scrutiny early next year. I am pleased to report that there is a strong consensus of support for our plans.