Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
Home should be the place where you feel safe. At the moment it is where we are increasingly spending most of our time as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.


Some people living in high\-rise properties across Wales do not feel confident that their home is the safe and reassuring place it should be. Instead, they are worried about potential building defects, which pose fire and broader health and safety risks.


We continue to work with partners including local authorities and the Fire and Rescue Services to ensure immediate fire protections are in place.  We are now actively exploring funding options to support leaseholders with necessary work to their buildings.


Both the urgency and the nature of remediation will undoubtedly necessitate different approaches for different buildings.  We need to ensure options are workable, serve the best interests of both leaseholders and wider public and also recognise the responsibility that lies with building owners and developers. 


It is an uncomfortable truth that whichever option we pursue it is not likely to result in a completely satisfactory result for all.


This is not a challenge we are facing alone \- we are working with our counterparts in the UK Government and other devolved administrations.


People who purchased their properties did so in good faith, believing they met all relevant safety standards. They are now being put in a position where they are facing significant financial costs to put right faults that should never have occurred.


I do not think it is right for leaseholders, who bought properties unaware that they had fundamental defects, to pay for remediation; neither do I think it is right that the Welsh taxpayer should do so.


Where developers have clearly failed to build to required standards, they should step up to their responsibility and put these faults right. I am keen that as UK Governments we explore every available avenue to ensure that those best able to address the issues meet their responsibilities.


Some developers have already demonstrated that they can do this beyond considerations of warranty.  Steps have already been taken, and are ongoing, to remediate non\-compliant ACM cladding on buildings across Wales, for example.


I would urge developers to apply the same approach to other remaining defects, such as poor internal compartmentation, lack of adequate fire\-breaks and installation of other types of non\-compliant cladding. I want to explore with developers what more can be done. I have written to developers to invite them to meet me to discuss the steps they will take to support us in this work.


Welsh Government wants to limit the impacts on leaseholders as far as possible and also to ensure that leaseholders understand fully all ramifications of any action we take so that they can be supported in the best way possible.  


Where there are urgent or significant issues, local authorities and the Fire and Rescue Authorities have the enforcement powers and levers to take action.  However, it is important to understand that when such action is taken, it can result in further disadvantage to leaseholders as they can struggle to obtain mortgages or sell their properties where there is live enforcement action  being taken in relation to a building.  In addition, we are exploring options such as asking local authorities to exercise their powers to undertake works in default, however, once again this could potentially solve the ongoing worry about safety but it is unlikely to solve all of the leaseholders’ problems as costs would still need to be repaid.


We must also consider Welsh taxpayers, who are equally not at fault for these building failures and should not have to pay the bill for remedying them.


The question about who receives any funding to carry out the required works is also not straightforward. The ownership and management relationships are different for each building, as are contractual obligations between the leaseholder, the freeholder, the original builder and the management company and any insurers or lenders. This means that it is not possible to find a global solution for all buildings affected.


To address these issues, we are considering funding models that allow us to ensure work is carried out to make these buildings safe,help prevent leaseholders from facing the full burden of the costs and ensure funding is contributed from other sources.


We are also considering which defects the funding should cover. There is funding available in England to remove cladding but we know this does not go far enough. Providing funding to replace cladding, which may cover up what are often more complex and problematic issues does not solve the problem or make these buildings safe. That is why in Wales we want our plans to include other defects such as compartmentation, and more proactive measures such as the installation of sprinklers.


It is this complexity which dictates the pace of driving this work forward; it is not a reflection of my commitment to supporting those affected. It is imperative that we ensure the options are properly scoped, risk assessed and their consequences fully understood. We are working as quickly as possible to find a solution but it must also be the right one.


Members will also be aware that we have been undertaking a major programme of work to reform our approach and create a new building safety regime for Wales to ensure these and other problems do not continue to occur in the future.


We will set this out in a White Paper early next year and I will keep Members updated as work progresses.





### Documents


* #### Open letter to developers in Wales,
 file type: pdf, file size: 258 KB



258 KB







Translation:


 
Dylech deimlo’n saff gartref. Ar hyn o bryd, oherwydd pandemig y coronafeirws, dyna lle rydyn ni’n treulio mwy a mwy o’n hamser.  


Mae yna bobl ar draws Cymru, sy’n byw mewn adeiladau uchel iawn, nad oes ganddynt yr hyder a’r tawelwch meddwl bod eu cartref yn lle saff. Yn hytrach, maent yn poeni am ddiffygion posibl yr adeilad, sy’n golygu risgiau tân a risgiau iechyd a diogelwch mwy cyffredinol.


Rydym yn parhau i weithio gyda phartneriaid, gan gynnwys awdurdodau lleol a’r Gwasanaethau Tân ac Achub i sicrhau bod mesurau diogelu rhag tân yn eu lle. Rydym wrthi’n ymchwilio i opsiynau cyllid i helpu lesddeiliaid gyda gwaith y mae angen ei wneud i’w hadeiladau.


Yn dibynnu ar ba mor ddifrifol yw’r sefyllfa a natur y gwaith adfer mewn gwahanol adeiladau, bydd angen gweithredu mewn ffyrdd gwahanol ym mhob achos. Mae angen inni sicrhau bod yr opsiynau yn ymarferol, yn sicrhau buddiannau lesddeiliaid a’r cyhoedd yn y ffordd orau, a chydnabod hefyd gyfrifoldeb perchnogion a datblygwyr yr adeiladau. 


Y gwirionedd anghysurus yw, pa opsiwn bynnag a ddewiswn, nid yw’n debygol o sicrhau canlyniad boddhaol i bawb.


Nid ydym yn wynebu’r her hon ar ein pen ein hunain – rydym yn gweithio gyda’n cydswyddogion yn Llywodraeth y DU a gweinyddiaethau datganoledig eraill.


Wrth brynu eu heiddo, roedd pobl yn gwneud hynny mewn ffydd, gan gredu eu bod yn bodloni’r holl safonau diogelwch perthnasol. Bellach maent yn eu cael eu hunain yn wynebu costau ariannol sylweddol er mwyn cywiro diffygion na ddylai byth fod wedi bod yno.


Nid wyf o’r farn ei bod yn iawn bod lesddeiliaid, a brynodd eiddo heb wybod am eu diffygion sylfaenol, yn talu i’w cywiro; nid wyf chwaith o’r farn ei bod yn iawn i’r trethdalwr wneud hynny.


Lle mae’n amlwg bod datblygwyr wedi methu ag adeiladu i’r safonau gofynnol, dylai’r datblygwyr hynny wynebu eu cyfrifoldeb a chywiro’r diffygion.


Rwy’n awyddus ein bod, fel Llywodraethau’r DU, yn ymchwilio i bob opsiwn posibl er mwyn sicrhau bod y rheini sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i fynd i’r afael â’r problemau yn cyflawni eu cyfrifoldebau.


Mae rhai datblygwyr eisoes wedi dangos y gallant wneud hyn er bod cyfnod gwarantiad wedi dod i ben. Mae camau eisoes wedi’u cymryd, ac yn dal i gael eu cymryd, i gywiro cladin ACM nad yw’n cydymffurfio â’r safonau ar adeiladau ledled Cymru, er enghraifft.


Rwyf am bwyso ar ddatblygwyr i weithredu yn yr un modd mewn perthynas â diffygion eraill, megis sut mae ardaloedd byw wedi’u rhannu, diffyg deunydd atal tân mewn waliau, a mathau eraill o gladin nad yw’n cydymffurfio â’r safonau. Rwyf am ymchwilio, ochr yn ochr â datblygwyr, i beth yn rhagor y gellir ei wneud. Rwyf wedi ysgrifennu at ddatblygwyr i’w gwahodd i gwrdd â mi i drafod y camau y maent am eu cymryd i’n cefnogi yn y gwaith hwn.


Mae Llywodraeth Cymru am gyfyngu ar yr effeithiau ar lesddeiliaid i’r graddau posibl a sicrhau hefyd bod lesddeiliaid yn deall yn llawn holl oblygiadau unrhyw gamau a gymerwn er mwyn eu cefnogi yn y ffordd orau bosibl.  


Lle mae yna faterion brys neu sylweddol, mae gan awdurdodau lleol a’r Gwasanaethau Tân ac Achub y pwerau i orfodi a gweithredu. Fodd bynnag, mae’n bwysig deall y gall camau o’r fath arwain at anfantais bellach i lesddeiliaid, gan fod camau gorfodi mewn perthynas ag adeilad yn gallu ei gwneud yn anodd cael morgais neu werthu’r eiddo. Rydym hefyd yn ymchwilio i opsiynau megis gofyn i awdurdodau lleol arfer eu pwerau i ymgymryd â gwaith angenrheidiol. Fodd bynnag, unwaith eto, efallai y bydd hyn yn datrys y cwestiwn diogelwch, ond mae’n annhebygol o ddatrys holl broblemau’r lesddeiliaid, gan y byddai’n dal i fod angen ad\-dalu’r costau.


Mae’n rhaid inni ystyried trethdalwyr Cymru hefyd, gan nad ydynt hwythau chwaith yn gyfrifol am y methiannau adeiladu hyn, ac na ddylent orfod talu’r bil i’w cywiro.


Nid yw’r cwestiwn ynghylch pwy ddylai gael cyllid i gyflawni’r gwaith gofynnol yn un syml chwaith. Mae manylion perchnogaeth a rheoli pob adeilad yn wahanol, yn ogystal â rhwymedigaethau cytundebau’r lesddeiliad, y rhydd\-ddeiliad, yr adeiladwr gwreiddiol a’r cwmni rheoli, ynghyd ag unrhyw yswirwyr neu fenthycwyr. Mae hyn yn golygu nad oes modd dod o hyd i un trefniant cyffredinol ar gyfer pob adeilad.


Er mwyn mynd i’r afael â’r cwestiynau hyn, rydym yn ystyried modelau cyllid sy’n caniatáu inni wneud yr adeiladau hyn yn ddiogel, helpu i atal lesddeiliaid rhag wynebu baich llawn y costau a sicrhau cyfraniadau cyllid o ffynonellau eraill.


Rydym hefyd yn ystyried pa ddiffygion y dylai’r cyllid dalu i’w cywiro. Mae cyllid ar gael yn Lloegr i gael gwared â chladin, ond gwyddom nad yw hyn yn mynd yn ddigon pell. Nid yw darparu cyllid i osod cladin newydd, heb efallai roi sylw i broblemau mwy cymhleth yn aml, yn datrys y broblem nac yn gwneud yr adeiladau hyn yn ddiogel. Dyna pam ein bod ni yng Nghymru am i’n cynlluniau roi sylw i ddiffygion eraill fel sut mae ardaloedd byw wedi’u rhannu a mesurau mwy rhagweithiol megis gosod systemau chwistrellu.


Y cymhlethdod hwn sy’n llywio pa mor gyflym y mae modd bwrw ymlaen â’r gwaith hwn; nid yw’n adlewyrchiad o’m hymrwymiad innau i gefnogi’r bobl y mae hyn yn effeithio arnynt. Mae’n hanfodol ein bod yn sicrhau bod hyd a lled yr opsiynau yn cael eu hystyried yn iawn, bod y risgiau yn cael eu hasesu a bod pawb yn deall y canlyniadau yn llawn. Rydym yn gweithio cyn gynted â phosibl i ddod o hyd i ateb i’r broblem, ond rhaid inni gael yr ateb iawn.


Bydd yr Aelodau yn ymwybodol hefyd bod yna raglen waith enfawr ar y gweill gennym i ddiwygio ein trefniadau gweithredu, a’n bod yn creu gweithdrefn newydd ar gyfer diogelu adeiladau yng Nghymru i sicrhau nad yw’r problemau hyn na phroblemau eraill yn parhau i’r dyfodol.


Byddwn yn gosod y manylion mewn Papur Gwyn ddechrau’r flwyddyn nesaf, a byddaf yn rhoi gwybodaeth reolaidd i’r Aelodau wrth i’r gwaith ddatblygu.





### Dogfennau


* #### Llythyr agored i ddatblygwyr yng Nghymru,
 math o ffeil: pdf, maint ffeil: 257 KB



257 KB