Translate the text from Welsh to English.



 
 Mae safleoedd glo brig wedi cael llawer o sylw gan newyddiadurwyr a gwleidyddion yn y misoedd diwethaf ac rwy’n ofidus iawn ynghylch effeithiau tymor hir peidio â’u hadfer ar gymunedau sy’n byw wrth eu hymyl.  Cyhoeddais fy mwriad i alw cynhadledd o’r holl brif randdeiliaid yn y sector glo brig yn ystod Dadl yr Aelodau Unigol yn y Cynulliad ar 22 Ebrill. 

Diben y gynhadledd ar 9 Gorffennaf 2015 oedd trafod ac ystyried â’r holl randdeiliaid sut i drechu’r heriau sy’n gysylltiedig â llwyr\-adfer safleoedd mewn ffordd gynaliadwy pan ddaw oes safle glo brig i ben.  Addewais y byddwn yn ystyried y cyfraniadau ac yn nodi fy mwriadau ar gyfer y dyfodol mewn datganiad ysgrifenedig. 

Daeth cynrychiolwyr o awdurdodau cynllunio ym maes glo’r De a Llywodraeth yr Alban, arbenigwyr technegol a chyfreithiol, gweithredwyr a gweithwyr safleoedd ac unigolion o grwpiau cymunedol sy’n weithgar yn yr ardal, ynghyd ar gyfer y gynhadledd.  Roedd ACau a’u cynrychiolwyr hefyd yn bresennol. 

Roedd bwriad y dydd yn glir; didoli holl gyfraniadau’r cynrychiolwyr yn nifer o egwyddorion ymarferol  allweddol a fyddai’n sail ar gyfer y dyfodol ac ar gyfer cael hyd i atebion addas. 

Clywodd y cynadleddwyr sut mae’r farchnad fyd\-eang a grymoedd ariannol eraill yn creu anawsterau i’r diwydiant; bod cymunedau penodol yn dioddef oherwydd safleoedd glo brig penodol a hefyd oherwydd diffyg gwaith adfer a lliniaru; a bod gwasanaethau mwynau awdurdodau cynllunio lleol yn ei chael hi’n anodd diogelu eu hadnoddau staff ac arbenigeddau.  Rhoddwyd hefyd nifer o syniadau creadigol ger bron i’w trafod ymhellach. 

Daeth yn amlwg fod y sefyllfa’n un gymhleth – mae cymysgedd o heriau strategol a lleol i fynd i’r afael â nhw a byddan nhw’n dylanwadu ar yr atebion sy’n bosibl. 

Gan edrych tua’r dyfodol, mae consensws clir bod angen gwneud rhagor o waith yn y meysydd canlynol: 

* cryfhau’r gwasanaeth cynllunio mwynau yng Nghymru trwy grynhoi sgiliau ac arbenigeddau;
* ennyn diddordeb awdurdodau lleol, diwydiant a’r  cymunedau yn y gwaith sy’n cael ei wneud ar y cyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru / yr Awdurdod Glo i baratoi canllawiau ar yr arferion gorau ynghylch cyfrif, crynhoi a rheoli bondiau gyda golwg ar greu sylfaen gyson ar gyfer trafodaethau ledled Cymru;
* adolygiad manwl o MTAN2, a fyddai’n cynnwys ystyried yr eithriadau i bolisi’r parthau clustogi;
* dechrau deialog gyda Llywodraeth y DU, yn enwedig eu rhan yn hen safleoedd (yn enwedig y safleoedd portffolio lle roedd imiwnedd rhag bondiau) a chyflwyno ymatebion ar gyfer digwyddiad dilynol yn y dyfodol.

Ynghylch y pwynt olaf hwn, cefais gyfarfod ddoe ag Andrea Leadsom, Gweinidog Ynni DECC.  Bu’n drafodaeth lawn a di\-flewyn ar dafod lle pwysleisiais farn glir y gynhadledd fod cyfran fawr o’r problemau adfer y mae cymunedau yng Nghymru yn awr yn eu hwynebu yn deillio o’r broses breifateiddio ddiffygiol a ddigwyddodd yn y 1990au.  Cytunodd Andrea Leadsom i lunio proses ar gyfer deialog adeiladol. 

  
  





Translation:


 
Opencast coal has attracted significant media and political coverage in recent months and I am deeply concerned about the lasting impacts of the failure to restore on communities living in close proximity to opencast sites.  I announced my intention to convene a summit of all key stakeholders in the opencast coal sector during the Individual Members’ Debate in the Assembly on 22 April.


The focus of the summit on 9 July 2015 was to discuss and consider with all stakeholders, actions to overcome the challenges of ensuring full and sustainable restoration of sites when opencast coal operations come to an end.  I promised to reflect on the contributions made and set out my intentions for moving forward in a written statement.


The attendees included representatives from planning authorities in the South Wales coalfield, Scottish Government, technical and legal experts, site operators and workers, and individuals from community groups that are active in the area.  AMs and their representatives were also in attendance.


The intention for the day was clear; it was about distilling all of the contributions made by participants into a number of key working principles which would provide a basis for moving forward and finding appropriate solutions.


The participants at the summit heard about how the global market and other fiscal drivers are presenting challenges for the industry; that particular communities are suffering both as a result of specific opencast sites but also due to the absence of restoration and remediation more generally; and, how local planning authority minerals services are hard pressed to safeguard staff resources and expertise. There were also a number of creative ideas on the table to explore further.


It was clear from the summit that the picture is a complex one – there is a mixture of strategic and locally driven challenges to be faced and these will influence what solutions can be achieved.  


Moving forward, there is a clear consensus that further work is necessary in the following areas:


 


* Improving the resilience of the minerals planning service in Wales by pooling skills and expertise;
* Engaging local authorities, industry and communities in the joint Welsh Government/ Coal Authority work to prepare best practice guidance on the calculation, accumulation and management of bonds which would seek to establish a consistent basis for negotiations across Wales;
* a focused review of MTAN2, the scope of which would include consideration of the exceptions to the buffer zone policy;
* starting a dialogue with UK Government, particularly their stake on legacy sites (especially the portfolio sites on which there was immunity from bonding) and to feed back to a follow up event at a later date.


 


On this last point, I met with Andrea Leadsom, DECC Energy Minister yesterday.  It was a full and frank discussion where I stressed the clear view from the summit that in large part the restoration problems that communities in Wales now face can be directly traced back to the flawed privatisation process which took place in the 1990’s.  Andrea Leadsom agreed to put in place a process for constructive dialogue.