English: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move the motion in my name. This report before us today looks at the progress with the Welsh Government's mobile action plan, and follows on from the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee's 2017 inquiry into digital infrastructure in Wales, when we recommended that the Welsh Government should make firm commitments to collaborate with the UK Government, regulators and the industry to improve digital connectivity and support infrastructure needed for better mobile coverage. We all know mobile connectivity is now a vital service for the people living and working in Wales, just as water and electricity are. We all know how annoying it is to be without our phones for two hours or a day, or perhaps in some cases - Suzy Davies has just whispered to me - it's lovely; it depends on how you look at it. But Wales still lags some way behind other parts of the UK in terms of coverage, and so this has been an important area of committee scrutiny. Our update report looked at what has been achieved by the Welsh Government since its mobile action plan, which was launched in October 2017, and we made 10 recommendations. Now, what I'm going to say next I would like to say in every opening of a committee debate for the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee: I welcome the Government's acceptance of all our recommendations and the general positive tone of the response. The Welsh Government's response starts by emphasising that telecommunications is a reserved matter, and that it does not hold all the levers to improve mobile coverage. I'd respond to that it two ways. While it's true, it was the Welsh Government, of course, that brought forward the mobile action plan, so, of course, it's not unreasonable for the committee and stakeholders to demand that those planned actions are delivered with urgency. And, secondly, the Welsh Government clearly has a number of levers at its disposal. So, I therefore focus my opening remarks on those areas where the Welsh Government does hold the levers and can set the pace, in particular in relation to planning and business rates, and by collaborating with providers to deliver infill solutions for coverage in hard-to-reach areas. On planning, the committee made two recommendations: one on best practice guidance and one on allowing higher mast heights under the permitted planning regime. It was obviously very pleasing to see the announcement last month that the rules around mast heights in Wales have finally been relaxed so that masts of up to 25m do not have to go through the full planning permission process. This means that, from next month, the rules in Wales will now be in line with those in Scotland and England. This is something the committee first recommended in its digital infrastructure report in 2017, when we said that the Welsh Government 'should reform the planning regime to support investment in digital connectivity, in particular to allow the installation of masts that cover a wider geographical range.' We also said that the Welsh Government should work with operators and planning authorities to ensure that plans are clearly communicated to the affected communities, and that the key benefits of mobile connectivity are actively promoted. Although mobile coverage has increased in Wales since 2017, our report found that the role the action plan had played in that improvement was unclear, and we called on the Welsh Government to use its devolved levers to tip the scales of commercial viability in favour of further investment in some problem areas. We also recommended that the Welsh Government continues to engage with mobile operators and other stakeholders to capture best practice and include that in the revised and consolidated code of best practice and technical advice note 19. The Government has said it will consider a review of TAN 19 when further work on the permitted development rights regulations and the national development framework is complete, and indicated that work is unlikely to begin until 2020. While I understand the need to undertake this work in a logical order, we do need to move as quickly as possible on this. The clear message from us on the committee and from the industry was that rapid action is needed to ensure that Wales does not fall further behind. The latest Ofcom figures show that, on almost all measures of mobile coverage, Wales is behind the UK average. So, for geographic 4G coverage by all four mobile operators, we are at 57 per cent, compared to a UK average of 66 per cent. I note from the Government's response that it believes there is scope to combine TAN 19 and the code of practice into one document, and to perhaps adopt the approach taken in England by having mobile providers take a lead on this work. Obviously when it comes to planning there will always need to be a balance struck between the need for base stations to provide coverage and local community concerns about the landscape, but we must recognise the expectations, I think, of the 90 per cent of people who use mobile phones that they should have full mobile connectivity. The persistent gaps in coverage are not just between Wales and the other UK nations, but they're also between rural and urban areas of Wales. I am all too aware of this, of course, from my own constituency of Montgomeryshire. The committee considered how a rural roaming obligation might help in areas of poor coverage, although we recognise that it won't help if you are in a notspot area where there is no network to roam onto, and the frustrations of having calls drop out. Nevertheless, we recommended that the Welsh Government should continue to lobby mobile providers for rural wholesale access, and if they do not respond positively, for the Welsh Government to call on the UK Government to make this mandatory through Ofcom, as part of the package of measures to increase coverage. I appreciate that Welsh Government is pursuing this issue, and I'm encouraged that they continue to press the case. With regard to our recommendation that Welsh Government engages with mobile operators on the merits of business rate relief, it is also welcome that the Government says it is looking at the role of a non-domestic rate support scheme as part of the interventions to tackle specific notspots. Of course, while we are trying to remedy the problems with 4G coverage, talk has already started to move on to the roll-out of the next generation of mobile connectivity, 5G, and that was mentioned in contributions and questions earlier today. The benefits of 5G, to deliver faster and better broadband, and to potentially - [ Interruption.] I'll take it in a moment, if I can, Suzy.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n gwneud y cynnig yn fy enw i. Mae'r adroddiad sydd ger ein bron heddiw yn edrych ar y cynnydd a wnaed ar gynllun gweithredu ffonau symudol Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae'n dilyn ymchwiliad Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau yn 2017 i'r seilwaith digidol yng Nghymru, pan argymhellwyd gennym y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru wneud ymrwymiadau pendant i gydweithio â Llywodraeth y DU, rheoleiddwyr a'r diwydiant i wella cysylltedd digidol a chefnogi'r seilwaith sydd ei angen ar gyfer sicrhau signal ffonau symudol gwell. Gwyddom i gyd fod cysylltedd symudol bellach yn wasanaeth hanfodol i'r bobl sy'n byw ac yn gweithio yng Nghymru, fel y mae dŵr a thrydan. Gwyddom oll pa mor ddiflas yw bod heb ein ffonau am ddwy awr neu ddiwrnod, neu efallai mewn rhai achosion - mae Suzy Davies newydd sibrwd wrthyf - mae'n hyfryd; mae'n dibynnu ar sut yr edrychwch arno. Ond mae Cymru'n dal i lusgo ar ôl rhannau eraill o'r DU mewn pethynas â signal, ac felly mae hwn wedi bod yn rhan bwysig o waith craffu'r pwyllgor. Edrychodd ein hadroddiad diweddaru ar yr hyn a gyflawnwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ers ei gynllun gweithredu ffonau symudol, a lansiwyd ym mis Hydref 2017, a gwnaethom 10 o argymhellion. Nawr, hoffwn allu dweud yr hyn rwy'n mynd i'w ddweud nesaf wrth agor pob dadl ar ran Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau: rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod y Llywodraeth wedi derbyn ein holl argymhellion a naws gadarnhaol yr ymateb yn gyffredinol. Mae ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru yn dechrau drwy bwysleisio bod telathrebu'n fater a gadwyd yn ôl, ac nad yw'n meddu ar yr holl ddulliau o wella signal ffonau symudol. Buaswn yn ymateb i hynny mewn dwy ffordd. Er bod hynny'n wir, Llywodraeth Cymru, wrth gwrs, a gyflwynodd y cynllun gweithredu ffonau symudol, felly nid yw'n afresymol i'r pwyllgor a'r rhanddeiliaid fynnu bod y camau gweithredu hynny a gynlluniwyd yn cael eu darparu ar frys. Ac yn ail, mae'n amlwg fod gan Lywodraeth Cymru nifer o ddulliau at ei defnydd. Felly, rwy'n canolbwyntio fy sylwadau agoriadol ar y meysydd lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn meddu ar y dulliau a all osod y cyflymder, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â chynllunio ac ardrethi busnes, a thrwy gydweithio â darparwyr i ddarparu atebion mewnlenwi ar gyfer cysylltedd mewn ardaloedd sy'n anodd eu cyrraedd. Ar gynllunio, gwnaeth y pwyllgor ddau argymhelliad: un ar ganllawiau arferion gorau ac un ar ganiatáu i uchder mastiau fod yn uwch o dan y gyfundrefn gynllunio a ganiateir. Roedd yn amlwg yn dda iawn gweld y cyhoeddiad y mis diwethaf fod y rheolau sy'n ymwneud ag uchder mastiau yng Nghymru wedi'u llacio o'r diwedd fel nad oes rhaid i fastiau hyd at 25m fynd drwy'r broses caniatâd cynllunio lawn. Mae hyn yn golygu, o'r mis nesaf ymlaen, y bydd y rheolau yng Nghymru bellach yn cyd-fynd â'r rhai yn Lloegr a'r Alban. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth yr argymhellodd y pwyllgor gyntaf yn ei adroddiad ar y seilwaith digidol yn 2017, pan ddywedasom y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru 'ddiwygio'r drefn gynllunio i gefnogi buddsoddiadau mewn cysylltedd digidol, yn arbennig er mwyn caniatáu i fastiau gael eu gosod sy'n sicrhau darpariaeth ar gyfer ardal ddaearyddol ehangach.' Dywedasom hefyd y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda gweithredwyr ac awdurdodau cynllunio i sicrhau bod cynlluniau'n cael eu cyfleu'n glir i'r cymunedau yr effeithir arnynt, a bod manteision allweddol cysylltedd symudol yn cael eu hybu'n weithredol. Er bod signal ffonau symudol wedi cynyddu yng Nghymru ers 2017, canfu ein hadroddiad fod y rôl roedd y cynllun gweithredu wedi'i chwarae yn y gwelliant yn aneglur, a galwasom ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ddefnyddio ei dulliau datganoledig i droi'r fantol ar hyfywedd masnachol o blaid buddsoddiad pellach mewn rhai ardaloedd problemus. Roeddem hefyd yn argymell bod Llywodraeth Cymru'n parhau i ymgysylltu â gweithredwyr ffonau symudol a rhanddeiliaid eraill i sicrhau'r arferion gorau a chynnwys hynny yn y cod diwygiedig a chyfunol o arferion gorau a nodyn cyngor technegol 19. Dywedodd y Llywodraeth y bydd yn ystyried adolygiad o TAN 19 pan fydd gwaith pellach ar y rheoliadau hawliau datblygu a ganiateir a'r fframwaith datblygu cenedlaethol wedi'i gwblhau, a dynododd fod y gwaith hwnnw'n annhebygol o ddechrau tan 2020. Er fy mod yn deall yr angen i wneud y gwaith hwn mewn trefn resymegol, mae angen inni symud cyn gynted â phosibl ar hyn. Y neges glir gennym ni ar y pwyllgor a chan y diwydiant oedd bod angen gweithredu'n gyflym i sicrhau nad yw Cymru'n llusgo ymhellach ar ei hôl hi. Dengys ffigurau diweddaraf Ofcom, ar bron bob mesur o signal ffonau symudol, fod Cymru y tu ôl i gyfartaledd y DU. Felly, ar gyfer cysylltedd 4G daearyddol gan y pedwar gweithredwr ffonau symudol fel ei gilydd, rydym ar 57 y cant, o'i gymharu â chyfartaledd y DU o 66 y cant. Sylwaf o ymateb y Llywodraeth ei bod yn credu bod lle i gyfuno TAN 19 a'r cod ymarfer yn un ddogfen, a mabwysiadu'r dull a ddefnyddir yn Lloegr drwy gael darparwyr ffonau symudol i arwain ar y gwaith hwn. Yn amlwg o ran cynllunio bydd angen sicrhau cydbwysedd bob amser rhwng yr angen am orsafoedd i ddarparu signal a phryderon y gymuned leol ynglŷn â'r dirwedd, ond rhaid inni gydnabod disgwyliadau 90 y cant o bobl sy'n defnyddio ffonau symudol y dylent gael cysylltedd symudol llawn. Ceir bylchau parhaus yn y cysylltedd nid yn unig rhwng Cymru a gwledydd eraill y DU, ond hefyd rhwng ardaloedd gwledig ac ardaloedd trefol yng Nghymru. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o hyn, wrth gwrs, yn fy etholaeth i, Sir Drefaldwyn. Bu'r pwyllgor yn ystyried sut y gallai ymrwymiad trawsrwydweithio gwledig helpu mewn ardaloedd lle mae'r signal yn wan, er ein bod yn cydnabod na fydd yn helpu os ydych mewn man gwan lle na cheir rhwydwaith i drawsrwydweithio arni, a'r rhwystredigaeth o golli signal. Serch hynny, roeddem yn argymell y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru barhau i lobïo darparwyr ffonau symudol am fynediad cyfanwerthu gwledig, ac os nad ydynt yn ymateb yn gadarnhaol, dylai Llywodraeth Cymru alw ar Lywodraeth y DU i wneud hyn yn orfodol drwy Ofcom, fel rhan o'r pecyn o fesurau i gynyddu cysylltedd. Rwy'n derbyn bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd ar drywydd y mater hwn, ac mae'n galonogol eu bod yn parhau i bwyso am hyn. O ran ein hargymhelliad y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru ymgysylltu â gweithredwyr ffonau symudol ar rinweddau rhyddhad ardrethi busnes, mae'n galonogol hefyd fod y Llywodraeth yn dweud ei bod yn edrych ar rôl cynllun cymorth ardrethi annomestig fel rhan o'r ymyriadau i fynd i'r afael â mannau gwan penodol. Wrth gwrs, tra ydym yn ceisio unioni'r problemau gyda signal 4G, mae'r siarad eisoes wedi dechrau ar symud ymlaen i gyflwyno'r genhedlaeth nesaf o gysylltedd symudol, 5G, a chrybwyllwyd hynny mewn cyfraniadau a chwestiynau yn gynharach heddiw. Mae manteision 5G, i ddarparu band eang cyflymach a gwell - [ T orri ar draws.] Fe'i cymeraf mewn eiliad, os caf, Suzy.