English: It should hardly be necessary to have a debate calling for adequate funding for a national library. It's regrettable that we got to this point, but like others I should like to thank the Minister for his role in ensuring that the funding package announced today has actually been brought forth. The National Library of Wales has played an important part in my life. In fact, I spent several years buried in its vaults when I was a research student at Aberystwyth, on more than one occasion actually being locked in for the night because I'd been forgotten about. So, I have many fond memories of those years. It is true, as David Melding said, that a library is more than just a collection of books. He said it was a repository of the soul of nation. Well, I think it is, and it's the collective repository of a nation's thoughts. It's inconceivable that it could ever be allowed to wither and die or to be damaged by neglect. We have had years of neglect, despite what Mick Antoniw said. It may not have been a conscious decision to want to vandalise the library, but it is an inconvenient fact that, over many, many years, the library has been deprived of adequate funding, and that's now been partly addressed. I think it's as well for us to recognise both of those points. The national library is the cornerstone of Wales's cultural and material heritage, as is illustrated by the documents that it contains, which have been recognised by UNESCO as being of international importance, and among the most important documentary treasures in the world. Other speakers have mentioned some of the contents of the collection, which is 6 million books as well as, nowadays - let's be a bit more modern - 7 million ft of film, 250,000 hours of video, and 150,000 hours of audio. I think we should remember a point that has perhaps not been emphasised as much as it could have in the course of this debate, although some speakers have mentioned it, and that is the importance of the national library as a champion of the Welsh language, in fact, the centrepiece of the defence, preservation and promotion of the Welsh language. The library was founded just over 100 years ago, and the principal founding collection was that of Sir John Williams, a collection of 23,000-odd books, and that collection contained 12 of the first 22 books published in the Welsh language, including Yny lhyvyr hwnn, which was the first book known to be published in Welsh, and indeed that is the only copy extant. That is inside the collection. There is also a substantial Celtic language collection from all the six languages of the Celtic languages group - a very substantial collection of Irish literature and also Breton literature. All, or virtually all, known books published in the Cornish and Manx languages are in the national library. So far as I know, that is the best collection in the world of these books. It's inconceivable that we could damage an institution that is so important, I would say, to the cultural history of the world. We look at the facts: the revenue grant in aid for 2020-21 was just short of £10 million, £9.89 million. Well, 15 years ago, in 2006-07, the figure was £9.57 million. We've had substantial inflation in the meantime, so the consequence is, although there has never been a cut in the funding for the library, in effect there's been a cut, which has been administered by the process of inflation. Its useable income has therefore declined by 40 per cent in those years.
Welsh: Prin y dylai fod angen cael dadl yn galw am gyllid digonol ar gyfer llyfrgell genedlaethol. Mae'n drueni ein bod wedi cyrraedd y pwynt hwn, ond fel eraill hoffwn ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am ei rôl yn sicrhau bod y pecyn ariannu a gyhoeddwyd heddiw wedi'i gyflwyno. Mae Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru wedi chwarae rhan bwysig yn fy mywyd. Yn wir, treuliais sawl blwyddyn wedi fy nghladdu yn ei daeargelloedd pan oeddwn yn fyfyriwr ymchwil yn Aberystwyth, a chefais fy nghloi i mewn am y nos ar fwy nag un achlysur mewn gwirionedd oherwydd fy mod wedi cael fy anghofio. Felly, mae gennyf lawer o atgofion melys o'r blynyddoedd hynny. Mae'n wir, fel y dywedodd David Melding, fod llyfrgell yn fwy na chasgliad o lyfrau yn unig. Dywedodd ei bod yn ystorfa ar gyfer enaid y genedl. Wel, rwy'n credu hynny, ac mae'n ystorfa gyfunol o feddyliau cenedl. Ni ellir dirnad y gellid byth caniatáu iddi wywo a marw neu gael ei difrodi gan esgeulustod. Rydym wedi cael blynyddoedd o esgeulustod, er gwaethaf yr hyn a ddywedodd Mick Antoniw. Efallai nad oedd yn benderfyniad ymwybodol o fod eisiau fandaleiddio'r llyfrgell, ond mae'n ffaith anghyfleus fod y llyfrgell, dros flynyddoedd lawer, wedi'i hamddifadu o gyllid digonol, ac mae hynny bellach wedi cael sylw rhannol. Rwy'n credu ei bod o fudd inni gydnabod y ddau bwynt fel ei gilydd. Y llyfrgell genedlaethol yw conglfaen treftadaeth ddiwylliannol a materol Cymru, fel y dangosir gan y dogfennau y mae'n eu cynnwys, ac y cydnabu UNESCO eu bod o bwysigrwydd rhyngwladol ac ymhlith y trysorau dogfennol pwysicaf yn y byd. Mae siaradwyr eraill wedi sôn am beth o gynnwys y casgliad, sy'n 6 miliwn o lyfrau, a hefyd, y dyddiau hyn - gadewch inni fod ychydig yn fwy modern - 7 miliwn troedfedd o ffilm, 250,000 awr o fideo, a 150,000 awr o sain. Credaf y dylem gofio pwynt na chafodd ei bwysleisio gymaint ag y gellid bod wedi'i wneud yn ystod y ddadl hon o bosibl, er bod rhai siaradwyr wedi sôn amdano, sef pwysigrwydd y llyfrgell genedlaethol fel hyrwyddwr y Gymraeg, a chanolbwynt y gwaith o amddiffyn, cadw a hyrwyddo'r Gymraeg. Sefydlwyd y llyfrgell ychydig dros 100 mlynedd yn ôl, a'r prif gasgliad sefydlu oedd un Syr John Williams, casgliad o oddeutu 23,000 o lyfrau, yn cynnwys 12 o'r 22 llyfr cyntaf a gyhoeddwyd yn y Gymraeg, gan gynnwys Yny lhyvyr hwnn, sef y llyfr cyntaf y gwyddys ei fod wedi'i gyhoeddi yn Gymraeg, ac yn wir dyna'r unig gopi sy'n bodoli. Mae hwnnw yn y casgliad. Ceir casgliad Celtaidd sylweddol o bob un o chwe iaith y grŵp o ieithoedd Celtaidd - casgliad sylweddol iawn o lenyddiaeth Wyddeleg a llenyddiaeth Lydaweg hefyd. Mae pob llyfr, neu bron iawn bob llyfr y gwyddys iddynt gael eu cyhoeddi mewn Cernyweg a Manaweg yn y llyfrgell genedlaethol. Hyd y gwn i, dyna'r casgliad gorau yn y byd o'r llyfrau hyn. Mae'n amhosibl dirnad y gallem niweidio sefydliad sydd mor bwysig, fe ddywedwn i, i hanes diwylliannol y byd. Edrychwn ar y ffeithiau: roedd y refeniw cymorth grant ar gyfer 2020-21 ychydig yn brin o £10 miliwn, £9.89 miliwn. Wel, 15 mlynedd yn ôl, yn 2006-07, roedd y ffigur yn £9.57 miliwn. Rydym wedi cael chwyddiant sylweddol yn y cyfamser, felly er na fu toriad erioed yn y cyllid ar gyfer y llyfrgell, y canlyniad yw bod toriad wedi'i wneud i bob pwrpas yn sgil proses chwyddiant. Felly, mae ei incwm defnyddiadwy wedi gostwng 40 y cant yn y blynyddoedd hynny.