English: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. The Welsh Government recognises the challenges facing businesses during the pandemic, and an extraordinary effort has gone into providing the most generous business support package anywhere in the UK. Our £1.7 billion package includes over £350 million of non-domestic rates relief for businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors, and this scheme reduces the rates bills for these businesses to zero for this financial year. This is in addition to our existing rates relief schemes, which are providing over £230 million of support this year. As a result of our schemes, over 70,000 businesses and other organisations in Wales are paying no rates this year. We've also provided over £800 million of funding for grants related to rateable values to support small and medium-sized businesses across Wales, including businesses in the retail sector. We've worked with local authorities to ensure that this funding has reached businesses as quickly as possible, and I want to thank all local authorities across Wales for the agile and efficient way in which they've approached this challenge to support businesses across our communities. So far, they've issued over 60,000 grants to eligible businesses. Unlike in England, businesses not eligible for these schemes have been able to apply for financial support via our £0.5 billion economic resilience fund, which has been designed to address the gaps in the UK left in the UK Government's offer. I know that not every business has qualified for financial support, and our package has been designed to be affordable within the available funding in the face of an unprecedented global pandemic. Despite these pressures, the Office for National Statistics figures show that 34 per cent of all businesses in Wales have received Government support in Wales, compared with 14 per cent in England. Our ability to go beyond the support offered by the UK Government was in part funded by our decision to cap the support available through our new rates relief measures, and that decision was not taken lightly. It enabled over £100 million to be directed towards our economic resilience fund, which supports businesses of all sizes. To illustrate the impact that this has, this is the sum needed to fund grants of £50,000 for over 2,000 Welsh SMEs, and this fund has supported thousands of small businesses, which make up a greater share of the Welsh economy, with many serving as the backbone of our communities. Turning to the challenges facing Debenhams, I recognise the importance of Debenhams stores to our towns and cities across Wales, and I have met with the chair of Debenhams to learn more about the company's position. It's important to recognise that the majority of Debenhams stores in Wales are receiving rate relief and grant support, which amounts to £1.3 million this year. However, Debenhams's problems are well documented, and, as the company faces its third insolvency process in 12 months, I just don't think it's credible to claim that the sustainability of the business could be guaranteed by further rates relief from the Welsh Government. Debenhams has already announced the closure of some of its stores across UK, and those include a number of premises that were eligible for rate relief. And given this challenging backdrop, I referred the company to the economic resilience fund, which has supported strategically important businesses in Wales with a rateable value over £500,000. It's only right that any further support is linked to clear commitments on jobs and business plans, because they're the factors that determine whether our support actually delivers for our communities, our town centres and our workers in Wales. With our finite resources, I am confident that a fair balance was struck by limiting rate relief for those larger premises in order to support smaller businesses with nowhere else to turn. We must also recognise that non-domestic rates exist to help fund the local services that we all rely on. Every penny of revenue collected is used to fund local services, and these services are vital in ordinary times, but, in the current circumstances, local authorities are also providing direct and crucial support in dealing with the impact of the virus. So, to conclude, while working at a pace and scale that is entirely unprecedented, the Welsh Government has provided support to Debenhams and engaged positively with the company, whilst seeking to protect jobs and ensure the sound use of public money. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cydnabod yr heriau sy'n wynebu busnesau yn ystod y pandemig, a chafwyd ymdrech ryfeddol i ddarparu'r pecyn cymorth mwyaf hael i fusnesau yn unrhyw ran o'r DU. Mae ein pecyn gwerth £1.7 biliwn yn cynnwys dros £350 miliwn o ryddhad ardrethi annomestig i fusnesau yn y sectorau manwerthu, hamdden a lletygarwch, ac mae'r cynllun hwn yn gostwng y biliau ardrethi ar gyfer y busnesau hyn i sero ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol hon. Mae hyn yn ychwanegol at ein cynlluniau rhyddhad ardrethi presennol, sy'n darparu dros £230 miliwn o gymorth eleni. O ganlyniad i'n cynlluniau, nid yw dros 70,000 o fusnesau a sefydliadau eraill yng Nghymru yn talu unrhyw ardrethi o gwbl eleni. Rydym hefyd wedi darparu dros £800 miliwn o gyllid ar gyfer grantiau sy'n gysylltiedig â gwerthoedd ardrethol i gefnogi busnesau bach a chanolig ledled Cymru, gan gynnwys busnesau yn y sector manwerthu. Rydym wedi gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i sicrhau bod yr arian hwn wedi cyrraedd busnesau cyn gynted â phosibl, ac rwyf am ddiolch i bob awdurdod lleol ledled Cymru am y ffordd hyblyg ac effeithlon y maent wedi mynd i'r afael â'r her hon i gefnogi busnesau ar draws ein cymunedau. Hyd yn hyn, maent wedi rhoi dros 60,000 o grantiau i fusnesau cymwys. Yn wahanol i Loegr, mae busnesau nad ydynt yn gymwys ar gyfer y cynlluniau hyn wedi gallu gwneud cais am gymorth ariannol drwy ein cronfa cadernid economaidd gwerth £0.5 biliwn, cronfa a luniwyd i fynd i'r afael â'r bylchau yn y DU a adawyd yng nghynnig Llywodraeth y DU. Gwn nad yw pob busnes wedi cymhwyso i gael cymorth ariannol, ac mae ein pecyn wedi'i gynllunio i fod yn fforddiadwy o fewn yr arian sydd ar gael yn wyneb pandemig byd-eang digyffelyb. Er gwaethaf y pwysau hyn, mae ffigurau'r Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol yn dangos bod 34 y cant o'r holl fusnesau yng Nghymru wedi cael cymorth gan y Llywodraeth yng Nghymru, o'i gymharu â 14 y cant yn Lloegr. Cafodd ein gallu i fynd y tu hwnt i'r cymorth a gynigir gan Lywodraeth y DU ei ariannu'n rhannol gan ein penderfyniad i gapio'r cymorth sydd ar gael drwy ein mesurau rhyddhad ardrethi newydd, ac ni wnaed y penderfyniad hwnnw ar chwarae bach. Galluogodd dros £100 miliwn i gael ei gyfeirio tuag at ein cronfa cadernid economaidd, sy'n cefnogi busnesau o bob maint. I ddangos yr effaith a gaiff hyn, dyma'r swm sydd ei angen i ariannu grantiau o £50,000 ar gyfer dros 2,000 o fusnesau bach a chanolig yng Nghymru, ac mae'r gronfa hon wedi cynorthwyo miloedd o fusnesau bach, sy'n gyfran fwy o economi Cymru, gyda llawer ohonynt yn asgwrn cefn i'n cymunedau. Gan droi at yr heriau sy'n wynebu Debenhams, rwy'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd siopau Debenhams i'n trefi a'n dinasoedd ledled Cymru, ac rwyf wedi cyfarfod â chadeirydd Debenhams i ddysgu mwy am sefyllfa'r cwmni. Mae'n bwysig cydnabod bod y rhan fwyaf o siopau Debenhams yng Nghymru yn derbyn rhyddhad ardrethi a chymorth grantiau gwerth £1.3 miliwn eleni. Fodd bynnag, mae problemau Debenhams wedi'u dogfennu'n dda, ac wrth i'r cwmni wynebu ei drydedd broses ansolfedd mewn 12 mis, nid wyf yn credu ei bod yn gredadwy honni y gellid gwarantu cynaliadwyedd y busnes drwy ryddhad ardrethi pellach gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae Debenhams eisoes wedi cyhoeddi bod rhai o'i siopau'n cau ledled y DU, ac mae'r rheini'n cynnwys nifer o safleoedd a oedd yn gymwys i gael rhyddhad ardrethi. Ac o ystyried y cefndir heriol hwn, cyfeiriais y cwmni at y gronfa cadernid economaidd, sydd wedi cefnogi busnesau sy'n strategol bwysig yng Nghymru gyda gwerth ardrethol o dros £500,000. Nid yw ond yn iawn fod unrhyw gymorth pellach yn gysylltiedig ag ymrwymiadau clir ynghylch swyddi a chynlluniau busnes, oherwydd dyma'r ffactorau sy'n pennu a yw ein cymorth yn cyflawni mewn gwirionedd ar gyfer ein cymunedau, canol ein trefi a'n gweithwyr yng Nghymru. Gyda'n hadnoddau cyfyngedig, rwy'n hyderus fod cydbwysedd teg wedi'i daro drwy gyfyngu rhyddhad ardrethi i'r safleoedd mwy hynny er mwyn cefnogi busnesau llai heb unman arall i droi. Rhaid inni gydnabod hefyd fod ardrethi annomestig yn bodoli i helpu i ariannu'r gwasanaethau lleol rydym oll yn dibynnu arnynt. Caiff pob ceiniog o refeniw a gesglir ei defnyddio i ariannu gwasanaethau lleol, ac mae'r gwasanaethau hyn yn hanfodol ar adegau arferol, ond o dan yr amgylchiadau presennol, mae awdurdodau lleol hefyd yn darparu cymorth uniongyrchol a hanfodol wrth ymdrin ag effaith y feirws. Felly, i orffen, gan weithio ar gyflymder ac i raddau sy'n gwbl ddigynsail, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi cymorth i Debenhams ac wedi ymgysylltu'n gadarnhaol â'r cwmni, tra'n ceisio diogelu swyddi a sicrhau bod arian cyhoeddus yn cael ei ddefnyddio'n ddoeth. Diolch yn fawr.