English: Leader of the house, back in May I raised under the business statement the fact that I had received representations from trainee doctors in Wales in the field of histopathology who, for some time now, have faced a pay gap of some £40,000 over the course of their training when compared to their English counterparts. The Welsh Government is aware of the pay gap due to correspondence between myself and the Cabinet Secretary for health on this matter. Indeed, I first raised the matter in a written question back in November 2016, yet two years on the gap persists. As I've stated previously, pay, among other factors, is clearly important to trainee doctors when deciding on where to train and study. Doctors who decide to train in Wales deserve parity with their counterparts across the border. Trainees have told me that they feel that, by deciding to work in Wales, they are being financially punished for the decision. The situation is not fair, it does nothing for morale and in the long run it undermines the Welsh Government's own attempts to attract doctors to train and work in NHS Wales. In answering our written question from myself in July of this year, the Cabinet Secretary referred to discussions with BMA Cymru and the Wales Deanery, and that he expected a report on this issue to be ready in September. Could I therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary to bring forward a statement, be it oral or written, setting out clearly the Welsh Government's position on closing this pay gap in histopathology training between Wales and England with a view to bringing this inequity to an end as soon as possible?
Welsh: Arweinydd y Tŷ, yn ôl ym mis Mai yn rhan o'r datganiad busnes, crybwyllais y ffaith fy mod wedi cael sylwadau gan feddygon yng Nghymru sy'n hyfforddi ym maes histopatholeg a oedd yn dweud eu bod, ers peth amser bellach, wedi wynebu bwlch cyflog yn ystod eu hyfforddiant o ryw £40,000 o'i gymharu â meddygon cyfatebol yn Lloegr. O ganlyniad i'r ohebiaeth rhyngof i ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd am y mater hwn, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymwybodol o'r bwlch cyflog. Mewn gwirionedd, fe wnes grybwyll y mater gyntaf mewn cwestiwn ysgrifenedig yn ôl ym mis Tachwedd 2016, ac eto, ddwy flynedd yn ddiweddarach mae'r bwlch yn parhau i fodoli. Fel yr wyf wedi'i ddweud o'r blaen, mae'n amlwg fod cyflogau, ymhlith ffactorau eraill, yn bwysig i feddygon dan hyfforddiant wrth iddyn nhw benderfynu ble y dylent hyfforddi ac astudio. Mae'r meddygon sy'n dewis hyfforddi yng Nghymru yn haeddu cydraddoldeb â meddygon cyfatebol ar draws y ffin. Mae'r meddygon dan hyfforddiant wedi dweud wrthyf eu bod yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu cosbi'n ariannol am ddewis gweithio yng Nghymru. Nid yw'r sefyllfa'n deg, nid yw'n gneud dim lles i ysbryd, ac yn y tymor hir mae'n tanseilio ymdrechion Llywodraeth Cymru i ddenu meddygon i hyfforddi a gweithio yn y GIG. Wrth ateb y cwestiwn ysgrifenedig a ddanfonais ym mis Gorffennaf eleni, cyfeiriodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet at drafodaethau gyda BMA Cymru a Deoniaeth Cymru, a dywedodd ei fod yn disgwyl y byddai adroddiad ar y mater yn barod erbyn mis Medi. Oes modd felly i mi ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i gyflwyno datganiad, boed yn llafar neu'n ysgrifenedig, sy'n egluro safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru ar gau'r bwlch cyflog hwn rhwng Cymru a Lloegr ym maes hyfforddiant histopatholeg, gyda golwg o ddod â'r annhegwch hwn i ben cyn gynted â phosibl?