English: I'm pleased to contribute to this afternoon's important debate on budget priorities, as we move into the all-important budget-setting phase of the Welsh Government and the budget-scrutinising phase of the Assembly's Finance Committee. I was pleased to take part in the stakeholder event at the Marine hotel in Aberystwyth - a nice sunny day, as I seem to remember; it seems a world away now. We had a lot of discussion in the previous debate about the views of politicians and the views of Members in this Chamber and chambers like this vis-à-vis the views of the public, so I think those stakeholder events are all-important as a means of getting out there and finding out what people on the ground, in businesses and organisations in the third sector - what their priorities are, so that we, as a committee, can feed back to the Welsh Government and we can try and form a budget that is truly in the interests of all. I think it became clear, through the course of the event in Aberystwyth, that there was universal agreement that prevention and early intervention are key words and concepts that should be at the heart of budget allocation. Yet, this core idea of prevention and planning ahead on the one hand - too often it was felt that that was being negated, or at least lessened, on the other hand, by the increased pressures on budgets, which public organisations and public bodies across Wales too often feel that they are sinking under - not to use too strong an expression. And those organisations find longer term planning really difficult. We heard concerning evidence that many local authorities have reached saturation point - that was the word that they used - and cannot absorb any more additional costs. This is leading to cuts in non-statutory services, such as leisure, culture and transport, which can then have a knock-on negative impact on the well-being of the local population. I know that the Minister will have heard many of these concerns from local authorities for a long time; we've heard them on the committee for a considerable length of time. And it's too easy to think, 'Well, they would say that, wouldn't they, because they're at the coalface?' But, nonetheless, when these sorts of public services, local services, are cut, then there are knock-on effects and there are impacts on other budgets, because money has to come from other budgets to fund the non-statutory commitments. And, of course, when things like leisure centres see cuts and other cultural places see cuts, then local well-being can be affected and then the health service and social services have to pick up the consequences. So, we can end up in a vicious circle, where there's greater pressure on the statutory services, which are at the centre of what the local authorities are providing. And, of course, these services are even more stretched in rural areas. Issues such as rural transport I'm constantly raising in this Chamber. Those issues apply even greater pressures in rural areas across Wales. It was very interesting that shareholders also questioned the affordability of some universal services, such as free prescriptions, which we don't discuss so much in this Chamber anymore, and it's probably become a little bit more a part of the accepted landscape. But when you talk to stakeholders out there, as we did, they are saying that universally provided things like that - yes, there might be a really positive thing that people want to have, but when budgets are stretched and local authorities and public services have to make important decisions, they feel that they have to look across the board at everything, otherwise you see important areas being cut. The issue of cost neutrality came up time and time again. It's a key issue for the Finance Committee. We're often told by the Welsh Government that new legislation is cost neutral, and often by Members when legislation is coming through. Our stakeholders told us that it is rarely the case in practice, and often there are hidden costs, which we don't see at the time that we're looking at legislation, that are there and that have knock-on effects out there in communities. They wanted the Welsh Government to have a better way of assessing hidden costs that there can be behind legislation and budget decisions. Brexit was, of course, raised during the session - impossible to avoid at the moment. By the way, for anyone who's read the Finance Committee report, I don't think there is such a thing as a 'new deal' Brexit, nice as that might be. I think stakeholders were actually talking about a 'no deal' Brexit. I think it was a merging of two different concepts there. Maybe it's, I don't know, a new term that's going to enter over the next couple of weeks. But with 'no deal' Brexit, they did feel there needed to be planning into that. No-one we spoke to wanted a 'no deal' Brexit, but they recognised that if that is looming on the horizon, there does have to be some work done to try and mitigate any potential consequences of that. We know that the UK Government's spending round has resulted in an extra £600 million, or slightly less - I think it was £593 million or £594 million that the Chair said - coming into the Welsh budget, and £18 million extra capital. That's an over 2 per cent increase in real terms, and that is to be welcomed. The UK Government has said that we are turning a corner. I accept it's been a long time and pressures are still out there, but I think what's important to the stakeholders we spoke to and to people across Wales is that the Welsh Government does make sure that that money that's being spent on public services in Wales - the health service, education - does get passed on to the all-important public services, and the front line of public services in Wales, so that we can see the sort of improvements here that people really do want to see.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch o gyfrannu at y ddadl bwysig y prynhawn yma ar flaenoriaethau'r gyllideb, wrth i ni symud i gyfnod hollbwysig gosod cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru a chyfnod craffu ar gyllideb Pwyllgor Cyllid y Cynulliad. Roeddwn yn falch o gymryd rhan yn y digwyddiad i randdeiliaid yng Ngwesty'r Marine yn Aberystwyth - diwrnod heulog braf, yn ôl fel y cofiaf; mae'n ymddangos ymhell i ffwrdd yn awr. Cawsom lawer o drafodaeth yn y ddadl flaenorol am farn gwleidyddion a barn Aelodau yn y Siambr hon a siambrau tebyg i hon ynglŷn â barn y cyhoedd, felly credaf fod y digwyddiadau hynny i randdeiliaid yn hollbwysig fel ffordd o fynd allan a chanfod beth y mae pobl ar lawr gwlad, mewn busnesau a sefydliadau yn y trydydd sector - beth yw eu blaenoriaethau, fel y gallwn ni, fel pwyllgor, fwydo'n ôl i Lywodraeth Cymru, a gallwn geisio ffurfio cyllideb sy'n wirioneddol o fudd i bawb. Credaf iddi ddod yn amlwg, drwy gydol y digwyddiad yn Aberystwyth, fod yna gytundeb cyffredinol fod atal ac ymyrraeth gynnar yn eiriau ac yn gysyniadau allweddol a ddylai fod wrth wraidd y broses o ddyrannu'r gyllideb. Eto, y syniad craidd hwn o atal a blaengynllunio ar y naill law - yn rhy aml, teimlid bod hynny'n cael ei negyddu, neu o leiaf ei leihau, ar y llaw arall, gan y pwysau cynyddol ar gyllidebau, y mae sefydliadau a chyrff cyhoeddus ledled Cymru'n rhy aml yn teimlo eu bod yn suddo oddi tano - i beidio â defnyddio ymadrodd rhy gryf. Ac mae cynllunio mwy hirdymor yn anodd iawn i'r sefydliadau hynny. Clywsom dystiolaeth sy'n peri pryder fod llawer o awdurdodau lleol wedi cyrraedd pwynt dirlawnder - dyna'r ymadrodd a ddefnyddiwyd ganddynt - ac na allant amsugno rhagor o gostau ychwanegol. Mae hyn yn arwain at doriadau mewn gwasanaethau anstatudol, fel hamdden, diwylliant a thrafnidiaeth, sydd wedyn yn gallu cael effaith ganlyniadol negyddol ar les y boblogaeth leol. Gwn y bydd y Gweinidog wedi clywed llawer o'r pryderon hyn gan awdurdodau lleol dros amser maith; rydym wedi eu clywed ar y pwyllgor ers cryn amser. Ac mae'n rhy hawdd meddwl, 'Wel, fe fyddent yn dweud hynny, oni fyddent, am eu bod ar y talcen caled?' Ond er hynny, pan fydd y mathau hyn o wasanaethau cyhoeddus, gwasanaethau lleol, yn cael eu torri, ceir sgil-effeithiau a cheir effeithiau ar gyllidebau eraill, oherwydd mae'r arian yn gorfod dod o gyllidebau eraill i ariannu'r ymrwymiadau anstatudol. Ac wrth gwrs, pan fydd pethau fel canolfannau hamdden yn gweld toriadau, a mannau diwylliannol eraill yn gweld toriadau, mae'n bosibl y bydd effaith ar lesiant lleol ac mae'n rhaid i'r gwasanaeth iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ymdopi â'r canlyniadau. Felly, gallwn gael ein dal mewn cylch diddiwedd, lle y ceir mwy o bwysau ar y gwasanaethau statudol, sydd wrth wraidd yr hyn y mae'r awdurdodau lleol yn ei ddarparu. Ac wrth gwrs, mae mwy fyth o bwysau ar y gwasanaethau hyn mewn ardaloedd gwledig. Rwy'n siarad yn gyson am faterion megis trafnidiaeth wledig yn y Siambr hon. Mae'r materion hynny'n creu mwy fyth o bwysau mewn ardaloedd gwledig ledled Cymru. Roedd yn ddiddorol iawn fod rhanddeiliaid hefyd wedi cwestiynu fforddiadwyedd rhai o'r gwasanaethau cyffredinol, megis presgripsiynau am ddim, nad ydym yn trafod cymaint arnynt yn y Siambr hon bellach, ac mae'n debyg fod hynny wedi tyfu'n fwy o ran o'r dirwedd a dderbynnir. Ond pan siaradwch â rhanddeiliaid, fel y gwnaethom ni, maent yn dweud bod pethau o'r fath sy'n cael eu darparu i bawb - efallai fod yna rywbeth gwirioneddol gadarnhaol y mae pobl am ei gael, ond pan fydd cyllidebau'n dynn a bod yn rhaid i awdurdodau lleol a gwasanaethau cyhoeddus wneud penderfyniadau pwysig, teimlant fod yn rhaid iddynt edrych yn gyffredinol ar bopeth, neu fel arall fe welwch feysydd pwysig yn cael eu torri. Cododd mater niwtraliaeth cost dro ar ôl tro. Mae'n fater allweddol i'r Pwyllgor Cyllid. Dywedir wrthym yn aml gan Lywodraeth Cymru fod deddfwriaeth newydd yn niwtral o ran cost, a chan Aelodau'n aml wrth drafod deddfwriaeth. Dywedodd ein rhanddeiliaid wrthym mai anaml y mae hyn yn wir yn ymarferol, ac yn aml ceir costau cudd nad ydym yn eu gweld pan fyddwn yn edrych ar ddeddfwriaeth, ac maent yno ac yn cael effeithiau canlyniadol yn y cymunedau. Roeddent am i Lywodraeth Cymru gael gwell ffordd o asesu'r costau cudd a all ddeillio o ddeddfwriaeth a phenderfyniadau cyllidebol. Soniwyd am Brexit yn ystod y sesiwn wrth gwrs - mae'n amhosibl ei osgoi ar hyn o bryd. Gyda llaw, i unrhyw un sydd wedi darllen adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cyllid, nid wyf yn credu bod y fath beth â Brexit 'cytundeb newydd' yn bodoli, er mor braf y gallai hynny fod. Rwy'n credu bod y rhanddeiliaid yn siarad am Brexit 'heb gytundeb' mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n credu bod dau gysyniad gwahanol wedi dod at ei gilydd yno. Efallai ei fod yn derm newydd a ddaw'n amlwg dros yr wythnosau nesaf, nid wyf yn gwybod. Ond gyda Brexit 'heb gytundeb', roeddent yn teimlo bod angen cynllunio ar gyfer hynny. Nid oedd neb y buom yn siarad â hwy eisiau Brexit 'heb gytundeb', ond roeddent yn cydnabod, os mai dyna sydd ar y gorwel, fod angen gwneud rhywfaint o waith i geisio lliniaru unrhyw ganlyniadau posibl yn ei sgil. Gwyddom fod cylch gwariant Llywodraeth y DU wedi arwain at £600 miliwn ychwanegol, neu ychydig yn llai - credaf mai £593 miliwn neu £594 miliwn a ddywedodd y Cadeirydd - yn dod i mewn i gyllideb Cymru, a £18 miliwn o gyfalaf ychwanegol. Dyna gynnydd o dros 2 y cant mewn termau real, ac mae hynny i'w groesawu. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi dweud ein bod yn troi'r gornel. Rwy'n derbyn ei bod hi wedi bod yn amser hir a bod pwysau yno o hyd, ond rwy'n credu mai'r hyn sy'n bwysig i'r rhanddeiliaid y buom yn siarad â hwy ac i bobl ledled Cymru yw bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud yn siŵr fod yr arian hwnnw sy'n cael ei wario ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru - y gwasanaeth iechyd, addysg - yn cael ei drosglwyddo i'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus hollbwysig, ac i reng flaen gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru, fel y gallwn weld y math o welliannau y mae pobl yn awyddus iawn i'w gweld.