English: I think there are three main areas of recommendations and I'll try refer to these in turn. They include the need for Amgueddfa Cymru to maximise income to improve sustainability and to decrease its significant dependency on public funding, to develop links and relationships, especially with the Welsh Government, and to develop the interpretation offer in the museums across the entire institution. Several recommendations identify the need for Amgueddfa Cymru to work differently to maximise its potential for income generation. I acknowledge that it's not easy for a large and complex organisation to change its business model, but it is important that this does happen and, in the substantial discussions that I've had with Amgueddfa Cymru, it's clear that there is a willingness to accept and embrace the need for change. In addition to this, the museum is already involved in the Historic Wales partnership, and I certainly appreciate the collaboration between different aspects of heritage work, especially Cadw's work, which continues - as you'll remember from a previous statement that I made here - as part of the Government, although it has greater independence in its work and its management. So, I look forward to seeing further development in the partnership and closer collaboration between the institutions in the Historic Wales partnership. I also appreciate the willingness of the unions to take part in the discussions, and the assurance that I can give here publicly that the points of view of staff are a vital part of the process of making decisions. Amgueddfa Cymru has a real opportunity to consider the excellent improvement made by Cadw in terms of income generation and to learn relevant lessons. While many Cadw sites have an admission charge, this report does draw attention to other national organisations in the United Kingdom that provide free entry to their permanent galleries while charging for admission to see special exhibitions and to receive additional services. So, I'd like to emphasise that Amgueddfa Cymru is considering other opportunities too, including, for example, car and coach parking, improving the catering offer, looking at the opening hours and considering whether it would be possible for some sites to open at particular times of the year. A recommendation that is also made in this report is vitally important in recommending the appointment of an experienced commercial director. The museum, certainly in its discussions with me, has accepted this idea gladly, because the skills that would be provided by such an appointment would drive change and improvement across the institution. May I refer again to the particular success of St Fagans? The museum has raised over £30 million to bring the new projects at St Fagans to fruition. The majority of this funding has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Welsh Government, but the rest of the funding, which is a substantial amount, has been raised thanks to the hard work of the trustees and staff of the museum. This funding has come from a variety of sources, which demonstrates that the museum can identify opportunities and attract funding to projects. Even though this process has been successful, it's important that I acknowledge here today that it has taken considerable time and effort and that I appreciate that time and effort. Now, there will always be a balance to maintain between our hugely successful policy, which has been long established, of offering free entry and the need to be more commercially minded, and I'm eager to hear Members' views on how we can ensure that that balance is struck. The second series of recommendations that I referred to by Dr Simon Thurley revolve around relationships, particularly between the Welsh Government and Amgueddfa Cymru. The report does raise concerns about what it considers an unwarranted level of control. I understand that concern, and, as someone who has been involved in a number of public institutions over the years, I think that it is important at the same time to have stricter scrutiny processes for expenditure and institutions, as well as to ensure that there is a way, in so doing, of looking at other institutions within the United Kingdom that are willing to take advantage of the possibility of generating additional income. There is no opposition in principle to this additional income being generated, as long as it sits alongside the fundamental principle of free entry in general to the institutions. I hope therefore that these recommendations will be considered further, and I look forward to the full debate on that in this place. But I'd also like to say one further thing before I conclude my opening comments. Reference has been made in the report, which made very painful reading for me, to a breakdown in the relationship between senior management teams and the unions representing the workforce. Clearly, this isn't a healthy situation for any public body or for any commercial organisation or partnership to be in. I don't want to make any specific comments about management issues here today. That wouldn't be appropriate. I respect the arm's-length principle in cultural institutions and I believe that the Welsh Government must maintain this distance in order to be effective in its scrutiny function of bodies that it funds. I encourage collaboration, including the Acas negotiation process if necessary, and in that situation I hope that we won't fall into the trap of repeating history that would repeat that failure to understand each other. The third area that I wish to deal with in these opening remarks conveys the importance of developing the particular offer of the museums. I am very grateful for the careful and detailed comments that have been made on all of the locations, but particularly the National Slate Museum, a museum that is very close to my heart, of course, because of the familial link with the industry, and also the National Roman Legion Museum, which I had the huge pleasure of visiting in Caerleon yesterday. Again, the example of St Fagans is before us, and it shows how these smaller museums can take advantage of the experience of St Fagans and at Cadw to develop their offer, demonstrating that a museum isn't a static body but a body that continues to grow as the understanding of the nation's history also grows. As I said, I have met the museum's officials several times to discuss this report and the recommendations, and I continue to look forward to collaborating with them, and I'm eager this afternoon, and from today onwards, to hear your contribution as the National Assembly that has responsibility for our national institutions in the process of reforming them. Thank you very much for listening.
Welsh: Rydw i'n credu bod yna dri phrif faes o argymhellion ac fe geisiaf i gyfeirio at y rhain yn eu tro. Maen nhw'n cynnwys yr angen i'r amgueddfa greu mwy o incwm er mwyn gwella cynaliadwyedd a lleihau'r ddibyniaeth sylweddol iawn ar arian cyhoeddus, datblygu a gwella cysylltiadau, yn enwedig gyda Llywodraeth Cymru, a datblygu'r cynnig dehongli yn yr amgueddfeydd ar draws y sefydliad cyfan. Mae sawl argymhelliad yn nodi bod angen i Amgueddfa Cymru weithio'n wahanol er mwyn manteisio'n llawn ar ei photensial i greu incwm. Rydw i'n deall nad ydy'n hawdd i sefydliad mawr a chymhleth newid ei fodel busnes, ond mae'n bwysig fod hynny yn digwydd, ac, yn y trafodaethau sylweddol rydw i wedi'u cael yn barod efo Amgueddfa Cymru, mae'n amlwg fod yna barodrwydd i dderbyn a chofleidio'r angen am newid. Yn ogystal â hynny, mae'r amgueddfa bellach yn rhan o bartneriaeth Cymru Hanesyddol. Rwy'n sicr yn gwerthfawrogi y cydweithrediad rhwng gwahanol agweddau o waith treftadaeth, yn arbennig gwaith Cadw, sydd yn parhau - fel y byddwch chi'n cofio o ddatganiad blaenorol y gwnes i yma - yn rhan o'r Llywodraeth o hyd, er gyda mwy o annibyniaeth ar gyfer ei waith a'i reolaeth. Felly, rydw i'n edrych ymlaen at weld datblygiad pellach yn y bartneriaeth a chydweithio closiach rhwng y sefydliadau ym mhartneriaeth Cymru Hanesyddol. Rydw i hefyd yn gwerthfawrogi parodrwydd yr undebau i gymryd rhan yn y trafodaethau, a'r sicrwydd y medraf i ei roi yma'n gyhoeddus bod safbwyntiau staff yn rhan hanfodol o'r broses o wneud penderfyniadau. Mae gan Amgueddfa Cymru gyfle da i ystyried y gwelliant rhagorol a wnaed gan Cadw o ran creu incwm, ac i ddysgu gwersi perthnasol. Er bod angen talu i gael mynediad i lawer o safleoedd Cadw, mae'r adroddiad yma'n cyfeirio at sefydliadau cenedlaethol eraill yn y Deyrnas Unedig sy'n cynnig mynediad am ddim i'w horielau parhaol ond hefyd yn codi tâl i weld arddangosfeydd arbennig a chael gwasanaethau ychwanegol. Felly, fe garwn i bwysleisio fod Amgueddfa Cymru yn ystyried cyfleoedd eraill hefyd, gan gynnwys gwasanaethau parcio ceir a bysiau, gwella'r cynnig arlwyo, edrych ar yr oriau agor ac ystyried a fyddai'n bosibl i rai safleoedd agor ar adegau penodol. Mae'r argymhelliad sydd wedi cael ei wneud yn yr adroddiad yma hefyd, yn allweddol iawn, yn argymell penodi cyfarwyddwr masnachol profiadol. Mae'r Amgueddfa yn ei thrafodaethau, yn sicr efo fi, wedi derbyn y syniad yna yn llawen, oherwydd y byddai'r sgiliau a fyddai'n cael eu cynnig gan benodiad fel yna yn hyrwyddo newid a gwelliant ar draws y sefydliad. A gaf i gyfeirio yma eto at lwyddiant arbennig Sain Ffagan? Mae'r amgueddfa wedi codi dros £30 miliwn i roi'r prosiectau newydd yn Sain Ffagan ar waith. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r cyllid yma wedi dod o Gronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri a Llywodraeth Cymru, ond mae gweddill yr arian - sy'n swm sylweddol - wedi'i godi diolch i waith dygn ymddiriedolwyr a staff yr amgueddfa. Mae'r arian yma wedi dod o ffynonellau amrywiol, sy'n dangos bod yr amgueddfa yn gallu dod o hyd i gyfleoedd a sicrhau cyllid ar gyfer prosiectau. Er bod y broses hon wedi llwyddo, mae'n bwysig fy mod i'n cydnabod yma heddiw ei bod hi wedi cymryd cryn amser ac ymdrech a fy mod i'n gwerthfawrogi hynny. Fe fydd angen sicrhau cydbwysedd o hyd rhwng ein polisi hynod lwyddiannus, sydd wedi'i hen ymsefydlu, o gynnig mynediad am ddim a'r angen i fod yn fwy masnachol. Rydw i'n awyddus i glywed barn Aelodau ynglŷn â sut y gallwn ni sicrhau'r cydbwysedd yna. Mae'r ail gyfres o argymhellion y cyfeiriais i atyn nhw gan Dr Simon Thurley yn ymwneud â chysylltiadau, yn enwedig y cysylltiad rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru â'r amgueddfa. Mae'r adroddiad yn codi pryderon ynglŷn â'r hyn y mae'n ei ystyried yn lefel ddiangen o reolaeth. Rydw i'n deall y pryderon yna, ac, fel un sydd wedi ymwneud â nifer o sefydliadau cyhoeddus dros y blynyddoedd, r ydw i'n meddwl ei bod hi yn bwysig ar yr un pryd i gael prosesau craffu llymach ar sefydliadau ac ar wariant, yn ogystal ag i sicrhau bod modd, wrth wneud hynny hefyd, edrych ar sefydliadau eraill o fewn y Deyrnas Unedig sydd yn fodlon manteisio ar bosibiliadau o greu incwm ychwanegol. Nid oes gwrthwynebiad mewn egwyddor i'r incwm ychwanegol yma gael ei greu, cyhyd â bod hynny'n gallu eistedd gydag egwyddor sylfaenol mynediad di-dâl yn gyffredinol i'r sefydliadau. Rydw i'n gobeithio felly y bydd yr argymhellion yma yn cael eu hystyried ymhellach ac rydw i'n edrych ymlaen at y drafodaeth lawnach ar hynny yn y fan yma. Ond fe garwn i ddweud un peth cyn i mi gloi'r sylwadau agoriadol yma. Mae yna gyfeiriadau wedi cael eu gwneud yn yr adroddiad, a oedd yn ddarllen poenus iawn i mi, ynglŷn â thorri lawr mewn perthynas rhwng timau uwch reoli a'r undebau'n cynrychioli'r gweithlu. Yn amlwg, nid yw hwn yn sefyllfa iach i unrhyw gorff cyhoeddus nag yn wir i gwmni masnachol na phartneriaeth fod ynddi hi. Ond nid ydw i am wneud unrhyw sylwadau penodol ar faterion rheolaeth yma heddiw. Ni fyddai hynny'n briodol. Rydw i'n parchu'r egwyddor hyd braich mewn sefydliadau diwylliannol ac rydw i'n meddwl bod yn rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru gadw'r pellter hwnnw er mwyn gallu bod yn effeithiol yn y gwaith o graffu ar gyrff cyhoeddus yr ydym ni'n eu cyllido. Rwy'n annog cydweithrediad, gan gynnwys gwasanaethau cyflafareddi gan Acas ac eraill os oes angen, a hefyd yn y sefyllfa yna gobeithio y gallwn ni hyderu na fyddwn ni'n syrthio i hanes eto a fydd yn ailadrodd anghytundeb a methu cyd-ddeall. Mae'r trydydd maes yr ydw i wedi cyfeirio ato yn y sylwadau agoriadol yma yn cyfleu'n arbennig y pwysigrwydd o ddatblygu cynnig arbennig yr amgueddfeydd. Rydw i'n ddiolchgar iawn am y sylwadau manwl a gofalus sydd wedi cael eu gwneud ar yr holl leoliadau, ond yn arbennig ar Amgueddfa Lechi Cymru, amgueddfa sydd yn annwyl iawn yn fy nhyb i, wrth gwrs, oherwydd y cysylltiad teuluol â'r diwydiant, a hefyd Amgueddfa Lleng Rufeinig Cymru, y ces i'r pleser pur o ymweld â hi yng Nghaerllion ddoe. Eto, mae enghraifft Sain Ffagan o'm mlaen i, ac mae hynny'n dangos sut y gall yr amgueddfeydd llai yma fanteisio ar brofiad Sain Ffagan a phrofiad Cadw i ddatblygu eu cynnig, gan ddangos yn glir nad corff sydd yn aros yn llonydd yw amgueddfa ond corff sydd yn parhau i dyfu fel y mae'r ddealltwriaeth o hanes y genedl yn tyfu. Fel rydw i'n dweud, rydw i wedi cyfarfod swyddogion yr amgueddfa sawl tro i drafod yr adroddiad yma a'r argymhellion, ac rwy'n parhau i edrych ymlaen at gydweithio gyda nhw, ac rydw i'n awyddus prynhawn yma, ac ar ôl heddiw hefyd, i glywed eich cyfraniad chi fel y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol sydd â chyfrifoldeb dros ein sefydliadau cenedlaethol yn y broses o'i diwygio nhw. Diolch yn fawr i chi am eich gwrandawiad.