English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Dawn Bowden for leading this debate today. There is a clear recognition of the benefits credit unions can bring to individuals and communities. Credit unions are ideally placed, through their relationships with local authorities, local employers, schools and community organisations, to help strengthen the financial resilience of communities through improved access to responsible credit and saving opportunities. I'm clear that money management skills are best learnt at a young age and many credit unions work on this principle and reach out to local schools to help to encourage a saving habit from an early age. Indeed, I visited Pill school in Newport with Jayne Bryant to see their school savers scheme run by Newport Credit Union. I was encouraged by what I saw - a really enjoyable visit, but with huge benefits for that community. I also visited Tredegar only last week, through the opening of a new credit union store in the town centre, which was very much welcome. Credit unions are key partners in the financial inclusion delivery plan published in December 2016, and this sets out the actions needed to fulfil and achieve a well-functioning and comprehensive financial system in Wales that is accessible to all. The delivery plan sets out how we will work with partner organisations, both in Wales and at a UK level, and to help improve affordable credit and accessible financial services, as well as access to financial information, including debt advice. Credit unions are directly delivering some of these actions and have a central role to play in the promotion of financial inclusion. I've been very clear that the support given to credit unions must continue to address financial exclusion. The funding I've made available to credit unions from this April will be used directly to support a number of these actions. These will support those more disadvantaged in our communities across Wales to access the help that they need. I've also agreed to a grant fund of £422,000 for 21 credit union projects in 2017-18, following an open application grant process. These include school saver projects and prison saver schemes. Credit unions will be notified of their funding awards shortly and the activities will be funded from 1 April 2017. This will help credit unions continue to support financially excluded members and to deliver our financial inclusion delivery plan, as well as aiding their long-term sustainability of operation. A number of projects that will be funded may also contribute to increasing credit unions' sustainability through increased membership, and Dawn raised the issue of businesses and local authorities being engaged in an opportunity to save with ease. I'm very happy to encourage that collaboration. We've invited collaborative projects from credit unions, which are prioritised in the assessment process. We know the importance of credit unions in helping people who struggle to manage their money, also. The Welsh Government funding provided between April 2014 and December 2016 has helped credit unions support more than 29,000 financially excluded members, with just over £23 million provided in loans to help those who need this. This demonstrates the role that credit unions play, and I hope that we can grow that role, because I think they play a vital role in our community. I want to see well-managed, effective and sustainable credit unions in Wales that are inclusive and accessible to everybody, developing credible and professional financial products and services, like they are in other countries, too - they are seen to be growing particularly in America. The credit union sector in Wales has been transformed over the last 15 years. Since 2000, credit union membership has risen from around 10,000 to over 75,000, and I know that many Members in this Chamber are also members of credit unions, including myself. In this time, many Welsh credit unions have strengthened and professionalised their services immeasurably. The ambition now is to build on these firm foundations. It's a really important part of financial literacy - the opportunity to access safe saving and safe lending. We've seen the difficulties found by communities if they turn to loan sharks or other disreputable methods of borrowing money. I'm very grateful to Dawn for the contribution she's made today, highlighting the very successful programme of credit unions here in Wales, but much more work needs and can be done to support them. Diolch.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i Dawn Bowden am arwain y ddadl hon heddiw. Ceir cydnabyddiaeth glir o'r manteision y gall undebau credyd eu dwyn i unigolion a chymunedau. Mae undebau credyd mewn sefyllfa ddelfrydol, drwy eu perthynas ag awdurdodau lleol, cyflogwyr lleol, ysgolion a sefydliadau cymunedol, i helpu i gryfhau cadernid ariannol cymunedau drwy wella mynediad at gredyd cyfrifol a chyfleoedd cynilo. Rwy'n glir mai'r adeg orau i ddysgu sgiliau rheoli arian yw pan fyddwn yn ifanc ac mae llawer o undebau credyd yn gweithio ar yr egwyddor hon ac yn estyn allan at ysgolion lleol i helpu i annog arferion cynilo o oedran cynnar. Yn wir, ymwelais ag ysgol Pill yng Nghasnewydd gyda Jayne Bryant i weld eu cynllun cynilo yn yr ysgol sy'n cael ei weithredu gan Undeb Credyd Casnewydd. Cefais fy nghalonogi gan yr hyn a welais - ymweliad pleserus iawn, ond gyda manteision enfawr i'r gymuned honno. Ymwelais â Thredegar yr wythnos diwethaf hefyd, i agor siop undeb credyd newydd yng nghanol y dref, rhywbeth i'w groesawu'n fawr iawn. Mae undebau credyd yn bartneriaid allweddol yn y cynllun cyflawni cynhwysiant ariannol a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Rhagfyr 2016, ac mae hwn yn nodi'r camau gweithredu sydd eu hangen i gyflawni system ariannol gynhwysfawr sy'n hygyrch i bawb ac yn gweithio'n dda yng Nghymru. Mae'r cynllun cyflawni hwn yn nodi sut y byddwn yn gweithio gyda sefydliadau partner, yng Nghymru ac ar lefel y DU, ac yn helpu i wella credyd fforddiadwy a gwasanaethau ariannol hygyrch, yn ogystal â mynediad at wybodaeth ariannol, gan gynnwys cyngor ar ddyledion. Mae undebau credyd yn darparu rhai o'r camau hyn yn uniongyrchol ac mae ganddynt ran ganolog i'w chwarae yn hyrwyddo cynhwysiant ariannol. Rwyf wedi bod yn glir iawn fod yn rhaid i'r gefnogaeth a roddir i undebau credyd barhau i fynd i'r afael ag allgáu ariannol. Bydd y cyllid rwyf wedi ei neilltuo ar gyfer undebau credyd o'r mis Ebrill hwn yn cael ei ddefnyddio'n uniongyrchol i gefnogi nifer o'r camau gweithredu hyn. Bydd y rhain yn cynorthwyo'r rhai mwy difreintiedig yn ein cymunedau ledled Cymru i gael mynediad at y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt. Rwyf hefyd wedi cytuno i gronfa grantiau o £422,000 ar gyfer 21 o brosiectau undebau credyd yn 2017-18, yn dilyn proses ymgeisio agored am grantiau. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys prosiectau cynilo mewn ysgolion a chynlluniau cynilo yn y carchar. Bydd undebau credyd yn cael gwybod a ddyfarnwyd cyllid iddynt cyn bo hir a bydd y gweithgareddau'n cael eu hariannu o 1 Ebrill 2017. Bydd hyn yn helpu undebau credyd i barhau i gefnogi aelodau sydd wedi'u hallgáu'n ariannol, ac i gyflawni ein cynllun cyflawni cynhwysiant ariannol, yn ogystal â chynorthwyo cynaliadwyedd hirdymor eu gweithgarwch. Mae'n bosibl y bydd nifer o'r prosiectau a gyllidir hefyd yn cyfrannu at gynyddu cynaliadwyedd undebau credyd drwy gynyddu'r aelodaeth, a soniodd Dawn am fusnesau ac awdurdodau lleol yn rhan o gyfle i gynilo'n rhwydd. Rwy'n hapus iawn i annog cydweithio o'r fath. Rydym wedi gwahodd prosiectau cydweithredol gan undebau credyd, sy'n cael eu blaenoriaethu yn y broses asesu. Rydym yn gwybod pa mor bwysig yw undebau credyd ar gyfer helpu pobl sy'n cael trafferth i reoli eu harian, hefyd. Mae cyllid Llywodraeth Cymru a ddarparwyd rhwng mis Ebrill 2014, a Rhagfyr 2016 wedi helpu undebau credyd i gefnogi mwy na 29,000 o aelodau sydd wedi'u hallgáu'n ariannol, gydag ychydig dros £23 miliwn wedi'i ddarparu mewn benthyciadau i helpu'r rhai sydd angen hyn. Mae hyn yn dangos y rôl y mae undebau credyd yn ei chwarae, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gallwn ymestyn y rôl honno, oherwydd credaf eu bod yn chwarae rhan hanfodol yn ein cymuned. Rwyf am weld undebau credyd effeithiol a chynaliadwy wedi'u rheoli'n dda yng Nghymru sy'n gynhwysol ac yn hygyrch i bawb, yn datblygu cynnyrch a gwasanaethau ariannol credadwy a phroffesiynol, fel y maent yn ei wneud mewn gwledydd eraill, hefyd - cânt eu gweld yn tyfu yn enwedig yn America. Mae'r sector undebau credyd yng Nghymru wedi cael ei drawsnewid yn ystod y 15 mlynedd diwethaf. Ers 2000, mae aelodaeth undebau credyd wedi codi o tua 10,000 i dros 75,000, a gwn fod llawer o Aelodau yn y Siambr hon hefyd yn aelodau o undebau credyd, gan gynnwys fi fy hun. Yn y cyfnod hwn, mae llawer o undebau credyd yng Nghymru wedi cryfhau a phroffesiynoli eu gwasanaethau'n helaeth iawn. Yr uchelgais yn awr yw adeiladu ar y sylfeini cadarn hyn. Mae'n rhan bwysig iawn o lythrennedd ariannol - cyfle i gael mynediad at gynilo diogel a benthyca diogel. Rydym wedi gweld yr anawsterau y mae cymunedau'n eu hwynebu os ydynt yn troi at fenthycwyr arian didrwydded neu ddulliau gwarthus eraill o fenthyca arian. Rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i Dawn am ei chyfraniad heddiw yn tynnu sylw at raglen lwyddiannus iawn yr undebau credyd yma yng Nghymru, ond fe ddylir ac fe ellir gwneud llawer mwy o waith i'w cefnogi. Diolch.