English: Minister, can I thank you for your statement today? I'm broadly in favour of the reforms and your approach, if they prove to be, of course, successful in terms of simplifying and modifying the taxi and private hire regulation systems. Generally, I'm not supportive of Welsh Government centralising powers away from local authorities, but in this regard, I think that there is a case for this, for a number of reasons, but many of which you pointed out in your statement yourself. I wonder what feedback, both positive and negative, you did receive from local authorities, drivers, operators and passengers in terms of your proposals to centralise licensing in Wales. It would be useful to hear those views that you received. While the creation of the joint transport authority is preferred, you've gone further than the recommendation of the Law Commission and the task and finish group in consulting on introducing national standards. So, why have you chosen to go beyond the recommendations of the Law Commission and the task and finish group in this regard? The Welsh Government's consultation paper proposed abolishing this distinction between hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, but this proposal appears to have been dropped. I'm given to understand that 45 per cent of respondents expressed a view that agreed with the Law Commission recommendations, saying that the distinction between hackney and private hire vehicles should be retained. The Law Commission also did not support the introduction of record-keeping requirements for taxi drivers, except in respect of taxis picking up passengers outside their licensing area. However, in principle, the Welsh Government supports the maintenance of accurate record keeping for taxi drivers, and I wonder why you have diverged from the Law Commission's view, and what practical difficulties you envisage in recording this data. There's also the issue of taxi and private hire vehicles working along the border with England; you and I will be familiar with that, representing border constituencies. And the issues there are the same as why you want to take a centralised approach across Wales, which I also agree with, but then there is that border issue. So, I wonder if you could expand, in that regard, in terms of what discussions you've had with the UK Government and the Department for Transport. And finally, I understand that you have proposed the setting of private hire licensing fees nationally but that taxi licensing fees will continue to be set locally. This was an unpopular proposal during the consultation process and there was a preference for local licensing authorities to be able to set fees for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles locally, but, in exercising the function, having due regard to guidance issued by the Welsh Government. I wonder what your response is in regards to this particular feedback.
Welsh: Gweinidog, a gaf i ddiolch ichi am eich datganiad heddiw? Rwy'n gyffredinol o blaid y diwygiadau a'ch dull gweithredu, os ydyn nhw, wrth gwrs, yn llwyddiannus o ran symleiddio ac addasu'r systemau rheoleiddio tacsis a hurio preifat. Yn gyffredinol, nid wyf yn cefnogi Llywodraeth Cymru pan fydd yn canoli pwerau a'u tynnu oddi wrth awdurdodau lleol, ond yn hyn o beth, credaf fod achos dros hyn, am nifer o resymau, ond fe wnaethoch chi nodi llawer ohonyn nhw yn eich datganiad eich hun. Tybed pa adborth, cadarnhaol a negyddol, a gawsoch chi gan awdurdodau lleol, gyrwyr, gweithredwyr a theithwyr o ran eich cynigion i ganoli trwyddedu yng Nghymru. Byddai'n ddefnyddiol clywed y safbwyntiau hynny a gawsoch chi. Er bod creu'r awdurdod trafnidiaeth ar y cyd yn welliant, rydych wedi mynd ymhellach nag argymhelliad Comisiwn y Gyfraith a'r grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen wrth ymgynghori ar gyflwyno safonau cenedlaethol. Felly, pam ydych chi wedi dewis mynd y tu hwnt i argymhellion Comisiwn y Gyfraith a'r grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen yn hyn o beth? Roedd papur ymgynghori Llywodraeth Cymru yn cynnig diddymu'r gwahaniaeth hwn rhwng cerbydau hacni a cherbydau hurio preifat, ond mae'n ymddangos bod y cynnig hwn wedi ei dynnu'n ôl. Rwy'n deall bod 45 y cant o'r ymatebwyr wedi mynegi barn a oedd yn cytuno ag argymhellion Comisiwn y Gyfraith, gan ddweud y dylid cadw'r gwahaniaeth rhwng cerbydau hacni a cherbydau hurio preifat. Nid oedd Comisiwn y Gyfraith ychwaith yn cefnogi cyflwyno gofynion cadw cofnodion ar gyfer gyrwyr tacsis, ac eithrio mewn cysylltiad â thacsis yn casglu teithwyr y tu allan i'w hardal drwyddedu. Fodd bynnag, mewn egwyddor, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi'r gwaith o gadw cofnodion cywir ar gyfer gyrwyr tacsis, a tybed pam ydych chi wedi gwyro oddi wrth farn Comisiwn y Gyfraith, a pha anawsterau ymarferol ydych chi'n eu rhagweld wrth gofnodi'r data. Mae yna hefyd fater ynghylch tacsis a cherbydau hurio preifat yn gweithio ar hyd y ffin â Lloegr; byddwch chi a fi'n gyfarwydd â hynny, drwy gynrychioli etholaethau ar y ffin. Ac mae'r materion yno yr un fath â'r rheswm pam rydych chi eisiau cymryd ymagwedd ganolog ledled Cymru, rwyf hefyd yn cytuno â'r ymagwedd honno, ond wedyn dyna fater y ffin. Felly, tybed a wnewch chi ehangu, yn hynny o beth, o ran pa drafodaethau yr ydych wedi'u cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU a'r Adran Drafnidiaeth. Ac yn olaf, deallaf eich bod wedi cynnig pennu ffioedd trwyddedu llogi preifat yn genedlaethol ond y bydd ffioedd trwyddedu tacsis yn parhau i gael eu pennu'n lleol. Roedd hwn yn gynnig amhoblogaidd yn ystod y broses ymgynghori ac roedd yn well gan awdurdodau trwyddedu lleol allu pennu ffioedd ar gyfer trwyddedu tacsis a cherbydau hurio preifat yn lleol, ond, gan arfer y swyddogaeth, i roi sylw dyledus i ganllawiau a gyhoeddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Tybed beth yw eich ymateb o ran yr adborth penodol hwn.