techiaith/cofnodycynulliad_en-cy huggingface dataset:
English: It's a very interesting report. As you know, I've only been in post six weeks, so I haven't had the time, in any way, to fully - . I've skim-read it - that's the best I could do in the time I had available. I do, however, plan to read it thoroughly and to take it into account. I have a number of views of my own around town and community councils, which I'm happy to share with the Member, and with the Senedd in general. Some of them are excellent. We have examples across Wales of excellent town councils. Some of them are very far from that because they haven't got the governance strength, if you like, to be able to conduct themselves. That report is pointing that out. What we need to do is look to see whether we have the best fit for our town and community councils across Wales, whether their own communities support them, and what we can do to strengthen the governance arrangements. So, I find nothing that I disagree with, in a quick read of the report. I'm not yet in a position to respond fully to it. But I will tell the Member that I will be responding fully to it, and it raises a number of issues that I have myself personal concerns with, from previous experience in life.
Welsh: Mae'n adroddiad diddorol iawn. Fel y gwyddoch, nid wyf ond yn y swydd hon ers chwe wythnos, felly nid wyf wedi cael amser, mewn unrhyw ffordd, i - . Rwyf wedi ei frasddarllen - dyna'r gorau y gallais ei wneud yn yr amser a oedd ar gael. Fodd bynnag, rwy'n bwriadu ei ddarllen yn drylwyr a'i ystyried. Mae gennyf nifer o safbwyntiau fy hun ynghylch cynghorau tref a chymuned, ac rwy'n fwy na pharod i'w rhannu gyda'r Aelod, a chyda'r Senedd yn gyffredinol. Mae rhai ohonynt yn rhagorol. Mae gennym enghreifftiau ledled Cymru o gynghorau tref ardderchog. Mae rhai ohonynt yn bell iawn o hynny gan nad oes ganddynt y cryfder llywodraethu, os mynnwch, i allu cynnal eu hunain. Mae'r adroddiad hwnnw'n nodi hynny. Yr hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yw edrych i weld a yw'r trefniadau sydd gennym yn addas ar gyfer ein cynghorau tref a chymuned ledled Cymru, a yw eu cymunedau eu hunain yn eu cefnogi, a beth y gallwn ei wneud i gryfhau'r trefniadau llywodraethu. Felly, nid wyf wedi gweld unrhyw beth rwy'n anghytuno ag ef wrth fwrw golwg sydyn ar yr adroddiad hwnnw. Nid wyf mewn sefyllfa eto i ymateb yn llawn iddo. Ond fe ddywedaf wrth yr Aelod y byddaf yn ymateb yn llawn iddo, ac mae'n codi nifer o faterion sy'n peri pryder i mi'n bersonol, o brofiad blaenorol mewn bywyd.
English: Thank you. And of course when I was a community councillor it was an excellent community council - despite me, but nonetheless. Clearly, it's not a universal problem, but it's a serious enough problem to have been flagged up in this way. The independent review panel's final report on community and town councils in Wales was presented to your predecessor on 3 October. It had many recommendations, including the belief that there should be a comprehensive review of boundaries of community and town councils, without delay; it called upon all community and town councils to be working towards meeting a criteria to be able to exercise the general power of competence; a recommendation that community and town councils, or a representative of them, should become a statutorily invited participant on all public service boards. I'll just give one other example: it recommended that all clerks must hold or be working towards a professional qualification. The Welsh Government's response, by your predecessor, took the form of a written statement on 30 November, and said that: 'Some of the issues identifiedmerit further considerationI look forward to exploring these wider ranging and, in some cases, more contested ideasI see this as a start of a conversation'. How do you respond to the county councillors, after attending a workshop recently in north Wales, who wrote to me concerned that they had been advised, quote, that it seems the Welsh Government is now minded not to enact any legislation to implement any of the recommendations the IRP panel set out?
Welsh: Diolch. Ac wrth gwrs, pan oeddwn yn gynghorydd cymuned, roedd yn gyngor cymuned rhagorol - er fy ngwaethaf i, ond ta waeth am hynny. Yn amlwg, nid yw'n broblem ym mhob man, ond mae'n broblem ddigon difrifol i gael ei nodi yn y modd hwn. Cyflwynwyd adroddiad terfynol y panel adolygu annibynnol ar gynghorau tref a chymuned yng Nghymru i'ch rhagflaenydd ar 3 Hydref. Roedd yn cynnwys nifer o argymhellion, gan gynnwys y gred y dylid cynnal adolygiad cynhwysfawr o ffiniau cynghorau tref a chymuned, a hynny ar unwaith; roedd yn galw ar yr holl gynghorau tref a chymuned i weithio tuag at fodloni meini prawf i allu arfer y pŵer cymhwysedd cyffredinol; argymhelliad y dylai cynghorau tref a chymuned, neu gynrychiolydd, ddod yn gyfranogwr a wahoddir yn statudol ar bob bwrdd gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. Rwyf am roi un enghraifft arall: roedd yn argymell y dylai fod cymhwyster proffesiynol gan bob glerc neu eu bod yn gweithio tuag at un. Cafwyd ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru, gan eich rhagflaenydd, ar ffurf datganiad ysgrifenedig ar 30 Tachwedd, a ddywedai: 'Mae rhai o'r materion a nodwyd yn haeddu cael eu hystyried ymhellach Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at ymchwilio i'r syniadau mwy pellgyrhaeddol, rhai ohonynt hefyd yn fwy dadleuol Rwy'n gweld hyn fel dechrau sgwrs'. Sut rydych yn ymateb i'r cynghorwyr sir a ysgrifennodd ataf ar ôl mynychu gweithdy yn ddiweddar yng ngogledd Cymru yn pryderu eu bod wedi cael clywed, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, ei bod hi'n ymddangos bellach fod Llywodraeth Cymru o blaid peidio â deddfu i roi unrhyw un o argymhellion y panel adolygu annibynnol ar waith?
English: Well, this recommendation did include a representative of town and community councils, rather than necessarily -
Welsh: Wel, roedd yr argymhelliad hwn yn cynnwys cynrychiolydd o gynghorau tref a chymuned, yn hytrach nag o reidrwydd -
English: I take the point the Member makes, but there are capacity issues there, and how you get that -
Welsh: Rwy'n derbyn y pwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud, ond mae yna broblemau ynghylch capasiti, a sut rydych yn sicrhau -
English: Allow the Member to finish his third question. You're overexcited in your new ministerial brief, it's obvious.
Welsh: Gadewch i'r Aelod orffen ei drydydd cwestiwn. Rydych wedi cynhyrfu yn eich briff gweinidogol newydd, mae'n amlwg.
English: I beg your pardon.
Welsh: Mae'n ddrwg gennyf.
English: I'm overcome by enthusiasm.
Welsh: Mae fy mrwdfrydedd yn drech na mi.
English: As you've heard mentioned by more than one Member in the Chamber, last November, Flintshire council launched its #BacktheAsk campaign in full council, and received full and unanimous cross-party support to, quote, take the fight down to the local government department in Cardiff to get a fair share of national funds. In a subsequent letter to the Welsh Government, he stated, alongside the chief executive, that disparity in formula-based funding inevitably creates a wide variation in the financial risks in councils in Wales, and Flintshire is at the extreme end. I've now been copied in on a series of e-mails between councillors of all parties - including the leader - where they're proposing to come down, as a cross-party group, here, to, quote, 'Take our budget grievances direct to Cardiff'. And the e-mail from the leader states that he will be seeking a meeting with Ministers during that visit. Will you be willing to meet the Flintshire councillors who come down, to discuss their, quote, 'grievances', and see whether there are any grounds for addressing those together?
Welsh: Fel y clywsoch gan fwy nag un Aelod yn y Siambr, fis Tachwedd diwethaf, lansiodd Cyngor Sir y Fflint eu hymgyrch #CefnogiGalw yn y cyfarfod llawn, a chawsant gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol lawn ac unfrydol i, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, fynd â'r frwydr i lawr i'r adran lywodraeth leol yng Nghaerdydd i gael cyfran deg o'r arian cenedlaethol. Mewn llythyr dilynol i Lywodraeth Cymru, dywedodd, ochr yn ochr â'r prif weithredwr, ei bod yn anochel fod yr anghyfartalwch mewn cyllid sy'n seiliedig ar fformiwla yn creu amrywiaeth eang o ran y risgiau ariannol sy'n wynebu cynghorau Cymru, ac mae sir y Fflint ar y pegwn eithaf. Bellach, rwyf wedi cael fy nghopïo i mewn i gyfres o negeseuon e-bost rhwng cynghorwyr o bob plaid - gan gynnwys yr arweinydd - lle y maent yn cynnig dod i lawr yma, fel grŵp trawsbleidiol, er mwyn, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, Mynd â'n cwynion ynglŷn â'r cyllideb yn uniongyrchol i Gaerdydd. A dywed yr e-bost gan yr arweinydd y bydd yn ceisio cael cyfarfod â Gweinidogion yn ystod yr ymweliad hwnnw. A ydych yn barod i gyfarfod â chynghorwyr sir y Fflint sy'n dod i yma i drafod, dyfynnaf, eu 'cwynion', a gweld a oes unrhyw fodd o fynd i'r afael â'r rheini gyda'n gilydd?
English: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to welcome the Minister to her new post. Minister, I see that planning is now part of your portfolio, it wasn't previously included with the local government and housing department's responsibilities. I appreciate what you've said today that you've only been in office for six weeks, but do you have any initial thoughts on how well the planning process works in Wales?
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Hoffwn groesawu'r Gweinidog i'w swydd newydd. Weinidog, gwelaf fod cynllunio yn rhan o'ch portffolio bellach, ac nid oedd yn rhan o gyfrifoldebau'r adran lywodraeth leol a thai o'r blaen. Rwy'n derbyn yr hyn rydych wedi'i ddweud heddiw ynglŷn â'r ffaith nad ydych ond wedi bod yn y swydd ers chwe wythnos, ond a oes gennych unrhyw syniadau cychwynnol ynglŷn â pha mor dda y mae'r broses gynllunio yn gweithio yng Nghymru?
English: So, the reason that we've combined planning into this portfolio is that we can bring together as many of the levers that we have here in the Welsh Government to solve some of the endemic problems that we have with, for example, building sufficient housing or some infrastructure issues. I'm looking forward to being able to use all of those levers together in the process. We did just reissue 'Planning Policy Wales' back in December, so it's early days to see yet whether that's working effectively.
Welsh: Y rheswm pam ein bod wedi cyfuno cynllunio yn y portffolio hwn yw am y gallwn ddwyn cymaint o'r dulliau sydd gennym yma yn Llywodraeth Cymru ynghyd i ddatrys rhai o'r problemau endemig sydd gennym, er enghraifft, gydag adeiladu digon o dai neu faterion seilwaith. Edrychaf ymlaen at allu defnyddio'r holl dulliau hynny gyda'i gilydd yn y broses. Ailgyhoeddasom 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' ym mis Rhagfyr, felly mae'n ddyddiau cynnar ar hyn o bryd o ran gweld a yw hwnnw'n gweithio'n effeithiol.
English: Thank you for clarifying some of the reasons why the planning element has been brought into the department. I think, certainly from my point of view, it's probably useful. I always thought that planning was something that straddles a couple of different possible departments. But I always thought putting it together with housing would perhaps make things easier. Of course, we do need to respond to housing need, but there is also an argument that the planning system isn't always responsive to local needs going the other way, when sometimes we have planning decisions made that have been rejected sometimes by local councils, but which then get approved by the planning inspector going against that. Now, obviously, I'm not going to bring in any specific cases, because you wouldn't be able to comment on them, but do you think that there is a valid argument that planning isn't responsive enough to local needs?
Welsh: Diolch am egluro rhai o'r rhesymau pam y daethpwyd â'r elfen cynllunio i'r adran. O'm rhan i, yn sicr, credaf fod hynny'n ddefnyddiol, mae'n debyg. Roeddwn bob amser wedi meddwl bod cynllunio'n rhywbeth sy'n rhychwantu sawl adran wahanol. Ond roeddwn bob amser o'r farn y byddai ei gyfuno â thai yn gwneud pethau'n haws o bosibl. Wrth gwrs, mae angen inni ymateb i'r angen am dai, ond ceir dadl hefyd nad yw'r system gynllunio bob amser yn ymateb i anghenion lleol sy'n mynd i'r cyfeiriad arall, pan fydd gennym benderfyniadau cynllunio o bryd i'w gilydd sydd wedi cael eu gwrthod gan gynghorau lleol, ond sy'n cael eu cymeradwyo wedyn wrth i'r arolygydd cynllunio farnu'n erbyn hynny. Nawr, yn amlwg, nid wyf am sôn am unrhyw achos penodol, gan na fyddai modd i chi roi sylwadau arnynt, ond a ydych yn credu bod dadl ddilys i'w chael nad yw cynllunio'n ddigon ymatebol i anghenion lleol?
English: So, the planning system is extremely complex, and the quasi-judicial nature of it makes it very difficult to comment on particular cases. The Member will be very well aware that at local authority level the local authority sets the local development plan, and they are enabled, through that plan, to take full account of the democratic wishes of the people they represent in setting out the spatial needs of their area, with a set of planning rules, part of which are 'Planning Policy Wales', but a set of planning rules stemming from various planning Acts at UK level, as well as at Welsh level. We have a system of call-in to the Welsh Government, which works, because we take a very careful judicial view of whether the very specific criteria for call-in do or don't work. And where something is called in, it is handed over to professional inspectors for them to take a view on behalf of the Government. I think that works perfectly well. I do think there are capacity issues, sometimes, with the speed of that, but I don't see any reason to upend the legal part of that. However, it's very important that the policy parts of that interact correctly with it and that we set the policy agenda properly within which the quasi-judicial system can work.
Welsh: Mae'r system gynllunio'n gymhleth iawn, ac mae ei natur led-farnwrol yn ei gwneud hi'n anodd iawn rhoi sylwadau ar achosion penodol. Bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol iawn mai'r awdurdod lleol sy'n pennu'r cynllun datblygu lleol ar lefel awdurdod lleol, a thrwy'r cynllun hwnnw, gallant roi ystyriaeth lawn i ddymuniadau democrataidd y bobl maent yn eu cynrychioli wrth nodi anghenion gofodol eu hardal, gyda set o reolau cynllunio, sy'n cynnwys 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' yn rhan ohonynt, ond set o reolau cynllunio sy'n deillio o Ddeddfau cynllunio amrywiol ar lefel y DU, yn ogystal ag ar lefel Cymru. Mae gennym system alw ceisiadau i mewn i Lywodraeth Cymru, sy'n gweithio, gan ein bod yn rhoi ystyriaeth farnwrol ofalus iawn i ba un a yw'r meini prawf penodol iawn ar gyfer galw ceisiadau i mewn yn gweithio ai peidio. A phan fydd rhywbeth yn cael ei alw i mewn, caiff ei drosglwyddo i arolygwyr proffesiynol fel y gallant ffurfio barn ar ran y Llywodraeth. Credaf fod hynny'n gweithio'n iawn. Credaf fod materion yn codi mewn perthynas â chapasiti weithiau, a chyflymder y broses, ond nid wyf yn gweld unrhyw reswm dros gael gwared ar y rhan gyfreithiol o hynny. Fodd bynnag, mae'n bwysig iawn fod y rhannau sy'n ymwneud â pholisi'n rhyngweithio'n gywir â hynny, a'n bod yn gosod yr agenda bolisi'n briodol fel y gall y system led-farnwrol weithio'n iawn o fewn hynny.
English: Thanks for you assessment of how it works with the call-in system. I'm glad you've given your thoughts on that. How about the issue of how effective the local development plans are as a measure of setting local needs, because there has been criticism of the LDP system itself in recent years?
Welsh: Diolch am eich asesiad ynglŷn â'r modd y mae hynny'n gweithio gyda'r system alw i mewn. Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi rhoi eich barn ar hynny. Beth am y cwestiwn ynglŷn â pha mor effeithiol yw'r cynlluniau datblygu lleol fel mesur ar gyfer pennu anghenion lleol, gan fod system y cynlluniau datblygu lleol ei hun wedi bod o dan y lach dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf?
English: I think that the issue with the LDPs sometimes is the speed and the capacity with which local authorities are able to put them together. We have been working very closely with local authorities across Wales to ensure that they have the expertise to put the local development plans in place. It's something we are always keeping under review around the capacity to do that and the way that we have the agreements with the local authorities about the timescale for doing that. I think personally that there's room for improvement in the liaison between ourselves and local authorities around how they structure their LDPs and what provision we help them with in order to accelerate some of those processes, because a local authority that doesn't have a local development plan in place will find real problems in controlling its development-control functions and being able to resist planning applications outwith its plan. So, it's not a good plan not to have a plan - sorry, that seems really obvious - but it isn't a good plan, and I think we could work with our local authorities better to accelerate that process.
Welsh: Credaf mai'r broblem gyda chynlluniau datblygu lleol, weithiau, yw capasiti a chyflymder awdurdodau lleol yn eu llunio. Rydym wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru i sicrhau bod ganddynt yr arbenigedd i roi cynlluniau datblygu lleol ar waith. Mae'n rhywbeth rydym yn ei arolygu bob amser mewn perthynas â'r capasiti i wneud hynny a'r ffordd y mae gennym gytundebau ag awdurdodau lleol ynglŷn â'r amserlen ar gyfer gwneud hynny. Yn bersonol, credaf fod lle i wella'r cyswllt rhyngom ac awdurdodau lleol o ran sut y maent yn strwythuro eu cynlluniau datblygu lleol a pha ddarpariaeth y gallwn ei chynnig i'w helpu i gyflymu rhai o'r prosesau hynny, gan y bydd awdurdod lleol nad oes ganddo gynllun datblygu lleol ar waith yn wynebu problemau gwirioneddol wrth reoli ei swyddogaethau rheoli datblygu a gallu gwrthsefyll ceisiadau cynllunio nad ydynt yn rhan o'i gynllun. Felly, nid yw peidio â chael cynllun yn gynllun da - mae'n ddrwg gennyf, mae hynny i'w weld yn gwbl amlwg - ond nid yw'n gynllun da, a chredaf y gallem weithio'n well gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol er mwyn cyflymu'r broses honno.
English: Yes. The First Minister has made it clear we will retain the 22 local authorities we have in Wales. Where voluntary merger proposals come forward, we will act to support them.
Welsh: Gwnaf. Mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi dweud yn glir y byddwn yn cadw'r 22 awdurdod lleol sydd gennym yng Nghymru. Os bydd cynigion uno gwirfoddol yn cael eu cyflwyno, byddwn yn gweithredu i'w cefnogi.
English: Thank you for that, Minister. It's well documented that your predecessor had a sometimes challenging relationship with the Welsh Local Government Association and local government in general. In fact, your special adviser is quoted in the news now saying that the previous Minister relied on alternative facts very often on which to base his policy-making decisions. Can you confirm that you will not be relying on alternative facts and that, actually, you will be informing your decisions on what is in the best interest of communities the length and breadth of Wales and that security for local government is one of the key cornerstones for them to be able to deliver the services they are charged with delivering?
Welsh: Diolch, Weinidog. Mae'n dra hysbys fod gan eich rhagflaenydd berthynas heriol weithiau gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru a llywodraeth leol yn gyffredinol. Yn wir, dyfynnir eich cynghorydd arbennig yn y newyddion yn dweud bod y Gweinidog blaenorol yn dibynnu ar ffeithiau amgen yn aml iawn ar gyfer seilio ei benderfyniadau ynghylch llunio polisi. A allwch gadarnhau na fyddwch yn dibynnu ar ffeithiau amgen ac y byddwch yn seilio eich penderfyniadau ar yr hyn sydd er budd gorau cymunedau ledled Cymru a bod sicrwydd i lywodraeth leol yn un o'r prif bethau sy'n eu galluogi i ddarparu'r gwasanaethau y maent yn gyfrifol am eu darparu?
English: Yes, I'm not in the habit of relying on alternative facts, so I can assure the Member that I won't be taking up the practice any time soon. I'm a long-term fan of local government. Members in the Chamber will know that I spent a very large part of my career in local government. I think they do a good job in constrained circumstances. They require help and assistance, and, sometimes, they could collaborate better, and sometimes we have caused them problems in the way that we've laid collaborations on top of them. I'm very pleased to be working with a working group of local government, looking to see how we can best maximise the combined talent of local government for the best effect for the people of Wales. But, in general, I'm a big fan of local government and I intend to stay that way.
Welsh: Gallaf, nid yw'n arfer gennyf ddibynnu ar ffeithiau amgen, felly gallaf roi sicrwydd i'r Aelod nad wyf ar unrhyw frys i ddechrau gwneud hynny. Rwy'n gefnogwr hirdymor i lywodraeth leol. Gŵyr Aelodau yn y Siambr fy mod wedi treulio rhan fawr iawn o fy ngyrfa mewn llywodraeth leol. Credaf eu bod yn gwneud gwaith da mewn amgylchiadau cyfyngedig. Mae arnynt angen help a chymorth, ac weithiau, gallent gydweithio'n well, ac weithiau, rydym wedi peri problemau iddynt o ran y ffordd rydym wedi eu gorfodi i gydweithredu. Rwy'n falch iawn fy mod yn gweithio gyda gweithgor o lywodraeth leol, i ystyried sut y gallwn wneud y gorau o dalent gyfunol llywodraeth leol er mwyn sicrhau'r effaith orau ar gyfer pobl Cymru. Ond yn gyffredinol, rwy'n frwd fy nghefnogaeth i lywodraeth leol, ac rwy'n bwriadu parhau i fod.
English: Clearly, the continued talk of reorganisation breeds uncertainty and a certain paralysis of development. What are you going to do differently to your predecessors in this post to change that?
Welsh: Yn amlwg, mae'r sôn parhaus am ad-drefnu yn arwain at ansicrwydd ac atal datblygu. Beth y bwriadwch ei wneud yn wahanol i'ch rhagflaenwyr yn y swydd hon er mwyn newid hynny?
English: As I said, I've already had a very good meeting this morning with the finance sub-committee, talking about the funding formula. I'm meeting with the WLGA on Friday. We have a working group, which is being chaired by Derek Vaughan, looking at the way that we do regional working together, and I'm looking forward to having a good and productive relationship with local authorities across the piece.
Welsh: Fel y dywedais, rwyf eisoes wedi cael cyfarfod da iawn y bore yma gyda'r is-bwyllgor cyllid, i sôn am y fformiwla ariannu. Byddaf yn cyfarfod â CLlLC ddydd Gwener. Mae gennym weithgor, a gadeirir gan Derek Vaughan, yn edrych ar y ffordd y gwnawn waith rhanbarthol gyda'n gilydd, ac edrychaf ymlaen at gael perthynas dda a chynhyrchiol gydag awdurdodau lleol yn gyffredinol.
English: [ Inaudible. ] - with you in local government. Does the Minister accept that council mergers will be extremely costly, taking money out of front-line services, remembering that the only council that failed in Britain was Northamptonshire, with a population of over three times that of Cardiff? Every time people talk about mergers, I think of Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board and Natural Resources Wales.
Welsh: [ Anghlywadwy. ] - gyda chi mewn llywodraeth leol. A yw'r Gweinidog yn derbyn y bydd uno cynghorau'n hynod o gostus, ac yn mynd ag arian o'r gwasanaethau rheng flaen, gan gofio mai'r unig gyngor sydd wedi methu ym Mhrydain yw Swydd Northampton, gyda phoblogaeth sydd dros deirgwaith poblogaeth cyngor Caerdydd? Pan fydd pobl yn sôn am uno, rwyf bob amser yn meddwl am Fwrdd Iechyd Lleol Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr a Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru.