English: This report from the Public Accounts Committee highlights significant shortcomings and, in some cases, inexplicable decisions regarding the Welsh Government approach to funding the Circuit of Wales project. This project was widely welcomed, presenting, as it did, an opportunity to regenerate one of the most economically deprived areas in Wales. The Welsh Government was right to explore the viability of the proposed Circuit of Wales, but, in their eagerness to bring this project to fruition, officials made basic errors, omissions and exercised poor judgment. The fact is that the Circuit of Wales project was handled appallingly. Millions of pounds of taxpayers' money were wasted, and the people of Blaenau Gwent first had their hopes raised and then dashed by the Welsh Government's botched handling of this project. The cornerstone of any effective democracy is ministerial oversight, yet, in this case, it was lacking. This report paints a picture of a department in chaos. Officials were, effectively, running the show and taking key decisions without ministerial approval, and among the glaring errors made by the officials was the decision to approve the purchase of a motorcycle firm in England. This company, FTR, was bought with funds supplied from the Welsh Government property development grant - a grant that can be used to fund the purchase of land and property by the private sector to stimulate economic development. The Heads of the Valleys Development Company used the £300,000 grant to buy FTR, which has now gone into liquidation. The Welsh Government has failed to explain how this purchase was approved when none of the stated reasons aligned with the approved objectives of the property development grant scheme. Indeed, there is no evidence to confirm that, then, the Minister was even aware of the decision. When this matter was raised by the Member of Parliament, an incorrect and misleading press statement was issued, saying that no Welsh Government funds were used to buy FTR - a press statement that originated from the same team of officials responsible for agreeing the eligible expenditure and authorising the grant claim payment for the acquisition. This is just one shocking example of many concerns raised by the committee about the robustness of the decision-making process - concerns about the rationales for various decisions made by officials, poor record keeping, and evidence, both orally and verbally, judged by the committee to be evasive. All this points to a department out of control. Effective action must be taken to ensure that this cannot happen again. The committee calls for robust and effective governance and internal communication channels to guarantee that such issues do not recur again. However, there appears to be a culture of rewarding failures. Instead of clear and robust action from the First Minister, he failed to give any assurance that sanctions would be taken against officials found to have been responsible for failures identified in this report. Presiding Officer, this report clearly demonstrates that the Welsh Government failed to give proper oversight to its investment of public money in the Circuit of Wales project. They failed to demonstrate value for money of this investment. In doing so, they let the people of Blaenau Gwent down, and down badly; they have let the taxpayer down; they have let Wales down. Thank you very much.
Welsh: Mae'r adroddiad hwn gan y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus yn tynnu sylw at ddiffygion sylweddol ac mewn rhai achosion, at benderfyniadau anesboniadwy ynghylch dull Llywodraeth Cymru o ariannu prosiect Cylchffordd Cymru. Croesawyd y prosiect yn eang, a rhoddai gyfle i adfywio un o'r ardaloedd mwyaf difreintiedig yn economaidd yng Nghymru. Roedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn iawn i ystyried ymarferoldeb y syniad o Gylchffordd Cymru, ond yn eu hawydd i weld y prosiect yn dwyn ffrwyth, gwnaeth swyddogion gamgymeriadau a hepgoriadau sylfaenol ac arfer crebwyll gwael. Y ffaith amdani yw bod prosiect Cylchffordd Cymru wedi cael ei drefnu'n ofnadwy. Gwastraffwyd miliynau o bunnoedd o arian y trethdalwyr, a chafodd pobl Blaenau Gwent eu gobeithion wedi'u codi yn gyntaf, ac yna'u chwalu gan y modd carbwl yr ymdriniodd Llywodraeth Cymru â'r prosiect hwn. Conglfaen unrhyw ddemocratiaeth effeithiol yw goruchwyliaeth weinidogol, ac eto, yn yr achos hwn, roedd ar goll. Mae'r adroddiad hwn yn rhoi darlun o adran mewn anhrefn. I bob pwrpas, roedd swyddogion yn rhedeg y sioe ac yn gwneud penderfyniadau allweddol heb gymeradwyaeth weinidogol, ac ymhlith y camgymeriadau amlwg a wnaed gan y swyddogion, roedd y penderfyniad i gymeradwyo pryniant cwmni beiciau modur yn Lloegr. Prynwyd y cwmni, FTR, gydag arian a ddarparwyd gan grant datblygu eiddo Llywodraeth Cymru - grant y gellir ei ddefnyddio i ariannu pryniant tir ac eiddo gan y sector preifat i ysgogi datblygiad economaidd. Defnyddiodd Cwmni Datblygu Blaenau'r Cymoedd y grant o £300,000 i brynu FTR, sydd bellach wedi mynd i'r wal. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi methu egluro sut y cymeradwywyd y pryniant hwn pan nad oedd yr un o'r rhesymau a nodwyd yn cyd-fynd ag amcanion cymeradwy y cynllun grant datblygu eiddo. Yn wir, nid oes unrhyw dystiolaeth i gadarnhau bod y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol o'r penderfyniad hyd yn oed. Pan godwyd y mater gan yr Aelod Seneddol, cyhoeddwyd datganiad i'r wasg anghywir a chamarweiniol, yn dweud na ddefnyddiwyd unrhyw arian Llywodraeth Cymru i brynu FTR - datganiad i'r wasg a oedd yn tarddu o'r un tîm o swyddogion a oedd yn gyfrifol am gytuno'r gwariant cymwys ac awdurdodi taliad y cais am grant ar gyfer y caffaeliad. Un enghraifft syfrdanol yw hon o'r nifer o bryderon a fynegwyd gan y pwyllgor ynghylch cadernid y broses o wneud penderfyniadau - pryderon am y seiliau rhesymegol ar gyfer gwahanol benderfyniadau a wnaed gan swyddogion, diffygion wrth gadw cofnodion a thystiolaeth, ar lafar ac yn ysgrifenedig, a oedd yn osgoilyd ym marn y pwyllgor. Mae hyn i gyd yn arwydd o adran allan o reolaeth. Rhaid cymryd camau effeithiol i sicrhau na all hyn ddigwydd eto. Mae'r pwyllgor yn galw am lywodraethu a sianeli cyfathrebu mewnol cadarn ac effeithiol i warantu nad yw pethau o'r fath yn digwydd eto. Fodd bynnag, ymddengys bod yna ddiwylliant o wobrwyo methiannau. Yn hytrach na gweithredu clir a chadarn gan y Prif Weinidog, methodd roi unrhyw sicrwydd y byddai swyddogion y gwelwyd eu bod yn gyfrifol am fethiannau a nodwyd yn yr adroddiad yn cael eu cosbi. Lywydd, mae'r adroddiad hwn yn dangos yn glir fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi methu goruchwylio ei buddsoddiad arian cyhoeddus ym mhrosiect Cylchffordd Cymru. Maent wedi methu dangos gwerth am arian y buddsoddiad hwn. Wrth wneud hynny, maent wedi gwneud cam â phobl Blaenau Gwent, a cham mawr ar hynny; maent wedi gwneud cam â'r trethdalwr; maent wedi gwneud cam â Chymru. Diolch yn fawr iawn.