English: Can I welcome the Cabinet Secretary's statement today? You certainly have to be a jack of all trades in this new tax world, don't you, Cabinet Secretary? Many of the taxes involve land in some way, so I'm sure you're becoming an expert in your own right. As you said today, this is new territory for the Welsh Government and for this Assembly, and I appreciate that your statement today falls into two parts, primarily, as you've explained. So, you've got the testing of the new tax machine through the mechanisms on the one hand, which can then be employed with other taxes, of course, and then the actual tax, the vacant land tax, on the other - the tax that you've decided to progress. This part of the process - the third part of the process - is as important as the development of the tax itself. I suppose my first question is: what sort of timescale are you looking at here? As I say, I appreciate that these are early days and you can't be exact on that, but, clearly ,we're at the start of the process and we've not been through this before. What sort of rough timescale would you anticipate each of these different segments of the process being played out to, so that we move to a point where the tax is either decided upon or not decided upon? As I say, I appreciate there's a number of hurdles to jump through when it comes to giving that answer. You've mentioned the different permissions required from the Assembly and from the Houses of Parliament, but if all that goes to plan, at what point do you see a new tax coming into operation? Turning to the tax itself, clearly, in many ways, the jury is still out because there are a number of different scrutiny levels that that would have to go through before it was decided on, and there'd be amendments to it and what have you. I do think that there are, from what I've seen, some sound reasons for implementing a vacant land tax, and you've touched on some of those arguments today. I've looked at the statistics, and it's estimated that the UK housing developers are holding around 600,000 plots of land that have planning permission but remain undeveloped. I think you had the Welsh statistics at your fingertips. I didn't have those - I had the UK level, and it clearly is a staggering amount of land currently in the bank. According to the Land Registry, this also includes the practice of buying undeveloped land with the intention to split it up into smaller plots to then sell at inflated prices - a practice that I'm sure has gone on for some time. Of course, if that is happening, it does mean that people who are waiting for houses, and waiting for houses to be built, are having to wait longer than they otherwise would because of that. The potential - . I should say that the focus is on the potential future value of the land against the current selling price. Sorry - that was the final bit of that sentence that I didn't finish. The UK Government have said that they'll be looking at this whole area themselves. Are you liaising with them on that, or with the officers in Westminster? I suppose key to this question, and key to the development of all taxes, is: are you confident that the tax that you are proposing is actually required - that it will resolve the issues that we're addressing? I fully understand what you're saying about tax being a valuable tool to change behaviours, but, of course, tax isn't the only option. Just because you have a tool that you can use, it doesn't mean that you always use it if there might be other options that can be used to ease the situation. As I understand it, according to Oliver Letwin's interim report to the UK Government, the biggest driver of building rates once permission is granted for large sites appears to be the absorption rate - the rate at which newly constructed homes can be sold without distorting the local market price. The type of home, as well, is a factor in that, so, clearly, this is a complex landscape that we need to work within. You mentioned other countries - I looked at the Irish example. What lessons do you think can be learned from countries with a vacant land tax? I note that the Irish levy has already been criticised by some leading estate agents across the Irish sea. The increase in the rate there to 7 per cent has led to fears that boom and bust could be amplified beyond what it otherwise would be without that. As land is viewed as a raw material, it's natural for developers to carry a stock of development land, but they will not carry a land bank in a slow market, meaning that when a recovery follows, developers will spend the early years on site assembly rather than the house building that they could and should be doing. I know that that's probably a question for a future phase of this, but I think it's key to the development of this tax, so I'd be interested to know what evidence you're gleaning from the example of other countries. So, I welcome your statement today. I think it's fine as far as it goes, Cabinet Secretary, and I think the Assembly realises that testing the machinery is all-important at this phase. Whilst many of these questions remain for the future, I think it would be good if you could put some meat on the bones at the moment as to what discussions you've had with other Governments and with the sector.
Welsh: A gaf i groesawu datganiad Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet heddiw? Mae'n siŵr ei bod yn rhaid ichi fod yn gallu troi eich llaw at bob dim yn y byd treth newydd, onid oes, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet? Mae llawer o'r trethi yn ymwneud â thir mewn rhyw ffordd neu'i gilydd, felly rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn mynd yn arbenigwr yn eich rhinwedd eich hun. Fel yr oeddech chi'n dweud heddiw, mae hwn yn dir newydd i Lywodraeth Cymru ac i'r Cynulliad hwn, ac rwy'n deall bod eich datganiad heddiw mewn dwy ran, yn bennaf, fel yr ydych chi wedi'i esbonio. Felly, mae gennych chi brawf ar y peiriant treth newydd drwy gyfrwng y mecanweithiau ar y naill law, y gellir eu defnyddio gyda threthi eraill wedyn, wrth gwrs, ac yna'r dreth wirioneddol, y dreth tir gwag, ar y llall arall - y dreth yr ydych wedi penderfynu symud ymlaen â hi. Mae'r rhan hon o'r broses - trydedd ran y broses - cyn bwysiced â datblygu'r dreth ei hun. Mae'n debyg mai fy nghwestiwn cyntaf yw: pa fath o amserlen yr ydych yn edrych arni yma? Fel y dywedaf, rwy'n sylweddoli mai dyddiau cynnar yw'r rhain ac ni allwch fod yn fanwl gywir ynglŷn â hynny, ond, mae'n amlwg ein bod ar ddechrau'r broses ac nid ydym wedi bod drwy hyn o'r blaen. Pa fath o amserlen fras a ragwelwch fydd gan bob un o'r gwahanol rannau hyn o'r broses, er mwyn cyrraedd y pwynt y penderfynir ar y dreth neu beidio? Fel y dywedaf, rwy'n deall y ceir nifer o rwystrau i neidio drostyn nhw cyn daw'r ateb i hynny. Rydych wedi sôn am y gwahanol hawliau sy'n ofynnol gan y Cynulliad a Dau Dŷ'r Senedd, ond os gwireddir hynny i gyd yn ôl y cynllun, pryd ydych chi'n tybio y gwelir treth newydd yn dod i rym? A chan droi at y dreth ei hun, mae'n amlwg, mewn llawer o ffyrdd, nad oes dedfryd eto oherwydd mae nifer o wahanol lefelau o graffu i fynd drwyddyn nhw cyn y gellid penderfynu ar hynny, a byddai gwelliannau iddi a beth fynnwch chi. Rwyf i o'r farn, o'r hyn a welais i, fod rhai rhesymau cadarn dros weithredu treth ar dir gwag, ac rydych wedi cyffwrdd â rhai o'r dadleuon hynny heddiw. Rwyf wedi edrych ar yr ystadegau, ac amcangyfrifir bod datblygwyr tai'r DU yn dal eu gafael ar oddeutu 600,000 o leiniau o dir sydd wedi cael caniatâd cynllunio ond heb eu datblygu hyd yn hyn. Credaf fod ystadegau Cymru ar flaenau eich bysedd. Nid oedd y rheini gennyf i - cefais rai ar lefel y DU, ac mae'n amlwg fod swm aruthrol o dir ar hyn o bryd yn y banc. Yn ôl y Gofrestrfa Tir, mae hynny hefyd yn cynnwys yr arfer o brynu tir nas datblygwyd gyda'r bwriad o'i rannu'n lleiniau llai ac yna ei werthu am brisiau uwch - arfer sydd wedi bodoli ers cryn amser, rwy'n siwr. Wrth gwrs, os yw hynny'n digwydd, mae'n golygu y bydd pobl sy'n aros am dai, ac yn aros am dai i gael eu hadeiladu, yn gorfod aros am fwy o amser nag y byddent fel arall oherwydd hynny. Mae'r posibilrwydd - . Fe ddylwn ddweud bod y pwyslais ar werth posibl tir yn y dyfodol yn erbyn y pris gwerthu presennol. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf - rhan olaf y frawddeg na lwyddais i'w gorffen oedd honno. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi dweud y byddan nhw'n edrych ar yr holl faes hwn eu hunain. A ydych yn cysylltu â nhw ynglŷn â hynny, neu â'r swyddogion yn San Steffan? Mae'n debyg mai'r allwedd i'r cwestiwn hwn, a'r allwedd i ddatblygu'r holl drethi, yw: a ydych yn hyderus fod y dreth yr ydych yn ei chynnig yn angenrheidiol mewn gwirionedd - a fydd hi'n datrys y materion yr ydym ni'n mynd i'r afael â nhw? Rwy'n llwyr ddeall yr hyn yr ydych yn ei ddweud am dreth yn offeryn gwerthfawr i newid arferion, ond, wrth gwrs, nid treth yw'r unig ddewis. Nid oes raid ichi ddefnyddio'r offeryn sydd gennych chi yn eich meddiant bob amser pe bai dewisiadau eraill y gellid eu defnyddio i leddfu'r sefyllfa. Fel y deallaf, yn ôl adroddiad dros dro Oliver Letwin i Lywodraeth y DU, ymddengys mai prif yrrwr y cyfraddau adeiladu, pan roddir caniatâd i safleoedd mawr, yw'r gyfradd amsugno - y gyfradd y gellir gwerthu cartrefi newydd a adeiladwyd heb wyrdroi prisiau'r farchnad leol. Mae'r math o gartref, hefyd, yn ffactor yn hynny, felly, yn amlwg, mae hon yn dirwedd gymhleth y mae angen inni weithio oddi mewn iddi. Roeddech chi'n sôn am wledydd eraill - edrychais ar esiampl Iwerddon. Pa wersi y gellir eu dysgu oddi wrth wledydd gyda threth tir gwag, yn eich barn chi? Nodaf fod yr ardoll yn Iwerddon yn cael ei feirniadu yn barod gan rai gwerthwyr blaenllaw dros fôr Iwerddon. Mae'r cynnydd yn y gyfradd yno i 7 y cant wedi arwain at bryderon y gallai chwyddo ffyniant a methiant y tu hwnt i'r hyn a fyddai fel arall hebddo. Gan fod tir yn cael ei ystyried yn ddeunydd crai, mae'n naturiol i ddatblygwyr gadw stoc o dir datblygu, ond ni fyddan nhw'n cadw banc o dir mewn marchnad araf, sy'n golygu y bydd datblygwyr yn treulio'r blynyddoedd cynnar yn trefnu safle yn hytrach nag adeiladu'r tai y gallasen nhw ac y dylsen nhw fod yn ei wneud. Rwy'n gwybod mai cwestiwn ar gyfer cyfnod sydd i ddod yw hwn fwy na thebyg, ond rwyf i o'r farn ei fod yn allweddol i ddatblygiad y dreth hon. Felly byddai gennyf ddiddordeb i wybod pa dystiolaeth yr ydych chi'n ei loffa o esiampl gwledydd eraill. Felly, croesawaf eich datganiad heddiw. Credaf ei fod yn iawn ynddo'i hun, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ac rwy'n credu bod y Cynulliad yn sylweddoli bod profi'r peirianwaith yn hollbwysig yn y cyfnod hwn. Er y bydd llawer o'r cwestiynau hyn yn aros yn y dyfodol, credaf y byddai'n beth da pe baech yn rhoi peth cig ar yr esgyrn nawr o ran pa drafodaethau yr ydych wedi'u cael â Llywodraethau eraill ac â'r sector.