English: I've had a number of discussions with the health Minister with regard to the contract reform and with regard to the issues facing dentistry across Wales, because I know this is an issue that comes up frequently in the Assembly. We've acknowledged that the current contractual system does need reform, and that's something that we are absolutely getting on with, and significant changes are already being made and those changes are being welcomed by dental teams. We've said we want to see the number of practices participating in the reform programme expanding further, and we do expect now to see over half of practices being part of the programme by October 2020. Currently, there are 132, so that's around 30 per cent of dental practices currently taking part. Obviously, there are workforce and retention issues that we're seeking to address as well. Part of that is through the training programmes that we're putting in place. There are year-on-year increases now in the number of dentists providing NHS care in Wales, but we recognise recruitment and retention is a particular issue, and particularly so in some parts of Wales - north Wales, mid Wales and west Wales, particularly - and it is causing some difficulty in terms of filling vacancies. But, I can confirm that Health Education and Improvement Wales are now looking at the commissioning of training numbers, training and education packages to develop the workforce, and considering whether there are more effective workforce models to deliver services that could improve dentists' workloads and help make practices more sustainable and the career more attractive.
Welsh: Rwyf wedi cael nifer o drafodaethau gyda'r Gweinidog iechyd mewn perthynas â diwygio contractau ac ynglŷn â'r problemau sy'n wynebu deintyddiaeth ledled Cymru, gan y gwn fod hwn yn fater sy'n codi'n aml yn y Cynulliad. Rydym wedi cydnabod bod angen diwygio'r system gontractio bresennol, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth rydym yn sicr yn mynd i'r afael ag ef, ac mae newidiadau sylweddol eisoes yn cael eu gwneud ac mae timau deintyddol yn croesawu'r newidiadau hynny. Rydym wedi dweud ein bod yn dymuno gweld nifer y practisau sy'n cymryd rhan yn y rhaglen ddiwygio yn cynyddu ymhellach, ac rydym bellach yn disgwyl gweld dros hanner y practisau yn rhan o'r rhaglen erbyn mis Hydref 2020. Ceir 132 ohonynt ar hyn o bryd, felly mae oddeutu 30 y cant o bractisau deintyddol yn cymryd rhan ar hyn o bryd. Yn amlwg, rydym hefyd yn ceisio mynd i'r afael â phroblemau gyda'r gweithlu a chadw staff. Mae rhan o hynny'n digwydd drwy'r rhaglenni hyfforddi rydym yn eu rhoi ar waith. Ceir cynnydd o flwyddyn i flwyddyn yn awr yn nifer y deintyddion sy'n darparu gofal y GIG yng Nghymru, ond rydym yn cydnabod bod recriwtio a chadw staff yn broblem benodol, yn enwedig mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru - gogledd Cymru, canolbarth Cymru a gorllewin Cymru, yn enwedig - ac mae hynny'n achosi cryn drafferth o ran llenwi swyddi gwag. Ond gallaf gadarnhau bod Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru bellach yn edrych ar gomisiynu pecynnau addysg, niferoedd sy'n hyfforddi a hyfforddiant i ddatblygu'r gweithlu, ac ystyried a oes modelau gweithlu mwy effeithiol i ddarparu gwasanaethau a allai wella llwyth gwaith deintyddion a helpu i sicrhau bod practisau'n fwy cynaliadwy a'r yrfa'n fwy deniadol.