English: Can I also commend the Cabinet Secretary and his two colleagues for the way in which they have been open and transparent - [ Inaudible. ] - tragic affair. This isn't a subject out of which anybody is trying to make any party political points, for it would be quite wrong, and I think the sensitivity that the Government Ministers have brought to this difficult task is highly commendable. Because you certainly don't want to reduce morale still further in Powys County Council and we all appreciate the difficulties of local administration in a county that is so extended and where transport links are difficult and the population is highly dispersed. In rural areas, social problems are often much more difficult to solve than they are in concentrated urban areas. So, we all have tremendous sympathy for the county council and the difficulty of the tasks that they have to perform. But, ultimately, as in all these kinds of cases, it's down to a failure of leadership and I do take the point that Simon Thomas made, that a lot of the same people who were involved in the decisions that brought us to where we are now are still in place. The question is to what extent they have the capacity to learn from those mistakes and not repeat them. That is, at the moment, something that we have to take on trust, and I appreciate the Cabinet Secretary's difficulty in making a statement like this today. All that's happened, fundamentally, is that we've put new people at the top in these places who have to take the fundamental decisions that are going to, we hope, sort things out in the future. And I certainly wish Mr Mehmet well in his difficult task. What I reflected on most in the original report about the children services was the bald statement that 'the most significant challenge appeared to be the simplest, namely that of good communication and coordinated planning, based on a thorough understanding of Child A's daily lived experiences and the significant impact of serious early childhood trauma.' It was the professionals who, paradoxically, had the difficulties in communicating. The child himself was very eloquent in being able to describe his needs. And that is a most extraordinary situation to be in. I'm sure it's been a traumatising experience for those who are on the staff of Powys County Council. Nobody should underestimate that and one should be sympathetic. I don't like pointing the finger of blame in these circumstances except with the aim of having some positive outcome. And I think the approach that the Government has taken to this, with the Cabinet Secretary in the position of - well, akin to the one described by Walter Bagehot in The English Constitution about Queen Victoria, that he has the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn. He very properly, I think, in answer to Russell George, pointed out the separation in functions between the Welsh Government on the one hand and local authorities on the other. I do think, though, as one of the more combative Members of this place, that he does have the necessary skills to draw people along as well. He has the leadership skills, which, without wishing to be too heavy-handed about it, give us the opportunity, I think, of making the best out of the bad job that has been inherited from the past. One of the extraordinary things, I felt, in Sean Harriss's report was where he says: 'there is some lack of understanding of "what good looks like" in the organisation' and that 'the Council at times was "insufficiently daunted" by the size, scale and nature of the change required.' I hope that that has now been addressed. He also said: 'The Council is insufficiently clear about what needs to be done and how to do it.' I do hope the new appointments will address that lacuna as well. Although Sean Harriss's report was strong on management speak, we all, I think, know what needs to be done. And it's got to be a co-operative enterprise. There is a peer group that has been put together to co-ordinate things. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how often he's going to be able to report to us on the progress that is being made by these new individuals and organisations? Because at the moment everything is being taken on trust; nobody has any alternative to that. But we will I think very soon be in a position to ask are the right decisions being taken, are the new management teams being put together, and be able to draw some conclusions as to the lessons that have been learned from the past. The conclusion of Sean Harriss's report was that, in five years' time, all the residents of Powys should be assured that the management of the county council and provision of all its services are being provided to the highest possible standard. So, I think that we need to be assured in a relatively short time frame that the remedial decisions that are essential have been taken. So, I wonder if the Cabinet Secretary could reassure us on those points.
Welsh: A gaf innau hefyd ganmol Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet a'i ddau gydweithiwr am y ffordd y maent wedi bod yn agored a thryloyw - [ Anghlywadwy. ] - mater trasig. Nid yw hwn yn bwnc y mae unrhyw yn ceisio'i ddefnyddio i wneud unrhyw bwyntiau gwleidyddol, gan y byddai hynny'n gwbl anghywir, ac rwy'n credu bod y sensitifrwydd y mae Gweinidogion y Llywodraeth wedi'i ddangos wrth fynd i'r afael â'r dasg anodd hon yn gymeradwy iawn. Oherwydd, yn sicr, ni fyddech chi eisiau lleihau'r morâl mwy fyth yng Nghyngor Sir Powys, ac rydym ni i gyd yn cydnabod pa mor anodd yw gweinyddiaeth leol mewn sir sydd mor fawr, lle mae cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth yn anodd ac mae'r boblogaeth yn wasgaredig iawn. Mewn ardaloedd gwledig, mae problemau cymdeithasol yn aml yn llawer mwy anodd eu datrys nag y maent mewn ardaloedd trefol mwy dwys. Felly, mae gennym bob cydymdeimlad â'r cyngor sir a'r gwaith anodd sydd ganddynt i'w wneud. Ond, yn y pen draw, fel ym mhob achos o'r fath, methiant o ran arweinyddiaeth sy'n gyfrifol ac rwy'n derbyn pwynt Simon Thomas, bod llawer o'r un bobl a oedd yn rhan o'r penderfyniadau a'n harweiniodd ni at y pwynt hwn yn dal i fod yno. Y cwestiwn yw, i ba raddau y mae ganddyn nhw'r gallu i ddysgu o'r camgymeriadau hynny, a pheidio â'u hailadrodd. Mae hynny, ar hyn o bryd, yn rhywbeth y mae'n rhaid i ni ei dderbyn ar eu gair, ac rwy'n gwerthfawrogi pa mor anodd yw hi i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wneud datganiad fel hwn heddiw. Y cyfan sydd wedi digwydd, yn y bôn, yw ein bod ni wedi rhoi pobl newydd ar y brig yn y lleoedd hyn sy'n gorfod gwneud y penderfyniadau sylfaenol a fydd, gobeithio, yn datrys pethau yn y dyfodol. Ac yn sicr, rwy'n dymuno'n dda i Mr Mehmet yn y dasg anodd sydd o'i flaen. Yr hyn y gwnes i fyfyrio arno fwyaf yn yr adroddiad gwreiddiol am y gwasanaethau plant oedd y datganiad beiddgar 'ymddengys mai'r her fwyaf arwyddocaol oedd y peth symlaf, sef cyfathrebu da a chynllunio cydlynol, yn seiliedig ar ddealltwriaeth drylwyr o brofiadau bywyd beunyddiol plentyn A ac effaith sylweddol trawma difrifol mewn plentyndod cynnar.' Y gweithwyr proffesiynol, yn baradocsaidd, a oedd yn cael anawsterau wrth gyfathrebu. Roedd y plentyn ei hun yn huawdl iawn wrth allu disgrifio'i anghenion. Ac mae honno'n sefyllfa ryfeddol ar y naw i fod ynddi. Rwy'n siŵr y bu'n brofiad trawmatig i staff Cyngor Sir Powys. Ni ddylai neb danbrisio hynny a dylid dangos cydymdeimlad. Nid wyf yn hoff o fwrw bai yn yr amgylchiadau hyn, ac eithrio â'r nod o gael canlyniadau cadarnhaol. Ac rwy'n credu bod ymagwedd y Llywodraeth yn hyn o beth, gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet mewn sefyllfa - wel, tebyg i'r un a ddisgrifiwyd gan Walter Bagehot yn The English Constitution am y Frenhines Fictoria, fod ganddo hawl i ymgynghori, yr hawl i annog, a'r hawl i rybuddio. Roedd yn briodol, yn fy marn i, iddo ateb Russell George, gan dynnu sylw at y rhaniad yn swyddogaethau Llywodraeth Cymru ar y naill law a llywodraeth leol ar y llaw arall. Rwyf yn credu, fodd bynnag, ac yntau'n un o'r Aelodau mwy ymosodol yn y lle hwn, fod ganddo'r sgiliau angenrheidiol i ddenu pobl i ymuno ag ef hefyd. Mae ganddo'r sgiliau arwain, sydd, heb ddymuno bod yn rhy llawdrwm am y peth, yn rhoi'r cyfle i ni wneud y gorau o'r llanastr sydd wedi'i etifeddu o'r gorffennol. Un o'r pethau rhyfeddol, yn fy marn i, yn adroddiad Sean Harriss yw lle mae'n dweud, 'mae rhywfaint o ddiffyg dealltwriaeth o beth yw "da" yn y sefydliad' ac 'ar adegau, nid oedd y Cyngor wedi'i "ddychryn ddigon" gan faint, graddfa a natur y newid sydd ei angen.' Gobeithio bod hynny wedi newid erbyn hyn. Dywedodd hefyd, 'Nid yw'r Cyngor yn ddigon clir ynglŷn â'r hyn sydd angen ei wneud, a sut i wneud hynny.' Rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr y bydd y penodiadau newydd yn ymdrin â'r diffyg hwnnw hefyd. Er bod adroddiad Sean Harriss yn llawn iaith rheoli, rydym ni i gyd, rwy'n credu, yn gwybod beth sydd angen ei wneud. Ac mae'n rhaid iddi fod yn fenter gydweithredol. Mae grŵp o gyfoedion wedi'u tynnu ynghyd i gydgysylltu pethau. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddweud wrthym ba mor aml y bydd yn gallu adrodd i ni ar y cynnydd a wneir gan yr unigolion newydd a'r sefydliadau hyn? Oherwydd ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn cymryd pawb ar eu gair; nid oes gan neb unrhyw opsiwn arall. Ond byddwn ni, rwy'n credu, mewn sefyllfa yn fuan iawn i ofyn a yw'r penderfyniadau cywir yn cael eu gwneud, a yw'r timau rheoli newydd yn cael eu ffurfio, a byddwn ni'n gallu dod i gasgliadau ynghylch pa wersi sydd wedi'u dysgu o'r gorffennol. Casgliad adroddiad Sean Harriss oedd y dylai holl drigolion Powys, ymhen pum mlynedd, fod yn dawel eu meddwl bod y cyngor sir yn cael ei reoli, a bod ei holl wasanaethau yn cael eu darparu i'r safon uchaf posibl. Felly, rwy'n credu bod angen i ni gael ein sicrhau yn eithaf buan bod y penderfyniadau unioni angenrheidiol yn cael eu gwneud. Felly, tybed a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dawelu ein meddyliau ni ar y pwyntiau hynny.