English: Certainly, HEIs that are strong are very important economically, culturally and socially, in terms of contributing to our prosperity as a nation. I want to talk about the economic impact of higher education, mainly. It happens on a number of levels, and the problems and the crisis that we face in the sector at present should be ringing very loud alarm bells, in terms of the economic risks. On the economic contribution to the areas that the universities are in, we talk more and more, as we should, about the foundational economy's value. In the communities and the regions where the universities work, they are some of the biggest contributors to the foundational economies there. We're talking about a great number of staff and we're talking about good salaries for the staff - too high, in some cases, for some vice-chancellors, which is a very important issue to tackle. Where there are hundreds of jobs that have been lost already, the economic impact of that is to be felt heavily. We're talking about supply chains locally, from maintaining the estate, to food for staff and students and the night-time economy, which I probably indulged in too much. There is a broad economic contribution. And then there is a contribution that stems from the skills that are provided by the sector, and individuals benefit from learning skills through the HE sector - communities and the whole of Wales benefit from that. Unfortunately, I don't think that we've taken full advantage of that potential. I think that the failure to invest in an HE system that's effective is part of the reason why we have too many people with low levels of skills, and that leads, then, to low pay. There is potential that has been locked in the people of Wales that has not been released, as it could be through the HE sector. I'll use this opportunity as well to talk about the brain drain that we face at present. To be clear, I and Plaid Cymru believe that students from Wales should be able to study in the best universities in the world, and to have an opportunity to live and work overseas, as I did. But, we have to face up to the situation that Wales is suffering a net loss in terms of graduates. Seeing funding systems and the Welsh Government's policy - through the Seren programme in particular - they do encourage the brain drain. What country with any kind of self-respect and ambition would want to see our best people leaving without making an effort to try to keep them or attract them back here? So, if we want to support students to go wherever they want to go to gain new skills - as I said, I don't oppose that - and if we do send money after them, out of Wales, we have to ensure that that doesn't undermine the institutions that we have, in a financial sense, which leads then to a lack of investment and a risk of a lowering of standards, and making them less appealing to students from Wales, who then consider going to study in England. It's a vicious cycle that we can't ignore. We can't just say goodbye to students for their university years without (a) tracking them very carefully to know exactly where they're going and what they're doing - and it would be good to hear from the Minister about what tracking system is in existence and what the aims of that scheme are, and what schemes we have to keep in contact with the students - and without then (b) having a clear plan to attract them back after graduating, including through using financial incentives. Finally, research is vital for our universities - research, of course, that drives economic growth. I'll talk about Cardiff; I have the figures here. As a key contributor to the Welsh economy, in 2016-17 the university contributed more than £3 billion to the UK economy, and more than £2 billion of that was a boost for Wales specifically. Quality-related research is a critical part of this, but expenditure on research and development is falling behind other parts of the UK - falling behind Scotland, certainly. That does affect the ability of Wales to innovate. Cardiff University says that the Welsh Government should, for example, be doing much more to fund what they called challenge-led innovation research, as well as maintaining the QR research. That would go some way towards undoing the disadvantage that Wales faces at present. Very simply, if Wales wants to be prosperous, we have to have a prosperous sector being engendered by universities. So, to close, it's clear that the HE sector is vital for our economy. If we don't ensure the sustainability of that sector, we are sure to pay a very heavy price.
Welsh: Yn sicr, mae sefydliadau addysg uwch cryf yn bwysig yn economaidd, yn gymdeithasol ac yn ddiwylliannol o ran cyfrannu at ein llewyrch ni fel cenedl. Dwi am siarad am impact economaidd addysg uwch yn bennaf. Mae'n digwydd ar nifer o lefelau, ac mi ddylai'r problemau a'r argyfwng rydym ni'n eu hwynebu yn y sector ar hyn o bryd fod yn canu larymau yn uchel iawn ynglŷn â'r peryglon economaidd. O ran y cyfraniad economaidd i'r ardaloedd mae'r prifysgolion ynddyn nhw, yn gyntaf, rydym ni'n sôn mwy a mwy, fel y dylem ni, am werth yr economi sylfaenol - y foundational economy - ac yn y cymunedau a'r rhanbarthau y mae'r prifysgolion yn gweithio o'u mewn nhw, maen nhw'n rhai o'r cyfranwyr mwyaf at yr economïau sylfaenol hynny. Rydym ni'n sôn am nifer fawr o staff, rydym ni'n sôn am gyflogau da i lawer o'r staff hynny - cyflogau rhy uchel, yn achos rhai is-ganghellorion, wrth gwrs, sy'n fater pwysig i fynd i'r afael â fo. Lle mae cannoedd o swyddi wedi cael eu colli'n barod, mae impact economaidd hynny i'w deimlo yn drwm. Rydym ni'n sôn am gadwynau cyflenwi yn lleol, o gynnal a chadw ystadau i fwydo staff neu fwydo myfyrwyr. Rydym ni'n sôn am gyfraniad myfyrwyr, fel y gwnes i lawer gormod ohono fo, mae'n siŵr, at economïau gyda'r nos yn eu hardaloedd. Felly, mae yna gyfraniad economaidd eang. Mae yna gyfraniad economaidd wedyn, wrth gwrs, sy'n deillio o'r sgiliau sy'n cael eu darparu gan y sector. Mae'r unigolion yn elwa o ddysgu sgiliau drwy addysg uwch - mae cymunedau a Chymru gyfan wedyn yn elwa o hynny. Yn anffodus, dydyn ni ddim, dwi ddim yn meddwl, wedi manteisio digon ar y potensial yma. Dwi'n meddwl bod methiant i fuddsoddi mewn system addysg uwch effeithiol yn rhan o'r rheswm pam fod gennym ni ormod o bobl â sgiliau isel, a hynny'n arwain wedyn at gyflogau rhy isel. Mae yna botensial wedi cael ei gloi mewn pobl yng Nghymru sydd ddim yn cael ei ryddhau fel y gallai fo drwy addysg uwch. Mi ddefnyddia i'r cyfle yma hefyd i sôn am y brain drain rydym ni yn ei wynebu ar hyn o bryd. I fod yn glir, dwi a Phlaid Cymru'n credu y dylai myfyrwyr o Gymru gael astudio ym mhrifysgolion gorau'r byd, i gael cyfle i fyw a gweithio dramor fel y ces i wneud. Ond mae'n rhaid i ni wynebu'r sefyllfa bod Cymru yn dioddef colled net o'n graddedigion, ac mae gweld systemau cyllido, ar y cyd efo polisi Llywodraeth - drwy, er enghraifft, y rhaglen Seren; y rhaglen honno'n arbennig - mae'n annog y brain drain yna. A pha wlad ag unrhyw hunan-barch ac uchelgais fyddai am weld ein goreuon ni yn gadael heb wneud ymdrech i geisio eu cadw nhw neu eu denu nhw yn ôl? Os ydym ni am gefnogi myfyrwyr i fynd i ble bynnag maen nhw'n dymuno i fagu sgiliau newydd - a fel dwi'n dweud, does gen i ddim gwrthwynebiad i hynny - os ydym ni'n gyrru arian ar eu holau nhw allan o Gymru, mae'n rhaid sicrhau bod hynny ddim yn tanseilio y sefydliadau sydd gennym ni yn ariannol, sydd wedyn yn arwain at ddiffyg buddsoddiad, sy'n arwain at y peryg o ostwng safonau, sydd wedyn yn eu gwneud nhw'n llai apelgar i fyfyrwyr o Gymru, sydd wedyn yn ystyried mynd i astudio i Loegr yn lle. Mae o'n gylch dieflig na allwn ni ddim ei anwybyddu. Allwn ni chwaith ddim jest ffarwelio efo myfyrwyr am eu blynyddoedd prifysgol heb (a) eu dilyn nhw yn ofalus iawn, eu tracio nhw i wybod ble maen nhw'n mynd, beth maen nhw'n ei wneud - ac mi fuasai'n dda gen i glywed y Gweinidog yn egluro pa system dracio, debyg, sydd mewn bodolaeth, a beth ydy nod y system honno a beth ydy'r cynllun i gadw mewn cysylltiad efo myfyrwyr - a (b) heb gynllun clir, wedyn, i'w denu nhw nôl i weithio ar ôl graddio, yn cynnwys drwy ddefnyddio cymhellion ariannol. Yn olaf, gwaith ymchwil cwbl allweddol ein prifysgolion ni - ymchwil, wrth gwrs, sy'n gyrru twf economaidd. Mi soniaf i am Gaerdydd; mae'r ffigurau gen i fan hyn. Fel cyfrannwr allweddol at economi Cymru, yn 2016-17, roedd y brifysgol yn cyfrannu dros £3 biliwn at economi'r Deyrnas Unedig, a dros £2 biliwn o hwnnw yn hwb i Gymru yn benodol. Mae ymchwil QR yn rhan ganolog o hyn, ond mae gwariant ar ymchwil a datblygiad yn cwympo y tu ôl i rannau eraill y Deyrnas Unedig - yn cwympo y tu ôl i'r Alban, yn sicr, yn sylweddol. Mae hynny'n effeithio ar allu Cymru i arloesi. Mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn dweud y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru, er enghraifft, fod yn gwneud llawer mwy i ariannu beth maen nhw'n ei alw'n ymchwil arloesol, challenge-led, yn ogystal â chynnal lefel yr ymchwil safonol QR. Mi fyddai hynny, dwi'n meddwl, yn mynd rhywfaint o'r ffordd i ddad-wneud yr anfantais mae Cymru yn ei wynebu ar hyn o bryd. Yn syml iawn, os ydy Cymru am fod yn llewyrchus, mae'n rhaid i ni gael sector R&D llewyrchus yn dod drwy ein prifysgolion ni. Felly, i gloi, mae'n glir bod y sector addysg uwch yn hanfodol, yn allweddol i'n heconomi ni. Os na sicrhawn ni gynaliadwyedd y sector honno, rydym ni'n siŵr o dalu pris uchel iawn.