English: But it's not just access to the internet that is a barrier for people, but the fact that many older people simply don't feel comfortable using the internet, even those who do feel comfortable with e-mail or Facebook. Perhaps they are still nervous when it comes to making an application for something official such as a bus pass or dealing with financial services online. Yes, some work has been done to increase digital inclusion, increase people's skills in communities and so on, but there are many older people, particularly, who choose not to go online, and they shouldn't miss out on crucial services or advice as a result of that. And people who aren't online often miss out on better deals when it comes to shopping or services such as selecting a gas or electricity provider. So, what can the Government do? I'm calling on the Government to do two things to assist people from feeling isolated and from losing out. The first thing is to look at the public services that they themselves provide. The latest example, the more prominent example, is the decision of the Welsh Government to make the bus pass renewal system an online-only system. Particularly given who the demographic was, this was a very unwise choice, in my eyes, and you very clearly see, by speaking to constituents, that people are deeply concerned about having to do this online, and many people don't know where to start. My office therefore offered that we would help people in making these online applications, and we advertised that through a poster in the window, a poster in the post office, and we spread the word. And since September, my office has dealt with over 300 bus pass renewal applications through the Transport for Wales website. Three hundred people who either didn't feel comfortable in making the application themselves or didn't have access to the internet in order to do that had they not come to my office. And there were stories about people losing sleep as they were so concerned about how they were going to renew their bus pass because they were so reliant on buses. We are still now having people coming to us telling us that they've tried to make an application on paper and that there were huge delays with that, and some feeling that the paper-based application had gone to the back of the queue. And that was when the online system was crashing continuously at the outset. Constituents also tell us that they have difficulty in finding face-to-face support in order to make these applications. Many were referred to us by libraries on Anglesey and by the council and so on and so forth. We were more than happy to help our constituents, of course, but we must ask questions as to whether that provision by Transport for Wales was appropriate, and whether the support that they claimed was available to assist people was sufficient. It is clear that the Welsh Government values the bus pass for older people or they wouldn't offer that free service to them, and we support that, of course. It's very important indeed. So, it didn't make sense, then, to me, to put this barrier in place of the crucial process of renewing these bus passes. I'll give you another example in my own constituency related to transport: a constituent had gone to a railway station in December to ask for a paper copy of the train timetable, the new timetable, but the only thing that was available for passengers was a sheet advising people that the timetable was changing and that they should go online to see the changes. That's not acceptable. So, I would like a commitment from the Government that they will look to ensure that traditional options - off-line options, if you like - are available where public services are provided online, and particularly, I hardly need to say, when those services are targeted at groups such as older people or people who have learning difficulties who face similar problems. The second thing I'm calling for is that Government should put pressure on third parties, the private sector, for example, in order to ensure that customers aren't excluded and that customers aren't disadvantaged if only online services are provided. The most prominent examples are banking services. I'm sure there's no constituency - correct me if I'm wrong - but I'm sure there's no single constituency that hasn't been impacted by bank branch closures. Sixty-three per cent of branches on Anglesey have closed since December 2015, and there are only six left across the whole of the island. You will hear the bank saying, 'Well, don't worry, people can use the branch in the next town', but then they'll close that one too. And in addition to that, you have the situation that we saw with Barclays saying, 'Well, our customers can't withdraw funds from the post office either.' I was very pleased that we had managed to put pressure on them to scrap that particular idea. But it does demonstrate, doesn't it, the lack of commitment among the major banks to think about their customers, particularly older customers, and specifically, I would say, in rural areas? Yes, I do bank online myself and, yes, I do realise that that strengthens the case for the banks for closure. I am not blind to the change of culture that's happening, the change of habits among the population and the impacts of that. But there are people who simply don't want to bank online. They don't trust online banking because it is too much of a culture shift from what they have been used to. They simply won't change, and they are losing out. I remember when I visited the Yorkshire Building Society in Llangefni when it was announced that that was to close, and the staff were literally in tears describing the customers who would come in to withdraw money, and it wasn't a single payment in one envelope, but it was, 'Here's your rent money, Mrs Jones, and here's your money to buy food', and so on. And that is a personal service that will never be duplicated online, and digital exclusion, that's what that means. It's the growth of online services reducing traditional services and people who don't have access to those online services are excluded and isolated. Another example in my constituency was with the gas service. A 92-year-old constituent receiving a letter from British Gas asking her to organise a boiler maintenance check, and she was advised to make an appointment online through the app. Now, she was hugely concerned at this point. She was concerned that there was a problem with her boiler and a problem with a boiler can be fatal, but she was worried about that, and she couldn't make an appointment. So, she came to my office and we got in touch with British Gas to make that appointment for her. And their response was:
Welsh: Ond nid dim ond mynediad at y rhyngrwyd sydd yn rhwystro pobl, ond y ffaith bod nifer o bobl hŷn ddim yn teimlo'n gyfforddus yn defnyddio'r rhyngrwyd, hyd yn oed y rhai sydd efallai'n teimlo'n gyfforddus efo e-bost neu Facebook. Efallai eu bod nhw'n dal i fod yn nerfus pan mae'n dod i wneud cais am rywbeth swyddogol fel tocyn bws neu ymdrin â gwasanaethau ariannol ar y we. Oes, mae yna waith wedi cael ei wneud i gynyddu cynhwysiant digidol, hybu sgiliau pobl yn eu cymunedau ac ati, ond mae yna lawer o bobl hŷn yn enwedig yn mynd ati i ddewis peidio â mynd ar-lein, a dylen nhw ddim colli allan ar gyngor neu wasanaethau hanfodol o'r herwydd. Mae pobl sydd ddim ar-lein hefyd yn aml yn colli allan ar well fargeinion pan fydd hi'n dod i siopa neu wasanaethau fel newid darparwr trydan neu nwy. Felly, beth all y Llywodraeth ei wneud? Dwi'n galw ar y Llywodraeth i wneud dau beth, mewn difri, i gynorthwyo pobl rhag teimlo'n ynysig a rhag colli allan. Y cyntaf ydy edrych ar y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus y maen nhw eu hunain yn eu cynnig. Yr enghraifft ddiweddaraf, yr amlycaf, ydy penderfyniad Llywodraeth Cymru i wneud y system gais am docynnau bws am ddim yn un ar-lein yn unig, yn enwedig o ystyried pwy oedd y gynulleidfa darged, mi oedd hwn yn ddewis annoeth iawn, dwi'n credu. Mi ddaeth hi'n amlwg iawn yn fuan iawn drwy sgwrsio efo etholwyr fod pobl yn poeni'n fawr am orfod gwneud hyn ar-lein, a llawer ddim yn gwybod lle i ddechrau. Mi wnaeth fy swyddfa i felly gynnig y byddem ni'n helpu pobl i wneud ceisiadau tocyn bws ar-lein, gan hysbysebu hynny drwy boster yn y ffenest, poster yn y swyddfa bost ac, wrth gwrs, lledaenu'r gair ar lafar. Ers mis Medi, mae fy swyddfa i wedi delio efo dros 300 o geisiadau am gerdyn bws newydd drwy wefan Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Tri chant o bobl oedd un ai ddim yn teimlo'n gyfforddus yn gwneud y cais eu hunain, neu heb fynediad at ryngrwyd i wneud hynny heblaw drwy ddod at ein swyddfa ni. Buon ni'n clywed straeon am bobl yn colli cwsg yn poeni sut oedden nhw'n mynd i adnewyddu eu tocyn am eu bod nhw mor ddibynnol ar fysus. Rydyn ni dal rŵan yn cael pobl yn dod atom ni i ddweud eu bod nhw wedi trio gwneud cais ar bapur ond bod yna oedi mawr wedi bod efo hynny, a rhyw deimlad bod y ceisiadau papur wedi mynd i gefn y ciw, a hynny pan oedd y system ar-lein yn 'crash-o' drwy'r amser hyd yn oed ar y dechrau. Mi oedd etholwyr yn dweud wrthym ni hefyd eu bod nhw'n cael trafferth dod o hyd i gymorth wyneb yn wyneb mewn llefydd eraill er mwyn gwneud ceisiadau. Mi gafodd nifer eu cyfeirio atom ni gan lyfrgelloedd yn Ynys Môn, gan y cyngor ac ati. Mi oedden ni'n hapus iawn i helpu etholwyr, ond mae'n rhaid cwestiynu a oedd y ddarpariaeth yna gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn briodol ac a oedd y cymorth roedden nhw'n dweud oedd ar gael i gynorthwyo pobl yn ddigonol. Mae'n amlwg bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi gwerth ar y tocyn bws i bobl hŷn neu bydden nhw ddim yn cynnig y gwasanaeth am ddim iddyn nhw, ac rydyn ni'n cefnogi hynny, wrth gwrs. Mae o'n bwysig iawn, iawn. Felly doedd o ddim yn gwneud synnwyr wedyn i fi eu bod nhw wedi rhoi'r rhwystr yma i'r broses hollbwysig o adnewyddu tocynnau. I roi enghraifft arall ichi yn fy etholaeth i sy'n ymwneud â thrafnidiaeth: mi oedd etholwr yn mynd i orsaf rheilffordd ym mis Rhagfyr i ofyn am gopi papur o'r amserlen drenau newydd. Ond yr unig beth oedd ar gael i deithwyr oedd taflen yn cynghori bod yr amserlen yn newid ac i fynd ar y we. Dydy hynny ddim yn dderbyniol. Felly, mi fuaswn i'n licio ymrwymiad gan y Llywodraeth eu bod nhw'n edrych ar sicrhau bod dewisiadau traddodiadol, dewisiadau all-lein, os liciwch chi, ar gael lle mae gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn cael eu cynnig ar-lein, ac yn enwedig - does prin angen imi ddweud hyn - pan fydd y gwasanaethau hynny wedi eu targedu at grwpiau fel pobl hŷn neu rai sydd efo anawsterau dysgu sy'n wynebu problemau tebyg. Yr ail beth dwi'n galw amdano fo ydy i'r Llywodraeth roi pwysau ar drydydd partïon, ar y sector breifat, er enghraifft, i sicrhau nad ydy cwsmeriaid yn cael eu hynysu, ac nad ydy cwsmeriaid yn dod dan anfantais os mai dim ond gwasanaethau ar-lein sy'n cael eu cynnig. Yr enghreifftiau mwyaf amlwg, am wn i, ydy gwasanaethau bancio; dwi'n siŵr bod yna ddim un etholaeth - cywirwch fi os dwi'n anghywir - sydd ddim wedi cael ei heffeithio gan ganghennau banc yn cau. Mae 63 y cant o ganghennau yn Ynys Môn wedi cau ers Ionawr 2015, a dim ond chwe changen ar ôl ar draws yr ynys i gyd. Mi glywch chi fanc yn dweud wrth gau, 'Peidiwch â phoeni - mi all pobl ddefnyddio'r gangen yn y dref nesaf', ond yn cau honno yn ddiweddarach hefyd. Ar ben hynny, mae gennych chi sefyllfa fel gwelsom ni gan Barclays yn dweud, 'Wel, chaiff ein cwsmeriaid ni ddim tynnu arian allan yn y post, chwaith.' Roeddwn yn falch iawn ein bod ni wedi llwyddo i roi pwysau arnyn nhw i sgrapio'r syniad hwnnw. Ond mae o'n dangos, onid ydy, ddiffyg ymrwymiad y banciau mawr i feddwl am eu cwsmeriaid, yn enwedig y rhai hŷn, ac yn benodol, byddwn i'n dweud, mewn ardaloedd gwledig? Ydw, dwi yn bancio ar-lein, ac, ydw, dwi yn sylweddoli bod hynny'n cryfhau achos y banciau dros gau. Dydw i ddim yn ddall i newid diwylliant, newid arferion y boblogaeth, a beth ydy sgileffeithiau hynny. Ond mae yna bobl sydd ddim eisiau bancio ar-lein. Dydyn nhw ddim yn ymddiried mewn bancio ar-lein, achos ei fod o'n ormod o newid diwylliant o'r hyn y maen nhw wedi arfer efo fo. Wnawn nhw ddim newid, ac maen nhw'n colli allan. Dwi'n cofio pan es i i ymweld â chymdeithas adeiladu Yorkshire yn Llangefni pan gyhoeddwyd bod honno yn cau, ac roedd y staff yn eu dagrau yn llythrennol yn disgrifio wrthyf i'r cwsmeriaid hynny a oedd yn dod i mewn i nôl eu harian, ac yn derbyn nid un taliad mewn un amlen, ond 'Dyma chi eich arian rhent, Mrs Jones. Dyma chi eich arian ar gyfer bwyd.' Mae hwnna'n wasanaeth personol y bydd byth yn cael ei ddyblygu ar-lein, ac eithrio digidol, digital exclusion, ydy colli'r math yna o beth. Twf gwasanaethau digidol yn lleihau gwasanaethau traddodiadol a phobl sydd heb fynediad atyn nhw yn cael eu heithrio. Enghraifft arall yn fy etholaeth yn ddiweddar oedd efo'r gwasanaeth nwy: etholwraig 92 oed yn derbyn llythyr gan British Gas yn gofyn iddi drefnu boiler maintenance check, a'i chynghori i drefnu apwyntiad ar-lein drwy'r ap. Rŵan, mi oedd hi'n poeni'n arw ar y pwynt yma, yn poeni bod yna broblem efo'i boeler hi - ac mae problem efo boeler yn gallu lladd pobl - ac yn poeni bod yna broblem efo'i boeler a hithau'n methu gwneud apwyntiad. Felly, mi ddaeth hi at fy swyddfa i, ac mi wnaethon ni gysylltu efo British Gas i wneud apwyntiad iddi hi. Eu hymateb nhw i ni oedd: