English: Can I thank Russell George for his contribution and questions? First of all, I'd say, with regard to the devolution of funding for rail infrastructure, that of course, we are severely constrained by our inability at present to be able to direct Network Rail, and that has resulted in a number of projects being delivered beyond their predicted time frame and over budget. In order for us to be able to deliver the sort of infrastructure that's required to modernise passenger services on the rail network, we need the ability, in the very least, to be able to direct Network Rail. With regard to investment across Wales and, indeed, across the border, I think the Member makes a very good point that investment in rail infrastructure at key areas just across the border can have a major impact on services that we are able to offer to passengers in Wales. You can take, perhaps, Chester station as a good example of this. Chester station currently has capacity problems, particularly on the Chester east junction, that impact on services from the east. There are also capacity issues in terms of the provision of platforms, which, in turn, limit the ability to provide more regular services into north Wales. I think, probably, the biggest example, though, of how investment in England can benefit, or, if invested wrongly, can have a pretty devastating consequence for the Welsh economy, is with the HS2 hub proposals. If the right proposal for the Crewe hub is taken forward, there could be significant, huge benefits for the economy of north Wales, with some parts of north Wales seeing an increase in output of something in the order of £37 million a year. But if the wrong solution is selected for HS2 and Crewe, then there will be a major impact in terms of the services that go from Manchester to Cardiff. Also, we need to ensure that there's full integration of the route with onward journeys through onto the north Wales main line. I am asking for a new funding regime to be established, because there is now ample evidence to show that for many, many years, the existing regime has favoured those areas where there is the most congestion, favoured those areas with the highest density of population. The Institute for Public Policy Research recently carried out an analysis of planned transport spending in the 2016 national infrastructure and construction pipeline, and it showed a stark gap between London and the rest of the country. Indeed, it showed a huge gap: £1,900 per capita planned for London from 2017 onwards compared to just £400 per capita in the north of England. There's no reason to disbelieve any suggestion that a similar gap will exist between London and Wales. Indeed, our own analysis of rail infrastructure spending in Great Britain has shown that we've received little more than 1 per cent of rail infrastructure spend, as I say, despite having 11 per cent of the track in England and Wales. I think I'd also draw Members' attention to the fact that, on the same day that the electrification of the Great Western main line to Swansea was cancelled, the go-ahead for a business case for a £30 billion Crossrail 2 programme was given the go-ahead, once again, in my view, demonstrating that under the current funding regime it's the south-east that stands to gain the most. And so I've asked my officials to examine the potential of developing a new way of funding infrastructure that better reflects the need to rebalance the UK economy. It would be, of course, for the UK Government to adopt any new workable regime, but I do hope that the UK Government is willing to consider one. And in terms of our programme of investment in infrastructure across Wales, well, this is captured within the national transport finance plan, and in many parts of Wales we are spending a record amount on transport infrastructure. I know that the Member is very keen to see the completion, on time and to budget, of the Newtown bypass. There are many other schemes, including the pinch-points scheme, the A494 red route scheme, improvements to the A483, and, of course, improvements to other trunk roads across Wales that are being taken forward at pace. Our case, put to the UK Government, is one of, 'If we can spend the money on this side of the border that benefits many travellers going to and from England, then surely you can also step up and apply a significant amount of spend on the English side of the border, and of course rebalance the inequity in terms of rail infrastructure spend by allocating more for the Wales route.' I'd flag a particular case that we've been working on concerning the A5. I'd like to put on record my thanks to Owen Paterson. We've had great help from Owen Paterson in being able to demonstrate that, as a consequence of the Welsh Government's willingness to spend money on improving and increasing capacity on the A5 and the A483 on the Welsh side of the border, the Department for Transport in Whitehall should also consider dualling at least segments of the A5 on the English side of the border. I think by working together on that cross-border basis, we can make good progress, and I think that, in terms of some of the projects that we've been able to develop and work up in recent times, that is the case and it's proven.
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i Russell George am ei gyfraniad a'i gwestiynau? Yn gyntaf oll, byddwn i'n dweud, o ran datganoli cyllid ar gyfer seilwaith y rheilffyrdd, ein bod ni wrth gwrs wedi ein cyfyngu'n ddifrifol gan ein hanallu ar hyn o bryd i gyfarwyddo Network Rail, ac mae hynny wedi arwain at fod nifer o brosiectau yn cael eu darparu y tu hwnt i'r amserlen a ragwelwyd a dros y gyllideb. Er mwyn i ni allu darparu'r math o seilwaith sydd ei hangen i foderneiddio gwasanaethau teithwyr ar y rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd, mae angen inni gael y gallu, o leiaf, i allu cyfarwyddo Network Rail. O ran buddsoddi ar draws Cymru ac, yn wir, ar draws y ffin, credaf fod yr Aelod yn gwneud pwynt da iawn y gall buddsoddi yn y seilwaith rheilffyrdd mewn ardaloedd allweddol dros y ffin gael effaith fawr ar wasanaethau yr ydym yn gallu eu cynnig i deithwyr yng Nghymru. Gallwch chi, efallai, gymryd gorsaf Caer fel enghraifft dda o hyn. Ar hyn o bryd mae gan orsaf Caer broblemau capasiti, yn arbennig ar gyffordd Dwyrain Caer, sy'n effeithio ar wasanaethau o'r dwyrain. Hefyd, ceir materion capasiti o ran y ddarpariaeth o blatfformau, sydd, yn ei dro, yn cyfyngu ar y gallu i ddarparu gwasanaethau mwy rheolaidd i'r gogledd. Credaf, mae'n debyg, mai'r enghraifft fwyaf, fodd bynnag, o sut y gall buddsoddiad yn Lloegr fod yn fanteisiol, neu, os yw'r buddsoddi yn anghywir, gael effaith eithaf dybryd ar gyfer economi Cymru, yw gyda'r cynigion ar gyfer canolfan HS2. Os gweithredir y cynnig cywir ar gyfer canolfan Crewe, gallai fod manteision sylweddol, enfawr i economi'r gogledd, gyda rhai rhannau o'r gogledd yn gweld cynnydd mewn allbwn o tua £37 miliwn y flwyddyn. Ond os dewisir yr ateb anghywir ar gyfer HS2 a Crewe, yna bydd yn cael effaith fawr o ran y gwasanaethau o Fanceinion i Gaerdydd. Hefyd, mae angen inni sicrhau y ceir integreiddio llawn ar y llwybr, gyda theithiau ymlaen i brif reilffordd y gogledd. Rwy'n gofyn i gyfundrefn ariannu newydd gael ei sefydlu, oherwydd erbyn hyn ceir digon o dystiolaeth i ddangos bod y gyfundrefn bresennol am flynyddoedd maith, maith, wedi ffafrio'r ardaloedd hynny lle ceir y tagfeydd mwyaf, wedi ffafrio'r ardaloedd hynny â'r dwysedd poblogaeth uchaf. Cynhaliodd Y Sefydliad Ymchwil Polisi Cyhoeddus ddadansoddiad yn ddiweddar o'r gwariant trafnidiaeth arfaethedig ym mhiblinell seilwaith ac adeiladu cenedlaethol 2016, a dangosodd fwlch amlwg rhwng Llundain a gweddill y wlad. Yn wir, dangosodd fwlch enfawr: £1,900 y pen wedi'i gynllunio ar gyfer Llundain o 2017 ymlaen o'i gymharu â dim ond £400 y pen yng ngogledd Lloegr. Nid oes unrhyw reswm dros beidio â chredu unrhyw awgrym y bydd bwlch tebyg yn bodoli rhwng Llundain a Chymru. Yn wir, mae ein dadansoddiad ein hunain o wariant seilwaith rheilffyrdd ym Mhrydain Fawr wedi dangos nad ydym wedi derbyn ond ychydig mwy nag 1 y cant o'r seilwaith rheilffyrdd, fel y dywedaf, er bod gennym ni 11 y cant o'r trac yng Nghymru a Lloegr. Credaf hefyd y byddwn yn tynnu sylw'r Aelod at y ffaith, ar yr un diwrnod ag y canslwyd trydaneiddio prif reilffordd y Great Western i Abertawe, rhoddwyd sêl bendith i achos busnes ar gyfer rhaglen Crossrail 2 gwerth £30 biliwn, sydd unwaith eto, yn fy marn i, yn dangos o dan y drefn ariannu bresennol mai de-ddwyrain Lloegr sy'n elwa fwyaf. Ac felly rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion archwilio'r posibilrwydd o ddatblygu ffordd newydd o ariannu seilwaith sy'n adlewyrchu'n well yr angen i ailgydbwyso economi'r DU. Mater i Lywodraeth y DU, wrth gwrs, fyddai mabwysiadu unrhyw drefn ymarferol newydd, ond rwy'n gobeithio y byddai Llywodraeth y DU yn barod i ystyried un. Ac o ran ein rhaglen o fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith ar draws Cymru, wel, caiff hyn ei gynnwys o fewn cynllun cyllid trafnidiaeth cenedlaethol, ac mewn llawer o rannau o Gymru rydym yn gwario'r swm mwyaf erioed ar seilwaith trafnidiaeth. Gwn fod yr Aelod yn awyddus iawn i weld ffordd osgoi'r Drenewydd wedi'i chwblhau, a hynny ar amser ac ar y gyllideb. Mae llawer o gynlluniau eraill, gan gynnwys y cynllun mannau cyfyng, cynllun llwybr coch yr A494, gwelliannau i'r A483, ac, wrth gwrs, mae gwelliannau i gefnffyrdd eraill ar draws Cymru sy'n cael eu datblygu'n gyflym. Yr achos a wnaethom ni i Lywodraeth y DU oedd, 'os gallwn ni wario arian ar yr ochr hon i'r ffin sydd o fantais i lawer o deithwyr sy'n mynd yn ôl ac ymlaen i Loegr, yna siawns na allwch chithau hefyd gamu ymlaen a defnyddio swm sylweddol o wariant ar ochr Lloegr y ffin, ac wrth gwrs ailgydbwyso'r annhegwch o ran gwariant seilwaith rheilffyrdd drwy ddyrannu mwy ar gyfer llwybr Cymru.' Byddwn yn tynnu sylw at achos arbennig y buom ni'n gweithio arno ynghylch yr A5. Hoffwn fynegi ar goedd fy niolch i Owen Paterson. Rydym wedi cael help mawr gan Owen Paterson er mwyn gallu dangos, o ganlyniad i barodrwydd Llywodraeth Cymru i wario arian ar wella a chynyddu capasiti ar yr A5 ac A483 ar ochr Cymru i'r ffin, y dylai'r Adran Drafnidiaeth yn Whitehall hefyd ystyried deuoli rhannau o leiaf o'r A5 ar ochr Lloegr i'r ffin. Credaf drwy weithio gyda'n gilydd ar y sail draws-ffiniol honno, y gallwn ni wneud cynnydd da, ac rwy'n credu, o ran rhai o'r prosiectau hynny yr ydym ni wedi gallu eu datblygu yn ddiweddar, fod hynny'n wir ac mae wedi'i brofi.