techiaith/cofnodycynulliad_en-cy huggingface dataset:
English: Thank you for that answer, Minister. The cost of living in the UK is dramatically increasing. Worryingly, energy price rises are only the tip of the iceberg with the news today that inflation has hit a 30-year high and still set to increase. Financial pressures will become very real to very many people. Thousands more will be driven into poverty, forced into stark choices of heating or eating. The Westminster Tory Government have all the powers and the finance to address this, but at a time when they should be doing all they can to protect people, they're into diverting more of their energy into propping up their leader. I'm glad to hear of the measures you've mentioned here in Wales, Minister, but it's imperative that we use every lever at our disposal to help those who need it, from supporting local food supply chains to ensuring that people have the skills and employment opportunities. Can you ensure that no stone is left unturned to protect the residents of Newport West and Wales throughout this difficult time?
Welsh: Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mae costau byw yn y DU yn cynyddu'n aruthrol. Mae'n destun pryder mai crib y rhewfryn yn unig yw codiadau mewn prisiau ynni gyda'r newyddion heddiw fod chwyddiant wedi cyrraedd y lefel uchaf ers 30 mlynedd, ac yn mynd i ddal i godi. Bydd pwysau ariannol yn dod yn real iawn i lawer iawn o bobl. Bydd miloedd yn rhagor yn cael eu gwthio i fyw mewn tlodi, yn cael eu gorfodi i ddewis rhwng gwresogi neu fwyta. Mae gan Lywodraeth Dorïaidd San Steffan yr holl bwerau a'r cyllid i fynd i'r afael â hyn, ond ar adeg pan ddylent fod yn gwneud popeth a allant i ddiogelu pobl, mae'n well ganddynt ddefnyddio mwy o'u hegni i gynnal eu harweinydd. Rwy'n falch o glywed am y mesurau rydych wedi'u crybwyll yma yng Nghymru, Weinidog, ond mae'n hollbwysig ein bod yn defnyddio pob ysgogiad sydd gennym i helpu'r rheini sydd angen cymorth, o gefnogi cadwyni cyflenwi bwyd lleol i sicrhau bod gan bobl sgiliau a chyfleoedd cyflogaeth. A allwch roi sicrwydd inni y byddwch yn gwneud popeth a allwch i ddiogelu trigolion Gorllewin Casnewydd a Chymru drwy'r cyfnod anodd hwn?
English: Yes, thank you. I certainly can give you that assurance. I worry a great deal about my own constituents, as indeed I know Members in constituencies and regions will do as well, in particular due to the stark warning from the Resolution Foundation of a cost-of-living catastrophe coming up in April that would affect over half of households in the country. And of course, pre pandemic we really had made progress. So, the Resolution Foundation report in November 2020 highlighted that, before the pandemic, Wales had halved the employment gap with the UK over the devolution period and we had more jobs in the top half of the income spectrum rather than in the bottom half. So, we were already making progress. Of course, now we are undertaking a number of measures. So, from the backing local firms fund to supporting people to gain more from their local economies, the work we're doing more broadly on the foundational economy, on supply chains, is going to create more jobs closer to home, in addition to, of course, the young person's guarantee and the employability strategy. This Welsh Government will continue to act to try to protect the citizens of Wales and to give people real hope for the future so that people really can plan a prosperous future here in Wales.
Welsh: Ie, diolch. Yn sicr, gallaf roi'r sicrwydd hwnnw i chi. Rwy'n poeni'n fawr am fy etholwyr fy hun, fel Aelodau etholaethau a rhanbarthau eraill wrth gwrs, yn enwedig yn sgil y rhybudd llym gan Sefydliad Resolution am drychineb costau byw ym mis Ebrill a fyddai'n effeithio ar dros hanner aelwydydd y wlad. Ac wrth gwrs, cyn y pandemig, roeddem wedi gwneud cynnydd pendant. Felly, amlygodd adroddiad Sefydliad Resolution ym mis Tachwedd 2020 fod Cymru, cyn y pandemig, wedi haneru'r bwlch cyflogaeth gyda'r DU dros y cyfnod datganoli a bod gennym fwy o swyddi yn hanner uchaf y sbectrwm incwm nag yn yr hanner gwaelod. Felly, roeddem eisoes yn gwneud cynnydd. Wrth gwrs, rydym bellach yn cyflawni nifer o fesurau. Felly, o'r gronfa cefnogi cwmnïau lleol i gefnogi pobl i elwa mwy o'u heconomïau lleol, mae'r gwaith rydym yn ei wneud yn ehangach ar yr economi sylfaenol, ar gadwyni cyflenwi, yn mynd i greu mwy o swyddi yn nes at adref, yn ogystal, wrth gwrs, â'r warant i bobl ifanc a'r strategaeth cyflogadwyedd. Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i weithredu i geisio diogelu dinasyddion Cymru ac i roi gobaith gwirioneddol i bobl ar gyfer y dyfodol fel y gall pobl gynllunio dyfodol llewyrchus yma yng Nghymru.
English: Minister, what we've heard the last couple of weeks from Members and you is that you like to berate the UK Government with the usual mantra of, 'We don't get enough money', but the fact of the matter is you've had more money than ever before. The UK Government provided furlough for workers during COVID. The UK Government is increasing the national living wage by 6.6 per cent this April. The real issue here is that the economy in Wales has been failing for over 20 years. Wales has the lowest gross disposable income in the UK. Wales lost 6 per cent of its businesses whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland went up by 10 per cent and 19 per cent respectively. We have the worst gross value added growth out of all of the four nations across the United Kingdom since 1999 and just one business in the FTSE 100. So, Minister, with the cost-of-living crisis coming, and we all are concerned about that, what further economic levers can you and the Welsh Government use to ensure that, in Wales, we're creating a high-wage, high-skilled economy?
Welsh: Weinidog, yr hyn rydym wedi'i glywed dros yr ychydig wythnosau diwethaf gan Aelodau a chithau yw eich bod yn hoffi grwgnach am Lywodraeth y DU â'r mantra arferol o, 'Nid ydym yn cael digon o arian', ond y gwir amdani yw eich bod wedi cael mwy o arian nag erioed o'r blaen. Darparodd Llywodraeth y DU ffyrlo i weithwyr yn ystod COVID. Mae Llywodraeth y DU yn cynyddu'r cyflog byw cenedlaethol 6.6 y cant ym mis Ebrill eleni. Y broblem go iawn yma yw bod economi Cymru wedi bod yn methu ers dros 20 mlynedd. Incwm gwario gros aelwydydd Cymru yw'r isaf yn y DU. Collodd Cymru 6 y cant o'i busnesau wrth i fusnesau yn yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon gynyddu 10 y cant ac 19 y cant. Gennym ni y mae'r twf gwaethaf mewn gwerth ychwanegol gros o bob un o bedair gwlad y Deyrnas Unedig ers 1999 ac un busnes yn unig sydd gennym yng nghan cwmni'r FTSE. Felly, Weinidog, gyda'r argyfwng costau byw ar y ffordd, ac mae pob un ohonom yn bryderus ynghylch hwnnw, pa ysgogiadau economaidd pellach y gallwch chi a Llywodraeth Cymru eu defnyddio i sicrhau ein bod, yng Nghymru, yn creu economi sgiliau uwch a chyflogau uchel?
English: I'm sure we're all increasingly concerned about the situation in Wales, and particularly about the pressures faced by small businesses. The pile-up of the effects of COVID, Brexit and now of rising energy costs, national insurance increases and inflation is putting huge pressures on small businesses. Labour market statistics out today show that wage increases have been far outstripped by inflation, leading to a fall in actual wages. A 2021 survey by the Federation of Small Businesses found that energy costs are the biggest concern facing its members and warned that they could pose an existential threat to small firms. Just two points from me. Minister, what support could be given to businesses to enable them to invest in energy efficiency and decarbonisation measures? The Welsh Liberal Democrats have put forward plans for a business rate investment relief fund, and I wondered if you had given any consideration to introducing similar financial relief to aid businesses during the energy crisis. Diolch.
Welsh: Rwy'n siŵr fod pob un ohonom yn fwyfwy pryderus am y sefyllfa yng Nghymru, ac yn enwedig am y pwysau sy'n wynebu busnesau bach. Mae'r cyfuniad o effeithiau COVID, Brexit, ac erbyn hyn y costau ynni cynyddol, cynnydd mewn yswiriant gwladol a chwyddiant, yn rhoi pwysau aruthrol ar fusnesau bach. Mae ystadegau'r farchnad lafur a gyhoeddwyd heddiw yn dangos bod chwyddiant yn llawer mwy na'r cynnydd mewn cyflogau, gan arwain at ostyngiad mewn cyflogau gwirioneddol. Canfu arolwg yn 2021 gan y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach mai costau ynni yw'r pryder mwyaf sy'n wynebu ei aelodau a rhybuddiodd y gallent fod yn fygythiad difrifol i gwmnïau bach. Hoffwn godi dau bwynt. Weinidog, pa gymorth y gellid ei roi i fusnesau i'w galluogi i fuddsoddi mewn mesurau effeithlonrwydd ynni a datgarboneiddio? Mae Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru wedi cyflwyno cynlluniau ar gyfer cronfa rhyddhad buddsoddi ardrethi busnes, a thybed a ydych wedi rhoi unrhyw ystyriaeth i gyflwyno rhyddhad ariannol tebyg i gynorthwyo busnesau yn ystod yr argyfwng ynni? Diolch.
English: Thank you for the question. We have made unprecedented levels of funding available to support Welsh businesses through the pandemic, including through the unique, Wales-only economic resilience fund. The latest package of emergency support - just from ER - will provide up to £120 million to those businesses impacted by the latest protective measures to protect public health.
Welsh: Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Rydym wedi sicrhau bod lefelau mwy nag erioed o gyllid ar gael i gefnogi busnesau Cymru drwy'r pandemig, gan gynnwys drwy'r gronfa cadernid economaidd unigryw sydd ar gael i Gymru'n unig. Bydd y pecyn cymorth brys diweddaraf - o'r gronfa cadernid economaidd yn unig - yn darparu hyd at £120 miliwn i'r busnesau y mae'r mesurau diogelu diweddaraf i ddiogelu iechyd y cyhoedd wedi effeithio arnynt.
English: Minister, can I thank you, first of all, for continuing to support countless businesses and a huge number of workers not just in my constituency but across Wales during the pandemic, whilst also providing essential leadership on the economic mission that the Government is embarked on? Now, there are two particular sectors that have been hard hit during the course of the pandemic and which have enjoyed support that is only available in Wales. They are non-essential retail and taxi drivers. Minister, can you assure us that such sectors will continue to receive Welsh Government support and that you'll go on engaging with the business community and, of course, our trade unions to shape the best possible package of support for businesses?
Welsh: Weinidog, a gaf fi ddiolch i chi, yn gyntaf oll, am barhau i gefnogi busnesau di-rif a nifer enfawr o weithwyr nid yn unig yn fy etholaeth i ond ledled Cymru yn ystod y pandemig, gan ddarparu arweiniad allweddol hefyd ar genhadaeth economaidd y Llywodraeth? Nawr, mae dau sector penodol wedi cael eu taro'n galed yn ystod y pandemig ac wedi cael cymorth sydd ond ar gael yng Nghymru. Manwerthu nad yw'n hanfodol a gyrwyr tacsi yw'r sectorau hyn. Weinidog, a allwch roi sicrwydd i ni y bydd sectorau o'r fath yn parhau i gael cymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac y byddwch yn parhau i ymgysylltu â'r gymuned fusnes, ac wrth gwrs, ein hundebau llafur i lunio'r pecyn cymorth gorau posibl i fusnesau?
English: I certainly will. Actually, it's been interesting - a recently published survey from the Cardiff Business School showed that 85 per cent of businesses who responded agreed that the support from the first two phases of the Welsh Government's economic resilience fund was as important as furlough in supporting them during the first year of the pandemic. I think that's a great credit to Welsh Government and, indeed, to the former economy Minister who oversaw those schemes. When it comes to non-essential retail, there is a deliberate difference between us and England. Non-essential retail is supported by measures here, but hasn't been across the border. And that's a point that was made to me forcibly by representatives of the retail sector when I met with them as part of the regular series of engagements I have with businesses, business organisations, local government and, of course, our trade unions. And, again, the point was made about freelancers, the self-employed and taxi drivers during our recent discussions. When we knew we'd have to take further measures to protect public health, I was keen to make sure that there was a form of support for taxi drivers because we know the trade was directly affected. We recently announced, of course, a doubling in that support to £1,000, showing we're listening to people, working with them and doing everything we can with the resources available to us. We'll go on listening and working with our partners here in Wales, and I believe we get better results by working in exactly that way.
Welsh: Gallaf, yn sicr. A dweud y gwir, mae wedi bod yn ddiddorol - dangosodd arolwg a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan Ysgol Fusnes Caerdydd fod 85 y cant o'r busnesau a ymatebodd yn cytuno bod cymorth dau gam cyntaf cronfa cadernid economaidd Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yr un mor bwysig â ffyrlo yn eu cefnogi yn ystod blwyddyn gyntaf y pandemig. Credaf fod hynny'n glod mawr i Lywodraeth Cymru, ac yn wir, i gyn Weinidog yr economi a oruchwyliodd y cynlluniau hynny. O ran manwerthu nad yw'n hanfodol, mae gwahaniaeth bwriadol rhyngom ni a Lloegr. Ceir mesurau i gefnogi manwerthu nad yw'n hanfodol yma, ond nid yw hynny'n wir dros y ffin. Ac mae hwnnw'n bwynt a wnaed yn rymus i mi gan gynrychiolwyr y sector manwerthu pan gyfarfûm â hwy fel rhan o'r ymgysylltu rheolaidd a wnaf â busnesau, sefydliadau busnes, llywodraeth leol, a'n hundebau llafur wrth gwrs. Ac unwaith eto, gwnaed y pwynt am weithwyr llawrydd, yr hunangyflogedig a gyrwyr tacsi yn ystod ein trafodaethau diweddar. Pan oeddem yn gwybod y byddai'n rhaid inni roi camau pellach ar waith i ddiogelu iechyd y cyhoedd, roeddwn yn awyddus i sicrhau bod math o gymorth ar gael i yrwyr tacsi gan y gwyddom fod y sector hwnnw wedi'i effeithio'n uniongyrchol. Yn ddiweddar, fe wnaethom ddyblu'r cymorth hwnnw i £1,000 wrth gwrs, gan ddangos ein bod yn gwrando ar bobl, yn gweithio gyda hwy ac yn gwneud popeth a allwn gyda'r adnoddau sydd ar gael i ni. Byddwn yn parhau i wrando a gweithio gyda'n partneriaid yma yng Nghymru, a chredaf ein bod yn cael canlyniadau gwell drwy weithio yn y ffordd honno.
English: Thank you to the Member for submitting this important question as well. Minister, because of the further restrictions over Christmas and into the new year, the announcement of further financial support from the economic resilience fund is of course welcome for those businesses. However, because of the level and length of these most recent restrictions, for many it is simply not enough. An example of this is from the Night Time Industries Association, who've estimated that, on average, their members have lost around £45,000 over the festive period and into the new year. So, Minister, are those businesses lying when they say that support that they're likely to receive from the Welsh Government is not enough to cover their losses?
Welsh: Diolch i'r Aelod am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn pwysig hwn hefyd. Weinidog, oherwydd y cyfyngiadau pellach dros y Nadolig ac i mewn i'r flwyddyn newydd, mae'r cyhoeddiad am ragor o gymorth ariannol o'r gronfa cadernid economaidd i'w groesawu ar gyfer y busnesau hynny wrth gwrs. Fodd bynnag, oherwydd lefel a hyd y cyfyngiadau diweddaraf hyn, nid yw'n ddigon i lawer ohonynt. Enghraifft o hyn yw Cymdeithas Diwydiannau'r Nos, sydd wedi amcangyfrif bod eu haelodau, ar gyfartaledd, wedi colli oddeutu £45,000 dros gyfnod y Nadolig ac i mewn i'r flwyddyn newydd. Felly, Weinidog, a yw'r busnesau hynny'n dweud celwydd pan ddywedant nad yw cymorth y maent yn debygol o'i gael gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn ddigon i wneud iawn am eu colledion?
English: I think every business sector is looking to gain the greatest amount possible to support their business, and you understand exactly why they would do. When you think about the support that we've provided through the economic resilience fund, through the non-domestic rates-related support - and again, a scheme that is more generous than England - and also through the cultural recovery fund that supports a range of people in the events sector, I think, actually, you can see that we're doing everything we could and should do within the resources available to us to properly support businesses. Now, I don't think it's helpful to say that people are not being honest about the impact on their operations. What we're looking to do with the support we are providing is to try to make sure that businesses can survive and to support them into the recovery, and a recovery that is taking place at a more rapid pace in Wales because of the action that we took. And if you want to see the evidence for that in the public health issue, you can see that in the differential in the hospitalisation rates, and you can also see that in current case rates today, where they're nearly double in England what they are in Wales. That means we're less likely to have the direct impact those businesses also face when people aren't able to come to work because of COVID and, indeed, their customers who aren't able to come in because of COVID as well. The balance in our approach I think is the right one, and I'm confident that, in time, the further data we expect to get will prove that to be the case.
Welsh: Rwy'n credu bod pob sector busnes yn awyddus i gael cymaint â phosibl i gefnogi eu busnes, ac rydych yn deall yn union pam. Pan feddyliwch am y cymorth rydym wedi'i ddarparu drwy'r gronfa cadernid economaidd, drwy gymorth mewn perthynas ag ardrethi annomestig - ac unwaith eto, cynllun sy'n fwy hael na Lloegr - a thrwy'r gronfa adferiad diwylliannol hefyd, sy'n cefnogi ystod o bobl yn y sector digwyddiadau, rwy'n credu y gallwch weld ein bod yn gwneud popeth y gallwn ac y dylem ei wneud o fewn yr adnoddau sydd ar gael i ni i gefnogi busnesau'n briodol. Nawr, ni chredaf ei bod yn ddefnyddiol dweud nad yw pobl yn bod yn onest am yr effaith ar eu gwaith. Yr hyn rydym yn bwriadu ei wneud â'r cymorth a ddarparwn yw ceisio sicrhau bod busnesau'n gallu goroesi a'u cefnogi i mewn i'r adferiad, ac adferiad sy'n digwydd yn gyflymach yng Nghymru oherwydd y camau gweithredu a roesom ar waith. Ac os ydych am weld y dystiolaeth o hynny yn iechyd y cyhoedd, gallwch weld hynny yn y gwahaniaeth yn y cyfraddau o bobl sy'n mynd i'r ysbyty, a gallwch weld hynny hefyd yn y cyfraddau achosion cyfredol heddiw, lle maent bron â bod ddwywaith cymaint yn Lloegr â'r hyn ydynt yng Nghymru. Golyga hynny ein bod yn llai tebygol o gael yr effaith uniongyrchol y mae'r busnesau hynny hefyd yn ei hwynebu pan nad yw pobl yn gallu dod i'r gwaith oherwydd COVID, ac yn wir, pan nad yw eu cwsmeriaid yn gallu dod i mewn oherwydd COVID yn ogystal. Credaf fod cydbwysedd ein dull o weithredu yn iawn, ac rwy'n hyderus, maes o law, y bydd y data pellach rydym yn disgwyl ei gael yn profi hynny.
English: The fund has been one way of helping businesses, but some businesses managed to survive by becoming part of the response to COVID. And I've written to the Minister and to the Government in the past on the need to maintain the supply chains created during the pandemic. Brodwaith in my constituency, as well as companies such as Elite Clothing Solutions, which is a social enterprise in the south-east, were crucial in providing personal protective equipment, but they now find themselves losing those contracts for PPE that they could still supply to the NHS. And some of these businesses, in becoming PPE suppliers, have lost some of the old contracts that they had. So, will the Minister give a commitment to look at how to maintain these supply chains, which could be a positive to come out of this pandemic?
Welsh: Mae'r gronfa, wrth gwrs, wedi bod yn un modd o helpu busnesau, ond mi wnaeth rhai busnesau lwyddo i oroesi drwy fod yn rhan o'r ymateb i COVID. Dwi wedi ysgrifennu at y Llywodraeth a'r Gweinidog o'r blaen ynglŷn â'r angen i gynnal y cadwynau cyflenwi gafodd eu creu yn ystod y pandemig. Mi fu Brodwaith yn fy etholaeth i, yn ogystal â chwmnïau fel Elite, y fenter gymdeithasol yn y de-ddwyrain, yn allweddol yn darparu offer PPE, ond rŵan maen nhw'n ffeindio'u hunain yn colli'r cytundebau PPE y buasen nhw'n dal yn gallu ei gyflenwi i'r NHS. Ac mae rhai o'r busnesau yma, drwy droi at gyflenwi PPE, wedi colli rhai o'r hen gytundebau oedd ganddyn nhw. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi ymrwymiad i edrych ar sut i gynnal y cadwynau cyflenwi yma, a allai fod yn rhywbeth positif i ddod allan o'r pandemig yma?
English: Yes, I'll happily do so. Across the Government, Ministers are interested in the future of procurement, and how we have a properly searching test on the price but also, more importantly I think, on the value of what we are procuring as well, and on the impact on local economies of being able to source more of our goods from local supply chains, but crucially also on the resilience of the supply chains as well, because we found, in the early stages of the pandemic, that supply chains that were long established were cut off very, very quickly as the whole world was competing on a much more rapid and aggressive scale for different sorts of goods. So, yes, that is an active subject. On the particular issue you raised, I'm happy to look for the correspondence, and look to make sure that I, the health Minister and our officials do look at that properly. It is also worth pointing out, of course, that because of the way we successfully worked with Welsh businesses, and the way that our procurement teams worked in an open and transparent manner, we've had none of the scandal of an unlawful VIP lane here in Wales. That also shows that the values the Government have do matter in the choices that governments make and the way that public money is spent and safeguarded.
Welsh: Gwnaf, rwy'n fwy na pharod i wneud hynny. Ar draws y Llywodraeth, mae gan Weinidogion ddiddordeb yn nyfodol caffael, a sut y mae gennym brawf chwilio priodol ar bris, ond hefyd, yn bwysicach fyth yn fy marn i, ar werth yr hyn rydym yn ei gaffael hefyd, ac ar effaith gallu cael mwy o'n nwyddau o gadwyni cyflenwi lleol ar economïau lleol, ond yn hollbwysig hefyd, ar gadernid y cadwyni cyflenwi, gan ein bod wedi gweld cadwyni cyflenwi hirsefydlog yn cael eu torri'n gyflym iawn yng nghyfnodau cynnar y pandemig wrth i'r byd i gyd gystadlu ar raddfa lawer cyflymach a mwy ymosodol am wahanol fathau o nwyddau. Felly, ydy, mae hwnnw'n bwnc byw. Ar y mater penodol a godwyd gennych, rwy'n fwy na pharod i edrych am yr ohebiaeth, a gwneud yn siŵr fy mod i, y Gweinidog iechyd a'n swyddogion yn edrych ar hynny'n iawn. Mae'n werth nodi hefyd, wrth gwrs, oherwydd y ffordd y gwnaethom weithio'n llwyddiannus gyda busnesau Cymru, a'r ffordd y gweithiodd ein timau caffael mewn modd agored a thryloyw, nad ydym wedi cael sgandal yn gysylltiedig â llwybr anghyfreithlon i bwysigion yma yng Nghymru. Mae hynny hefyd yn dangos bod gwerthoedd y Llywodraeth yn bwysig yn y dewisiadau y mae llywodraethau'n eu gwneud a'r ffordd y caiff arian cyhoeddus ei wario a'i ddiogelu.
English: Questions now from the party spokespeople. First of all, Conservative spokesperson, Paul Davies.
Welsh: Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Yn gyntaf y prynhawn yma, llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Paul Davies.