English: Diolch, Llywydd, and I move our amendments. Thanks to the Minister for bringing today's debate. I'm sure we all agree that affordable housing is an important subject, and we want to do what we can in the Assembly to make affordable housing available to more people in Wales. Looking at today's motion, we do oppose the Government's motion, because it is somewhat self-congratulatory, and we note that many of the people involved in the housing industry take the view that more does need to be done. We can't, therefore, agree with their point 1, which says that 'good progress is being made' towards the target of 20,000 affordable homes, since there is common agreement in the sector that the target needs to be much more ambitious. Our amendment 2 reflects that. Our amendment 5 proposes that more extensive use be made of modular housing. That would be one way in which new affordable housing units can be built and delivered quickly. Other opposition parties have raised some valid points with their amendments, but, unfortunately, in order to push our amendments through, we are abstaining on them, because, if the other amendments pass, our amendments get deselected. That's just the way it's fallen today. In spite of that, I think all of the opposition parties can say that there is common ground in the notion that the Welsh Government need to be doing much more in this field. On the subject of what the target should be, we do have this thorny issue of the Holmans target, which David Melding has raised again today. We tend to agree on this side that, with rising populations projected for the UK as a whole, which will affect us in Wales in our major towns and cities, like Newport, Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham, we do need a higher target. So, we don't think the Welsh Government objective is ambitious enough to begin with. We know that the Welsh Government is pushing ahead with plans for shared ownership schemes, which can work up to a point. As I pointed out the last time we discussed this - and the Minister agreed with me on this point - even assisted mortgage schemes like Help to Buy are not always affordable for many people in Wales, even those working in full-time jobs. This is because Wales is something of a low-wage economy, and house price rises, as we know, are outstripping wage increases. So, ultimately, there is this basic problem of demand and supply, which leads to galloping house price increases. This means that assisted mortgage schemes will be of only limited assistance in achieving the Welsh Government's objectives for affordable housing. To some extent, I think we have to adhere to the idea that housing is where you live. It doesn't have to be something that you own. We have to face the reality that more people in Wales today are moving into the private rented sector, and that many people will be living in the social housing sector. So, we also need to keep an eye on rents. An issue that has arisen is the issue that sometimes rents in the social housing sector may rise by more than they do in the private rented sector. I know the Minister has explained recently that there is an expert group advising on a new formula for setting rent increases in social housing, and I think that's good, but we do need to keep an eye on that issue of rising rents in the social housing sector. Now, there are opportunities in housing and in house building. We know that one of the problems facing the house building sector is a lack of skills. Many people working in the construction sector are getting on in years. I believe there are some figures indicating that the average age of people employed in construction is around 53, and we need to ensure that enough younger people are encouraged to enter this industry. We have now to address the problem of training our own people to get involved in this sector. There are various strands that I think the Welsh Government can thread together, with the housing Minister working in concert with the skills Minister and also the Minister responsible for the Valleys initiative, which I was speaking on earlier today. I think a lot of these things are interconnected. I know that the housing Minister has been working with the Federation of Master Builders and other bodies on this issue. She's also praised the example of Melin Homes in Newport, with their apprenticeship schemes. And I think we need to encourage more firms to take up this good practice. The Federation of Small Businesses has done some recent research demonstrating that wages in the construction industry are, in the context of Wales, comparatively very good. We can also encourage more women to enter the construction industry as well because, with modular housing, not all of the jobs require a great deal of brawn or physicality, an issue that Jenny Rathbone noted last time. I know that the Minister today mentioned off-site manufacturing and I think we do need to encourage more modular housing, as this is a quick way to encourage more affordable housing into Wales. Of course, we do have to ensure that high standards of quality are maintained at the same time. We should also be encouraging more small and medium-sized enterprises to be able to move forward with their housing schemes, particularly infill sites, which Mike Hedges has advocated in the past. He probably will do again today. And I know that the Minister has mentioned the Wales property development fund specifically for SMEs to access finance and I think that idea needs to be developed. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd, ac rwy'n cynnig ein gwelliannau. Diolch i'r Gweinidog am gyflwyno'r ddadl heddiw. Rwy'n siŵr ein bod ni i gyd yn cytuno bod tai fforddiadwy yn bwnc pwysig, ac rydym ni eisiau gwneud yr hyn a allwn ni yn y Cynulliad i sicrhau bod tai fforddiadwy ar gael i fwy o bobl yng Nghymru. Wrth edrych ar y cynnig heddiw, rydym ni'n gwrthwynebu cynnig y Llywodraeth, oherwydd mae'n hunanglodforus braidd, ac rydyn ni'n nodi bod llawer o'r bobl sy'n rhan o'r diwydiant tai o'r farn bod angen gwneud mwy. Allwn ni ddim, felly, cytuno â phwynt 1 o'u heiddio, sy'n dweud bod 'cynnydd da yn cael ei wneud' tuag at y targed o 20,000 o gartrefi fforddiadwy, oherwydd ceir cytundeb cyffredin yn y sector bod angen i'r targed fod yn llawer mwy uchelgeisiol. Mae gwelliant 2 o'n heiddo yn adlewyrchu hynny. Mae gwelliant 5 o'n heiddio yn cynnig defnyddio mwy o dai modiwlaidd. Byddai hynny'n un ffordd bosibl o adeiladu a darparu unedau tai fforddiadwy newydd yn gyflym. Mae'r gwrthbleidiau eraill wedi crybwyll rhai pwyntiau dilys gyda'u gwelliannau, ond, yn anffodus, er mwyn i'n gwelliannau ni lwyddo, rydym ni'n ymatal ar y rheini, oherwydd, os bydd y gwelliannau eraill yn llwyddo, bydd ein gwelliannau ni'n cael eu diddymu. Dyna sut mae pethau heddiw. Er gwaethaf hynny, rwy'n credu y gall y gwrthbleidiau i gyd ddweud bod unfrydedd ynglŷn â'r syniad bod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru wneud llawer mwy yn y maes hwn. Ynglŷn â beth ddylai'r targed fod, mae gennym y mater dyrys hwn o darged Holmans, y mae David Melding wedi sôn amdano unwaith eto heddiw. Rydym ni'n tueddu i gytuno ar yr ochr hon, gyda thwf poblogaeth wedi ei ragamcanu ar gyfer y DU gyfan, a fydd yn effeithio arnon ni yng Nghymru yn ein trefi mawr a'n dinasoedd, fel Casnewydd, Caerdydd, Abertawe a Wrecsam, bod angen targed uwch. Felly, nid ydym ni'n credu bod amcan Llywodraeth Cymru yn ddigon uchelgeisiol i ddechrau. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwrw ymlaen â chynlluniau ar gyfer cynlluniau rhanberchnogaeth, a all weithio hyd at bwynt. Fel y dywedais y tro diwethaf inni drafod hyn - ac roedd y Gweinidog yn cytuno â mi ar y pwynt hwn - dydy hyd yn oed cynlluniau cymorth morgais fel Cymorth i Brynu ddim bob amser yn fforddiadwy i lawer o bobl yng Nghymru, hyd yn oed i bobl sy'n gweithio mewn swyddi llawn-amser. Mae hyn oherwydd bod Cymru yn economi â chyflogau eithaf isel, ac fel rydym ni'n gwybod, mae'r cynydd mewn prisiau tai yn fwy na chodiadau cyflog. Felly, yn y pen draw, mae gennym ni broblem sylfaenol â galw a chyflenwad, sy'n arwain at gynnydd cyflymach a chyflymach ym mhrisiau tai. Mae hyn yn golygu na fydd cynlluniau cymorth morgais yn llawer o gymorth i gyflawni amcanion Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer tai fforddiadwy. I ryw raddau, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni gadw at y syniad mai lle rydych chi'n byw yw tŷ. Does dim rhaid iddo fod yn rhywbeth rydych chi'n berchen arno. Mae'n rhaid inni wynebu'r realiti bod mwy o bobl yng Nghymru heddiw'n symud i'r sector rhentu preifat, ac y bydd llawer o bobl yn byw yn y sector tai cymdeithasol. Felly, mae angen inni gadw llygad ar renti hefyd. Un mater sydd wedi codi yw'r mater bod rhenti yn y sector tai cymdeithasol weithiau'n gallu cynyddu mwy nag y maent yn y sector rhentu preifat. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog wedi esbonio yn ddiweddar bod grŵp o arbenigwyr yn cynghori ar fformiwla newydd ar gyfer pennu codiadau rhent mewn tai cymdeithasol, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n beth da, ond mae angen inni gadw llygad ar y mater hwnnw o renti cynyddol yn y sector tai cymdeithasol. Nawr, ceir cyfleoedd ym maes tai ac ym maes adeiladu tai. Rydym ni'n gwybod mai un o'r problemau sy'n wynebu'r sector adeiladu tai yw diffyg sgiliau. Mae llawer o'r bobl sy'n gweithio yn y sector adeiladu'n mynd yn hŷn. Rwy'n credu bod ffigurau'n dangos bod oedran cyfartalog y bobl a gyflogir yn y diwydiant adeiladu tua 53, ac mae angen inni sicrhau bod digon o bobl iau yn cael eu hannog i ymuno â'r diwydiant hwn. Mae'n rhaid inni nawr roi sylw i'r broblem o hyfforddi ein pobl ein hunain i gymryd rhan yn y sector hwn. Rwy'n credu y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru gysylltu elfennau amrywiol â'i gilydd, pe bai'r Gweinidog tai yn gweithio ar y cyd â'r Gweinidog sgiliau a hefyd y Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am fenter y Cymoedd, yr oeddwn i'n siarad amdani'n gynharach heddiw. Rwy'n credu bod llawer o'r pethau hyn yn gydgysylltiedig. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog tai wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Ffederasiwn y Meistr Adeiladwyr a chyrff eraill ar y mater hwn. Mae hi hefyd wedi canmol enghraifft Cartrefi Melin yng Nghasnewydd, gyda'u cynlluniau prentisiaeth. Ac rwy'n credu bod angen inni annog mwy o gwmnïau i fanteisio ar yr arfer da hwn. Mae'r Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach wedi gwneud gwaith ymchwil yn ddiweddar i ddangos bod cyflogau yn y diwydiant adeiladu, yng nghyd-destun Cymru, yn gymharol dda iawn. Fe allwn ni hefyd annog mwy o fenywod i fynd i'r diwydiant adeiladu yn ogystal oherwydd, gyda thai modiwlar, does dim angen rhyw lawer o gryfder neu elfen gorfforol ar gyfer y swyddi i gyd - mater y soniodd Jenny Rathbone amdano y tro diwethaf. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog wedi sôn heddiw am weithgynhyrchu oddi ar y safle ac rwy'n credu bod angen inni annog mwy o dai modiwlar, gan fod hyn yn ffordd gyflym i annog mwy o dai fforddiadwy i Gymru. Wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau ein bod ni'n cynnal safonau ansawdd uchel ar yr un pryd. Dylem ni hefyd annog mwy o fusnesau bach a chanolig i allu symud ymlaen â'u cynlluniau tai, yn enwedig safleoedd mewnlenwi, fel y mae Mike Hedges wedi ei argymell yn y gorffennol. Mae'n debyg y bydd yn gwneud hynny eto heddiw. Ac rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog wedi sôn am gronfa datblygu eiddo Cymru yn benodol ar gyfer busnesau bach a chanolig i gael gafael ar gyllid, ac rwy'n credu bod angen datblygu'r syniad hwnnw. Diolch.