English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Mike Hedges for calling this debate, and it's my pleasure to respond to him. I'm incredibly pleased to see that the Construction Skills Network, in their latest forecast, predict that Wales will see unprecedented growth in construction over the next five years, and these forecasts are a reflection, I believe, of our continued commitment to long-term infrastructure planning and investment here in Wales. Our intention, as a Government, is to provide the industry with a clear pipeline of public sector projects, and clearly they are huge opportunities for the construction sector at every level, and it's our intention to work with the sector in capitalising on these many opportunities. Development and delivery of innovative procurement policy has seen clear, direct benefits to Wales and its economy. Application of community benefits has resulted in thousands of jobs and training places for individuals right across Wales, and it's helped small and medium-sized enterprises in our supply chain to grow and to expand. Low-carbon energy generation is one area that offers enormous economic opportunities over the coming years, and that's why we're supporting the development of the Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on Anglesey, and it's why we have been and we continue to be supportive of the tidal lagoon in Swansea bay. Improving and investing in our transport infrastructure is another key area of growth in the coming years, and we remain committed to improving the M4 motorway around Newport, the metros in south Wales, and also in the north-east of Wales. Investment in infrastructure helps us to grow the economy. It also, though, helps us to tackle social problems, and despite the strong record we have of building more homes in Wales, we still have too many young people who simply can't get onto the housing ladder. And that's why we've set an ambitious target of delivering 20,000 affordable homes, and why we're investing £1.3 billion to support the housing sector over the course of this very Assembly term. We're particularly keen to see more SME house builders entering the building sector to diversify the market and to promote innovation. The £30 million Wales property development fund, managed by the Development Bank of Wales, will continue to support SMEs that are unable to access affordable finance from traditional sources. Modern methods of construction can also help build homes faster and more efficiently, and we've launched our £20 million innovative housing programme to specifically support alternative and new approaches. It's crucial, given this unprecedented level of infrastructure development, that construction is recognised as an attractive career choice. The construction sector has come together to develop Go Construct - the first industry-wide interactive careers portal showcasing the wide variety of jobs in construction and the best routes in. As Mike Hedges has already said, apprenticeships have proven their effectiveness in the marketplace and are very highly valued by both employers and apprentices themselves. That's why we've committed to the delivery of a minimum of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships during this Assembly term. Now, we have to build intelligently and sustainably if we want the investments we make now to be worth while in the long term, and that's the reason we put sustainable development and decarbonisation at the heart of all we do as a Government, and why we're establishing a national infrastructure commission for Wales. As I've said, I want to see as much as possible of the investment made in Wales stay here in Wales, helping us to create better jobs closer to home. Our national strategy 'Prosperity for All' focuses the whole of the Government on a number of areas to deliver real impacts, and yesterday I published the economic action plan, which will help us to work with the business community in responding to those key challenges. The plan outlines my aim to deliver modern and connected infrastructure to meet the productivity challenge and also to drive sustainable economic growth as we build as never before.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i Mike Hedges am alw'r ddadl hon, ac mae'n bleser gennyf ymateb iddo. Rwy'n hynod o falch o weld bod y Rhwydwaith Sgiliau Adeiladu, yn eu rhagolwg diweddaraf, yn rhagweld y bydd Cymru'n gweld twf na welwyd ei debyg yn y sector adeiladu dros y pum mlynedd nesaf, ac mae'r rhagolygon hyn yn adlewyrchiad, rwy'n credu, o'n hymrwymiad parhaus i gynllunio seilwaith hirdymor a buddsoddi yma yng Nghymru. Ein bwriad, fel Llywodraeth, yw darparu llif clir o brosiectau sector cyhoeddus ar gyfer y diwydiant, ac mae'n amlwg eu bod yn gyfleoedd enfawr i'r sector adeiladu ar bob lefel, a'n bwriad yw gweithio gyda'r sector i fanteisio ar y cyfleoedd niferus hyn. Mae datblygu a darparu polisi caffael arloesol wedi creu manteision clir ac uniongyrchol i Gymru a'i heconomi. Mae cymhwyso manteision cymunedol wedi arwain at filoedd o swyddi a lleoedd hyfforddi ar gyfer unigolion ar draws Cymru, ac mae wedi helpu busnesau bach a chanolig yn ein cadwyn gyflenwi i dyfu ac i ehangu. Mae cynhyrchu ynni carbon isel yn un maes sy'n cynnig cyfleoedd economaidd enfawr dros y blynyddoedd i ddod, a dyna pam rydym yn cefnogi'r bwriad i ddatblygu gorsaf ynni niwclear Wylfa Newydd ar Ynys Môn, a pham rydym wedi cefnogi'r morlyn llanw ym mae Abertawe ac yn parhau i wneud hynny. Mae gwella a buddsoddi yn ein seilwaith trafnidiaeth yn faes twf allweddol arall yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, ac rydym yn parhau'n ymrwymedig i wella traffordd yr M4 o amgylch Casnewydd, y metros yn ne Cymru, a hefyd yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru. Mae buddsoddi mewn seilwaith yn ein helpu i dyfu'r economi. Mae hefyd, fodd bynnag, yn ein helpu i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau cymdeithasol, ac er gwaethaf yr hanes cryf sydd gennym o adeiladu mwy o gartrefi yng Nghymru, mae gennym ormod o bobl ifanc o hyd na allant gael troed ar yr ysgol dai. A dyna pam rydym wedi gosod targed uchelgeisiol o ddarparu 20,000 o gartrefi fforddiadwy, a pham rydym yn buddsoddi £1.3 biliwn i gefnogi'r sector tai dros y tymor Cynulliad hwn. Rydym yn arbennig o awyddus i weld mwy o adeiladwyr tai sy'n fusnesau bach a chanolig eu maint yn mynd i mewn i'r sector adeiladu i arallgyfeirio'r farchnad a hyrwyddo arloesi. Bydd cronfa datblygu eiddo Cymru sy'n werth £30 miliwn, a gaiff ei rheoli gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru, yn parhau i gefnogi busnesau bach a chanolig nad ydynt yn gallu cael cyllid fforddiadwy o ffynonellau traddodiadol. Gall dulliau modern o adeiladu helpu hefyd i adeiladu cartrefi'n gyflymach ac yn fwy effeithlon, ac rydym wedi lansio ein rhaglen tai arloesol gwerth £20 miliwn yn benodol er mwyn cefnogi dulliau newydd ac amgen. Mae'n hollbwysig, o ystyried y lefel nas gwelwyd o'r blaen o ddatblygu seilwaith, fod gwaith adeiladu'n cael ei gydnabod fel dewis gyrfaol deniadol. Mae'r sector adeiladu wedi dod at ei gilydd i ddatblygu Am Adeiladu - y porth gyrfaoedd rhyngweithiol cyntaf ar gyfer y diwydiant cyfan sy'n arddangos amrywiaeth eang o swyddi yn y diwydiant adeiladu a'r llwybrau gorau i mewn. Fel y dywedodd Mike Hedges eisoes, mae prentisiaethau wedi profi pa mor effeithiol ydynt yn y farchnad a chânt eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr iawn gan gyflogwyr a'r prentisiaid eu hunain. Dyna pam rydym wedi ymrwymo i ddarparu o leiaf 100,000 o brentisiaethau i rai o bob oed yn ystod y tymor Cynulliad hwn. Nawr, rhaid inni adeiladu'n ddeallus a chynaliadwy os ydym am i'r buddsoddiadau rydym yn eu gwneud yn awr fod yn werth chweil yn y tymor hir, a dyna pam rydym wedi rhoi datblygu cynaliadwy a datgarboneiddio ynghanol pob dim a wnawn fel Llywodraeth, a dyna pam rydym yn sefydlu comisiwn seilwaith cenedlaethol ar gyfer Cymru. Fel rwy'n dweud, rwyf am weld cymaint â phosibl o'r buddsoddiad a wnaed yng Nghymru yn aros yma yng Nghymru, gan ein helpu i greu swyddi gwell yn nes at adref. Mae ein strategaeth genedlaethol 'Ffyniant i Bawb' yn canolbwyntio sylw'r Llywodraeth gyfan ar nifer o feysydd i gyflawni effeithiau go iawn, a ddoe, cyhoeddais y cynllun gweithredu economaidd a fydd yn ein helpu i weithio gyda'r gymuned fusnes i ymateb i'r heriau allweddol hynny. Mae'r cynllun yn amlinellu fy nod i ddarparu seilwaith cysylltiedig a modern i ateb her cynhyrchiant a hefyd i sbarduno twf economaidd cynaliadwy wrth i ni adeiladu fel na wnaethom erioed o'r blaen.