English: I welcome this debate today and the opportunity to talk about the role of small businesses in sustaining local economies. As the Member for Caerphilly has said, small businesses are at the heart of our villages and towns, and in areas like my own constituency, those small businesses are part of a dominant tourism and hospitality sector. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit many of those businesses hard, and while some were able to weather the storm, others were not so fortunate. I appreciate that the Welsh Government has provided support to businesses, and that support has been gratefully received by businesses in Pembrokeshire. However, for many, this funding did not go far enough to cover the loss of revenue throughout the pandemic. I'm also aware that many businesses fell through the cracks and were unable to access support quickly, threatening the sustainability of their businesses. During the pandemic, I hosted a series of virtual local tourism forums, along with my local MP, to hear from businesses about the challenges that they were facing, and they made it pretty clear that what they needed most from the Welsh Government was support and, indeed, clarity. Many felt like the Welsh Government simply wasn't listening to them and that Government policies and regulations were being made without a thought for the impact they would have on smaller businesses. Now, today's motion calls on the Welsh Government to work with the small business and tourism sectors to integrate both sectors into its economic strategy and COVID-19 recovery plans, and it's vital that the Welsh Government does just that. Our economic strategy needs to focus on sustaining and developing our tourism industry as one of the nationally significant foundations of our economy. We are rich in heritage, language, seascapes, countryside, sports and castles, and with so many businesses reliant on tourism, we should never underestimate how important it is for us in Wales. Those businesses that are part of our tourism sector are heavily reliant on other industries, such as hospitality, farming and food production as well as the development of town centres, particularly in rural and coastal areas. We can't underestimate the importance of road developments, public transport links and investment in those town centres to maintain and keep these attractive to visitors. I agree with stakeholders like the Federation of Small Businesses that Ministers need to work with industry to establish what a recovery from the pandemic looks like and how the future will be shaped, not just as a response to COVID, but because all our futures are dependent on a strong economy underpinned by small businesses as the lifeblood of our communities. Now, the motion recognises the Welsh Government's push for people to holiday in Wales this year and support our domestic tourism sector. As the Welsh Government focuses on promoting staycations within Wales, it's vital that Ministers work with representatives of the small business and tourism community to promote Wales as a sustainable tourism destination all year round. To fully recognise the potential of our tourism offer, there has to be collaboration with the sector. Unfortunately, instead of that, the Welsh Government's programme for government outlined plans to consult on legislation permitting local authorities to raise a tourism levy, despite the detrimental impact that that tax will have on the sector. Now, the Member for Caerphilly, at the outset of this debate, asked us to express a view on a possible tourism tax. Well, he probably won't be surprised to hear that I oppose a tourism tax; it's something that businesses in Pembrokeshire are against and I agree with them that this could have a devastating impact on the sector at a time when it's trying to stabilise following the pandemic. Now, we have an opportunity, post pandemic, to be innovative in how we support small businesses and in particular start-ups, and perhaps the Minister will tell us in responding to this debate what the Welsh Government's plans are in relation to start-ups in existing sectors like tourism and hospitality, which are vital to us as a country. Earlier this year, Professor Dylan Jones-Evans observed that emerging from the pandemic 'there is an opportunity to build a new Wales that is driven by home-grown, innovative and entrepreneurial businesses that have social and environmental ideals at the heart of everything they do.' Of course, he's absolutely right: the Welsh Government must take advantage of the upswing in entrepreneurial activity and encourage business start-ups as a way to drive economic recovery. Wales needs new strategies and ideas to support new businesses and it also needs a strategy that seeks to grow our economy by recognising the importance of small businesses and the Welsh Government must come up with that new thinking now. Dirprwy Lywydd, the tourism economy supports around 16,000 full-time jobs and brings in £585 million to Pembrokeshire alone, and it's an interconnected sector that supports our farming, hospitality and creative industries. And right at the heart of those figures are small businesses, therefore, we must remind ourselves just how important small businesses are to our local economies in terms of providing vital jobs and developing local supply chains and I urge Members to support this motion.
Welsh: Rwy'n croesawu'r ddadl hon heddiw a'r cyfle i siarad am rôl busnesau bach yn cynnal economïau lleol. Fel y dywedodd yr Aelod dros Gaerffili, mae busnesau bach yn ganolog i'n pentrefi a'n trefi, ac mewn ardaloedd fel fy etholaeth i, mae'r busnesau bach hynny'n rhan o sector twristiaeth a lletygarwch blaenllaw. Yn anffodus, tarodd y pandemig lawer o'r busnesau hynny'n galed, ac er bod rhai wedi gallu goroesi'r storm, nid oedd eraill mor ffodus. Rwy'n sylweddoli bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi cymorth i fusnesau, ac mae busnesau yn sir Benfro wedi bod yn ddiolchgar am y cymorth hwnnw. Fodd bynnag, i lawer, nid aeth yr arian hwn yn ddigon pell i wneud iawn am golli refeniw drwy gydol y pandemig. Rwyf hefyd yn ymwybodol fod llawer o fusnesau wedi syrthio drwy'r rhwyd ac nad oeddent yn gallu cael cymorth yn gyflym, gan fygwth cynaliadwyedd eu busnesau. Yn ystod y pandemig, cynhaliais gyfres o fforymau twristiaeth lleol rhithwir, gyda fy Aelod Seneddol lleol, i glywed gan fusnesau am yr heriau roeddent yn eu hwynebu, ac fe'i gwnaethant yn glir iawn mai'r hyn roeddent ei angen fwyaf gan Lywodraeth Cymru oedd cefnogaeth, ac eglurder yn wir. Roedd llawer yn teimlo nad oedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrando arnynt a bod polisïau a rheoliadau Llywodraeth yn cael eu gwneud heb ystyried yr effaith y byddent yn ei chael ar fusnesau llai. Nawr, mae'r cynnig heddiw yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i weithio gyda'r sector busnesau bach a'r sector twristiaeth er mwyn integreiddio'r ddau sector i'w strategaeth economaidd a chynlluniau adfer COVID-19, ac mae'n hanfodol fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud hynny. Mae angen i'n strategaeth economaidd ganolbwyntio ar gynnal a datblygu ein diwydiant twristiaeth fel un o sylfeini ein heconomi sydd o bwys cenedlaethol. Mae gennym gyfoeth o ran treftadaeth, iaith, morweddau, cefn gwlad, chwaraeon a chestyll, ac ni ddylem byth danbrisio pa mor bwysig yw twristiaeth i ni yng Nghymru gyda chymaint o fusnesau'n dibynnu arni. Mae'r busnesau sy'n rhan o'n sector twristiaeth yn dibynnu'n fawr ar ddiwydiannau eraill megis lletygarwch, ffermio a chynhyrchu bwyd yn ogystal â datblygu canol trefi, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd gwledig ac arfordirol. Ni allwn danbrisio pwysigrwydd datblygiadau ffyrdd, cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus a buddsoddiad yng nghanol y trefi hynny i'w cynnal a'u cadw'n ddeniadol i ymwelwyr. Cytunaf â rhanddeiliaid fel y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach fod angen i Weinidogion weithio gyda'r diwydiant i sefydlu sut y byddwn yn ymadfer ar ôl y pandemig a sut ddyfodol sydd o'n blaenau, nid yn unig fel ymateb i COVID, ond oherwydd bod dyfodol pob un ohonom yn dibynnu ar economi gref wedi'i chynnal gan fusnesau bach fel anadl einioes ein cymunedau. Nawr, mae'r cynnig yn cydnabod ymgyrch Llywodraeth Cymru i annog pobl i fynd ar wyliau yng Nghymru eleni a chefnogi ein sector twristiaeth yn y wlad hon. Wrth i Lywodraeth Cymru ganolbwyntio ar hyrwyddo gwyliau yng Nghymru, mae'n hanfodol fod Gweinidogion yn gweithio gyda chynrychiolwyr y gymuned busnesau bach a thwristiaeth i hyrwyddo Cymru fel cyrchfan twristiaeth cynaliadwy drwy gydol y flwyddyn. Er mwyn cydnabod potensial ein cynnig twristiaeth yn llawn, mae'n rhaid cydweithio â'r sector. Yn anffodus, yn hytrach na hynny, amlinellodd rhaglen lywodraethu Llywodraeth Cymru gynlluniau i ymgynghori ar ddeddfwriaeth i ganiatáu i awdurdodau lleol godi ardoll dwristiaeth, er gwaethaf yr effaith andwyol y bydd y dreth honno'n ei chael ar y sector. Nawr, gofynnodd yr Aelod dros Gaerffili, ar ddechrau'r ddadl hon, inni fynegi barn ar dreth dwristiaeth bosibl. Wel, mae'n debyg na fydd yn synnu clywed fy mod yn gwrthwynebu treth dwristiaeth; mae'n rhywbeth y mae busnesau yn sir Benfro yn ei erbyn ac rwy'n cytuno â hwy y gallai gael effaith ddinistriol ar y sector ar adeg pan fo'n ceisio sefydlogi yn dilyn y pandemig. Nawr, mae gennym gyfle, ar ôl y pandemig, i fod yn arloesol yn y ffordd y cefnogwn fusnesau bach, a busnesau newydd yn enwedig, ac efallai y bydd y Gweinidog yn dweud wrthym wrth ymateb i'r ddadl hon beth yw cynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas â busnesau newydd mewn sectorau sy'n bodoli eisoes fel twristiaeth a lletygarwch, sy'n hanfodol i ni fel gwlad. Yn gynharach eleni, dywedodd yr Athro Dylan Jones-Evans 'ar ôl y pandemig, bydd cyfle i adeiladu Cymru newydd sy'n cael ei gyrru gan fusnesau arloesol ac entrepreneuraidd yn y wlad hon sydd â delfrydau cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol wrth wraidd popeth a wnânt.' Wrth gwrs, mae'n llygad ei le: mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru fanteisio ar y cynnydd mewn gweithgarwch entrepreneuraidd ac annog busnesau newydd fel ffordd o ysgogi adferiad economaidd. Mae Cymru angen strategaethau a syniadau newydd i gefnogi busnesau newydd ac mae arni angen strategaeth sy'n ceisio tyfu ein heconomi drwy gydnabod pwysigrwydd busnesau bach ac mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru greu'r meddylfryd newydd hwnnw yn awr. Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae'r economi dwristiaeth yn cefnogi tua 16,000 o swyddi llawn amser ac yn dod â £585 miliwn i sir Benfro yn unig, ac mae'n sector rhyng-gysylltiedig sy'n cefnogi ein diwydiannau ffermio, lletygarwch a chreadigol. Ac wrth wraidd y ffigurau hynny mae busnesau bach, felly mae'n rhaid inni atgoffa ein hunain pa mor bwysig yw busnesau bach i'n heconomïau lleol o ran darparu swyddi hanfodol a datblygu cadwyni cyflenwi lleol ac rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi'r cynnig hwn.