English: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement and your announcement of the abolition of HEFCW and the creation of a new commission. I would be interested to know how you foresee these commissioners will be appointed. Will it be put out to an open tender, advertising for applicants, or will it be, essentially, an in-departmental appointment of the commissioners? We've seen the results of appointed boards in the form of the failures in care at Betsi Cadwaladr in north Wales, so how are you going to ensure that the commission is properly accountable? There's been engagement with stakeholders, and I note a range of educational establishments, organisations and learners took part in the consultation exercise, including the stakeholder events. Widening access for under-represented groups and the lack of opportunity for part-time study were issues for the respondents, as you said in your statement, but I'm sorry, Cabinet Secretary, I don't really see any signs of you tackling the problem so far. According to the responses to the consultation, the biggest barrier to entering post-compulsory education was considered to be fear of debt, and we've had conversations about this before. This is obviously going to be more of a barrier to older people looking to change career or resume their education later in life, but, I'm sorry, you've done nothing to remove this barrier. In fact, you're making it worse. The stakeholders who took part in the consultation do really have - they have so valid views about the system and are to be commended for their work in contributing to the consultation exercise. However, I'd suggest that, if you want to widen access to education, the people you really need to be speaking to are those who aren't currently involved in the education system. Those people already engaged in the education system obviously have a great deal of knowledge and experience that can contribute to your decisions about that sector, but it doesn't really inform you in massive detail, from a very personal point of view, why people are discouraged from resuming their education and upskilling or improving their skills in other ways once they've actually left compulsory education and that kind of window in people's heads for going into post-compulsory education has ended. So, I'd like to see you consult with those people who aren't currently engaged with the education system to investigate what might encourage them to become engaged in the education system. I'm not surprised that advice and support provided to learners was a key concern, and, given the Cabinet Secretary's recent decision to saddle Welsh students with debt, it's vital that the Welsh Government gets this right. I appreciate that so much detail isn't going to be here right now, inevitably, because of the stage of the process you're at, so - . I see you've announced a detailed consultation on how the commission will actually work and I really do look forward to seeing that consultation and the responses there too. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch i chi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am eich datganiad a'ch cyhoeddiad am ddiddymu'r CCAUC a chreu comisiwn newydd. Byddai'n dda gennyf wybod sut yr yr ydych yn rhagweld y modd y penodir y comisiynwyr hyn. A gaiff ei roi i dendr agored, gan hysbysebu am ymgeiswyr, neu a fydd, yn y bôn, yn apwyntiad mewnol drwy adran y comisiynwyr? Rydym wedi gweld canlyniadau byrddau a benodwyd yn sgil y methiannau o ran gofal yn ardal Betsi Cadwaladr yn y Gogledd, felly sut fyddwch chi'n sicrhau y bydd y Comisiwn yn briodol atebol? Cafwyd ymgysylltiad â rhanddeiliaid, ac rwy'n nodi bod amrywiaeth o sefydliadau addysgol, sefydliadau a dysgwyr wedi cymryd rhan yn yr ymgynghoriad, gan gynnwys y digwyddiadau i randdeiliaid. Mae cynyddu hygyrchedd ar gyfer grwpiau nad oes ganddyn nhw gynrychiolaeth ddigonol a diffyg y cyfleoedd ar gyfer astudio rhan-amser yn faterion o bwys i'r ymatebwyr, fel y dywedwyd gennych yn eich datganiad, ond mae'n ddrwg gennyf, Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, nad wyf mewn gwirionedd yn gweld unrhyw arwyddion eich bod chi'n ymdrin â'r broblem hyd yn hyn. Yn ôl yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad, ofn mynd i ddyled oedd yn cael ei ystyried yn rhwystr pennaf i ymgymryd ag addysg ôl-orfodol, ac rydym wedi cael trafodaethau am hynny o'r blaen. Mae'n amlwg y bydd hyn yn fwy o rwystr i bobl hŷn sy'n dymuno newid gyrfa neu ailgydio yn eu haddysg yn ddiweddarach yn eu hoes, ond mae'n ddrwg gennyf i, nid ydych chi wedi gwneud dim i gael gwared ar y rhwystr hwn. Yn wir, rydych chi'n gwneud pethau'n waeth. Mae gan y rhanddeiliaid a gymerodd ran yn yr ymgynghoriad - mae ganddyn nhw safbwyntiau mor ddilys am y system ac maen nhw i'w canmol am eu gwaith yn cyfrannu at yr ymgynghoriad. Fodd bynnag, byddwn i'n awgrymu, os ydych yn awyddus i gynyddu hygyrchedd addysg, y bobl y mae angen i chi siarad â nhw mewn gwirionedd yw'r rhai nad ydyn nhw'n cymryd rhan yn y system addysg ar hyn o bryd. Mae gan y bobl hynny sydd eisoes yn cymryd rhan yn y system addysg lawer iawn o wybodaeth a phrofiad a all gyfrannu'n amlwg at eich penderfyniadau am y sector hwnnw. Ond mewn gwirionedd nid yw'n eich hysbysu gyda manylder enfawr, o safbwynt personol iawn, am yr hyn sy'n gwneud i bobl ddigalonni a methu ag ailgydio yn eu haddysg ac uwchsgilio neu wella eu sgiliau mewn ffyrdd eraill pan fyddan nhw wedi gadael addysg orfodol ac mae'r syniad hwnnw sydd ganddynt o ddilyn addysg ôl-orfodol wedi dod i ben. Felly, hoffwn eich gweld chi'n ymgynghori gyda'r bobl hynny nad ydyn nhw'n ymgysylltu ar hyn o bryd â'r system addysg i ymchwilio i beth allai eu hannog i gymryd rhan yn y system addysg. Nid wyf wedi fy synnu bod y cyngor a'r cymorth a roddir i ddysgwyr yn bryder allweddol, ac, o ystyried penderfyniad diweddar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i lethu myfyrwyr Cymru â dyledion, mae'n hanfodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael hyn yn iawn. Rwy'n sylweddoli na fydd cymaint o fanylion ar gael yma ar hyn o bryd, yn anochel, oherwydd y cam yr ydych arni yn y broses, felly - . Rwy'n gweld eich bod wedi cyhoeddi ymgynghoriad manwl ar sut y bydd y comisiwn yn gweithio mewn gwirionedd ac rwyf i wir yn edrych ymlaen at weld yr ymgynghoriad hwnnw a'r ymatebion iddo hefyd. Diolch.