English: I disagree. In any instance, non-executives also, to be able to perform their function of critical challenge, need to be able to ask good questions, and they can only do that from a basis of knowledge, and that's been lacking in this case. It's an important sector economically. It's actually bigger in terms of value added than agriculture and, indeed, in terms of the rural economy, its importance is even more significant. In terms of climate change reduction, it's absolutely central, which is why, of course, the Welsh Government has had to increase its target, in response to the Committee on Climate Change's recommendation, to 4,000 hectares. As I pointed out in First Minister's questions, this is one of the worst areas of performance against any Government target. So, the target was 2,000 hectares a year of new woodland planted. We've been achieving, in the last year, I think, 200 hectares. In fact, in the last four years, it's been the worst four years of new woodland planted since 1971. Restocking rates - they're the worst since 1990. NRW itself has a land bank - these scars you see on the Welsh landscape at the moment of areas that have been felled but haven't been restocked. They have 6,000 hectares at the moment that they haven't restocked. That's four years' worth of production. The reason that they introduced the infamous 'standing sales plus' contract in 2016 was because NRW didn't have the funding to be able to build the infrastructure or to undertake restocking themselves, and so these contracts were meant to be used as a mechanism for them to harvest timber and restock at minimal cost. Well, it obviously hasn't worked; the figures speak for themselves. And, of course, if you look forward into the future, it gets even worse, because the current prediction is that there is going to be a 47 per cent cut in softwood availability in Wales over the next 25-year period. This underperformance in this sector comes at a time when timber prices are at a 30-year high. Why? Partly because, of course, of the demand from biomass, and so everybody in the sector in Wales - which is why the Minister has received this letter from the 10 companies in question - is saying, 'Look, we could build this industry up; it's a huge resource for Wales,' and yet we are massively underperforming. NRW, actually, itself currently produces 800,000 tonnes a year. That is set to fall by 34 per cent over the next 20 years or so to 531,000 tonnes, and it's completely unnecessary. Whatever the structural solution to this question - and we may have different views on that in this Chamber - can we at least admit that there has been an absolutely critical failure here in this area of public policy? It's important economically, particularly in rural Wales, but it also affects our ability to meet the Government's own other target in terms of climate change, and it's the Minister that should take the responsibility here, fundamentally.
Welsh: Rwy'n anghytuno. Ym mhob achos, mae angen i aelodau anweithredol hefyd allu gofyn cwestiynau da er mwyn cyflawni eu swyddogaeth her feirniadol, ac o sylfaen wybodaeth yn unig y gallant wneud hynny, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn brin yn yr achos hwn. Mae'n sector pwysig yn economaidd. Mae'n fwy mewn gwirionedd o ran gwerth ychwanegol nag amaethyddiaeth ac yn wir, o ran yr economi wledig, mae ei bwysigrwydd hyd yn oed yn fwy arwyddocaol. O ran lleihau newid yn yr hinsawdd, mae'n gwbl ganolog, a dyna pam y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gorfod ymestyn ei tharged, wrth gwrs, mewn ymateb i argymhelliad y Pwyllgor ar Newid Hinsawdd, i 4,000 hectar. Fel y nodais mewn cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, mae hwn yn un o'r meysydd perfformiad gwaethaf yn erbyn unrhyw darged Llywodraeth. Felly, roedd y targed yn golygu plannu 2,000 hectar y flwyddyn o goetir newydd. Yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, rydym wedi bod yn cyflawni 200 hectar, rwy'n credu. Mewn gwirionedd, y pedair blynedd ddiwethaf yw'r pedair blynedd waethaf o blannu coetir newydd ers 1971. Mae cyfraddau ailstocio - maent ar eu gwaethaf ers 1990. Mae gan Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru ei banc tir ei hun - y creithiau a welwch ar dirwedd Cymru yn awr o ardaloedd sydd wedi'u cwympo ond heb eu hailstocio. Mae ganddynt 6,000 hectar heb eu hailstocio ar hyn o bryd. Dyna werth pedair blynedd o gynhyrchiant. Y rheswm pam eu bod wedi cyflwyno'r contract gwarthus 'gwerthiannau sefydlog plws' yn 2016 oedd oherwydd nad oedd gan Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru gyllid i allu adeiladu'r seilwaith nac ailstocio eu hunain, ac felly roedd y contractau hyn i fod i gael eu defnyddio fel mecanwaith iddynt allu cynaeafu coed ac ailstocio am y gost leiaf. Wel, mae'n amlwg nad yw wedi gweithio; mae'r ffigurau'n siarad drostynt eu hunain. Ac wrth gwrs, os edrychwch tua'r dyfodol, mae'n waeth hyd yn oed, am mai'r rhagfynegiad cyfredol yw bod 47 y cant yn llai o bren meddal yn mynd i fod ar gael yng Nghymru dros y 25 mlynedd nesaf. Daw'r tangyflawniad hwn yn y sector ar adeg pan fo prisiau pren yn uwch nag y buont ers 30 mlynedd. Pam? Yn rhannol oherwydd y galw gan fiomas wrth gwrs, ac felly mae pawb yn y sector yng Nghymru - dyna pam y mae'r Gweinidog wedi cael y llythyr hwn gan y 10 cwmni dan sylw - yn dweud, 'Edrychwch, gallem ddatblygu'r diwydiant hwn; mae'n adnodd anferth i Gymru,' ac eto rydym yn tangyflawni'n enbyd. Mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru ei hun ar hyn o bryd yn cynhyrchu 800,000 o dunelli y flwyddyn. Mae'r ffigur hwnnw ar fin disgyn 34 y cant dros yr 20 mlynedd nesaf i 531,000 tunnell, ac mae'n gwbl ddiangen. Beth bynnag yw'r ateb strwythurol i'r cwestiwn hwn - ac efallai y bydd gennym farn wahanol ar hynny yn y Siambr hon - a gawn ni gyfaddef o leiaf fod methiant hollol allweddol wedi bod yn y maes polisi cyhoeddus hwn? Mae'n bwysig yn economaidd, yn enwedig yng nghefn gwlad Cymru, ond mae hefyd yn effeithio ar ein gallu i gyrraedd targed arall y Llywodraeth ei hun ar newid hinsawdd, ac yn y bôn, y Gweinidog a ddylai gymryd cyfrifoldeb yn hyn o beth.