English: Diolch, Llywydd. It's a pleasure to follow my fellow two committee Chairs. And can I just say, on the fifth occasion that I've risen this afternoon, my thanks to the committee clerking team and colleagues as well for their consideration of these matters? And can I just note in passing the spirited defence by the Counsel General earlier on the Professional Qualifications Bill, which was really interesting, and we'll return to this? He's always willing to be very engaged with the committee and I'm sure we will explore these matters further. So, in my final contribution this afternoon, we turn to the Nationality and Borders Bill LCM. If people aren't tired of my voice by this stage, heaven help us. We made one recommendation in our consideration and report on this. We noted the clauses that the Minister considers require the consent of the Senedd and we also noted that UK Government does not believe that the Senedd's consent is required. Our report agreed with the Minister that the consent of the Senedd is indeed required for these clauses and acknowledged also that she does not recommend that the Senedd gives its consent to these clauses being included in the Bill. Our report expressed concerns, for example, that regulations under the Bill can impose functions on devolved authorities in relation to social care and that neither the Welsh Ministers nor the Senedd will be required to provide consent in such circumstances. Fellow Chairs and their committees have picked up on these as well. We are equally concerned at the powers available to the Secretary of State to make regulations that could amend primary legislation by the Senedd, without any requirement for its consent. As far as we are aware, there are no limitations on these powers - it's again a theme I'm returning to - such that they could be also used to amend the Government of Wales Act 2006 by means of regulations. As I've indicated previously in my contributions this afternoon in respect of other LCMs, we just believe that such an approach is constitutionally unacceptable. But what makes the situation more complicated is - as I alluded to at the start of this contribution - the fact that the UK Government does not consider that the provisions of the Bill fall within the competence of this Senedd. Now, so far as the UK Government is concerned, this debate is unnecessary and Senedd consent is not required, even though, in our view and that of the Welsh Government and of other committees, the Bill impacts the devolved area of social care. So, in light of these observations, our single recommendation, in three parts, asked the Minister to update the committee on various matters before today's debate. And we're very grateful for the detailed response we have received from the Minister. The first part of our recommendation asked for an update on her discussions with the UK Government as to whether the provisions of the Bill fall within the legislative competence of the Senedd. The second part asked the Minister to explain whether, as part of her discussions, she has sought amendments to the Bill relevant to our concerns about the regulation-making powers being given to the Secretary of State to act in devolved areas, and which potentially permit the amendment of the 2006 Act. In her response, and at the risk of repeating some of what the Minister indicated earlier, the Minister has told us how she'd repeatedly raised concerns with the UK Government, including jointly with the Scottish Government, but had not received any satisfactory assurances in response. And she also explained to us how the Home Office did not engage with the Welsh Government over concerns regarding age assessment because of their stance of it being a reserved matter, meaning there was no opportunity available for them to pursue amendments, including in relation to our concerns about the powers being given to the Secretary of State. She also noted that, as recently as 8 February, the Home Office wrote to say that the UK Government position remained unchanged, such that all the Bill's clauses were within reserved competence and no legislative consent motion is required for the clauses related to age assessment. So, we do share the Minister's clear disappointment and frustration at the lack of constructive engagement with the UK Government on these issues, not least because further promised correspondence explaining the UK Government's stance in more detail has not been received. We would be very grateful to receive copies of any further correspondence on this issue, given our interest - ongoing interest - in inter-governmental relations. And that brings to me the third part of our recommendation, which asked whether the Minister will be engaging the dispute resolution procedures in line with the final package of reforms announced in the recently published review of inter-governmental relations. In response, the Minister said she would indeed give further thought to managing this through the new machinery, and, again, we as a committee look forward to being kept in touch with developments on this very important matter. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Mae'n bleser dilyn y ddau o fy nghyd-Gadeiryddion pwyllgor. Ac a gaf i ddweud, ar y pumed achlysur yr wyf wedi codi y prynhawn yma, diolch i dîm clercio'r pwyllgor a fy nghydweithwyr yn ogystal am ystyried y materion hyn? Ac a gaf i nodi yn fyr amddiffyniad ysbrydoledig gan y Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn gynharach ar y Bil Cymwysterau Proffesiynol, a oedd yn ddiddorol iawn, a byddwn yn dychwelyd at hyn? Mae bob amser yn barod i ymwneud â'r pwyllgor ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwn yn archwilio'r materion hyn ymhellach. Felly, yn fy nghyfraniad olaf y prynhawn yma, trown at Femorandwm Cydsyniad Deddfwriaethol y Bil Cenedligrwydd a Ffiniau. Os nad yw pobl wedi blino ar fy llais i erbyn y cam hwn, Duw â'n helpo. Gwnaethom un argymhelliad wrth ystyried ac adrodd ar hyn. Nodom y cymalau y mae'r Gweinidog o'r farn bod angen cydsyniad y Senedd arnyn nhw a nodom hefyd nad yw Llywodraeth y DU yn credu bod angen cydsyniad y Senedd. Cytunodd ein hadroddiad â'r Gweinidog fod yn wir angen cydsyniad y Senedd ar gyfer y cymalau hyn a chydnabu hefyd nad yw'n argymell bod y Senedd yn rhoi ei chydsyniad i gynnwys y cymalau hyn yn y Bil. Mynegodd ein hadroddiad bryderon, er enghraifft, y gall rheoliadau o dan y Bil osod swyddogaethau ar awdurdodau datganoledig mewn perthynas â gofal cymdeithasol ac na fydd yn ofynnol i Weinidogion Cymru na'r Senedd roi cydsyniad mewn amgylchiadau o'r fath. Mae Cyd-Gadeiryddion a'u pwyllgorau wedi sôn am y rhain hefyd. Rydym yr un mor bryderus am y pwerau sydd ar gael i'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol i wneud rheoliadau a allai ddiwygio deddfwriaeth sylfaenol gan y Senedd, heb unrhyw ofyniad am ei gydsyniad. Hyd y gwyddom ni, nid oes unrhyw gyfyngiadau ar y pwerau hyn - mae'n thema yr wyf i'n dychwelyd ati eto - fel y gellid eu defnyddio hefyd i ddiwygio Deddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006 drwy reoliadau. Fel yr wyf wedi nodi o'r blaen yn fy nghyfraniadau y prynhawn yma o ran Gorchmynion Cymhwysedd Deddfwriaethol eraill, credwn fod dull gweithredu o'r fath yn annerbyniol yn gyfansoddiadol. Ond yr hyn sy'n gwneud y sefyllfa'n fwy cymhleth yw - fel y cyfeiriais ato ar ddechrau'r cyfraniad hwn - y ffaith nad yw Llywodraeth y DU o'r farn bod darpariaethau'r Bil yn dod o fewn cymhwysedd y Senedd hon. Nawr, cyn belled ag y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn y cwestiwn, mae'r ddadl hon yn ddiangen ac nid oes angen cydsyniad y Senedd, er bod y Bil, yn ein barn ni a barn Llywodraeth Cymru a phwyllgorau eraill, yn effeithio ar faes datganoledig gofal cymdeithasol. Felly, yng ngoleuni'r sylwadau hyn, gofynnodd ein hargymhelliad unigol, mewn tair rhan, i'r Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r pwyllgor am faterion amrywiol cyn y ddadl heddiw. Ac rydym yn ddiolchgar iawn am yr ymateb manwl a gawsom gan y Gweinidog. Gofynnodd rhan gyntaf ein hargymhelliad am y wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ei thrafodaethau â Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch a yw darpariaethau'r Bil yn dod o fewn cymhwysedd deddfwriaethol y Senedd. Gofynnodd yr ail ran i'r Gweinidog egluro a yw, fel rhan o'i thrafodaethau, wedi gofyn am welliannau i'r Bil sy'n berthnasol i'n pryderon ynghylch y pwerau i wneud rheoliadau sy'n cael eu rhoi i'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol i weithredu mewn meysydd datganoledig, ac a allai ganiatáu diwygio Deddf 2006. Yn ei hymateb, ac mewn perygl o ailadrodd rhywfaint o'r hyn a ddywedodd y Gweinidog yn gynharach, mae'r Gweinidog wedi dweud wrthym sut yr oedd wedi codi pryderon dro ar ôl tro gyda Llywodraeth y DU, gan gynnwys ar y cyd â Llywodraeth yr Alban, ond nad oedd wedi cael unrhyw sicrwydd boddhaol mewn ymateb. Ac esboniodd wrthym hefyd sut na wnaeth y Swyddfa Gartref ymgysylltu â Llywodraeth Cymru am bryderon ynghylch asesu oedran oherwydd eu safbwynt o fod yn fater a gadwyd yn ôl, sy'n golygu nad oedd cyfle iddynt fynd ar drywydd gwelliannau, gan gynnwys o ran ein pryderon am y pwerau a roddir i'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol. Nododd hefyd, mor ddiweddar ag 8 Chwefror, fod y Swyddfa Gartref wedi ysgrifennu i ddweud nad oedd sefyllfa Llywodraeth y DU wedi newid, bod holl gymalau'r Bil o fewn cymhwysedd a gadwyd yn ôl ac nad oes angen cynnig cydsyniad deddfwriaethol ar gyfer y cymalau sy'n ymwneud ag asesu oedran. Felly, rydym yn rhannu siom a rhwystredigaeth glir y Gweinidog am y diffyg ymgysylltiad adeiladol â Llywodraeth y DU ar y materion hyn, yn bennaf am na chafwyd gohebiaeth a addawyd ymhellach yn esbonio safbwynt Llywodraeth y DU yn fanylach. Byddem yn ddiolchgar iawn i dderbyn copïau o unrhyw ohebiaeth bellach ar y mater hwn, o ystyried ein diddordeb - diddordeb parhaus - mewn cysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol. Ac mae hynny'n dod â ni i drydedd ran ein hargymhelliad, a ofynnodd a fydd y Gweinidog yn ymgysylltu â'r gweithdrefnau datrys anghydfodau yn unol â'r pecyn terfynol o ddiwygiadau a gyhoeddwyd yn yr adolygiad a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar o gysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol. Mewn ymateb, dywedodd y Gweinidog y byddai'n rhoi ystyriaeth bellach i reoli hyn drwy'r peiriannau newydd, ac, unwaith eto, edrychwn ymlaen at gael ein cadw mewn cyswllt â datblygiadau ar y mater pwysig iawn hwn. Diolch yn fawr iawn.