English: Well, I thank the Member, Llywydd, for that. First of all, let me correct what he said. When I say that local government is at the front of the queue, I do mean they are first in the queue. I'm simply pointing out to you that there is a queue - a queue behind them. Now, I anticipated that the Member for Monmouth might have wanted to ask me this afternoon about support for small businesses through small business rate relief. It's a subject on which he corresponds with me with assiduity. But apparently he's not worried about them this afternoon, because the largest sum of money that we get in the - [ Interruption. ] The largest sum of money we get as a consequential is for small business rate relief. If his advice to me this afternoon is that I should give all that money to local government and do nothing for small businesses in Wales, I'd be grateful to know that that is his advice to me. Turning to the question that he raised about reserves, when he says 'usable reserves', what he is confusing is the fact that the largest component of those reserves is money held for things that are already committed: in other words, important schemes in housing, in education, in transport, where local authorities are planning ahead; they've got a scheme they know they have to fund - absolutely properly, they hold money in their reserves in order to be able to fund those important priorities into the future. Nevertheless, the point made by the Cabinet Secretary for local government, and echoed in Nick Ramsay's question, is that some local authorities do have a rising amount of unallocated funds in their reserves. And in very tough times - and I absolutely recognise the challenges faced by local government - just as I have to manage the reserves of the Welsh Government and to release money from my reserves to make sure that we can do the things that we need to do, it's incumbent on local authorities to make equally sensible use of reserves that they are holding that could be deployed to support public services in their area.
Welsh: Wel Lywydd, diolch i'r Aelod am hynny. Yn gyntaf, gadewch imi gywiro'r hyn a ddywedodd. Pan ddywedaf fod llywodraeth leol ar flaen y ciw, rwy'n golygu mai hwy fydd yn gyntaf yn y ciw. Rwy'n tynnu eich sylw at y ffaith bod ciw i'w gael - ciw y tu ôl iddynt. Nawr, roeddwn yn disgwyl y byddai'r Aelod dros Fynwy yn awyddus i fy holi y prynhawn yma ynglŷn â chymorth i fusnesau bach drwy ryddhad ardrethi i fusnesau bach. Mae'n bwnc y mae'n gohebu â mi'n ddyfal yn ei gylch. Ond nid yw'n ymddangos ei fod yn poeni amdanynt y prynhawn yma, gan mai'r swm mwyaf o arian a gawn yn y - [ Torri ar draws. ] Mae'r swm mwyaf o arian a gawn fel arian canlyniadol ar gyfer rhyddhad ardrethi busnesau bach. Os mai ei gyngor i mi y prynhawn yma yw y dylwn roi'r holl arian hwnnw i lywodraeth leol a gwneud dim i fusnesau bach yng Nghymru, buaswn yn ddiolchgar i gael gwybod mai dyna yw ei gyngor imi. Gan droi at y cwestiwn a gododd ynghylch cronfeydd wrth gefn, pan ddywed 'cronfeydd wrth gefn y gellid eu defnyddio', yr hyn y mae'n drysu yn ei gylch yw'r ffaith mai elfen fwyaf y cronfeydd wrth gefn hynny yw arian a gedwir ar gyfer pethau sydd eisoes wedi eu hymrwymo: mewn geiriau eraill, cynlluniau pwysig ym maes tai, ym maes addysg, ym maes trafnidiaeth, lle mae awdurdodau lleol yn cynllunio ymlaen llaw; mae ganddynt gynllun y gwyddant fod yn rhaid iddynt ei ariannu - mae'n gwbl iawn eu bod yn cadw arian yn eu cronfeydd wrth gefn er mwyn gallu ariannu'r blaenoriaethau pwysig hynny yn y dyfodol. Serch hynny, y pwynt a wnaed gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros lywodraeth leol, ac a adleisiwyd yng nghwestiwn Nick Ramsay, yw bod gan rai awdurdodau lleol swm cynyddol o arian heb ei ddyrannu yn eu cronfeydd wrth gefn. Ac mewn cyfnodau anodd iawn - ac rwy'n llwyr gydnabod yr heriau a wynebir gan lywodraeth leol - fel y mae'n rhaid i minnau reoli cronfeydd wrth gefn Llywodraeth Cymru a rhyddhau arian o fy nghronfeydd wrth gefn i sicrhau y gallwn wneud y pethau y mae angen inni eu gwneud, mae'n ddyletswydd ar awdurdodau lleol i wneud defnydd yr un mor synhwyrol o'u cronfeydd wrth gefn y gellid eu defnyddio i gefnogi gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn eu hardal.