English: I'd like to thank the Member for his questions. I've already said to Members previously that I'd welcome any referral of businesses, or indeed individuals or self-employed people, who are suffering as a consequence of the roadworks on this particular stretch to be brought forward to Government with a view to us assisting. I can say that the moment I was informed of costings problems in delivering this hugely ambitious scheme I ordered an immediate and comprehensive commercial review, which has now reported back. I can confirm as well that officials took specialist, commercial and legal advice on these matters, and the resolution and negotiation of such issues is a confidential and commercially sensitive process. But the contract is absolutely clear: the contractor is currently exposed to a greater level of financial risk from the overspend than Welsh Government. Their financial exposure should motivate them to reduce their level of risk. I'll outline the process by which we entered into a contract with Costain. This is a hugely significant engineering and construction project, but I don't think there's any hiding my disappointment at the contractor's overspend and programme delay. We used the early contractor involvement process and also industry standards, terms and conditions in order to ensure that Welsh Government's exposure to risk was reduced as much as possible. The ECI approach is intended to bring in at a very early stage a contractor's expertise on buildability, ability to innovate and approach to effective management of risk in order to influence design development. I think it's fair to say that a complicated scheme such as section 2 of this project is in theory very well suited to an ECI contract. But there was also a hold point in the contract between parts 1 and 2, which enabled either Welsh Government or the contractor to terminate the contract without penalty. It enabled Costain not to enter into the construction contract without penalty should they have felt that, based on all of the information that they held, their projected outturn cost would not be realistic. That said, Costain went ahead regardless, and I am determined that we will do everything we can to protect taxpayers from the additional costs, which we are assessing currently. I think it's worth saying that we are satisfied that we have exercised the appropriate level of management and supervision on this project. Construction has already seen 2 million tonnes of earth and rock moved, 2.5 km of retaining wall built, 44 service diversions completed, over 6,000 soil nails installed and 4,000 trees planted. And whilst significant, these short-term impacts need to be balanced against the longer term benefits of this incredible project. I would encourage Members as well to attend the public exhibitions that commenced on 27 November, and to take part in site tours, where more questions can be asked and where they will be answered.
Welsh: Hoffwn ddiolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiwn. Rwyf eisoes wedi dweud wrth Aelodau y buaswn yn falch o weld unrhyw fusnesau, neu yn wir unigolion neu bobl hunangyflogedig, sy'n dioddef o ganlyniad i'r gwaith ar y ffordd benodol hon yn cael eu hatgyfeirio at y Llywodraeth fel y gallwn eu cynorthwyo. Yr eiliad y cefais wybod am y problemau costio wrth gyflawni'r cynllun eithriadol o uchelgeisiol hwn, gallaf ddweud fy mod wedi galw am adolygiad masnachol cynhwysfawr ar unwaith, ac mae hwnnw bellach wedi cyflwyno ei adroddiad. Gallaf gadarnhau hefyd fod swyddogion wedi cael cyngor arbenigol, masnachol a chyfreithiol ar y materion hyn, ac mae datrys a thrafod materion o'r fath yn broses gyfrinachol a sensitif yn fasnachol. Ond mae'r cytundeb yn gwbl glir: mae'r contractwr yn agored i lefel uwch o risg ariannol o ganlyniad i'r gorwariant na Llywodraeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd. Dylai'r ffaith eu bod yn agored i risg ariannol eu cymell i leihau eu lefel o risg. Rwyf am amlinellu'r broses o lunio ein cytundeb gyda Costain. Mae hwn yn brosiect peirianyddol ac adeiladu sylweddol iawn, ond nid wyf yn credu y gallaf guddio fy siom ynglŷn â gorwariant y contractwr a'r oedi sydd wedi bod ar y rhaglen. Defnyddiwyd proses ymwneud cynnar gan gontractwr yn ogystal â safonau, telerau ac amodau'r diwydiant er mwyn sicrhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn agored i gyn lleied o risg â phosibl. Nod y dull o ymwneud cynnar gan gontractwr yw cyflwyno arbenigedd contractwr ar adeiladwyedd, gallu i arloesi a dull o reoli risg yn effeithiol yn gynnar iawn er mwyn dylanwadu ar ddatblygiad y cynllun. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn deg dweud bod cynllun cymhleth fel adran 2 o'r prosiect hwn yn addas iawn mewn theori i gytundeb ymwneud cynnar gan gontractwr. Ond roedd yna hefyd bwynt oedi yn y cytundeb rhwng rhannau 1 a 2, a oedd yn galluogi naill ai Llywodraeth Cymru neu'r contractwr i derfynu'r contract heb gosb. Roedd hyn yn galluogi Costain i beidio ag ymrwymo i gytundeb adeiladu heb gosb pe baent wedi teimlo, ar sail yr holl wybodaeth a oedd ganddynt, na fuasai eu cost alldro amcanol yn realistig. Wedi dweud hynny, penderfynodd Costain fwrw ymlaen beth bynnag, ac rwy'n benderfynol y byddwn yn gwneud popeth a allwn i amddiffyn trethdalwyr rhag y costau ychwanegol, ac rydym yn asesu'r rheini ar hyn o bryd. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn werth dweud ein bod yn fodlon ein bod wedi arfer y lefel briodol o reolaeth a goruchwyliaeth ar y prosiect hwn. Mae'r gwaith adeiladu eisoes wedi symud 2 filiwn tunnell o ddaear a chraig, adeiladu 2.5 cilometr o wal, cwblhau 44 o ddargyfeiriadau gwasanaeth, gosod dros 6,000 o hoelion pridd a phlannu 4,000 o goed. Ac er eu bod yn sylweddol, mae angen cydbwyso'r effeithiau tymor byr hyn yn erbyn manteision mwy hirdymor y prosiect anhygoel hwn. Buaswn hefyd yn annog yr Aelodau i fynychu'r arddangosfeydd cyhoeddus a ddechreuodd ar 27 Tachwedd, ac i gymryd rhan mewn teithiau safle, lle y gellir holi mwy o gwestiynau a lle y cânt eu hateb.