English: Llywydd, the letter to the Prime Minister from the First Minister kept the door open on a range of different ways in which our systems could be brought forward, including equity investment, but also loan possibilities as well. Llywydd, I want to just stress to the Chamber how serious an offer this was, and the discussions that lay behind it, between myself as the finance Minister and the First Minister. It was not an offer made off the cuff, because our hope was that this would have unlocked the position, and that our offer would have genuinely been drawn down. As your finance Minister, I had to feel satisfied that I would be in a position to be able to offer that assistance at a time when, as Members here will know, all our budgets are under pressure, and there are many very important calls on our ability to provide capital investment right across the Welsh economy. So, I guess Simon Thomas would not be surprised to know that, from the finance point of view, finding figures that we could meet easily is not something that I could afford just to push to the margins of my consideration. But, I did feel, having gone through it all very carefully with senior officials here, with the First Minister as well, that had the Prime Minister responded and responded positively to our offer, we were in a position to back up our offer with investments of different sorts, depending on the deal that could have been done, and we would have thought carefully about the points that he has made this afternoon and has made previously about what an equity investment in the project might have provided for Welsh taxpayers but also for the future of this very important industry in Wales.
Welsh: Lywydd, roedd y llythyr at y Prif Weinidog gan Brif Weinidog Cymru yn cadw'r drws yn agored ar amrywiaeth o wahanol ffyrdd y gallai ein systemau gael eu cyflwyno, gan gynnwys buddsoddiad ecwiti, ond hefyd posibiliadau benthyca yn ogystal. Lywydd, rwyf eisiau pwysleisio gerbron y Siambr pa mor bwysig oedd y cynnig hwn, a'r trafodaethau yn sail iddo, rhyngof fi fel Gweinidog cyllid a'r Prif Weinidog. Nid oedd yn gynnig a wnaed yn fyrfyfyr, oherwydd ein gobaith oedd y byddai hyn wedi datgloi'r sefyllfa, ac y byddai ein cynnig wedi cael ei dderbyn o ddifrif. Fel eich Gweinidog cyllid, roedd yn rhaid i mi deimlo'n fodlon y buaswn mewn sefyllfa i allu cynnig y cymorth hwnnw ar adeg pan fo ein cyllidebau, fel y gŵyr yr Aelodau yma, o dan bwysau, ac mae llawer o alwadau pwysig iawn ar ein gallu i ddarparu buddsoddiad cyfalaf ar draws economi Cymru. Felly, tybiaf na fyddai Simon Thomas yn synnu clywed, o safbwynt y cyllid, nad oedd dod o hyd i ffigurau y gallem eu darparu'n hawdd yn rhywbeth y gallwn fforddio ei wthio i ymylon fy ystyriaeth. Ond roeddwn yn teimlo, ar ôl mynd drwy'r gwaith yn ofalus iawn gydag uwch swyddogion yma, gyda Phrif Weinidog Cymru yn ogystal, pe bai'r Prif Weinidog wedi ymateb ac wedi ymateb yn gadarnhaol i'n cynnig, ein bod mewn sefyllfa i gefnogi ein cynnig gyda buddsoddiadau o wahanol fathau, gan ddibynnu ar y fargen y byddem wedi gallu ei gwneud, a byddem wedi meddwl yn ofalus am y pwyntiau a wnaeth y prynhawn yma ac a wnaeth yn flaenorol ynglŷn â'r hyn y gallai buddsoddiad ecwiti yn y prosiect fod wedi'i ddarparu ar gyfer trethdalwyr Cymru ond hefyd i ddyfodol y diwydiant hollbwysig hwn yng Nghymru.