English: I thank the Deputy Minister for his statement today and broadly welcome it. The Valleys taskforce was established in 2016 to focus resources on disadvantaged communities in south Wales Valleys, which, of course, is very welcome. These communities have faced economic and social issues that have detrimentally impacted on their well-being. Sadly, the work of the Valleys taskforce has been significantly hampered by the coronavirus outbreak. In June, Deputy Minister, you confirmed that a number of projects have been paused due to health and safety concerns and capacity constraints. You also asked officials to undertake a review of each of the seven priorities of the current Valleys taskforce programme. In view of this, could you outline the future of the Valleys taskforce during the remainder of the programme, and what projects will be prioritised or scrapped to provide certainty to stakeholders and the communities? Despite its good intentions, the Valleys taskforce has not delivered the transformative change that the south Wales Valleys needed to improve the prosperity of local communities. In written evidence to the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the Bevan Foundation state that they have continued to have concerns about the strategy, scale and impact of the taskforce. The Bevan Foundation note that the taskforce itself has helped to direct focus on the socioeconomic issues facing the communities in the Valleys. However, they are also critical of the Welsh Labour Government's lack of leadership and direction in setting up and resourcing the taskforce. They also criticise the Welsh Labour-led Government's target to get 7,000 people into work by 2021, which pales in comparison to the 67,000 jobs that are estimated to be required to meet the jobs need of the area. The most recent statistics show that 4,500 people have been supported into work through community employment programmes since July 2017. However, this progress is likely to have been offset by job losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. How do you react, Deputy Minister, to the evidence provided by stakeholders that the Valleys taskforce has been limited by a lack of ambition from the Welsh Labour Government, and that a somewhat inconsistent approach to a socioeconomic regeneration has resulted in resources and investment being spread out too thinly across the region? The number of empty properties in the Valleys region is still high. Recent estimates show that there are 994 empty properties in Blaenau Gwent, equivalent to 3 per cent of the total number of dwellings in the area; 2,212 empty properties in Rhondda Cynon Taff, equivalent to 2 per cent of the total number of dwellings; and 520 empty properties in Merthyr Tydfil, equivalent to 1.9 per cent of the total dwellings in the area. The Welsh index of multiple deprivation in 2019 found that towns in south Wales Valleys are more likely to experience higher income deprivation and health deprivation than other parts of Wales. I know you've introduced an empty homes grant to tackle the issue of empty and derelict homes in the Valleys region, but this scheme will end in February 2021. The Welsh Valleys need urgent tailored investment and support to help communities to build back better. Will the Deputy Minister outline how the Welsh Labour Government will use its unallocated resources as part of the extra £5 billion of extra funding provided by the UK Conservative Government to help the Valleys recover post pandemic? Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei ddatganiad heddiw ac rwy'n ei groesawu'n gyffredinol. Sefydlwyd tasglu'r Cymoedd yn 2016 i ganolbwyntio adnoddau ar gymunedau difreintiedig yng Nghymoedd y de, sydd, wrth gwrs, i'w groesawu'n fawr. Mae'r cymunedau hyn wedi wynebu materion economaidd a chymdeithasol sydd wedi cael effaith andwyol ar eu llesiant. Yn anffodus, mae gwaith tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi'i lesteirio'n sylweddol gan haint y coronafeirws. Ym mis Mehefin, Dirprwy Weinidog, fe wnaethoch chi gadarnhau bod nifer o brosiectau wedi'u gohirio oherwydd pryderon iechyd a diogelwch a chyfyngiadau ar gapasiti. Fe wnaethoch chi hefyd ofyn i swyddogion gynnal adolygiad o bob un o saith blaenoriaeth rhaglen bresennol tasglu'r Cymoedd. O ystyried hyn, a wnewch chi amlinellu dyfodol tasglu'r Cymoedd yn ystod gweddill y rhaglen, a pha brosiectau a gaiff eu blaenoriaethu neu eu dileu i roi sicrwydd i randdeiliaid a'r cymunedau? Er gwaethaf ei fwriadau da, nid yw tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi cyflawni'r newid trawsnewidiol yr oedd ei angen ar Gymoedd y de i wella ffyniant cymunedau lleol. Mewn tystiolaeth ysgrifenedig i Bwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau, dywed Sefydliad Bevan fod ganddyn nhw bryderon o hyd am strategaeth, graddfa ac effaith y tasglu. Mae Sefydliad Bevan yn nodi bod y tasglu ei hun wedi helpu i ddal sylw ar y materion economaidd-gymdeithasol sy'n wynebu cymunedau'r Cymoedd. Fodd bynnag, maen nhw hefyd yn feirniadol o ddiffyg arweinyddiaeth a chyfeiriad Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru wrth sefydlu ac adnabod y tasglu. Maen nhw hefyd yn beirniadu targed Llywodraeth Cymru dan arweiniad Llafur i gael 7,000 o bobl i mewn i waith erbyn 2021, sy'n nifer pitw o'i gymharu â'r 67,000 o swyddi yr amcangyfrifir bod eu hangen i ddiwallu anghenion swyddi'r ardal. Mae'r ystadegau diweddaraf yn dangos bod 4,500 o bobl wedi cael cymorth i gael gwaith drwy raglenni cyflogaeth gymunedol ers mis Gorffennaf 2017. Fodd bynnag, mae'r cynnydd hwn yn debygol o fod wedi'i wrthbwyso gan golli swyddi o ganlyniad i bandemig COVID-19. Sut ydych chi'n ymateb, Dirprwy Weinidog, i'r dystiolaeth a ddarparwyd gan randdeiliaid bod tasglu'r Cymoedd wedi'i gyfyngu gan ddiffyg uchelgais gan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru, a bod dull braidd yn anghyson o adfywio economaidd-gymdeithasol wedi arwain at ddarparu rhy ychydig o adnoddau a buddsoddiad ar draws y rhanbarth? Mae nifer yr eiddo gwag yn rhanbarth y Cymoedd yn dal yn uchel. Dengys amcangyfrifon diweddar fod 994 eiddo gwag ym Mlaenau Gwent, sy'n cyfateb i 3 y cant o gyfanswm nifer yr anheddau yn yr ardal; 2,212 eiddo gwag yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, sy'n cyfateb i 2 y cant o gyfanswm nifer yr anheddau; a 520 eiddo gwag ym Merthyr Tudful, sy'n cyfateb i 1.9 y cant o gyfanswm yr anheddau yn yr ardal. Canfu mynegai amddifadedd lluosog Cymru yn 2019 fod trefi yng Nghymoedd y de yn fwy tebygol o brofi mwy o amddifadedd incwm ac amddifadedd iechyd na rhannau eraill o Gymru. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod wedi cyflwyno grant cartrefi gwag i fynd i'r afael â chartrefi gwag a diffaith yn rhanbarth y Cymoedd, ond daw'r cynllun hwn i ben ym mis Chwefror 2021. Mae angen buddsoddiad a chymorth wedi'u teilwra ar frys ar y Cymoedd i helpu cymunedau i adeiladu'n ôl yn well. A wnaiff y Dirprwy Weinidog amlinellu sut y bydd Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru yn defnyddio ei hadnoddau sydd heb eu dyrannu yn rhan o'r £5 biliwn ychwanegol o gyllid ychwanegol a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth Geidwadol y DU i helpu'r Cymoedd i wella ar ôl y pandemig? Diolch.