English: Can I thank the Member for his questions? We are learning at all times and, indeed, my predecessor made changes within the department when she inherited it. Indeed, my predecessor introduced the investment panel procedure to strengthen oversight of investment considerations and to ensure that where risk was being considered an informed decision could be made. The deputy permanent secretary is on record as saying that, in this instance, the investment panel got it wrong and, therefore, provided advice to the Minister that was wrong. But I think, and the Member recognises the fact, that we have to balance risk against opportunity. And it is, as the First Minister has already identified, a case, a fact, indisputable, that in the previous Assembly term, during which time my predecessor oversaw record growth, the success rate of businesses supported by Welsh Government was more than 97 per cent. That compares incredibly favourably to the Welsh average and, indeed, even better to the UK average. So, I think it is actually a very proud story that we have to tell about the business support success of Welsh Government. Nonetheless, not all businesses survive, not all businesses succeed. We will do what we can to help businesses thrive, but there will be cases, especially in the context of the post-financial crash, where businesses were established and where the economic climate was not such that it was stable and enabled the forecast growth to be achieved. We do have a number - and the Member recognises this - of procedural changes that have been implemented. I'd happily write to all Members with details. In fact, as the leader of the Conservatives, I think, wishes to know what they are, I will offer them now: consideration of commercial loans now forms part of the investment panel procedure; the senior management team must now ratify any recommendation by the investment panel for commercial loans above £1 million; as part of the financial approval process, a standalone appraisal of all projects involving commercial loans must now be undertaken; the monitoring of loans has moved to the central monitoring team - that was an agreed departmental protocol; loan applications are more robustly assessed for their ability to repay by undertaking appropriate financial due diligence; a further change in procedure, which the WAO recognised was a standardised approach to risk assessment, has been introduced to ensure consistency across funding schemes, and where multiple interventions are being considered, they are now considered by a single body, with appropriate advice from the property leadership team. There are other procedures that we have introduced in the fourth Assembly. There are further procedures that I'll be introducing as well. In terms of the recommendations that are made by the committee, and I do value the work of the committee and, indeed, the report that's been produced, I think it would be very difficult to disagree with any of those recommendations that have been made that are relevant to my portfolio. Whilst I will be responding in due course to all of the committee's recommendations, I can say that I already accept a number of the recommendations and, indeed, I've already implemented some.
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiynau? Rydym bob amser yn dysgu ac, yn wir, gwnaeth fy rhagflaenydd newidiadau yn yr adran pan wnaeth hithau ei hetifeddu. Yn wir, cyflwynodd fy rhagflaenydd y weithdrefn panel buddsoddi er mwyn cryfhau goruchwyliaeth ystyriaethau buddsoddi a sicrhau wrth roi ystyriaeth i risg y gellid dod i benderfyniad deallus. Mae'r dirprwy ysgrifennydd parhaol wedi dweud ar goedd, yn yr achos hwn, bod y panel buddsoddi wedi gwneud camgymeriad, ac felly, wedi rhoi cyngor gwallus i'r Gweinidog. Ond rwyf i o'r farn, ac mae'r Aelod yn cydnabod y ffaith, fod yn rhaid i ni gael cydbwysedd rhwng mentro ac achub ar gyfle. Ac fel y mae'r Prif Weinidog eisoes wedi ei nodi, mae'n achos, yn ffaith ddigamsyniol, bod fy rhagflaenydd, yn nhymor y Cynulliad blaenorol, wedi goruchwylio'r twf mwyaf erioed, pan oedd cyfradd llwyddiant y busnesau a gefnogwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn fwy na 97 y cant. Mae hynny'n cymharu'n hynod ffafriol â'r cyfartaledd yng Nghymru ac, yn wir, mae hyd yn oed yn well na chyfartaledd y DU. Felly, rwy'n credu bod gennym, mewn gwirionedd, stori y gallwn fod yn falch iawn ohoni, i'w hadrodd am lwyddiant Llywodraeth Cymru o ran rhoi cymorth i fusnes. Serch hynny, nid yw pob busnes yn goroesi, nid yw pob busnes yn llwyddo. Byddwn yn gwneud yr hyn a allwn i helpu ffyniant busnesau, ond bydd achosion, yn enwedig yng nghyd-destun y cyfnod yn dilyn y cwymp ariannol, pryd y sefydlwyd busnesau a phan nad oedd yr hinsawdd economaidd yn sefydlog ac yn caniatáu cyflawni'r twf a ragwelwyd. Mae gennym nifer - ac mae'r Aelod yn cydnabod hyn - o newidiadau gweithdrefnol sydd wedi eu rhoi ar waith. Byddwn i'n hapus i ysgrifennu at yr holl Aelodau i roi'r manylion. Mewn gwirionedd, gan fod arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr, rwy'n credu, yn dymuno gwybod beth ydyn nhw, fe'u rhoddaf yn awr: mae ystyriaeth o fenthyciadau masnachol bellach yn rhan o'r weithdrefn panel buddsoddi; erbyn hyn mae'n rhaid i'r uwch dîm rheoli gadarnhau unrhyw argymhelliad gan y panel buddsoddi ar gyfer benthyciadau masnachol dros £1 filiwn; yn rhan o'r broses cymeradwyo ariannol, mae'n rhaid cynnal gwerthusiad annibynnol erbyn hyn o'r holl brosiectau sy'n cynnwys benthyciadau masnachol; mae arolygu benthyciadau wedi ei symud i'r tîm arolygu canolog - roedd hwnnw yn brotocol adrannol y cytunwyd arno; mae ceisiadau am fenthyciadau yn cael eu hasesu yn fwy trylwyr o ran eu gallu i ad-dalu drwy gynnal diwydrwydd dyladwy ariannol priodol; mae newid pellach mewn gweithdrefnau, a gydnabuwyd gan Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru fel bod yn ymagwedd safonol at asesu risg, wedi ei gyflwyno er mwyn sicrhau cysondeb mewn cynlluniau ariannu, a phan ystyrir ymyriaethau lluosog, cânt eu hystyried gan un corff erbyn hyn, gyda chyngor priodol gan y tîm arwain ar gyfer eiddo. Ceir gweithdrefnau eraill yr ydym wedi'u cyflwyno yn y pedwerydd Cynulliad. Ceir gweithdrefnau pellach y byddaf innau'n eu cyflwyno hefyd. O ran yr argymhellion a wnaed gan y pwyllgor, ac rwyf yn gwerthfawrogi gwaith y pwyllgor ac, yn wir, yr adroddiad sydd wedi ei lunio, rwy'n credu y byddai'n anodd iawn i anghytuno ag unrhyw un o'r argymhellion hynny sydd wedi eu gwneud sy'n berthnasol i'm portffolio i. Er y byddaf yn ymateb maes o law i bob un o argymhellion y pwyllgor, gallaf ddweud fy mod eisoes yn derbyn nifer o'r argymhellion ac, yn wir, rwyf eisoes wedi rhoi rhai ohonynt ar waith.