techiaith/cofnodycynulliad_en-cy huggingface dataset:
English: Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister. First of all, I'd like to thank you for your recent correspondence in providing an update on the next consultation around corporate joint committees. I'd like to focus my questioning on that today. First of all, Minister, do you agree with the previous Cabinet secretary for local government and public services that corporate joint committees, and I'll quote, 'are essentially reorganisation of councils through the back door'?
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd, a phrynhawn da, Weinidog. Yn gyntaf oll, hoffwn ddiolch am eich gohebiaeth yn ddiweddar i ddarparu diweddariad ar yr ymgynghoriad nesaf ar gyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Hoffwn ganolbwyntio fy nghwestiynau ar hynny heddiw. Yn gyntaf, Weinidog, a ydych yn cytuno â chyn-ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros lywodraeth leol a gwasanaethau cyhoeddus mai'r hyn yw cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig yn y bôn, a dyfynnaf: 'yw ad-drefnu cynghorau drwy'r drws cefn'?
English: I think corporate joint committees are something else entirely, because this is something that is being led by local authorities. They offer opportunities to streamline existing collaboration agreements, and also provide the clarity and consistency that principal councils have been seeking in many areas, especially the areas for which they'll be responsible - for aligning economic development, for example, transport and land use and planning approaches, in order to develop successful regional economies and encourage local growth. So, I wonder if you might be misquoting Julie James in that, because she's very much of the view that this is an important step forward, which is being taken with local authorities.
Welsh: Credaf fod cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig yn rhywbeth cwbl wahanol i hynny, gan fod hyn yn rhywbeth sy'n cael ei arwain gan awdurdodau lleol. Maent yn cynnig cyfleoedd i symleiddio cytundebau cydweithredu presennol, ac yn darparu'r eglurder a'r cysondeb y mae'r prif gynghorau wedi bod yn chwilio amdanynt mewn sawl maes, yn enwedig yn y meysydd y byddant yn gyfrifol amdanynt - alinio datblygu economaidd, er enghraifft, trafnidiaeth a dulliau cynllunio a defnydd tir, er mwyn datblygu economïau rhanbarthol llwyddiannus a hybu twf lleol. Felly, tybed a ydych yn camddyfynnu Julie James yn hynny o beth, gan ei bod yn bendant o'r farn fod hwn yn gam pwysig ymlaen, sy'n cael ei wneud gydag awdurdodau lleol.
English: Thanks, Minister. And just to be clear, I wasn't quoting Julie James there; it was the previous Minister to Julie, whose quote came through the local government committee. But thank you for your answer. A huge concern that I have with corporate joint committees, and one that seems to be shared by many councillors and council leaders across the country, is their democratic nature, or perhaps lack of, and the potential impact of powers being taken away from councils and those democratically elected to make decisions and representations on behalf of their communities. In your letter to the Local Government and Housing Committee on 29 October, you stated that CJCs aim to bring more coherence to and strip out some of the complexity of regional governance arrangements, strengthening local democratic accountability. But that does seem at odds to the chief executive of Cardiff Council, who stated that they could, and I'll quote, 'diminish democratic accountability'. Indeed, a councillor on Swansea Council stated that, 'If you want to be a turkey, vote for these new committees'. So, Minister, what assurances can you give to councils across Wales that these corporate joint committees won't take powers and democracy away from councils and those locally elected to represent their communities?
Welsh: Diolch, Weinidog. Ac er eglurder, nid dyfynnu Julie James roeddwn yn ei wneud; y Gweinidog cyn Julie, a daeth y dyfyniad drwy'r pwyllgor llywodraeth leol. Ond diolch am eich ateb. Pryder enfawr sydd gennyf ynghylch cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig, ac un yr ymddengys bod llawer o gynghorwyr ac arweinwyr cynghorau ledled y wlad yn ei rannu, yw eu natur ddemocrataidd, neu ddiffyg natur ddemocrataidd o bosibl, ac effaith bosibl colli pwerau cynghorau a phobl a etholwyd yn ddemocrataidd i wneud penderfyniadau a sylwadau ar ran eu cymunedau. Yn eich llythyr at y Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol a Thai ar 29 Hydref, fe ddywedoch mai bwriad cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig yw darparu mwy o gydlyniaeth a chael gwared ar beth o gymhlethdod trefniadau llywodraethu rhanbarthol, gan gryfhau atebolrwydd democrataidd lleol. Ond ymddengys bod hynny'n groes i'r hyn a ddywed prif weithredwr Cyngor Caerdydd, a nododd y gallent, ac rwy'n dyfynnu: 'leihau atebolrwydd democrataidd'. Ac yn wir, nododd un o gynghorwyr Cyngor Abertawe: 'Os ydych yn dymuno bod yn dwrci, pleidleisiwch dros y pwyllgorau newydd hyn.' Felly, Weinidog, pa sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi i gynghorau ledled Cymru na fydd y cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig hyn yn mynd â phwerau a democratiaeth oddi wrth y cynghorau a'r bobl a etholwyd yn lleol i gynrychioli eu cymunedau?
English: I think democratic accountability is absolutely critical, and people need to have faith in the new structures that are being put in place. And that's why it's important that the leaders of each constituent council will be the members of the CJCs, and they will obviously then be accountable to their constituent councils for the decisions that they make as part of their CJC. And the CJCs will also be required to put in place the appropriate overview and scrutiny arrangements, in consultation and in agreement with its constituent councils, and that, of course, will be a really important part of the accountability of the CJC. And of course, each will have its own governance and audit sub-committees, which will have the same functions as those of one in a local authority, including to review and scrutinise the financial affairs, the risk management and the internal control of a CJC. So, I do think that we have put in place robust measures to ensure that there is democratic accountability.
Welsh: Credaf fod atebolrwydd democrataidd yn gwbl hanfodol, ac mae angen i bobl fod â ffydd yn y strwythurau newydd a roddir ar waith. A dyna pam ei bod yn bwysig mai arweinwyr pob cyngor cyfansoddol fydd aelodau'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig, ac yn amlwg, byddant hwythau wedyn yn atebol i'w cynghorau cyfansoddol am y penderfyniadau a wnânt fel rhan o'u cyd-bwyllgor corfforedig. A bydd yn ofynnol hefyd i'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig roi'r trosolwg priodol a'r trefniadau craffu ar waith, ar ôl ymgynghori a chytuno arnynt â'u cynghorau cyfansoddol, a bydd hynny, wrth gwrs, yn rhan bwysig iawn o atebolrwydd y cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Ac wrth gwrs, bydd gan bob un ei is-bwyllgorau llywodraethu ac archwilio ei hun, gyda'r un swyddogaethau ag un mewn awdurdod lleol, gan gynnwys adolygu a chraffu ar faterion ariannol, rheoli risg a rheolaeth fewnol cyd-bwyllgor corfforedig. Felly, credaf ein bod wedi rhoi mesurau cadarn ar waith i sicrhau atebolrwydd democrataidd.
English: Thanks, Minister. Your answer certainly answered partially in terms of the leaders having that voting responsibility on those corporate joint committees, but, of course, like in my region, you've got six councils, therefore six leaders, and you've probably got nearly 400 councillors across that region who are locally elected. And I think this is an area that's perhaps not being appreciated at the moment, in terms of that local democratic accountability. Of course, the whole point of devolution coming here into Wales is not to stop here at Cardiff, but to bring power to local people, who are best placed to represent local people in those councils as well. It's clear for many that the Welsh Government's aim in introducing these joint committees seems to be to take power away from those local councils and locally elected people. In terms of reversing that, Minister, there is an opportunity here for powers to come from Cardiff down to corporate joint committees. So, which powers, which levers, do you expect to release from Cardiff here down to those corporate joint committees to allow people locally to make decisions in their areas?
Welsh: Diolch, Weinidog. Yn sicr, rhoesoch ateb rhannol ynglŷn â chyfrifoldeb pleidleisio'r arweinwyr ar y cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig hynny, ond wrth gwrs, fel yn fy rhanbarth i, mae gennych chwe chyngor, felly chwe arweinydd, ac mae'n debyg fod gennych bron i 400 o gynghorwyr ar draws y rhanbarth sydd wedi'u hethol yn lleol. A chredaf fod hwn yn faes nad yw'n cael ei werthfawrogi ar hyn o bryd, efallai, o ran yr atebolrwydd democrataidd lleol hwnnw. Wrth gwrs, holl bwynt dod â datganoli yma i Gymru yw peidio ag aros yma yng Nghaerdydd, ond dod â phwerau i bobl leol, sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i gynrychioli pobl leol ar y cynghorau hynny hefyd. Mae'n amlwg i lawer mai nod Llywodraeth Cymru, yn ôl pob golwg, wrth gyflwyno'r cyd-bwyllgorau hyn yw mynd â phwerau oddi wrth y cynghorau lleol hynny a'r bobl a etholwyd yn lleol. I wrthdroi hynny, Weinidog, mae cyfle yma i bwerau ddod o Gaerdydd i lawr i'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Felly, pa bwerau, pa ysgogiadau, rydych yn disgwyl eu rhyddhau o Gaerdydd yma i'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig hynny fel y gall pobl wneud penderfyniadau'n lleol yn eu hardaloedd?
English: Thank you for raising that. It is important that councillors feel that they are able to scrutinise the leaders who are representing on the CJCs. And those arrangements obviously will be in place, and public accountability is also really important. And the CJC will be required to encourage participation in its decision making by members of the public, ensuring that individuals are able to contribute to the shaping of the services that they and their families rely on, and which will obviously have an important impact on their daily lives. But this point about subsidiarity is really important, and Welsh Government is open to devolving further powers to CJCs. Now, we don't have a fixed view on which powers should be devolved. We're very much of the view that this should be an issue that is pursued from the CJCs up. So, it will be for CJCs to make the case for the further devolution of powers and responsibilities to them and then for them to have individual discussions with the relevant portfolio Minister, but we are very open to those discussions.
Welsh: Diolch am godi hynny. Mae'n bwysig fod cynghorwyr yn teimlo y gallant graffu ar yr arweinwyr sy'n cynrychioli ar y cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Ac yn amlwg, bydd y trefniadau hynny ar waith, ac mae atebolrwydd cyhoeddus hefyd yn bwysig iawn. A bydd yn ofynnol i'r cyd-bwyllgor corfforedig annog aelodau'r cyhoedd i gymryd rhan yn y broses o wneud penderfyniadau, gan sicrhau bod unigolion yn gallu cyfrannu at y gwaith o lunio'r gwasanaethau y maent hwy a'u teuluoedd yn dibynnu arnynt, ac a fydd yn amlwg yn cael effaith bwysig ar eu bywydau bob dydd. Ond mae'r pwynt ynglŷn â sybsidiaredd yn bwysig iawn, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n agored i ddatganoli pwerau pellach i gyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig. Nawr, nid oes gennym farn sefydlog ynglŷn â pha bwerau y dylid eu datganoli. Rydym yn bendant o'r farn y dylid mynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn o'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig i fyny. Felly, mater i'r cyd-bwyllgorau corfforedig fydd cyflwyno'r achos dros ddatganoli pwerau a chyfrifoldebau pellach iddynt a chael trafodaethau unigol gyda Gweinidog y portffolio perthnasol, ond rydym yn agored iawn i'r trafodaethau hynny.
English: Thank you very much, Llywydd. In light of COP26 last week, I want to talk abut the role of local government in helping Wales to meet its commitments in terms of cutting carbon emissions, and your role as Minister for local government in that regard. I understand that 16 local authorities have now declared a climate emergency. That's a starting point in a longer process, but it is disappointing that there are six authorities that have yet to do that. But making a declaration is the easy thing to do; it's the action that's important in light of that. And there are different local authorities at different stages of that journey - some are more bold and are dealing with the issue in a more meaningful and ambitious way than others perhaps. But my first question to you is: what are you doing to encourage, to support and even to enforce, in some scenarios, local authorities in Wales to help in achieving our aims and reducing emissions?
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Yn sgil COP26 yr wythnos diwethaf, dwi eisiau holi am rôl llywodraeth leol wrth helpu Cymru i gwrdd â'i hymrwymiadau o safbwynt torri allyriadau carbon, a'ch rôl chi, wrth gwrs, fel Gweinidog llywodraeth leol yn hynny o beth. Dwi'n deall bod 16 awdurdod lleol erbyn hyn wedi datgan argyfwng hinsawdd. Nawr, man cychwyn yw hynny, wrth gwrs, mewn proses hirach, ac mae yn siomedig bod yna chwe awdurdod mae'n debyg sydd dal hyd yn oed heb wneud hynny. Ond mae datgan yn beth hawdd i'w wneud, wrth gwrs; y gweithredu sy'n bwysig yn sgil hynny. Ac mae yna wahanol awdurdodau lleol ar gyfnodau gwahanol o'r daith honno, mae'n debyg - rhai yn fwy blaengar ac yn delio â'r mater yn fwy ystyrlon ac mewn modd mwy uchelgeisiol na'i gilydd efallai. Ond fy nghwestiwn cyntaf i i chi yw: beth ŷch chi'n ei wneud i annog, i gefnogi a hyd yn oed i orfodi, mewn rhai sefyllfaoedd, awdurdodau lleol Cymru i helpu gyda'r gwaith o gael y maen i'r wal o safbwynt gostwng allyriadau?
English: So, we've worked with local authorities to ask each of them to develop a plan for reducing emissions and for addressing the needs around decarbonisation. And each of those has now been submitted, and we've been looking at those plans, exploring where the strengths are, but also where there are potential gaps or areas of weakness, so that local authorities can learn from one another and have that element of peer challenge in this particular area. We also have a decarbonisation group, which is specifically looking at what local authorities can do, and the Welsh Local Government Association plays an important part on that. And, of course, you'll have seen our recent 'Net Zero Wales' plan, and I think that's really ambitious, in terms of the responsibilities that it puts on local government to play its part in getting the public sector in Wales to net zero by 2030. So, there's a lot of work going on in this area, and, I have to say, a lot of commitment in this area. The partnership council for Wales, which I chair, has that decarbonisation group under it, which I referred to, and decarbonisation is a standing item on each one of those meetings.
Welsh: Felly, rydym wedi gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i ofyn i bob un ohonynt ddatblygu cynllun ar gyfer lleihau allyriadau a mynd i'r afael â'r anghenion sy'n ymwneud â datgarboneiddio. Ac mae pob un o'r rheini bellach wedi'u cyflwyno, a buom yn edrych ar y cynlluniau hynny, gan archwilio ble mae'r cryfderau, ond hefyd ble mae bylchau neu wendidau posibl, fel y gall awdurdodau lleol ddysgu gan ei gilydd a chael elfen o herio'i gilydd yn y maes penodol hwn. Mae gennym grŵp datgarboneiddio hefyd, sy'n edrych yn benodol ar yr hyn y gall awdurdodau lleol ei wneud, ac mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn chwarae rhan bwysig ynddo. Ac wrth gwrs, byddwch wedi gweld ein cynllun 'Cymru Sero Net' diweddar, a chredaf fod hwnnw'n wirioneddol uchelgeisiol, o ran y cyfrifoldebau y mae'n eu rhoi ar lywodraeth leol i chwarae ei rhan i sicrhau bod y sector cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn cyrraedd sero-net erbyn 2030. Felly, mae cryn dipyn o waith yn mynd rhagddo yn y maes hwn, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, mae cryn dipyn o ymrwymiad yn y maes hwn. Daw'r grŵp datgarboneiddio y cyfeiriais ato o dan gyngor partneriaeth Cymru, a gadeirir gennyf, ac mae datgarboneiddio'n eitem sefydlog ym mhob un o'r cyfarfodydd hynny.
English: Thank you for that. You referred to the WLGA, and they, of course, have called on the Government to provide the tools and resources to local authorities to baseline and to measure progress at a local level against climate change targets, so that they can do that in an accurate and consistent way across Wales. Now, that, of course, could be the foundation for the creation of local net zero targets - so, disaggregating the net zero targets across local authorities in Wales. And I'd like to hear if you agree that that would provide an incentive to local authorities, particularly those who are a little behind, to respond with more commitment to the nature and climate emergency, and is that something that you and the Minister for Climate Change have considered?
Welsh: Diolch ichi am hynny. Mi gyfeirioch chi at y WLGA, ac maen nhw, wrth gwrs, wedi galw ar y Llywodraeth i ddarparu'r arfau - y twls - a'r adnoddau i lywodraeth leol i allu 'baseline-o' a mesur cynnydd yn lleol yn erbyn targedau newid hinsawdd, fel eu bod nhw'n gallu gwneud hynny mewn modd cywir a chyson ar draws Cymru. Nawr, mi allai hynny, wrth gwrs, fod yn sail i greu targedau net sero lleol - hynny yw, dadgyfuno neu 'disaggregate-o' targedau net sero ar draws awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru. Licen i glywed os ydych chi'n cytuno y byddai hynny'n rhoi cymhelliad i bob awdurdod lleol, yn enwedig y rhai efallai sydd ychydig ar ei hôl hi, i ymateb gyda mwy o arddeliad i'r argyfwng hinsawdd a natur, ac a ydy hynny yn rhywbeth ŷch chi a'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd wedi ei ystyried?
English: Thank you for raising that suggestion. It's something that I will look very closely at, because I think it's important that in this area, as in so many, we actually move at the pace of the fastest, not the slowest, and we haven't got time to wait in terms of tackling the climate change issue. So, absolutely, I will take that suggestion on board. I think that we have provided local authorities with a useful set of tools. We have a decarbonisation dashboard, for example, where local authorities can explore the impacts of various choices that they can make in terms of seeking to meet their decarbonisation targets, such as what would the impact be if they moved to more electric vehicles, for example - they can work out what the carbon impact would be. Carbon impact assessments, I think, are very important, and this is something that we've been seeking to develop over the recent years through our budget process, and it's something that we're continuing to put a strong focus on. It's certainly something that local government will be interested in as well.
Welsh: Diolch am eich awgrym. Mae'n rhywbeth y byddaf yn edrych yn agos iawn arno, gan y credaf ei bod yn bwysig ein bod, yn y maes hwn, fel mewn cynifer o feysydd eraill, yn symud cyn gynted â'r cyflymaf, nid yr arafaf, ac nid oes gennym amser i aros cyn mynd i'r afael â newid hinsawdd. Felly, yn sicr, byddaf yn ystyried yr awgrym hwnnw. Credaf ein bod wedi darparu set ddefnyddiol o offer i awdurdodau lleol. Mae gennym ddangosfwrdd datgarboneiddio, er enghraifft, lle gall awdurdodau lleol archwilio effeithiau'r amryw ddewisiadau y gallant eu gwneud er mwyn ceisio cyflawni eu targedau datgarboneiddio, megis beth fyddai'r effaith pe byddent yn newid i ddefnyddio mwy o gerbydau trydan, er enghraifft - gallant ddarganfod beth fyddai effaith hynny o ran carbon. Credaf fod asesiadau effaith carbon yn bwysig iawn, ac mae hyn yn rhywbeth rydym wedi bod yn ceisio'i ddatblygu dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf drwy ein proses gyllidebol, ac mae'n rhywbeth rydym yn parhau i roi ffocws cryf arno. Mae'n sicr yn rhywbeth y bydd gan lywodraeth leol ddiddordeb ynddo hefyd.
English: I'm pleased that you've mentioned the budgetary process, because that's my next destination, and I wanted to ask about the broader budget of the Government and your role as Minister for finance. As one who's been part of scrutinising Government budgets quite closely over recent years, one criticism that's come up relatively regularly is that it's difficult to read across from Government expenditure to measurable outcomes in terms of carbon reduction. Now, how can you look at a budget line on a spreadsheet and be confident that that expenditure is having the impact that you want it to have? It's possible to look at specific projects, that's easily done, but, in order to measure the success of the Welsh Government in driving the broader change that we want to see across government and the public sector, we need to understand how every penny contributes to that aim of net zero. So, with a view to the budget you're working on now, which will be published in a little over a month, how will you ensure transparency and, in light of that, accountability for you as a Government around that particular issue? And also, do you agree that the next budget needs to be the most climate and nature friendly in the history of devolution?
Welsh: Dwi'n falch eich bod chi wedi sôn am y broses gyllidebol, oherwydd dyna lle dwi'n mynd nesaf, ac eisiau holi ynglŷn â chyllideb ehangach y Llywodraeth a'ch rôl chi fel Gweinidog cyllid. Fel rhywun sydd wedi bod yn rhan o graffu cyllidebau'r Llywodraeth yn eithaf agos yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, un cerydd sydd wedi codi ei ben yn gyson yw ei bod hi'n anodd darllen ar draws o wariant Llywodraeth i ganlyniadau mesuradwy o ran lleihau carbon. Nawr, sut allwch chi edrych ar linell ar daenlen a bod yn hyderus bod y gwariant hwnnw yn cael yr effaith rŷch chi'n awyddus iddo fe ei gael? Mae'n bosib, wrth gwrs, edrych ar brojectau penodol, mae hynny yn rhywbeth hawdd i'w wneud, ond, er mwyn mesur llwyddiant cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru i yrru'r newid ehangach rŷn ni eisiau ei weld ar draws llywodraeth a'r sector gyhoeddus, mae angen deall sut mae pob ceiniog yn cyfrannu at y nod yna o net sero. Felly, sut byddwch chi - gyda golwg, wrth gwrs, ar y gyllideb rŷch chi'n gweithio arni ar hyn o bryd, a fydd yn cael ei chyhoeddi mewn ychydig dros fis - sut byddwch chi'n sicrhau tryloywder ac yn sgil hwnnw atebolrwydd i chi fel Llywodraeth o gwmpas y mater yna? A hefyd, a ydych chi'n cytuno bod angen i'r gyllideb nesaf fod y gyllideb mwyaf hinsawdd a natur gyfeillgar yn hanes datganoli?