English: On the other hand, my surgeries in my constituency are full of people who live in unacceptable conditions, in private rented sector homes that are damp, too small or difficult to heat, leading to fuel poverty. Families have to share their homes with parents, other relatives or friends. There is a major problem here. There is a fundamental unfairness in a situation where 2,000 people live in unacceptable conditions while second home owners are playing the system for their own benefit and avoiding paying council tax. A total of £1.7 million per year is lost in Gwynedd alone, as well as the premium, because of this, and that money could be very useful in the council coffers, money that could contribute to the building of appropriate housing for people in the county. You could argue, by letting this happen, that the Welsh Government is putting money in the pockets of second home owners rather than using the funding to improve the lives of local people. It's vital that we do solve this problem. In my mind, the easiest, simplest and most transparent solution is to adapt section 66 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The Welsh Government has the power to do that by amending the criteria for self-catering units, as described in section 66. The principle could be established that all properties that are used as domestic properties continue to be domestic properties, even if they're used occasionally to raise additional income for the owner. Making that change would get rid of that loophole and that wouldn't affect self-catering commercial properties and tourism businesses because they're not part of section 66 of this Act. That's the easy solution, in my opinion. I'm looking forward to hearing whether the Minister agrees with that. This afternoon, we'll also be discussing the problem of second homes more generally, and Llyr Gruffydd will expand on that. It is possible to use the planning system to tackle the increasing problem of second homes in our communities and the way that local people are priced out of the housing market locally. It is possible, for example, to use new categories within the planning system and define the term 'residential' to include the category of 'second home', and you can legislate that planning permission or planning consent are needed to change the use to a second home. That would give local authorities an opportunity to maintain a better balance within communities. We need to do much more to help families who are being priced out of the market because of the increasing number of second homes, and I am pleased to know that Gwynedd Council is doing detailed research to find solutions to the stress that second homes are placing on local communities. But, in the meantime, what about getting rid of the scandal that arises in the wake of section 66 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, and doing that once and for all? The Welsh Local Government Association agrees with Plaid Cymru on this, under the leadership of the rural affairs forum, which includes nine Welsh councils. And Jeremy Corbyn has announced plans to impose a new levy on second homes that would mean that owners would pay twice as much council tax. He says, and I quote:
Welsh: Ar y llaw arall, mae fy nghymorthfeydd i yn yr etholaeth yn llawn o bobl sy'n byw mewn amodau annerbyniol, mewn llety rhent preifat sy'n damp, yn rhy fach, neu'n ddrud i'w wresogi, gan arwain at dlodi tanwydd. Mae teuluoedd yn gorfod rhannu eu cartrefi efo rhieni neu berthnasau eraill neu ffrindiau. Mae yna rywbeth mawr o'i le: mae yna rywbeth sylfaenol annheg mewn sefyllfa pan fod 2,000 o bobl yn byw mewn amodau annerbyniol tra bod perchnogion ail gartrefi'n chwarae'r system at eu budd eu hunain gan osgoi talu treth gyngor. Mae cyfanswm o £1.7 miliwn y flwyddyn yn cael ei golli yng Ngwynedd yn unig, yn ogystal â'r premiwm, yn sgil hyn, ac mi fyddai'r arian yna'n gallu bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn i goffrau'r cyngor, arian a fyddai'n gallu cyfrannu tuag at adeiladu tai addas i bobl leol yn y sir. Gellid dadlau, drwy adael i hyn ddigwydd, fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi arian ym mhocedi perchnogion ail gartrefi yn hytrach nag yn defnyddio'r arian i wella bywydau pobl leol. Mae'n hanfodol ein bod ni'n datrys y broblem hon. Ac, yn fy meddwl i, yr ateb symlaf, hawsaf a mwyaf tryloyw ydy addasu adran 66 o Ddeddf Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol 1988. Mae gan Lywodraeth Cymru'r pŵer i wneud hyn drwy dynnu'r meini prawf ynglŷn ag unedau hunanarlwyo, fel sy'n cael eu disgrifio yn adran 66. Gellid sefydlu'r egwyddor fod pob eiddo sy'n cael ei ddefnyddio fel eiddo domestig yn parhau i fod yn eiddo domestig, hyd yn oed os ydy o'n cael ei ddefnyddio'n achlysurol i godi incwm ychwanegol i'r perchennog. Mi fyddai gwneud y newid yna'n cael gwared ar y loophole, a byddai hyn ddim yn effeithio dim o gwbl ar lety hunanarlwyol masnachol a busnesau gwyliau twristaidd achos dydyn nhw ddim yn rhan o adran 66 o'r Ddeddf yma. Dyna'r ateb syml, yn fy marn i. Dwi'n edrych ymlaen i glywed ydy'r Gweinidog yn cytuno efo hynny. Mi fyddwn ni hefyd y prynhawn yma'n trafod y broblem ail gartrefi'n fwy cyffredinol, ac mi fydd Llyr Gruffydd yn ymhelaethu ar hyn. Mae modd defnyddio'r gyfundrefn gynllunio i daclo'r broblem gynyddol o ail gartrefi yn ein cymunedau ni a'r ffordd mae pobl leol yn cael eu prisio allan o'r farchnad dai yn lleol. Mae modd, er enghraifft, defnyddio categorïau newydd o fewn y gyfundrefn gynllunio a diffinio'r term 'preswyl' gan gynnwys categori 'ail gartref', ac mi ellid deddfu bod angen caniatâd cynllunio ar gyfer newid tŷ preswyl llawn amser i fod yn ail gartref. Mi fyddai hyn yn rhoi cyfle i awdurdodau lleol gynnal gwell cydbwysedd o fewn cymunedau. Mae angen gwneud llawer iawn mwy i helpu teuluoedd sy'n cael eu prisio allan o'r farchnad yn sgil presenoldeb nifer cynyddol o ail gartrefi, ac rydw i yn falch o wybod bod Cyngor Gwynedd yn cynnal gwaith ymchwil manwl ac eang i ganfod atebion i'r straen y mae ail gartrefi'n eu rhoi ar gymunedau lleol. Ond, yn y cyfamser, beth am gael gwared ar y sgandal sy'n codi yn sgil adran 66 o Ddeddf Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol 1988, a gwneud hynny unwaith ac am byth? Mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn cytuno efo Plaid Cymru ar hyn, dan arweiniad ei fforwm gwledig sy'n cynnwys naw o gynghorau Cymru. Ac mae Jeremy Corbyn wedi cyhoeddi cynlluniau i osod lefi newydd ar ail gartrefi a fyddai'n golygu bod perchnogion yn talu dwywaith yn fwy o dreth gyngor. Meddai fo, a dwi'n dyfynnu: