English: As our motion states, we call upon the Welsh Government to adopt a more proportionate and targeted approach to tackling the coronavirus in Wales. They state that their actions are based upon technical advisory group advice, but although the group's 2 December statement acknowledges industry efforts to create COVID-secure environments, it then focuses instead on enforcement action against the tiny proportion of hospitality premises in Wales acting in breach of the restrictions. So, although targeted interventions are therefore working, the Welsh Government is taking a brutal broad-brush approach. As we heard at October's cross-party group on beer and the pub, pubs in Wales have their backs to the wall. There is enormous fragility of confidence in trading, their staff numbers have already fallen by over a quarter during the pandemic, they're confident that their premises have COVID controls in place, and policy makers need to look at the evidence showing minimal COVID-19 infection rates in licensed premises. As the British Institute of Innkeeping said this month, 'Our pubs were among hospitality venues that safely welcomed 60 million visitors a week throughout the summer, with no discernible impact on national infection rates. September then created a perfect storm for pubswith pubs & hospitality being unfairly implicated.' Speaking in Plenary only four weeks ago, I highlighted the north Wales tourism survey on the impact of lockdowns on the tourism, hospitality, retail and leisure sectors and their supply chains in north Wales, which found that 39 per cent of tourism, hospitality, retail and leisure businesses in north Wales would cease trading if there were any further national or local lockdowns. I emphasised their call on the Labour Welsh Government to conduct meaningful, regional and local business engagement before any more lockdowns are imposed - yet they were ignored. After the First Minister's previous interventions, Wales was the only part of the UK where infections were not falling at the end of November. Last week, an open letter was sent to the First Minister by the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council on behalf of over 150 businesses across north Wales. As this states, like businesses across Wales and the wider UK, 'Our businesseshaveinvested considerable time and money to make their venues and businesses Covid safe and direct evidence instances of them being linked to any material extent for transmission of Covid-19 seems not to existIn the few days since the announcement of extra restrictions in Wales, large numbers of businesses have had to cancel bookings worth tens of thousands of pounds to them, essentially wiping out any real hope of a last ditch source of revenue at the end of a disastrous year, with expectations of the same for the coming months.' A letter from a solicitor representing a hospitality business states that businesses in rural areas are being placed at a disadvantage by the Welsh Government's refusal to consider a tier system or more localised measures to combat and contain COVID-19. West Conwy Pubwatch wrote to the First Minister, and I quote: 'Your most recent ruling to keep Welsh pubs open whilst not allowing us to serve alcohol is a complete and utter joke that makes no sense. The fact that you've been allowed, encouraged even, to do this is sickening.' Pubs in Wrexham and Flintshire stated that the First Minister's actions amount to a public message, 'Don't drink in Wales to save lives, but travel to England just across the border from us, for a pint and chips instead, taking away from the Welsh economy at a detrimental time of year and handing it to the English economy.' As one said, the issue is the strategy of targeting hospitality as a whole, and we have put so much time, money and emphasis on social distancing, sanitation and supervision. As another said, and I quote: 'Mr Drakeford's Government is out of touch, inconsistent and bordering the realms of dictatorship.' My final comments are quotes received from doctors. These are doctors' comments: 'Increasingly stringent regulation which is not evidence based will alienate those who do understand the need for some restrictions and changes to life for a period, and encourage them to ignore the restrictions'. Another: 'I watched the update this afternoon. What an uninspiring delivery it was, poorly informed and clearly used to making excuses. Has the Welsh Government got a plan?' And: 'Instead of penalising hardworking people, the First Minister needs to listen to their calls and urgently review his ruthless measures before it is too late for them.' This is what doctors are telling me.
Welsh: Fel y dywed ein cynnig, rydym yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i fabwysiadu dull mwy cymesur ac wedi'i dargedu o fynd i'r afael â'r coronafeirws yng Nghymru. Maent yn datgan bod eu gweithredoedd yn seiliedig ar gyngor y grŵp cynghori technegol, ond er bod datganiad y grŵp ar 2 Rhagfyr yn cydnabod ymdrechion y diwydiant i greu amgylcheddau sy'n ddiogel rhag COVID, mae'n canolbwyntio yn lle hynny ar gamau gorfodi yn erbyn y gyfran fach iawn o safleoedd lletygarwch yng Nghymru sy'n torri'r cyfyngiadau. Felly, er bod ymyriadau wedi'u targedu o'r fath yn gweithio, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio dull bras a llym o weithredu. Fel y clywsom yng ngrŵp trawsbleidiol mis Hydref ar gwrw a'r dafarn, mae tafarndai yng Nghymru mewn cyfnod anodd tu hwnt. Mae eu hyder i fasnachu yn fregus iawn, mae nifer eu staff eisoes wedi gostwng dros chwarter yn ystod y pandemig, maent yn hyderus bod rheolaethau COVID ar waith yn eu hadeiladau, ac mae angen i lunwyr polisi edrych ar y dystiolaeth sy'n dangos mor isel yw cyfraddau heintio COVID-19 mewn safleoedd trwyddedig. Fel y dywedodd Sefydliad Tafarnwyr Prydain y mis hwn, Roedd ein tafarndai ymhlith lleoliadau lletygarwch a groesawodd 60 miliwn o ymwelwyr yr wythnos yn ddiogel drwy gydol yr haf, heb unrhyw effaith amlwg ar gyfraddau heintio cenedlaethol. Yna, creodd mis Medi storm berffaith i dafarndai gyda thafarndai a lletygarwch yn cael eu beio'n annheg. Wrth siarad yn y Cyfarfod Llawn bedair wythnos yn ôl, tynnais sylw at arolwg twristiaeth gogledd Cymru ar effaith cyfyngiadau symud ar y sectorau twristiaeth, lletygarwch, manwerthu a hamdden a'u cadwyni cyflenwi yng ngogledd Cymru, a ganfu y byddai 39 y cant o fusnesau twristiaeth, lletygarwch, manwerthu a hamdden yng ngogledd Cymru'n rhoi'r gorau i fasnachu pe bai unrhyw gyfyngiadau symud cenedlaethol neu leol pellach. Pwysleisiais eu galwad ar Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru i ymgysylltu'n ystyrlon, yn rhanbarthol ac yn lleol â busnesau cyn gosod rhagor o gyfyngiadau symud - ac eto cawsant eu hanwybyddu. Ar ôl ymyriadau blaenorol y Prif Weinidog, Cymru oedd yr unig ran o'r DU lle nad oedd heintiau'n gostwng ar ddiwedd mis Tachwedd. Yr wythnos diwethaf, anfonwyd llythyr agored at y Prif Weinidog gan Gyngor Busnes Gogledd Cymru Mersi a'r Ddyfrdwy ar ran dros 150 o fusnesau ledled gogledd Cymru. Fel y dywed, fel busnesau ledled Cymru a'r DU ehangach, Mae ein busnesau wedi buddsoddi cryn dipyn o amser ac arian i wneud eu lleoliadau a'u busnesau'n ddiogel rhag Covid ac mae'n ymddangos nad oes enghreifftiau'n bodoli o dystiolaeth uniongyrchol fod cysylltiad rhyngddynt ag unrhyw raddau sylweddol o drosglwyddiad Covid-19 Yn yr ychydig ddyddiau ers cyhoeddi cyfyngiadau ychwanegol yng Nghymru, bu'n rhaid i nifer fawr o fusnesau ganslo archebion gwerth degau o filoedd o bunnoedd iddynt, gan ddileu unrhyw obaith gwirioneddol o ffynhonnell olaf o refeniw ar ddiwedd blwyddyn drychinebus, gan ddisgwyl rhagor o'r un peth ar gyfer y misoedd i ddod. Mae llythyr gan gyfreithiwr sy'n cynrychioli busnes lletygarwch yn nodi bod busnesau mewn ardaloedd gwledig yn cael eu rhoi dan anfantais oherwydd gwrthodiad Llywodraeth Cymru i ystyried system haenau neu fesurau mwy lleol i ymladd COVID-19 a'i reoli. Ysgrifennodd Cynllun Gwylio Tafarndai Gorllewin Conwy at y Prif Weinidog, ac rwy'n dyfynnu: Mae eich penderfyniad diweddaraf i gadw tafarndai Cymru ar agor heb ganiatáu i ni weini alcohol yn jôc llwyr nad yw'n gwneud unrhyw synnwyr. Mae'r ffaith eich bod wedi cael caniatâd, wedi eich annog hyd yn oed, i wneud hyn yn ffiaidd. Dywedodd tafarndai yn Wrecsam a Sir y Fflint fod gweithredoedd y Prif Weinidog yn cyfleu'r neges i'r cyhoedd, 'Peidiwch ag yfed yng Nghymru i achub bywydau, ond teithiwch i Loegr ychydig dros y ffin oddi wrthym, am beint a sglodion yn lle hynny, gan amddifadu economi Cymru ar adeg niweidiol o'r flwyddyn a'i drosglwyddo i economi Lloegr.' Fel y dywedodd un, y broblem yw'r strategaeth o dargedu lletygarwch yn ei gyfanrwydd, ac rydym wedi rhoi cymaint o amser, arian a phwyslais ar gadw pellter cymdeithasol, glanweithdra a goruchwyliaeth. Fel y dywedodd un arall, ac rwy'n dyfynnu: Mae Llywodraeth Mr Drakeford wedi colli cysylltiad, yn anghyson ac yn ymylu ar unbennaeth. Dyfyniadau a gafwyd gan feddygon yw fy sylwadau terfynol. Meddygon a wnaeth y sylwadau hyn: Bydd rheoleiddio cynyddol gaeth nad yw'n seiliedig ar dystiolaeth yn dieithrio'r rhai sy'n deall yr angen am rai cyfyngiadau a newidiadau i fywyd am gyfnod, ac yn eu hannog i anwybyddu'r cyfyngiadau. Un arall: Gwyliais y diweddariad y prynhawn yma. Am ddatganiad di-fflach, anwybodus ac yn amlwg wedi arfer gwneud esgusodion. A oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru gynllun? Ac: Yn hytrach na chosbi pobl weithgar, mae angen i'r Prif Weinidog wrando ar eu galwadau ac adolygu ei fesurau didrugaredd ar frys cyn y bydd hi'n rhy hwyr arnynt. Meddygon sy'n dweud hyn wrthyf.