English: Well, these are issues that we're exploring, in terms of the work that we are doing with local authorities to explore how they have been using premiums and what their experience is of houses moving onto the rating list for access to small business rates relief and so on. Part of that work is involving asking local authorities for the individual experiences that they've had. Potentially, a response might be to give local authorities the power to decide how many days are appropriate for them to apply in their local areas, because we know that this picture varies very much across Wales. We've heard about some of the specific challenges in Ynys Môn and in Gwynedd, whereas those challenges just don't manifest themselves so much in other parts of Wales. So, it's an idea that I'm actively exploring at the moment as we look towards the future of local taxes in the round, so both non-domestic rates and council tax - we're exploring the short, medium and long-term future for both of those taxes. The distribution of second homes, as I say, in Wales is very varied. So, even within local authorities with a higher than average number of second homes, or percentage of second homes, the presence can be very much focused and highly localised in particular communities. We do recognise the challenge that those second homes and empty homes can present to the supply of affordable housing within our communities, and that's why we're working closely with local authorities and other partners to meet our target of delivering 20,000 more affordable homes and to deliver the recommendations from the recent independent affordable housing supply review. Our efforts are supported by our social housing grant programme, and we're investing £138 million this year to provide grant funding for affordable housing to build new properties or renovate existing properties. We're investing a further £127 million in our housing support grant to help address the housing and housing-related support needs of individuals, and alongside that we're also investing £90 million over three years in our innovative housing programme, to test how we can build the homes of the future more quickly and with high standards of design and performance. And we've established an empty property enforcement team, which is supporting local authorities to tackle empty homes. So, council tax premiums were never introduced as a way of raising revenue, but almost 18,000 long-term empty properties and second homes are now paying premiums this year, and this is generating millions in additional revenue for these authorities. We haven't prescribed how they should be using this extra funding, but we are encouraged to see that a number of them are using it to help meet their local housing needs. A very small number of local authorities have suggested that second home owners are avoiding paying council tax premiums by being listed as self-catering accommodation, and I do understand those concerns. We've heard those concerns described this afternoon. The reality is that transferring to the rating list is not avoidance, and local authorities do benefit from non-domestic rates income as well as council tax, and, of course, where a business is eligible for small business rate relief, the Government does fund that rate relief in full, to the benefit of local authorities. So, it can't just be a case of switching to one list by choice; there are some criteria that must be met, and the question that we have to grapple with is, 'Have we got those criteria right?' So, those are the things we're thinking about in terms of whether or not our legislation is operating as intended. I've described earlier on today the role of the VOA, during questions this afternoon, and the fact that I'm very keen that local authorities alert the VOA if there are cases where they believe that a property is incorrectly being allocated to that list. But I recognise the local tax system isn't perfect. No tax system is, and that's why we are working through that programme of short, medium and longer term reforms to improve the effectiveness and fairness of local taxes and the wider local government finance system. I look forward to bringing forward a statement to the Chamber in November that sets out the work that we're undertaking in that regard. I think we've made some really significant strides recently in terms of making council tax fairer, and I'll be providing a further update on that. But I'd just like to thank colleagues for what has been an important debate, and I think that there's plenty for us to continue discussing as we move forward.
Welsh: Wel, mae'r rhain yn faterion rydym yn eu harchwilio, o ran y gwaith a wnawn gydag awdurdodau lleol i edrych ar sut y maent wedi bod yn defnyddio premiymau a beth yw eu profiad o dai'n symud ar y rhestr raddio ar gyfer cael rhyddhad ardrethi i fusnesau bach ac yn y blaen. Rhan o'r gwaith hwnnw yw gofyn i awdurdodau lleol am y profiadau unigol y maent wedi'u cael. Mae'n bosibl mai un ymateb fyddai rhoi pŵer i awdurdodau lleol benderfynu faint o ddiwrnodau sy'n briodol iddynt eu pennu yn eu hardaloedd lleol, oherwydd gwyddom fod y darlun hwn yn amrywio'n fawr iawn ar draws Cymru. Rydym wedi clywed am rai o'r heriau penodol yn Ynys Môn ac yng Ngwynedd, ond nid yw'r heriau hynny'n amlygu eu hunain cymaint mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru. Felly, mae'n syniad rwy'n ei archwilio'n weithredol ar hyn o bryd wrth inni edrych tuag at ddyfodol trethi lleol yn gyffredinol, felly trethi annomestig a'r dreth gyngor - rydym yn archwilio'r dyfodol tymor byr, canolig a hir ar gyfer y ddwy dreth. Fel rwy'n dweud, mae dosbarthiad ail gartrefi yng Nghymru yn amrywiol iawn. Felly, hyd yn oed mewn awdurdodau lleol sydd â nifer uwch na'r cyfartaledd, neu ganran, o ail gartrefi, gall eu presenoldeb fod wedi'i ganoli ac yn dra lleol mewn cymunedau penodol. Rydym yn cydnabod yr her y gall yr ail gartrefi a'r cartrefi gwag hyn ei chyflwyno i'r cyflenwad o dai fforddiadwy yn ein cymunedau, a dyna pam ein bod yn gweithio'n agos gydag awdurdodau lleol a phartneriaid eraill i gyrraedd ein targed o gyflenwi 20,000 yn fwy o gartrefi fforddiadwy ac i gyflawni argymhellion yr adolygiad annibynnol diweddar o'r cyflenwad tai fforddiadwy. Cefnogir ein hymdrechion gan ein rhaglen grantiau tai cymdeithasol, ac rydym yn buddsoddi £138 miliwn eleni i ddarparu cyllid grant ar gyfer tai fforddiadwy i adeiladu eiddo newydd neu adnewyddu eiddo sy'n bodoli'n barod. Rydym yn buddsoddi £127 miliwn arall yn ein grant cymorth tai er mwyn helpu i fynd i'r afael ag anghenion unigolion o ran tai a chymorth tai, ac ochr yn ochr â hynny rydym hefyd yn buddsoddi £90 miliwn dros dair blynedd yn ein rhaglen tai arloesol, i brofi sut y gallwn adeiladu cartrefi'r dyfodol yn gyflymach ac i safon uchel o ran cynllun a pherfformiad. Ac rydym wedi sefydlu tîm gorfodi ar eiddo gwag, sy'n cynorthwyo awdurdodau lleol i fynd i'r afael â chartrefi gwag. Felly, ni chyflwynwyd premiymau'r dreth gyngor erioed fel ffordd o godi refeniw, ond mae bron i 18,000 o ail gartrefi ac eiddo gwag yn hirdymor bellach yn talu premiymau eleni, ac mae hyn yn creu miliynau mewn refeniw ychwanegol i'r awdurdodau hyn. Nid ydym wedi rhagnodi sut y dylent ddefnyddio'r cyllid ychwanegol hwn, ond fe'n calonogir wrth weld bod nifer ohonynt yn ei ddefnyddio i helpu i ddiwallu eu hanghenion tai lleol. Mae nifer fach iawn o awdurdodau lleol wedi awgrymu bod perchnogion ail gartrefi yn osgoi talu premiymau'r dreth gyngor drwy eu rhestru fel llety hunanddarpar, ac rwy'n deall y pryderon hynny. Clywsom y pryderon hynny'n cael eu disgrifio y prynhawn yma. Y gwir yw nad yw trosglwyddo i'r rhestr ardrethu yn gyfystyr ag osgoi, ac mae awdurdodau lleol yn cael budd o incwm ardrethi annomestig yn ogystal â'r dreth gyngor, ac wrth gwrs, lle mae busnes yn gymwys i gael rhyddhad ardrethi i fusnesau bach, mae'r Llywodraeth yn ariannu'r rhyddhad ardrethi hwnnw'n llawn, er budd awdurdodau lleol. Felly, ni all fod yn fater syml o newid i un rhestr yn ôl y dewis; ceir rhai meini prawf y mae'n rhaid eu bodloni, a'r cwestiwn y mae'n rhaid inni fynd i'r afael ag ef yw, 'A ydym wedi cael y meini prawf hynny'n iawn?' Felly, dyna'r pethau rydym yn meddwl amdanynt i weld a yw ein deddfwriaeth yn gweithredu yn ôl y bwriad. Rwyf wedi disgrifio rôl Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio yn gynharach heddiw yn ystod y cwestiynau y prynhawn yma, a'r ffaith fy mod yn awyddus iawn i awdurdodau lleol hysbysu Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio os oes achosion lle y credant fod eiddo ar y rhestr honno pan na ddylai fod. Ond rwy'n cydnabod nad yw'r system dreth leol yn berffaith. Nid oes yr un system dreth yn berffaith, a dyna pam ein bod yn gweithio drwy'r rhaglen honno o ddiwygiadau tymor byr, canolig a hir i wella effeithiolrwydd a thegwch trethi lleol a system cyllid llywodraeth leol yn ehangach. Edrychaf ymlaen at gyflwyno datganiad gerbron y Siambr ym mis Tachwedd sy'n nodi'r gwaith a wnawn yn y cyswllt hwnnw. Rwy'n credu ein bod wedi gwneud camau sylweddol iawn yn ddiweddar o ran gwneud y dreth gyngor yn decach, a byddaf yn darparu newyddion pellach ar hynny. Ond hoffwn ddiolch i fy nghyd-Aelodau am y ddadl bwysig hon, ac rwy'n credu bod digon i ni barhau i'w drafod wrth i ni symud ymlaen.