English: Thank you very much for those questions, and also for the opportunity to bring this issue to the floor of the Assembly today. As you say, safeguarding of vulnerable children has to be the No. 1 priority, and that was certainly my priority when I first was made aware of the situation, and that was through the submission, actually, of a confidential note from the chief inspector of CSSIW, and that really does reflect the seriousness of the inspection report. It's very unusual, certainly unprecedented in my time in this post, for such an action to be undertaken. So it was certainly a priority then to satisfy myself, even before the report became formally accepted by Powys, that children in Powys were safe, and I required some immediate action to be undertaken. For example, Powys has responded by auditing cases and records and a risk-based assurance programme regarding safeguarding, and they've brought in an external company to do that piece of work. They've also increased their staff resources and put in place a leadership and behaviours programme, and all cabinet members are now on the corporate parenting committee. So, they have taken some early steps, but at every step I have sought out reassurances from the chief executive and the leader of the council that, in their view, children in Powys are safe, and they have given me those assurances most recently when I met with them on Friday of last week to give them advance notice of the action we would be taking in terms of the warning notice. You mentioned the issue that Powys have referred a matter of potential performance management manipulation to the police. I have to tell you that neither I nor CSSIW have had any previous notice of this matter from Powys County Council, so I was disappointed and surprised to have to learn about that from the media. This is a matter for Powys County Council to consider, and, of course, now it is a matter for the police, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment any further on that at this time, but I will say, of course, that we are considering the implications for our published statistics and those that we are due to publish following the announcement yesterday that the police are investigating those potential data manipulation issues in Powys. In terms of services more widely, I understand that Estyn does have some concerns about education and that Powys is subject to the case conference process that it has. In view of the concerns that I have about children's services in Powys, I have asked CSSIW to bring forward its inspection of adult social services. It was due for spring of next year, but I've asked them to bring it forward, and Powys will receive six weeks' notice as to when that will take place. I also understand that Powys County Council have suggested that improvements to children's services will cost in the region of £4 million, and I do understand that moneys that had previously been taken from the children's services budget will be restored from the council's reserves to meet that money.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiynau hynny, a hefyd am y cyfle i ddod â'r mater hwn i lawr y Cynulliad heddiw. Fel y dywedwch, rhaid i ddiogelu plant sy'n agored i niwed fod yn brif flaenoriaeth, ac roedd yn sicr yn flaenoriaeth i mi pan ddeuthum yn ymwybodol o'r sefyllfa gyntaf, a hynny wedi i nodyn cyfrinachol gael ei gyflwyno, mewn gwirionedd, gan brif arolygydd AGGCC, ac mae'n sicr yn adlewyrchu difrifoldeb yr adroddiad arolygu. Mae'n anarferol iawn, yn sicr yn ddigynsail yn fy amser yn y swydd hon, i gamau gweithredu o'r fath gael eu rhoi ar waith. Felly roedd yn sicr yn flaenoriaeth i fodloni fy hun, hyd yn oed cyn i'r adroddiad gael ei dderbyn yn ffurfiol gan Bowys, fod plant ym Mhowys yn ddiogel, a mynnais fod camau gweithredu'n cael eu rhoi ar waith ar unwaith. Er enghraifft, mae Powys wedi ymateb drwy archwilio achosion a chofnodion a rhaglen sicrwydd yn seiliedig ar risg mewn perthynas â diogelu, ac maent wedi dod â chwmni allanol i mewn i wneud y gwaith hwnnw. Maent hefyd wedi cynyddu eu hadnoddau staff a rhoi rhaglen arweinyddiaeth ac ymddygiadau ar waith, ac mae holl aelodau'r cabinet yn awr ar y pwyllgor rhianta corfforaethol. Felly, maent wedi rhoi rhai camau cynnar ar waith, ond ar bob cam rwyf wedi gofyn am sicrwydd gan y prif weithredwr ac arweinydd y cyngor fod plant ym Mhowys yn ddiogel yn eu barn hwy, a rhoesant y sicrwydd hwnnw i mi'n fwyaf diweddar pan gyfarfûm â hwy ddydd Gwener diwethaf i roi rhybudd ymlaen llaw iddynt am y camau y byddem yn eu cymryd mewn perthynas â'r hysbysiad rhybuddio. Fe sonioch fod Powys wedi cyfeirio mater posibl yn ymwneud â cham-drin rheoli perfformiad i'r heddlu. Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud wrthych nad wyf fi nac AGGCC wedi cael unrhyw rybudd blaenorol ynglŷn â'r mater hwn gan Gyngor Sir Powys, felly roeddwn yn siomedig ac yn synnu clywed am hynny yn y cyfryngau. Mater i Gyngor Sir Powys ei ystyried yw hwn, ac wrth gwrs, mae'n fater i'r heddlu yn awr, felly ni fuasai'n briodol i mi wneud unrhyw sylw pellach ar hynny ar hyn o bryd, ond fe wnaf ddweud, wrth gwrs, ein bod yn ystyried y goblygiadau o ran yr ystadegau a gyhoeddir gennym a'r rhai sydd i'w cyhoeddi gennym yn dilyn y cyhoeddiad ddoe fod yr heddlu'n ymchwilio i'r materion posibl yn ymwneud â cham-drin data ym Mhowys. O ran gwasanaethau yn ehangach, rwy'n deall bod gan Estyn rywfaint o bryderon ynglŷn ag addysg, a bod Powys yn ddarostyngedig i'r broses gynhadledd achos sydd ganddynt. Yn wyneb y pryderon sydd gennyf am wasanaethau plant ym Mhowys, rwyf wedi gofyn i AGGCC gynnal eu harolwg o wasanaethau cymdeithasol i oedolion yn gynt. Roedd i fod i'w gynnal yn y gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf, ond rwyf wedi gofyn iddynt ei gynnal cyn hynny, a bydd Powys yn cael chwe wythnos o rybudd ynglŷn â pha bryd y bydd hynny'n digwydd. Rwy'n deall hefyd fod Cyngor Sir Powys wedi awgrymu y bydd gwelliannau i wasanaethau plant yn costio tua £4 miliwn, ac rwy'n deall y bydd arian a dynnwyd yn flaenorol o'r gyllideb gwasanaethau plant yn cael ei adfer o gronfeydd wrth gefn y cyngor i dalu'r arian hwnnw.