English: I thank the Minister for his statement. I'm also grateful to the team at Banc Cambria for the time they've given in recent months to keeping myself and colleagues updated on the development of a community bank for Wales. Having previously worked in the mutual building society sector for more than two decades, I particularly welcome the fact that the bank's partnership with Monmouthshire Building Society has been made public today, thereby allowing the operational requirements to ensure delivery to be put in place. Speaking here in 2010, I raised with the then First Minister the risk management and capital adequacy requirements and regulation a new bank would have to comply with, which an established bank or building society partner would not. In 2013, Welsh Conservatives called for the establishment of Invest Wales, a network of regional investment banks embedded in local communities, to lend to small business and provide advice and support based on this partnership model. In 2017, I led a debate on banking services here, which called on the Welsh Government to examine the not-for-profit community banking model then being developed in Wales by Responsible Finance, which proposed working with credit unions where credit unions can't, and providing finance and support for people, businesses and social enterprises that cannot access finance from high street banks. In response to the fifth Assembly's Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the Federation of Small Businesses questioned whether the community bank solution overlaps with other things that other instruments and institutions that we already have in place in Wales could be actually in a better place to do. And so, given that this is a commercial investment for the Welsh Government, it is crucial that the Welsh Government performs due diligence and rigorous analysis of the business plan for a community bank prior to further investment. Therefore, Minister, what processes have been followed and what due diligence has taken place to date to provide assurance for the people of Wales before the scheme progresses? Of course, when performing due diligence, it's also vital that the Welsh Government considers the impact that a community bank will have on the credit union sector. The Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee report in 2019 made it clear that credit unions have some very serious concerns about the impact that a community bank could have on them. Indeed, the chief executive of Cardiff & Vale Credit Union wrote on behalf of a group of 11 Welsh credit unions to highlight the fact that Banc Cambria's intention to provide personal loans on a co-operative model basis would be in direct competition with credit unions, and that it would directly threaten the future sustainability of the credit union network in Wales. And so, in light of these concerns, what action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that the sustainability of credit unions is not threatened by the development of a community bank? And how will the Welsh Government work with credit unions that are keen to work with them but concerned to ensure that Banc Cambria takes neither their business nor their funding? Given the Post Office partnership with UK banks, Banc Cambria could also have an impact on post office services. What assessment has the Minister therefore made of the effects of Banc Cambria on the post office sector? And what discussions has he had with the Post Office about establishing a community bank in Wales? The creation of a community bank could have a transformative impact on local communities, particularly rural communities that have lost the presence of a bank on their high street. It's reassuring that Banc Cambria has previously said that rural communities are at the heart of what they're trying to do. Banc Cambria has made it clear that it aims to open at least one branch where the customer base is evidenced as suffering particularly badly from financial exclusion. And the First Minister has already spoken of locating a branch in Buckley, Flintshire. How, therefore, will the locations of the branches be decided, and what assurances can you provide that financially excluded rural communities will be at the top of the priority list? And what assurances can you give us that the Welsh Government has the capacity to take this model forward into all parts of Wales, should it prove, as we hope, to be successful? It's vital that we have the right skills base to support the sector. In response to the fifth Assembly's Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the Community Savings Bank Association said that finding people who have the right balance of skills and ethical motivation for wanting to create something in Wales would be harder than finding the money to support a community bank.
Welsh: Diolch i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad. Rwyf hefyd yn ddiolchgar i'r tîm yn Banc Cambria am yr amser a roeson nhw yn ystod y misoedd diwethaf i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i mi a chyd-Aelodau am ddatblygiad banc cymunedol i Gymru. Ar ôl gweithio o'r blaen yn y sector cymdeithasau adeiladu cydfuddiannol am fwy na dau ddegawd, rwy'n croesawu yn arbennig y ffaith bod partneriaeth y banc â Chymdeithas Adeiladu Sir Fynwy wedi'i chyhoeddi heddiw, gan ganiatáu sefydlu'r gofynion gweithredol i sicrhau bod modd darparu. Wrth siarad yma yn 2010, codais gyda'r Prif Weinidog ar y pryd y gofynion o ran rheoli risg a digonolrwydd cyfalaf a rheoleiddio y byddai'n rhaid i fanc newydd gydymffurfio â nhw, na fyddai'n rhaid i bartner a oedd yn fanc neu gymdeithas adeiladu sefydledig gydymffurfio â nhw. Yn 2013, galwodd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig am sefydlu Buddsoddi Cymru, rhwydwaith o fanciau buddsoddi rhanbarthol sydd wedi'u gwreiddio mewn cymunedau lleol, i fenthyca i fusnesau bach a rhoi cyngor a chymorth yn seiliedig ar y model partneriaeth hwn. Yn 2017, arweiniais ddadl ar wasanaethau bancio yn y fan yma, a alwodd ar Lywodraeth Cymru i archwilio'r model bancio cymunedol nid-er-elw a ddatblygwyd wedyn yng Nghymru gan Responible Finance, a gynigiodd weithio gydag undebau credyd mewn meysydd lle na all undebau credyd weithredu, a darparu cyllid a chymorth i bobl, busnesau a mentrau cymdeithasol na allant gael gafael ar gyllid gan fanciau'r stryd fawr. Mewn ymateb i bumed Pwyllgor Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau'r Cynulliad, cwestiynodd y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach a yw'r ateb o greu banc cymunedol yn gorgyffwrdd â phethau eraill y gallai offerynnau a sefydliadau eraill sydd gennym ni eisoes ar waith yng Nghymru fod mewn sefyllfa well i'w wneud. Ac felly, gan fod hwn yn fuddsoddiad masnachol i Lywodraeth Cymru, mae'n hanfodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyflawni diwydrwydd dyladwy a dadansoddiad trwyadl o'r cynllun busnes ar gyfer banc cymunedol cyn buddsoddi pellach. Felly, Gweinidog, pa brosesau a ddilynwyd a pha ddiwydrwydd dyladwy sydd wedi digwydd hyd yma i roi sicrwydd i bobl Cymru cyn i'r cynllun fynd yn ei flaen? Wrth gwrs, wrth gyflawni diwydrwydd dyladwy, mae hefyd yn hanfodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried yr effaith y bydd banc cymunedol yn ei chael ar y sector undebau credyd. Roedd hi'n glir o adroddiad Pwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau yn 2019 fod gan undebau credyd bryderon difrifol iawn am yr effaith y gallai banc cymunedol ei chael arnynt. Yn wir, ysgrifennodd prif weithredwr Undeb Credyd Caerdydd a'r Fro ar ran grŵp o 11 undeb credyd yng Nghymru i dynnu sylw at y ffaith y byddai bwriad Banc Cambria i ddarparu benthyciadau personol ar sail model cydweithredol yn cystadlu'n uniongyrchol ag undebau credyd, ac y byddai'n bygwth cynaliadwyedd y rhwydwaith undebau credyd yng Nghymru yn y dyfodol. Ac felly, yng ngoleuni'r pryderon hyn, beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i sicrhau nad yw cynaliadwyedd undebau credyd yn cael ei fygwth gan ddatblygiad banc cymunedol? A sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gydag undebau credyd sy'n awyddus i weithio gyda nhw ond sy'n awyddus i sicrhau nad yw Banc Cambria yn cymryd eu busnes na'u cyllid? O ystyried partneriaeth Swyddfa'r Post â banciau'r DU, gallai Banc Cambria hefyd gael effaith ar wasanaethau swyddfeydd post. Pa asesiad y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i wneud felly o effeithiau Banc Cambria ar y sector swyddfeydd post? A pha drafodaethau y mae wedi'u cael gyda Swyddfa'r Post ynghylch sefydlu banc cymunedol yng Nghymru? Gallai creu banc cymunedol gael effaith drawsnewidiol ar gymunedau lleol, yn enwedig cymunedau gwledig sydd wedi colli presenoldeb banc ar eu stryd fawr. Mae'n galonogol bod Banc Cambria eisoes wedi dweud bod cymunedau gwledig wrth wraidd yr hyn y maen nhw'n ceisio'i wneud. Mae Banc Cambria wedi ei gwneud hi'n glir eu bod yn gobeithio agor o leiaf un gangen lle mae tystiolaeth bod y sylfaen cwsmeriaid yn dioddef yn arbennig o wael o allgáu ariannol. Ac mae'r Prif Weinidog eisoes wedi sôn am leoli cangen ym Mwcle, sir y Fflint. Sut, felly, y penderfynir ar leoliadau'r canghennau, a pha sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi y bydd cymunedau gwledig sydd wedi'u hallgáu'n ariannol ar frig y rhestr flaenoriaethau? A pha sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi inni fod gan Lywodraeth Cymru y gallu i gynnig y model hwn i bob rhan o Gymru, os yw'n profi, fel y gobeithiwn, i fod yn llwyddiannus? Mae'n hanfodol fod gennym ni'r sylfaen sgiliau gywir i gefnogi'r sector. Mewn ymateb i bumed Pwyllgor Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau'r Cynulliad, dywedodd y Gymdeithas Banc Cynilon Cymunedol y byddai canfod y bobl sydd â'r cyfuniad cywir o sgiliau a chymhelliant moesegol i fod eisiau creu rhywbeth yng Nghymru yn anoddach na chanfod yr arian i gefnogi banc cymunedol.