English: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer, and I'm sure some Members from the previous Assemblies will have fond memories come to mind of seeing you in the chair. May I also put my congratulations on the record for your investiture with a CBE yesterday from Prince Charles? The Petitions Committee, I was quite struck that the Petitions Committee was coming here today notwithstanding how long ago these petitions initially came. There may have been particular reasons for delays, but for my part, I would like to thank David Rowlands as Chair, and the committee, for continuing to pursue this, and the fact that it had been there for a long time wasn't a reason for it to be forgotten, but actually to be brought here today for a debate. I think that, at least, is positive. Lynne, I think, has spoken clearly about the particular difficulties, and I would concur with her criticism of the inspector's report on that Torfaen application, but at the end of the day, the Minister made the right decision that was consistent with the guidance. And it strikes me that the guidance regime provides for a sensible level of local discretion, and every application and every proposed development will be different, and for Ministers, Government and this Assembly having input to provide guidance on what are the appropriate things to consider strikes me as sensible. Then the planning committee can take into account local situations and, as importantly, local representations. It's clear that opencast mining is rarely popular, and, where it's been brought forward, generally there have been significant objections. I see no reason why a locally elected planning committee would not properly take into account those objections from the people that live in their area, and I think that regime is probably better in supporting localism, which we on these benches strongly support, rather than either making that guidance statutory or having a requirement that, in each and every case, irrespective of the particulars of the local area, above a certain size, you should call in an application. However, I think the petitioners have largely succeeded in their objectives. Perhaps the Minister will enlighten us further when she speaks. But I think the draft Planning Policy Wales 10, where consultation finished in mid May, seems to have quite a significant tightening of the policy, and it's difficult to see how opencast mining gets through this. The Chairman of the committee gave the first sentence; it does continue: 'Should, in wholly exceptional circumstances, proposals be put forward they would clearly need to demonstrate why they are needed in the context of climate change emissions reductions targets and for reasons of national energy security.' I think that's interesting and, in some ways, challenging, because it puts the onus of the exception on national and, presumably, UK-wide considerations of climate change targets and energy security. I just wonder, within that, if there is a proposal that's been put by UK Government and a policy - I think it was previously supported, to a degree, by Welsh Government - that coal should be phased out to a certain extent, I think, into the mid to late 2020s, if, in the meantime, someone said, 'Well, that's the policy, that's agreed, but, in terms of energy security, isn't it better this should be produced domestically rather than relying on imports from far afield?' I just wonder what a planning inspector would make of that argument, and we'll look forward to seeing the final guidance that the Minister puts forward in this area. The Valleys have moved on since the days of coal mining and being perhaps the leading coal mining area in the world, and certainly in terms of the quality of the coal. We've had some opencast mining, but it's been pretty unpopular when put forward. I know there's been a proposal about the Dowlais Top where people had very strong views against it. Also, I think the Rhydycar West area, where there were previously proposals for opencast mining - I think it's very exciting that Marvel are now putting forward this really substantial proposal for a development that I hope, at least, will be more popular than opencast mining, an indoor snow centre, a skate and bike park, an indoor water park, and holiday accommodation and homes, and really very substantial investment has already gone into this and I thank them for their invitation to an information event on Friday. But I think the issue of call in and local decision making - clearly, in some areas, particular applications are very, very demanding and very difficult and they have a huge amount of detail. For cash-strapped local authorities, particularly small ones, they can be very substantial things. But I think the importance of local democracy is key, and I've put a written question in on this, and I understand the difficulties if it comes to Ministers following an appeal and a planning inspector, that you don't want to prejudge things, but I wonder if Welsh Government could do more to provide planning support or perhaps resources smaller local authorities could draw on for particularly large applications at a central level, while ensuring that that provision of a general resource and expertise didn't prejudice any later appeal that Ministers might have to deal with. I congratulate the petitioners and the Petitions Committee for finally dealing with this, and look forward also to what the Cabinet Secretary will have to say.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd dros dro, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd gan rai o'r Aelodau o Gynulliadau blaenorol atgofion melys wrth eich gweld yn y Gadair. A gaf finnau hefyd gofnodi fy llongyfarchiadau ar eich arwisgo â CBE ddoe gan y Tywysog Charles? Y Pwyllgor Deisebau, cefais syndod o weld y Pwyllgor Deisebau yn dod yma heddiw er cymaint o amser a aeth heibio ers i'r deisebau hyn gael eu cyflwyno gyntaf. Mae'n bosibl fod rhesymau penodol dros yr oedi, ond o'm rhan i, hoffwn ddiolch i David Rowlands fel Cadeirydd, a'r pwyllgor, am barhau i fynd ar drywydd hyn, ac nid oedd y ffaith ei fod wedi bod yno ers amser maith yn rheswm dros ei anghofio, ond o leiaf, roedd ei gyflwyno heddiw ar gyfer dadl yn rhywbeth cadarnhaol yn fy marn i. Rwy'n credu bod Lynne wedi siarad yn glir am yr anawsterau penodol, a buaswn yn cytuno â'i beirniadaeth o adroddiad yr arolygydd ar y cais i gyngor Torfaen, ond yn y pen draw, fe wnaeth y Gweinidog y penderfyniad cywir a oedd yn gyson â'r canllawiau. Ac mae'n ymddangos i mi fod y gyfundrefn ganllawiau yn darparu lefel synhwyrol o ddisgresiwn lleol, a bydd pob cais a phob datblygiad arfaethedig yn wahanol, ac mae'n ymddangos i mi yn synhwyrol fod gan Weinidogion, Llywodraeth a'r Cynulliad hwn fewnbwn ar gyfer darparu canllawiau ar yr hyn sy'n bethau priodol i'w hystyried. Wedyn gall y pwyllgor cynllunio ystyried sefyllfaoedd lleol, a'r un mor bwysig, safbwyntiau lleol. Mae'n amlwg nad yw cloddio glo brig yn boblogaidd yn aml iawn, a lle y cafodd ei gyflwyno, yn gyffredinol cafwyd gwrthwynebiad sylweddol. Nid wyf yn gweld unrhyw reswm pam na fyddai pwyllgor cynllunio a etholwyd yn lleol yn rhoi ystyriaeth briodol i'r gwrthwynebiadau gan y bobl sy'n byw yn eu hardal, a chredaf fod y gyfundrefn honno'n well wrth gefnogi lleoliaeth yn ôl pob tebyg, ac rydym ni ar y meinciau hyn yn gefnogol iawn i hynny, yn hytrach na gwneud y canllawiau'n statudol neu gael gofyniad y dylech alw cais i mewn ym mhob achos, ni waeth beth yw manylion penodol yr ardal leol, os yw'n fwy na rhyw faint penodol. Fodd bynnag, credaf fod y deisebwyr wedi llwyddo i raddau helaeth yn eu hamcanion. Efallai y bydd y Gweinidog yn ein goleuo ymhellach pan fydd yn siarad. Ond credaf fod drafft Polisi Cynllunio Cymru 10, y daeth yr ymgynghoriad yn ei gylch i ben ganol mis Mai, i'w weld wedi tynhau'r polisi'n eithaf sylweddol, ac mae'n anodd gweld sut y gall cloddio glo brig wneud ei ffordd drwyddo. Rhoddodd Cadeirydd y pwyllgor y frawddeg gyntaf; mae'n parhau: 'Pe bai cynigion yn cael eu cyflwyno o dan amgylchiadau cwbl eithriadol, byddai'n rhaid iddynt ddangos yn glir pam eu bod eu hangen yng nghyd-destun targedau lleihau allyriadau newid yn yr hinsawdd a diogelwch ynni.' Credaf fod hynny'n ddiddorol, ac yn heriol mewn rhai ffyrdd, oherwydd mae'n gosod y cyfrifoldeb am yr eithriad ar ystyriaethau cenedlaethol, a DU gyfan mae'n debyg, ynghylch targedau newid hinsawdd a diogelwch ynni. Tybed, o fewn hynny, a geir argymhelliad a wnaed gan Lywodraeth y DU a pholisi - credaf iddo gael ei gefnogi o'r blaen, i raddau, gan Lywodraeth Cymru - y dylid dirwyn glo i ben yn raddol erbyn canol i ddiwedd y 2020au rwy'n credu, pe bai rhywun yn dweud yn y cyfamser, 'Wel, dyna'r polisi, dyna a gytunwyd, ond o ran sicrwydd ynni, onid yw'n well ei gynhyrchu gartref yn hytrach na dibynnu ar fewnforion o bell?' Rwy'n meddwl tybed beth fyddai arolygydd cynllunio yn ei wneud o'r ddadl honno, ac fe edrychwn ymlaen at weld y canllawiau terfynol y bydd y Gweinidog yn eu cyflwyno yn y maes hwn. Mae'r Cymoedd wedi symud ymlaen ers dyddiau'r gweithfeydd glo a'r adeg pan oedd hi'n ardal lofaol fwyaf blaenllaw'r byd o bosibl, ac yn sicr o ran ansawdd y glo. Cawsom rywfaint o gloddio glo brig, ond mae wedi bod yn eithaf amhoblogaidd ar yr adegau pan gafodd ei gynnig. Gwn fod yna gynnig wedi bod ynghylch Dowlais Top lle roedd gan bobl safbwyntiau cryf iawn yn ei erbyn. Hefyd, ardal gorllewin Rhyd-y-car, lle y cafwyd cynigion o'r blaen ar gyfer cloddio glo brig - mae'n gyffrous iawn fod Marvel yn awr yn cyflwyno cynnig sylweddol iawn ar gyfer datblygiad y gobeithiaf, o leiaf, y bydd yn fwy poblogaidd na chloddio glo brig, canolfan eira dan do, parc sglefrio a beicio, parc dŵr dan do, a llety gwyliau a chartrefi, ac mae buddsoddiad sylweddol iawn eisoes wedi mynd tuag ato a diolch iddynt am eu gwahoddiad i ddigwyddiad gwybodaeth ddydd Gwener. Ond credaf fod mater galw i mewn a gwneud penderfyniadau lleol - yn amlwg, mewn rhai ardaloedd, mae ceisiadau penodol yn heriol tu hwnt ac yn anodd iawn a cheir manylion niferus iawn ynghlwm wrthynt. I awdurdodau lleol sy'n brin o arian, yn enwedig rhai bach, gallant fod yn bethau sylweddol iawn. Ond credaf fod pwysigrwydd democratiaeth leol yn allweddol, ac rwyf wedi cyflwyno cwestiwn ysgrifenedig ar hyn, a deallaf yr anawsterau, os yw'n dod at Weinidogion yn dilyn apêl ac arolygydd cynllunio, nad ydych chi eisiau rhagfarnu pethau, ond tybed a allai Llywodraeth Cymru wneud mwy i ddarparu cymorth cynllunio neu adnoddau, efallai, y gallai awdurdodau lleol eu defnyddio ar gyfer ceisiadau arbennig o fawr ar lefel ganolog, gan sicrhau ar yr un pryd na fyddai'r ddarpariaeth o adnoddau ac arbenigedd cyffredinol yn rhagfarnu unrhyw apêl ddiweddarach y gallai Gweinidogion orfod ymdrin â hi. Rwy'n llongyfarch y deisebwyr a'r Pwyllgor Deisebau am ymdrin â hyn o'r diwedd, ac edrychaf ymlaen hefyd at glywed beth fydd gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i'w ddweud.