English: I'm grateful to all those who contributed towards the formation of this committee's report. As we've heard already this afternoon, this is an issue of huge pertinence to families and households right across Wales. But as this report rightly notes, the escalation in the cost of living is being felt even more acutely in Wales's rural communities, such as those in my own constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. Rural Wales has always faced connectivity challenges, be that physically with transport, or technologically with broadband and communications infrastructure. If you combine this with older, colder and off-grid housing stock, then these pre-existing issues compound the escalating stress and damage to the cost of living. This is why I was pleased to note recommendation 20 of this report, 'Welsh Government must ensure its plans to support off-grid households through this winter are robust. This should include either extending the ability for off-grid households to access support via the Discretionary Assistance Fund or the Fuel Voucher scheme.' It seeks to alleviate this situation, and I am pleased to learn that this recommendation has been accepted in full by the Welsh Government. That being said, it is important that we see the cost of living as an evolving situation and there could come a time when - arguably now - the existing financial support package does not go far enough. This is then exacerbated when we take into consideration the influence of connectivity and housing-stock issues, which then further escalates the crisis we have identified. And so when we talk about rural communities in this context, we are recognising that individuals are paying a higher cost to live in rural Wales, where salaries don't reflect this. There's a higher cost to heat your home because you live in a 150-year-old cottage that isn't afforded the modern-day luxuries of thermal insulation, a higher cost to travel because you live 45 minutes away from your nearest supermarket, 55 minutes away from a hospital, or an hour and a half away from your nearest city. So, there's less efficient heating of your home and you're filling up your car with fuel more often, and pay a surcharge for the distance that your goods and services have travelled. This is the reality of the cost of rural living, and as far as I and my constituents are concerned, this is not a factor that is recognised enough. Paragraph 76 of this report notes the rural affairs Minister's comments on this situation. She told members of the committee that 'For the off-grid properties, we' - being the Welsh Government - 'are looking at what further we can do to support.' I should note that these comments were made in June, and yet, several months on, our rural communities are still left in the same situation. So, given the opportunity that this report has presented, I would like to ask the Welsh Government whether they have any intention of extending support to further assist our communities. In conclusion, this report has shone an important spotlight on a matter that is ever evolving. Crucially, the current cost of living is an issue that is going to be with us for the foreseeable future, so in every decision on financial support that the Welsh Government makes, I would urge you to take into consideration the rural cost premium to ensure that communities aren't being short-changed because of their postcode. I'd like to end by echoing the words of my fellow committee member Luke in thanking our Chair, Paul Davies, for his continued excellent chairmanship of this committee, our committee clerking team, and all of those who contributed by oral or written evidence to this report. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.
Welsh: Rwy'n ddiolchgar i bawb a gyfrannodd tuag at ffurfio adroddiad y pwyllgor hwn. Fel y clywsom eisoes y prynhawn yma, mae hwn yn fater eithriadol o berthnasol i deuluoedd ac aelwydydd ledled Cymru. Ond fel y mae'r adroddiad hwn yn nodi'n briodol, mae'r cynnydd mewn costau byw i'w deimlo hyd yn oed yn fwy difrifol yng nghymunedau gwledig Cymru, fel y rhai yn fy etholaeth fy hun, Gorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro. Mae cefn gwlad Cymru bob amser wedi wynebu heriau cysylltedd, boed yn ffisegol gyda thrafnidiaeth, neu'n dechnolegol gyda seilwaith band eang a chyfathrebu. Os cyfunwch hyn â stoc dai hŷn, oerach ac oddi ar y grid, mae'r problemau hyn sy'n bodoli'n barod yn dwysáu'r straen cynyddol a'r niwed i gostau byw. Dyma pam roeddwn yn falch o nodi argymhelliad 20 o'r adroddiad hwn, 'Rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod ganddi gynlluniau cadarn i gefnogi aelwydydd oddi ar y grid drwy'r gaeaf eleni. Dylai hyn gynnwys naill ai ymestyn y gallu i aelwydydd oddi ar y grid gael cymorth drwy'r Gronfa Cymorth Dewisol neu'r cynllun Talebau Tanwydd.' Mae'n ceisio lleddfu'r sefyllfa, ac rwy'n falch o ddeall bod yr argymhelliad hwn wedi'i dderbyn yn llawn gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Wedi dweud hynny, mae'n bwysig ein bod yn gweld costau byw fel sefyllfa sy'n esblygu a gallai fod adeg - nawr, gellid dadlau - pan nad yw'r pecyn cymorth ariannol presennol yn mynd yn ddigon pell. Caiff hyn ei waethygu pan ystyriwn ddylanwad materion cysylltedd a stoc dai, sydd wedyn yn gwaethygu'r argyfwng a nodwyd ymhellach. Ac felly pan soniwn am gymunedau gwledig yn y cyd-destun hwn, rydym yn cydnabod bod unigolion yn talu cost uwch i fyw yng nghefn gwlad Cymru, lle nad yw cyflogau'n adlewyrchu hynny. Mae cost uwch i gynhesu eich cartref oherwydd eich bod yn byw mewn bwthyn 150 oed heb foethusrwydd modern insiwleiddio thermol, cost uwch i deithio oherwydd eich bod yn byw 45 munud i ffwrdd o'ch archfarchnad agosaf, 55 munud i ffwrdd o ysbyty, neu awr a hanner i ffwrdd o'ch dinas agosaf. Felly, nid yw eich cartref yn cael ei wresogi mor effeithlon ac rydych yn llenwi eich car â thanwydd yn amlach, ac yn talu gordal am y pellter y mae eich nwyddau a'ch gwasanaethau wedi teithio. Dyma realiti costau byw yng nghefn gwlad, ac o'm rhan i a fy etholwyr, nid yw'n ffactor sy'n cael ei gydnabod yn ddigonol. Mae paragraff 76 o'r adroddiad yn nodi sylwadau'r Gweinidog materion gwledig am y sefyllfa hon. Dywedodd wrth aelodau o'r pwyllgor 'Ar gyfer yr eiddo oddi ar y grid, rydym ni' - sef Llywodraeth Cymru - 'yn edrych ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i gefnogi.' Dylwn nodi i'r sylwadau hyn gael eu gwneud ym mis Mehefin, ac eto, sawl mis yn ddiweddarach, mae ein cymunedau gwledig yn dal i fod yn yr un sefyllfa. Felly, o ystyried y cyfle y mae'r adroddiad hwn wedi'i gyflwyno, hoffwn ofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru a oes ganddynt unrhyw fwriad i ymestyn y cymorth i gynorthwyo ein cymunedau ymhellach. I gloi, mae'r adroddiad wedi rhoi sylw pwysig i fater sy'n esblygu drwy'r amser. Yn allweddol, mae costau byw presennol yn fater sy'n mynd i fod gyda ni am y dyfodol rhagweladwy, felly ym mhob penderfyniad ar gymorth ariannol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud, hoffwn eich annog i ystyried y premiwm costau gwledig i sicrhau nad yw cymunedau'n cael cam oherwydd eu cod post. Hoffwn orffen drwy adleisio geiriau Luke, fy nghyd-aelod o'r pwyllgor, a diolch i'n Cadeirydd, Paul Davies, am ei gadeiryddiaeth ragorol o'r pwyllgor hwn, ein tîm clercio pwyllgorau, a phawb a gyfrannodd drwy dystiolaeth lafar neu ysgrifenedig i'r adroddiad hwn. Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd.