English: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'll start by declaring an interest as a Member of Pembrokeshire County Council and I'd like to thank the Member for Brecon and Radnorshire for granting me the opportunity to speak in this afternoon's debate, as I know it will be of great interest to many of my constituents. Like many growing up in rural Wales, I was dependent on either infrequent and seasonable public transport, lifts from parents or even cycling come rain or shine to try and get to my part-time job when I was still in school. Therefore, it is little surprise that I took my driving test as soon as possible after turning 17 to give me freedom and independence, and I was fortunate to do so. However, for many of my constituents, the local bus service or the even rarer local train service is a lifeline. Whether it is used for their commute to work, visiting friends and family or just heading to do their shopping, public transport can be a major contributor to a person's well-being and standard of living, as the Member for Brecon and Radnorshire rightly highlighted. One of the first meetings that I had after my election last May was to discuss the challenge facing businesses in the hospitality sector being able to fill employment gaps. A major takeaway from this meeting was that if a worker was working outside of the normal nine-til-six hours in Tenby, yet commuted from Haverfordwest, they were unable to get back home via bus, as the last service left before it got dark. If you consider the number of jobs servicing the night-time economy and hospitality industry in a town such as Tenby, then you will appreciate how much of a challenge this begins to present. Some of the bigger employers such as Bluestone near Narberth have taken to hiring their own transport to help staff travel to and from work, but this is obviously not an option for the majority of small businesses. I would be interested in understanding what conversations the Deputy Minister has had with local authorities, such as Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, to help support the hospitality sector in enabling staff to commute via public transport outside of the more traditional work hours. I'd also like to use this opportunity to highlight the train service in south Pembrokeshire. My colleague Natasha Asghar joined me last summer to meet with a group of constituents at Tenby train station. They explained the challenges they faced in travelling up the main line towards east Wales, with concerns raised over the capacity of the trains and the timetabling. The group also highlighted the problems faced in travelling by train between south and mid Pembrokeshire. The simple 20-mile, 30-minute commute by car from Haverfordwest to Tenby on a weekday morning would take two hours and 15 minutes by train, or over an hour and half by bus in the morning. And that is for those who do not require additional journey time to get into Haverfordwest to start with. Back in the autumn, plans were announced by the Deputy Minister to improve Wales's public transport infrastructure and connectivity, with news about station improvements at Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Whitland, as well as a desire to add capacity on the Carmarthen to Milford Haven route. Whilst this is great news for my constituency neighbour Paul Davies, the route between Pembroke Dock and Whitland seems to have been forgotten. My reasoning for focusing on Tenby this afternoon is as its train station is the busiest in Pembrokeshire and is the gateway to one of our crown-jewel seaside resorts. On the same train line is Pembroke Dock, a key location for travellers connecting to and from Ireland, yet these and other smaller stations along the south Pembrokeshire rail route will see no tangible benefits from the extra investment announced by the Deputy Minister. A Wales-wide interconnected transport system is a vital tool in our fight against climate change, but before encouraging people out of their cars, there must be a public transport network ready and able to deliver for the needs of the people. As I've explained, travelling between north and south Pembrokeshire on public transport is incredibly challenging. It is important to the county's economy that south Pembrokeshire is treated equally to north Pembrokeshire in the development of a west Wales metro. At present, the plans seem to have ignored that Pembrokeshire that exists south of the River Cleddau. Tomorrow, I host a round-table with local councillors and organisations to take on board their strength of feeling about rail services that are serving their communities. It would be great if, following today's debate, Deputy Minister, I could take back a message from you that the Welsh Government have not forgotten south Pembrokeshire and will provide the support and funding not only to upgrade the facilities, but to also increase the frequency of services using this line. Public transport plays a vital role in connecting our rural communities and reducing our carbon footprint. However, to achieve these goals, the services must be responsive to passengers' needs. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwyf am ddechrau drwy ddatgan buddiant fel Aelod o Gyngor Sir Penfro a hoffwn ddiolch i'r Aelod dros Frycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed am roi'r cyfle imi siarad yn y ddadl y prynhawn yma, gan fy mod yn gwybod y bydd o ddiddordeb mawr i lawer o fy etholwyr. Fel llawer sy'n tyfu i fyny yng nghefn gwlad Cymru, roeddwn yn ddibynnol ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus anaml a thymhorol, cael fy nghludo gan rieni neu hyd yn oed beicio boed law neu hindda i geisio cyrraedd fy swydd ran-amser pan oeddwn yn dal i fod yn yr ysgol. Felly, nid yw'n fawr o syndod fy mod wedi sefyll fy mhrawf gyrru cyn gynted â phosibl ar fy mhen blwydd yn 17 i roi rhyddid ac annibyniaeth i mi, ac roeddwn yn ffodus i wneud hynny. Fodd bynnag, i lawer o fy etholwyr, mae'r gwasanaeth bws lleol neu'r gwasanaeth trên lleol sydd hyd yn oed yn fyw anaml yn achubiaeth. Boed ar gyfer cymudo i'r gwaith, ymweld â ffrindiau a theulu neu er mwyn mynd i siopa, gall trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus fod yn gyfrannwr mawr i les a safon byw unigolyn, fel y nododd yr Aelod dros Frycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed yn gywir. Un o'r cyfarfodydd cyntaf a gefais ar ôl fy ethol fis Mai diwethaf oedd un i drafod yr her sy'n wynebu busnesau yn y sector lletygarwch o ran gallu llenwi bylchau cyflogaeth. Un o'r prif wersi a ddysgwyd o'r cyfarfod hwnnw oedd na allai gweithiwr a oedd yn gweithio oriau y tu allan i'r naw awr arferol o naw tan chwech yn Ninbych-y-pysgod, ac eto'n cymudo o Hwlffordd, ddychwelyd adref ar fws, gan fod y gwasanaeth olaf yn gadael cyn iddi dywyllu. Os ystyriwch nifer y swyddi sy'n gwasanaethu'r economi nos a'r diwydiant lletygarwch mewn tref fel Dinbych-y-pysgod, gallwch ddeall faint o her y mae hyn yn ei chreu. Mae rhai o'r cyflogwyr mwy fel Bluestone ger Arberth wedi dechrau llogi eu cludiant eu hunain i helpu staff i deithio yn ôl ac ymlaen i'r gwaith, ond mae'n amlwg nad yw hyn yn opsiwn i'r rhan fwyaf o fusnesau bach. Byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mewn clywed pa sgyrsiau y mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog wedi'u cael gydag awdurdodau lleol, megis Sir Benfro a Sir Gaerfyrddin, i helpu i gynorthwyo'r sector lletygarwch i alluogi staff i gymudo ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus y tu allan i'r oriau gwaith mwy traddodiadol. Hefyd, hoffwn ddefnyddio'r cyfle hwn i dynnu sylw at y gwasanaeth trên yn ne Sir Benfro. Ymunodd fy nghyd-Aelod, Natasha Asghar, â mi yr haf diwethaf i gyfarfod â grŵp o etholwyr yng ngorsaf drenau Dinbych-y-pysgod. Fe wnaethant egluro'r heriau a wynebent wrth deithio ar y brif reilffordd tuag at ddwyrain Cymru, a mynegwyd pryderon ynghylch capasiti'r trenau a'r amserlennu. Tynnodd y grŵp sylw hefyd at y problemau a wynebir wrth deithio ar drên rhwng de a chanolbarth Sir Benfro. Byddai'r daith gymudo syml 20 milltir, 30 munud mewn car o Hwlffordd i Ddinbych-y-pysgod ar fore o'r wythnos yn cymryd dwy awr a 15 munud ar y trên, neu dros awr a hanner ar fws yn y bore. A hynny i rai nad ydynt angen amser teithio ychwanegol i gyrraedd Hwlffordd yn y lle cyntaf. Yn ôl yn yr hydref, cyhoeddwyd cynlluniau gan y Dirprwy Weinidog i wella seilwaith a chysylltedd trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus Cymru, gyda newyddion am welliannau i orsafoedd yn Hwlffordd, Aberdaugleddau a Hendy-gwyn ar Daf, yn ogystal ag awydd i ychwanegu capasiti ar lwybr Caerfyrddin i Aberdaugleddau. Er bod hyn yn newyddion gwych i Paul Davies yn yr etholaeth sy'n ffinio â fy etholaeth i, mae'n ymddangos bod y llwybr rhwng Doc Penfro a Hendy-gwyn ar Daf wedi'i anghofio. Y rheswm pam rwy'n canolbwyntio ar Ddinbych-y-pysgod y prynhawn yma yw am mai gorsaf drenau'r fan honno yw'r brysuraf yn Sir Benfro a dyna'r porth i un o'n cyrchfannau glan môr gorau. Ar yr un rheilffordd mae Doc Penfro, lleoliad allweddol i deithwyr sy'n teithio i ac o Iwerddon, ac eto ni fydd y rhain a gorsafoedd llai eraill ar hyd llwybr rheilffordd de Sir Benfro yn gweld unrhyw fanteision o sylwedd o'r buddsoddiad ychwanegol a gyhoeddwyd gan y Dirprwy Weinidog. Mae system drafnidiaeth gydgysylltiedig ledled Cymru yn arf hanfodol yn ein brwydr yn erbyn newid hinsawdd, ond cyn annog pobl allan o'u ceir, rhaid cael rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus barod sy'n gallu cyflawni ar gyfer anghenion y bobl. Fel yr esboniais, mae teithio rhwng gogledd a de Sir Benfro ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn heriol dros ben. Mae'n bwysig i economi'r sir fod de Sir Benfro yn cael ei thrin yn gyfartal â gogledd Sir Benfro wrth ddatblygu metro gorllewin Cymru. Ar hyn o bryd, mae'n ymddangos bod y cynlluniau wedi anwybyddu'r Sir Benfro sy'n bodoli i'r de o Afon Cleddau. Yfory, rwy'n cynnal cyfarfod bord gron gyda chynghorwyr a sefydliadau lleol i ystyried cryfder y teimlad ynghylch gwasanaethau trên i wasanaethu eu cymunedau. Yn dilyn y ddadl heddiw, Ddirprwy Weinidog, byddai'n wych pe gallwn fynd â neges yn ôl gennych chi nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi anghofio am dde Sir Benfro ac y bydd yn darparu'r cymorth a'r cyllid nid yn unig i uwchraddio'r cyfleusterau, ond hefyd i gynyddu amlder gwasanaethau sy'n defnyddio'r rheilffordd hon. Mae trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn chwarae rhan hanfodol yn cysylltu ein cymunedau gwledig ac yn lleihau ein hôl troed carbon. Fodd bynnag, er mwyn cyflawni'r nodau hyn, rhaid i'r gwasanaethau ymateb i anghenion teithwyr. Diolch yn fawr.