I will say that ethnic minorities are under-represented in the teaching workforce. That leads to poor outcomes, and I'm very proud of the steps that the last Labour Government took to try and address that. I'm grateful to the First Minister for carrying on that funding.
However, First Minister, on a different issue, you mentioned your flagship announcement early this year to improve recruitment in the education sector. It's a move that has been widely criticised. The National Association of Head Teachers described the plans as a sticking-plaster solution and warned that it risks creating a two-tier workforce. Incredibly, it seems that the plan doesn't require teachers to stay in the profession for a certain period of time having received the financial incentives proposed.
Contributions
134 contributions on record. Newest first, by sitting day. Page 3 of 3. Counted by Siambr
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Felly, Brif Weinidog, allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa drafodaethau gawsoch chi gydag undebau llafur athrawon cyn cyhoeddi'r cynlluniau yma? Rydych chi wedi dweud eich bod chi eisiau gweithio mewn partneriaeth. Beth oedd y trafodaethau gafwyd? Pam na wrandawoch chi ar y consýrn maen nhw wedi ei godi, os gwnaethoch chi gwrdd â nhw? Os na wnaethoch chi gwrdd â nhw, yna sut ydych chi nawr yn mynd i ddysgu'r gwersi?
Official English translation
So, First Minister, could you tell us, First Minister, what discussions you had with the teaching unions before announcing these plans? You said that you want to be working in partnership. What were those discussions that you had? Why didn't you listen to the concerns that they have expressed, if you met with them? If you didn't meet with them, then how are you now going to be learning those lessons?
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Drefnydd, mae'r sylwadau a wnaethpwyd gan y Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol, Tai a Chynllunio yn y Siambr hon ryw bythefnos yn ôl wedi peri cryn ddryswch o fewn llywodraeth leol, pan honnodd y Gweinidog fod rhanbartholrwydd—regionalism—wedi digwydd yn raddol, trwy'r drws cefn. Go brin byddwn i’n disgrifio Deddf Llywodraeth Leol ac Etholiadau (Cymru) 2021 fel drws cefn.
Official English translation
Trefnydd, the comments made by the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning in this Chamber two weeks ago created a lot of confusion within local government, when the Minister asserted that regionalism had happened gradually, through the back door. Now, I wouldn't describe the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 as a back door.
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Trefnydd, corporate joint committees have been established by law. They're not perfect, but they're an important vehicle to ensure that regional collaboration can work on a democratic basis, which contrasts sharply with Plaid Cymru's proposal to outsource regional economic development to unelected quangos. There's a striking example in south Wales that shows how a Welsh Development Agency-style body may not be the best means of delivering economic growth: the LG factory in Newport failing in the early 2000s. Compare that with the recent development of the world-class semiconductor cluster on the same site, something that would not have happened without the support of the south-east Wales CJC. So, Trefnydd, can the Minister make a statement on CJCs and how democratic accountability will be retained in regional economic development?
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Ar y penwythnos, roedd hi'n braf cael mynychu gŵyl dreftadaeth Gymraeg y ddinas, Tafwyl, yn dathlu ei hugeinfed flynedd. Mae hi wedi mynd o nerth i nerth, a braf gweld hynny. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ymrwymo nawr i barhau'r gefnogaeth ariannol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei rhoi i'r ŵyl honno? Yr wythnos ddiwethaf, fe gawsom ni'r newyddion hefyd fod yna nawr fwy o siaradwyr Cymraeg yng Nghaerdydd nag mewn unrhyw awdurdod lleol arall yng Nghymru. Mae hynny yn dilyn degawd a mwy o bolisïau cefnogol, megis adeiladu mwy o dai, hybu twf economaidd y ddinas, hyrwyddo addysg Gymraeg, a statws Caerdydd fel prifddinas wirioneddol ddwyieithog. Gaf i holi ymhellach sut fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhannu'r gwersi o lwyddiant twf Cymraeg Caerdydd gyda gweddill Cymru?
Official English translation
Over the weekend, it was wonderful to attend Tafwyl, the Welsh cultural festival in Cardiff, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. It's gone from strength to strength, which is good to see. Will the Minister commit now to continue with the financial support that the Welsh Government provides to that festival? Last week, we heard the news too that there are now more Welsh speakers in Cardiff than in any other local authority in Wales. That follows a decade or more of supportive policies, such as building more homes, promoting economic growth in the city, promoting Welsh-medium education, and the status of Cardiff as a truly bilingual capital city. Can I ask you further how the Welsh Government will share the lessons of the success of the growth of the Welsh language in Cardiff with the rest of Wales?
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Diolch, Lywydd. Cai Parry-Jones has sought to raise the bar in terms of being nice, not just to the Minister, but also to Labour First Ministers, so I will try and follow suit and acknowledge the good dialogue that's taken place in the lead-up to the publication of the supplementary budget. I sincerely hope that that's not the end of the dialogue ahead of the vote. Yesterday, Minister, you and other Ministers, in referring to the supplementary budget tabled, repeatedly made the point that this was enacting Plaid Cymru priorities. Last night, several of us from this Chamber, including the Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, attended a screening of the People's Emergency Briefing, organised by WWF Cymru and Climate Cymru. The message about the urgent need for Governments to step up their efforts in tackling climate change was sobering, stark and urgent, and I'd really recommend every Member should watch that documentary. But, Minister, of the hundreds of millions of additional funding you announced yesterday, not one extra penny went towards tackling climate change. Can the people of Wales conclude, therefore, that tackling climate change is not a priority for this new Government?
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Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Byddwn ni yn Llafur Cymru yn sicr yn parhau i wylio pa ddatblygiadau sy'n digwydd ar y mater hwnnw. A gaf i droi nawr at rywbeth sydd yn sicr yn flaenoriaeth i'r Llywodraeth newydd: adolygiadau, ymgynghoriadau, comisiynau, cyfarfodydd, pwyllgorau? Mae llu ohonynt wedi'u cyhoeddi fel rhan o 100 diwrnod cyntaf Plaid Cymru. Fe holais i'r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Effeithiolrwydd Llywodraeth a’r Cyfansoddiad ddoe am y costau, ond ges i ddim ateb clir. Felly, tybed a all y Gweinidog cyllid ddweud wrth y Senedd heddiw faint, mewn punnoedd a cheiniogau, fydd yr amrywiol adolygiadau, comisiynau ac ymgynghoriadau yma sydd wedi cael eu cyhoeddi yn costio i drethdalwyr. Diolch yn fawr.
Official English translation
I thank the Minister for that response. Certainly, we in Welsh Labour will continue to look at the developments in that area. If I could turn now to something that is certainly a priority for the new Government: reviews, consultations, commissions, meetings and committees. A whole host of them have been announced in the first 100 days of the Plaid Cymru Government. I asked the Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution yesterday about the costs attached, but I wasn't given a clear response. So, I wonder whether the Minister for finance can inform the Senedd today how much, in pounds and pence, will the various reviews, commissions and consultations that have been announced cost to taxpayers. Thank you very much.
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First Minister, could you elaborate further on the current position of housing associations in Wales in terms of their number and their interaction with local authorities? In particular, the experience that is common amongst stock-holding local authorities is that housing associations are able to offer better payment for development managers and are therefore poaching staff from councils and, in turn, making it harder for councils to build housing. This issue could be compounded, I suspect, by your creation of Unnos. How will you resolve the current issue and ensure that the creation of Unnos doesn't exacerbate the problem further?
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Gaf i longyfarch y Gweinidog, oherwydd yn ystod wythnos gyntaf y Llywodraeth hon, rŷn ni wedi gweld ei bod hi'n effeithiol iawn, yn effeithiol iawn, hynny yw, am gomisiynu adolygiadau, cynlluniau a chyfarfodydd? Yn wir, hynna oedd ffocws llethol eich cynllun 100 diwrnod chi. Yr hyn rydyn ni wedi gweld llai ohono fe yw penderfyniadau, gweithredu, newidiadau gwirioneddol ac ystyrlon, a dyna, yn ein barn ni, ydy'r mesur o Lywodraeth effeithiol. A all y Gweinidog ddweud wrth y Senedd beth yw cyfanswm y gost amcangyfrifedig i'r pwrs cyhoeddus o'r holl adolygiadau, yr holl gynlluniau a'r holl gomisiynau a lansiwyd gan y Llywodraeth ers iddi ddod i rym? Ar rai polisïau allweddol y Llywodraeth hon, mae cwestiynau heb eu hateb ynghylch hanfodion y ddarpariaeth, cwestiynau am sut a phryd y gall pobl Cymru ddisgwyl newid yn eu bywydau beunyddiol. Roeddwn i eisiau rhoi cyfle i'r Gweinidog egluro rhai o'r rhain heddiw. Erbyn pryd fydd y Llywodraeth hon yn dileu arosiadau dwy flynedd yn y gwasanaeth iechyd? Erbyn pryd fydd y cynnig gofal plant ar gael i blant o naw mis oed? Faint o weithwyr gofal plant a lleoliadau gofal plant newydd fydd eu hangen i wneud i hynny ddigwydd? A ble fydd y 10 canolfan lawfeddygol newydd a addawyd ledled Cymru? Erbyn pryd fyddan nhw wedi eu hadeiladu, Weinidog?
Official English translation
May I congratulate the Minister, because during the first week of this Government, we have seen that it is very effective, very effective, that is, at commissioning reviews and plans and organising meetings? Indeed, that was the primary focus of your 100 days plan. What we've seen less of is decision making, action, real and meaningful changes, and that, in our view, is the measure of effective Government. Can the Minister tell the Senedd what is the total estimated cost to the public purse of all the reviews, all the plans and all the commissions that have been launched by the Government since it came to power? On some key policies of this Government, there are unanswered questions as to the basics around the provision, questions as to how and when the people of Wales can expect to see changes to their daily lives. I wanted to give the Minister an opportunity to explain some of these today. By when will this Government actually scrap two-year waits in the health service? When will the childcare offer be available for children from nine months old? How many childcare workers and childcare settings will be needed to allow that to happen? And where will the 10 new surgical hubs promised across Wales be located? By when will they have been built, Minister?
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These are the practical answers that people want. Now, we welcome the proposals for a public dashboard. That follows from the lead of certain local councils I could mention. Will the Minister commit that this data will be live data, updated regularly, and will he commit that it will include key performance indicators set out and requested by the Senedd's committee? Can I also just pick up on one eyebrow-raising measure of Government efficiency, which I don't think the people of Wales were expecting, and that is his reference to the expansion of the Cabinet Office? Minister, people want better public services; they don't want more civil servants in Cathays Park. So, what is the cost of that expanded Cabinet Office, please? And there are, of course, notable absences from the Minister's priorities. In three weeks' time, school support staff, our teaching assistants, caretakers, catering staff and more, essentially stop being paid until the autumn. That's thousands of working people who we all rely on, day in, day out, who aren't paid all year round. It's the sort of injustice that an effective Government should surely seek to solve. Will the Minister commit to setting up a school support staff negotiating body with year-round pay as a priority? On constitutional matters, the Minister and I will share many views about which powers should transfer from Westminster to Wales. The Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales has established a robust shared ground, and I welcome the Minister's commitment to a resetting of the relationship with Westminster based on mutual respect, and that respect, of course, goes and needs to go both ways. But for Welsh Labour—and particularly for myself, given my experience of local government—devolution doesn't end, or shouldn't end, in Cardiff Bay. It was never and should never be about replacing one form of centralisation with another; it's about putting power back into people's hands, to give people more of a say and to help us all make the changes we want to see, faster. So, with that in mind, can the Minister set out what powers this Government intends to devolve from the Welsh Government to our corporate joint committees, to our local authorities, to our communities? Can the Minister explain why his Government, rather than trusting democratically elected councillors to deliver economic growth, wants to give the powers to unelected technocrats to run a new Welsh Development Agency quango? Can the Minister explain why, rather than trusting democratically elected councillors to deliver social housing, you want to create a new quango, Unnos, which creates another layer of bureaucracy? I'm going to quote Aneurin Bevan now, probably not for the last time. He said the purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away. He meant to ordinary people and communities. What you are doing, I fear, is taking that power further away from them. Thank you.
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Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac a gaf i groesawu'r Gweinidog i'w swydd a'i llongyfarch, a dweud pa mor dda ydy cael cardi yng ngofal yr arian y dyddiau hyn? Ond, Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod i'n teimlo'n fwy parod ar gyfer y datganiad hwn nag oeddwn i wedi rhagweld, yn bennaf oherwydd bod cymaint o'r cynnwys wedi cael ei friffio ymlaen llaw i'r cyfryngau dros yr ychydig ddyddiau ac wythnosau diwethaf, ac, mae'n siomedig, heb unrhyw hysbysiad dyledus i'r Senedd hon.
Official English translation
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and may I welcome the Minister to her role and congratulate her, and say how good it is to have a cardi in charge of the money? But, Dirprwy Lywydd, I have to say that I was more prepared for this statement than I'd anticipated, mainly because so much of the content had been briefed beforehand in the media over the past few days and weeks, and, disappointingly, without any notice to this Senedd.
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Governments should welcome scrutiny, not avoid it, and I would urge the Minister, building on her commendable track record on this whilst she was Llywydd, to take this message back to her colleagues in Government, asking them to reflect on this and immediately change their approach, to show the Senedd the respect it deserves. Over the last few weeks, we've also heard Plaid Cymru on their social media accuse the previous Welsh Labour Government of financial mismanagement. Plaid Cymru's surprise at the financial situation will come as a shock to those who examined the last budget, which was, of course, completely open to scrutiny and passed through a deal with Plaid Cymru. All Members here should know that that annual budget, passed earlier this year, included retaining £120 million of capital funding and additional consequentials that would be available for the next Government to allocate after the election, and Plaid Cymru have wasted no time in doing that. There is, in fact, so much headroom as a result of the previous Welsh Labour Government's responsible financial management that, today, Plaid Cymru is announcing over £400 million of additional funding and over £200 million of reserves on top of the Welsh reserve. You simply cannot spend the money Labour left behind whilst also complaining about the financial legacy. You cannot have it both ways. Now given all this speculation, I am keen to examine the actual detail of this supplementary budget.
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Rŷn ni'n nodi ac yn croesawu nad oedd unrhyw doriadau arfaethedig i raglen gyllideb sylfaenol Llafur Cymru. Mae cyllid pellach ar gyfer lleihau amserodd aros y gwasanaeth iechyd yn parhau â'r buddsoddiad a ddechreuodd Llafur Cymru. Ers y buddsoddiad hwnnw o £120 miliwn gan Lafur ym mis Mehefin y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, a diolch wrth gwrs i waith caled staff y gwasanaeth iechyd, mae amserodd aros yn y gwasanaeth iechyd wedi gostwng. Rhaid i'r gwaith hwnnw barhau, ac mae hynny'n golygu bod yn glir ynghylch beth fydd yn cael ei gyflawni ac erbyn pryd. Nawr bod gennym ffigurau buddsoddi arfaethedig o'n blaenau, a all y Llywodraeth ddweud wrthym, o'r diwedd, erbyn pa ddyddiad y bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn dileu arosiadau o ddwy flynedd? Rwyf hefyd yn nodi y cyllid ar gyfer rhai o addewidion maniffesto Llafur Cymru, fel parhau â'r prisiau bws £1 i bobl ifanc, er dwi'n gweld bod Plaid Cymru wedi methu â chyflawni'n huchelgais ni i gynyddu'r oedran cymhwysedd o 21 i 25. Mae'n werth hefyd sôn bod y bws newydd o ogledd Cymru i'r de ond yn bosibl oherwydd y gwaith adeiladol a wnaed gan y cyn-Weinidog, Ken Skates. Ond yr hyn sy'n fwy nodedig yw beth sydd ar goll.
Official English translation
We note and welcome that there were no proposed cuts to the basic programme put forward by Welsh Labour. The further funding for reducing waiting times in the health service continues with the investment that Welsh Labour began. Since that investment of £120 million by Labour in June of last year, and thanks of course to the hard work of NHS staff, waiting times in the NHS have reduced. This work must continue, and that means being clear as to what will be delivered and by when. Now that we do have proposed investment figures, can the Government tell us, at last, by when will this Government eradicate waits of over two years? I also note the funding for some of Welsh Labour's manifesto pledges, such as continuing with £1 bus fares for young people, although I see that Plaid Cymru has failed to deliver our ambition to increase the age from 21 to 25. It's worth also mentioning that the new north-south coach link is only possible because of the constructive work done by the former Minister, Ken Skates. But what's more notable is what is missing.
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The UK Labour Government made £340 million of consequentials available this year from their investment in support for children with additional learning needs. Why is this money not being passed on to councils in Wales to support schools and children with ALN? Our additional learning needs system is under pressure. Children and young people's needs require more complex, extensive and long-term support. The pressure facing England exists here in Wales too. And just because Welsh councils have been better funded and better managed than some of those in England that have had to resort to a statutory override, it does not mean that school reserves have sufficient headroom to absorb ongoing cost increases. Every single Welsh council, of every political stripe, including Plaid Cymru ones, every teaching union, has called on this Government for this money to go to schools. Welsh Labour stands with them. How can the Minister justify why Welsh councils, schools and children should miss out? And where is this consequential funding going? I cannot accept that you're so worried about in-year departmental overspends that you need to hold back £246 million in-year reserves on top of the Welsh reserve. And, on a different note, where is any additional funding to tackle the climate crisis? This is a budget supposedly of priorities. We heard earlier how much importance the young people of Wales put on climate change. Not a single new penny in the supplementary budget on this issue. That is of concern to us, as it will be to others on these benches. There are some positives in the supplementary budget—many Welsh Labour policies that it would continue to deliver. We do recognise that. But, ultimately, my reading of this first budget is that it attempts to fund Plaid Cymru's uncosted manifesto pledges on the back of the environment and on the backs of schools and children with additional learning needs. If this truly represents the new Government's priorities, then I know many people in Wales will now be very anxious about what the next four years holds.
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6. Pa asesiad mae'r Gweinidog Cabinet wedi'i wneud o gyflwr adeiladau a'r sefyllfa cynnal a chadw ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro? OQ64149
Official English translation
6. What assessment has the Cabinet Minister made of the condition and maintenance of buildings in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board? OQ64149
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Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb.
Official English translation
I thank the Minister for that response.
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I'd like to raise specifically the conditions at the University Hospital of Wales at the Heath. Anyone who has visited the hospital in recent years will recognise the parlous state of parts of the buildings there. I think everyone can also recognise the challenge and multi-billion pound cost of replacing the Heath hospital. But residents in the Cardiff and Vale health board area, and further afield, will have likewise been alarmed by comments from the Minister before the election, essentially proposing mothballing parts of the current site. Welsh Labour, in our costed manifesto, put forward an ambitious plan to fully replace the Heath hospital with a new building, taking advantage of an improved funding settlement from the UK Government and using an innovative mix of capital and borrowing to fund the build. Will the Minister work with us to deliver the new hospital rather than resorting to a sticking-plaster solution? Diolch.
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Llywydd, I rise to speak in support of the Welsh Labour amendment, but we'll also be voting for the Plaid Cymru amendment. It seems to me, Llywydd, that there are two arguments in favour of international spend by Welsh Government. The first is a hard-nosed one, that we get excellent value for money for it, frankly. We've heard the figures: £9 million spent abroad annually, 0.031 per cent of the Welsh Government budget. And of that figure, £8 million is spent on promoting Wales abroad, with an emphasis on economic development, through in-country offices in places like New York, in the middle east and Europe. They support the growth of Welsh exports and help secure direct investment into Wales. Remember the international investment summit held in Newport last December; the £16 billion headline investment secured through that conference would not have been secured without the work of our international offices. Indeed, in 2024-25, Wales saw a 23 per cent increase in levels of foreign direct investment, with 65 new investments, 2,500 new jobs, with Wales having the second highest percentage increase in projects of any part of the UK. And this expenditure on international work has also supported the recruitment of hundreds of healthcare workers to support the NHS here in Wales. It is clear, therefore, that there is a direct benefit to Wales from this spend. In a post-Brexit world, which you guys voted for, this is exactly what we should be doing out there—promoting Wales on a global stage. But, beyond the self-interest argument, there is also a moral case to be made. Global solidarity is not an add-on for Wales; it is woven into who we are. In a former career, many years ago, I was employed by Christian Aid. It’s an organisation that was born out of the rubble of the second world war, a time when churches and chapels the length of Wales came together to help refugees in Europe rebuild their lives—the people of Wales emerging from their greatest crisis, seeing their place in building a world that was more just, where everybody could flourish. It's that same internationalism that saw Welsh workers join the international brigade to fight fascism in Spain in the 1930s, the same idealism that saw communities across Wales in the early 2000s join the Make Poverty History campaign, demanding a world free from poverty. And Wales answered with our own Wales for Africa programme. This funding wasn’t put in place on a whim, but in response to concerted calls by Welsh voters. So, let us be clear, Llywydd: Wales is not an island. We are not insulated from the war in Ukraine, from drought and disease in east Africa, or from conflict in the middle east that displaced families. Conflict and climate change drive up the cost of living in our communities. In an ever more interconnected world, the people of Wales are entitled to a Government and a Senedd that takes the needs of its people seriously and its global responsibilities seriously. We’ve already heard this term repeated references to immigration and asylum seekers from the benches opposite. If they genuinely wanted to reduce immigration, then they would support aid funding to help people in the global south affected by conflict and the impact of climate change. If they genuinely wanted to tackle child poverty, they wouldn’t oppose the UK Labour Government scrapping the two-child benefit cap. But Reform aren’t interested in actual solutions, are they? And this debate is yet another opportunity to stoke outrage in a way that is at odds with the reality and a million miles away from the genuine generosity that the people of Wales find in their hearts when crisis strikes. When the Disasters Emergency Committee launched its Ukraine appeal, people in Wales gave nearly £16 million, including £4 million from the Welsh Government, demonstrating the strength of public support for this international expenditure. Christian Aid, Save the Children, Oxfam were amongst the DEC charities turning this generosity into action, supplying 75,000 civilian trauma kits and other critical medical supplies to Ukraine. These are life-saving initiatives that Ukraine's health ministry credits with helping to save civilian lives. This is what this funding delivers, Llywydd, fractional though it is—not a luxury, a commitment to hope, to human flourishing and a better future for Wales and the world. It's an expression of who we've always been and who I hope we will always remain. And that is why I will be voting against this cynical motion today. Thank you.
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Thank you for taking the intervention. Will the Member accept that economic development is something that the Senedd and Welsh Government does have devolved competency for? And will he further accept that the vast majority of this spend internationally is on economic development?
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Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Dwi'n codi i gyflwyno'r gwelliant hwnnw, gwelliant dwi'n gobeithio caiff ei weld fel un cadarnhaol sy'n cryfhau nod y cynnig gwreiddiol i sefydlu cofrestr statudol o lobïwyr. Yn gyntaf, hoffwn roi ar gofnod ein diolch ni i Bwyllgor Safonau Ymddygiad y chweched Senedd am ei waith yn datblygu fframwaith safonau cliriach, cryfach a mwy tryloyw, gan gynnwys adolygu ac ychwanegu at y cod ymddygiad yr ydym i gyd yn ei ddilyn yn y lle hwn. Rwyf hefyd yn cymeradwyo gwaith y pwyllgor safonau ar urddas a pharch, gyda phroses adalw yn arbennig o bwysig i iechyd ein democratiaeth Gymreig. Rhaid inni bob amser ymdrechu at y safonau uchaf o ymddygiad fel Aelodau o'r Senedd hon. Gan droi at lobïo yn benodol, mae adroddiad etifeddiaeth y pwyllgor safonau wedi gadael y gwaith o symud ymlaen â'r gofrestr statudol o lobïwyr i fyny i ni, fel Aelodau newydd o'r Senedd, ac i'r pwyllgor safonau newydd. Mae'r Aelodau ar y meinciau hyn yn barod i wthio hyn yn ei flaen, ac rwy'n galw ar bob Aelod yn y lle hwn i gydweithio ar y mater. Dylai'r tryloywder ychwanegol hwn gael ei groesawu gan Aelodau'r Senedd hon a chan bawb, fel y gwnaethpwyd y pwynt jest nawr. Mae'n iawn bod y wybodaeth hon ar gael yn gyhoeddus i bobl ei harchwilio a'i deall. Fel Senedd wedi'i hehangu, mae gennym ddyletswydd i bobl Cymru i fod mor agored a thryloyw ag y gallwn. Diolch.
Official English translation
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I formally move that amendment, an amendment that I hope will be seen as positive, which strengthens the aim of the original motion to establish a statutory register of lobbyists. First of all, I'd like to put on record our thanks to the Standards of Conduct Committee of the sixth Senedd for their work in developing a clearer standards framework, which is more robust and transparent, including reviewing and adding to the code of conduct that we all follow in this place. I also praise the work of the standards committee on dignity and respect, with the recall process being particularly important to the health of our Welsh democracy. We must always strive for the highest standards of conduct as Members of this Senedd. Turning now specifically to the issue of lobbying, the legacy report of the standards committee has left the work of moving forward with a statutory register of lobbyists to us, as newly elected Members of the Senedd, and to the new standards committee. Members on these benches are ready to progress this agenda, and I call on all Members in this place to work together on this issue. This additional transparency should be welcomed by Members of this Senedd and by everyone, as the point was just made. It's right that this information should be publicly available for people to scrutinise and understand. In an expanded Parliament, we have a duty to the people of Wales to be as open and as transparent as we can be. Thank you.
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You mention party conferences. It's a matter of record that, in the past, Reform have banned journalists from their party conferences. Do you regret that, and will you take that up with the party leadership?
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A gaf i groesawu'r Gweinidog i'r swydd a dymuno'n dda iddo fe, gan obeithio bod digon o aer yn nheiars y beic gweinidogol swyddogol, a digon o wynt yn ei ysgyfaint e hefyd? Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, pleidleisiodd y Senedd o blaid dod â chynigion deddfwriaethol ymlaen yn ystod blwyddyn gyntaf y Senedd hon i sefydlu corff negodi statudol ar gyfer staff cymorth ysgolion.
Official English translation
May I welcome the Minister to his role and wish him well, in the hope that there is enough air in the tyres of the ministerial bike, and enough wind in his sails too? Minister, last week, the Senedd voted in favour of bringing legislative proposals forward during the first year of the Senedd to establish a statutory negotiating body for school support staff.
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Can you confirm, as the Cabinet Minister with responsibility for the legislative programme and the programme for government, that you are now respecting the Senedd's wishes and have begun preparing legislation for a school support staff negotiating body to be contained in the legislative programme? Diolch yn fawr.
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Dwi'n diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Doedd dim llawer o gadarnhad yn fanna, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, a dwi'n gobeithio na fydd cynorthwywyr dysgu, y cogyddion a'r glanhawyr sy'n gwrando ar y drafodaeth hon yn teimlo bod eu buddiannau nhw yn mynd i wynebu strygl uphill, os caf i barhau gyda'r references beicio.
Official English translation
I thank the Minister for that response. There wasn't a great deal of confirmation given there, and I do hope that the teaching assistants, cleaners and cooks listening to this discussion won't feel that their interests will face an uphill struggle, if I can continue with my cycling references.
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Turning now, Minister, to what you have said you would be doing, on your manifesto during the election, the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that Plaid Cymru's policies would deepen the cuts faced by unprotected services. Welsh Labour, my party, warned that your policies were undeliverable without severe cuts. Plaid Cymru, of course, told the electorate that you had costed policies but that you wouldn't publish them. So, given, Minister, that you have responsibility for planning the Welsh Government's legislative programme and oversight of the programme for government, can you today unambiguously confirm on the record in the Senedd that every pledge in your manifesto will make its way into the legislative programme and the programme for government in the form that they are outlined in your manifesto? And if the answer is 'no', what are you already deprioritising? Thank you.
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Gaf i gynnig dymuniadau gorau i'r Gweinidog a dweud ei bod hi'n dda gweld, ynddi hi ac ynof fi, dau gyn-ddisgybl o Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth yn y Senedd? Yr ysgol honno, wrth gwrs, oedd yr ysgol gynradd cyfrwng Gymraeg gyntaf erioed i gael ei sefydlu, a mater o falchder i mi, felly, yn ystod fy nghyfnod fel arweinydd Cyngor Caerdydd, fu cyflawni twf sylweddol mewn darpariaeth addysg Gymraeg yn y brif ddinas. Bellach, mae'r ddinas yn ystyried sut y gellid agor pedwaredd ysgol uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg yma. Yn gynharach eleni, derbyniais i ymateb cadarnhaol gan y Gweinidog cyllid ar y pryd, Mark Drakeford, i fy nghais yn gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru ddarparu'r tir sydd yn ei heiddo ar Sgwâr Callaghan i Gyngor Caerdydd fel safle posibl ar gyfer yr ysgol newydd hon. A gaf i gadarnhad heddiw gennych chi fod y cynnig hwnnw'n dal i sefyll o dan y Llywodraeth newydd? Ac a gaf i holi ymhellach ac yn fwy cyffredinol, gyda chynghorau sir fel Caerdydd yn edrych i gynyddu'r ystod ddaearyddol o ysgolion Cymraeg mewn cyfnod lle mae cyfraddau genedigaethau'n disgyn, a fyddwch chi'n darparu ariannu pellach i gynghorau i gynnal y gwarged, y surplus, o lefydd fydd yn bodoli mewn ysgolion presennol wrth i ysgolion newydd gael eu hagor?
Official English translation
May I wish the Minister well and say that it's good to see, in her and myself, two former pupils from Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth in the Senedd? That school, of course, was the first Welsh-medium primary school to be established, and it was a cause of pride for me, during my time as leader of Cardiff Council, to deliver significant growth in Welsh-medium education in the capital city. Now, the city is considering how a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school can be opened. Earlier this year, I received a positive response from the Minister for finance at the time, Mark Drakeford, to my request asking the Welsh Government to provide the land that it owns on Callaghan Square to Cardiff Council as a possible site for this new school. Can I have confirmation today from you that that proposal still stands under this new Government? Can I ask you further and in more general terms, with councils such as Cardiff looking to increase the geographical range of Welsh-medium schools in a period when the birth rate is falling, will you provide further funding to councils to maintain that surplus of places that will exist in current schools as new schools are established?
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Croeso i chi i'r swydd, Weinidog. Ar y thema bwyd, gaf i gymeradwyo gwaith Food Cardiff, Bwyd Caerdydd, sydd wedi ennill gwobr aur Mannau Bwyd Cynaliadwy yn ddiweddar—dim ond y pedwerydd awdurdod lleol ym Mhrydain i wneud hynny? Felly, byddai'n grêt cael hwb o Lywodraeth Cymru i ehangu'r gwaith hynny ar draws Cymru.
Official English translation
Welcome to your role, Minister. On the theme of food, may I draw your attention to the work of Food Cardiff, Bwyd Caerdydd, which has won the Sustainable Food Places gold prize recently—the fourth local authority in the UK to have won this award? So, it would be great to have a boost from the Welsh Government to expand that work across Wales.
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My question is on food in schools. Of course, here in Wales, for 22 years now, we've had free breakfasts in our schools, and the last Welsh Labour Government introduced universal free school meals at primary school age. For too many of our pupils, this is the only proper meal of the day that they have every day—hugely important—and yet we know that food costs have risen dramatically in recent years. So, my question is: when councils tell Welsh Government what the cost of supplying these meals are, will you accept and respect their advice and fund it, or else risk affecting the quality and provenance of the food served to our young people? Diolch yn fawr.
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Dwi'n codi i gefnogi'r cynnig ac, wrth wneud hynny, hoffwn ddatgan buddiant fel aelod o Unison Cymru a GMB, y ddau undeb llafur sy'n cynrychioli ac wedi ymgyrchu dros staff cefnogol mewn ysgolion. Wnaf i ddim ailadrodd y dadleuon pwerus sydd wedi cael eu gwneud gan fy nghyd-Aelodau o blaid y cynnig yma, ond, fel cyn-arweinydd awdurdod lleol, fel llywodraethwr ysgol o hyd, ac fel rhiant, hoffwn i gydnabod a diolch i'r holl staff cefnogol o fewn ein hysgolion ni yn gweithio ledled Cymru am y gwaith hollbwysig maen nhw'n ei wneud. Dwi hefyd eisiau pwysleisio sut mae'r swyddi rŷn ni'n diffinio fel swyddi cefnogi ysgolion wedi esblygu yn y blynyddoedd diweddar.
Official English translation
I speak to support the motion, and, in doing so, I'd like to declare an interest as a member of Unison Cymru and the GMB, the two unions representing and campaigning for support staff in our schools. I won’t rehearse the powerful arguments that have been made by my colleagues in favour of this motion, but, as a former leader of a local authority, as an acting school governor, and as a parent, I would like to recognise and thank all of the support staff within our schools working across Wales for the crucially important work that they do. I also want to emphasise how the posts that we define as school support roles have evolved in recent years.
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A recent report by Unison confirmed how, since COVID, the role of teaching assistants in particular has changed hugely, with the role becoming more complex and a whole new range of skills required. A rise in anxiety amongst pupils has led to learning support assistants undertaking bespoke work with individual pupils. With demand rising for ALN services, academic research has found that teaching assistants helped pupils with learning difficulties make substantial gains in literacy. And there are international studies showing that support staff often play a pivotal but overlooked part of the school system, extending teachers' capacity and sustaining classroom quality. The Education Endowment Foundation captured the case for change well when they concluded that, and I quote: 'With investment in planning and professional development, TAs reported higher morale, teachers valued the additional capacity and pupils benefited from more independent learning.' TAs are, of course, one component of the school support workforce. Caretakers are another component. In every part of Wales now, we have newly built, gleaming school buildings, constructed as part of the last Labour Government's twenty-first century schools programme, providing world-class educational facilities. And I know that schools and councils desperately want these facilities to be available and accessible to the wider community beyond school hours. But, too often, achieving this relies on the goodwill of school caretakers going above and beyond their roles. And let's not also forget our school cleaners, very much at the front line in keeping our schools hygienic and safe during the pandemic, but sometimes—increasingly so in recent years as school budgets are squeezed—schools are often choosing to outsource to cleaning companies without the protections and security that local authority contracts offer. As we've heard, many of our school support staff experience in-work poverty and they face the worst of both worlds, having to take their vacations during expensive peak seasons, but they're not paid during the time they're on holiday. And finally, as Shav was saying, it's important to highlight that a staggering 90.8 per cent of this workforce is made up of women. The working conditions of our school support staff is therefore a gender equality issue. I would just make it clear that this is not a quango we're talking about establishing; it's a negotiating body for collective negotiations. It's a totally different thing. I just want to make that clear on the record. But, Deputy Presiding Officer, this motion, building on a commitment in Welsh Labour's recent manifesto, and, indeed, on the tradition of social partnership that has been established by my party under devolution here in Wales, seeks to address a long-standing unfairness. It supports the lowest paid staff in our schools and it looks to ensure that those whom we trust with our children's welfare, to support their learning in school, are treated with respect and dignity and are paid properly for their work. I urge the Senedd to vote for it today. Diolch yn fawr.
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Diolch, Brif Weinidog. Dwi eisiau ychwanegu fy llais i i'r corws trawsbleidiol ar y mater hwn. Dwi'n gwerthfawrogi fy nghyfaill i'n codi'r pwnc yma.
Official English translation
Thank you, First Minister. I want to add my voice to the cross-party chorus on this matter. I appreciate the comments of my colleague in raising this point.
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It is clear there is cross-party consensus on this issue. Wales has passed very strong legislation going beyond just cladding, but also taking in fire safety. The issue, I think we can all acknowledge, is one of urgency. Now, there are practical challenges to delivering some of the remediation, so my question, in part, is how will the Welsh Government take action to support and overcome some of those practical issues, for example skills within the sector to carry out some of the remediation work, but more specifically, and it echoes the question of both Kiera and Joe, how, First Minister, will your Government hold these companies to account if they continue to prevaricate? I met with an owner-occupier in a different block in Caerdydd Penarth last week. They are suffering real mental anguish as a result of this crisis—a crisis not of their own making. We all owe it to them to act together to resolve this issue. Thank you.
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Llongyfarchiadau a dymuniadau gorau yn y swydd, Mark.
Official English translation
Congratulations and best wishes in this role, Mark.
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As others have said, it is a pity that your first statement in the Chamber has focused so narrowly on just two areas, two pieces of road, with lots of questions across all of Wales. Clearly, taking the M4, much of the congestion around Newport is driven by traffic coming in towards Cardiff, with both daily commuter traffic and traffic towards major events. Cardiff, of course, by most measures, is one of the fastest-growing major cities in Britain over recent years. It's the dynamo of the Welsh economy. And yet, when they come into the eastern side of Cardiff, they're actually channelled into just a two-lane road, along Rover Way, the unfinished eastern bay link. That, in turn, pushes traffic into areas like Splott, Tremorfa, Butetown, Adamsdown—some of the poorest communities in Wales. So, my ask is simple, Minister: not the billions wishlist we heard a minute ago, but rather, less than £2 million funding to deliver the next phase of the business case for the eastern bay link and the wider master planning for dualling of Rover Way. Can you commit to that today, Minister? That would be very welcome and well received in my constituency. Diolch yn fawr.
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Llongyfarchiadau a phob dymuniad da i chi yn eich swydd newydd, Brif Weinidog. O’m rhan i, mae’n fraint ac yn anrhydedd o'r mwyaf i gael sefyll yma yn cynrychioli Caerdydd a Phenarth. O draethau Sblot a Phenarth i gopa’r Garth, o waith dur Tremorfa i swyddfeydd canol y ddinas, ac o Stadiwm Cardiff City i Ganolfan Mileniwm Cymru, mae'r etholaeth hon, dwi'n credu, yn cyfuno'r gorau o brydferthwch naturiol, diwylliant a diwydiant Cymru.
Official English translation
Congratulations and best wishes in your new role, First Minister. From my perspective, it's a great honour and privilege to stand here representing Caerdydd Penarth. From the beaches of Splott and Penarth to the top of the Garth mountain, from the steelworks in Tremorfa to the office blocks in the city centre, and from Cardiff City Stadium to the Wales Millennium Centre, this constituency, I believe, represents the best of the natural beauty, culture and industry of Wales.
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And yet, poverty and inequality persist in these communities, nowhere more obviously so than in the field of housing, and I was struck that there was no mention in your statement of the need to build new homes. Both Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan councils are pursuing bold council house building programmes, but their ambition is not matched in Plaid Cymru's manifesto, whose targets are well below what is needed, and indeed in Cardiff's case, what's already in the pipeline. What, First Minister, is behind Plaid's lack of ambition in this area? Do you plan perhaps to cut the social housing grant, or do you agree with me that Welsh Government should increase funding in line with construction inflation, so that councils and housing associations across Wales can get on and deliver the homes that our people need? Diolch yn fawr.
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Sources
The Record of Proceedings for each sitting day, quoted verbatim.