Mae’n wir i ddweud, wrth gwrs, bod Cymru wastad wedi bod yn wlad lle mae’r angen yn llawer mwy na’r adnoddau sydd gyda ni i gwrdd â’r angen hynny. Ac mae hynny yn sicr yn wir ar hyn o bryd am y rhesymau yr oedd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn eu darlunio, a hynny, wrth gwrs, yn ganlyniad i’r polisi llymdra o San Steffan.

Ond mae wedi bod yn wir, wrth gwrs, am gyfnod hirach na hynny. Mae haneswyr yn galw Cymru yn ‘genedl hwyr’ yn yr ystyr ein bod ni ddim wedi medru, wrth gwrs, adeiladu’r isadeiledd sydd yn angenrheidiol ar gyfer bod yn genedl lewyrchus. Mae pennu cyllideb, felly, yn un o’r cyfrifoldebau pwysicaf sydd gyda ni yn y lle hwn oherwydd, wrth gwrs, mae’n rhaid inni flaenori’r gwaith yna o ailadeiladu’r genedl yna a mynd i’r afael â rhoi ateb i’r esgeulustra sydd wedi bod am genedlaethau.

Dyna’r chwyddwydr rŷm ni’n ei ddefnyddio ym Mhlaid Cymru wrth asesu sut i ddwyn i gyfrif y Llywodraeth lle mae hynny’n angenrheidiol, ond hefyd, wrth gwrs, i weithio o blaid cydweithio lle mae yna dir cyffredin. Des i mewn i wleidyddiaeth er mwyn gwneud gwahaniaeth, a dyna beth mae Plaid Cymru wedi ei wneud, wrth gwrs, trwy’r cytundeb rydym ni wedi ei wneud unwaith eto gyda’r Llywodraeth Lafur. A dweud y gwir, byddai’n well gyda fi fod yn sedd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, ac rydw i’n mawr obeithio y bydd Plaid Cymru yn arwain Llywodraeth ar ryw bwynt, achos mae yna bethau, wrth gwrs, lle rydym ni’n anghytuno’n chwyrn.

Mae yna feysydd lle na wnes i ddim llwyddo i berswadio’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet: ar hyn o bryd, wrth gwrs, yr holl gwestiwn ynglŷn â’r cyflogau a’r cap ar gyflogau yn y sector gyhoeddus, y cwestiwn ynglŷn â’r ffioedd dysgu, wrth gwrs, a chynyddu’r baich a’r dyledion sydd yn mynd i fod ar fyfyrwyr. Yn fanna, rydym ni’n anghytuno â’r Llywodraeth, ac, am y rheswm hwnnw, wrth gwrs, nid ydym ni’n mynd i gefnogi’r gyllideb yma, ac mi fyddwn ni’n dal i anghytuno ar y meysydd hynny ac ar feysydd eraill. Ond lle mae yna dir cyffredin, wrth gwrs, rydym ni’n barod i gydweithio gyda phobl o bleidiau eraill er budd Cymru, a dyna beth mae pobl Cymru yn ei ddisgwyl oddi wrthym ni, a dweud y gwir, ydy gwleidyddiaeth sydd yn aeddfed, sydd yn edrych i’r hirdymor. All Cymru ddim aros tair blynedd a hanner am etholiad i gael Llywodraeth newydd er mwyn adeiladu’r seiliau sydd eu hangen ar gyfer yr hirdymor. Felly, nid ydw i’n ymddiheuro am eiliad am wneud ein rhan ni dros adeiladu’r Gymru well rydym ni eisiau ei gweld.

There are a number of areas where Wales cannot wait for a change of Government, and, therefore, in a Parliament where the Government does not have a majority, it is incumbent upon all of us, as parliamentarians, to do our bit to actually put into action the kind of policies that we want to see, that we were elected on, and that’s what we try to do in the agreement that we have that has been set out. We’ve clearly made the point on many occasions in recent years that we must ensure that Wales does not become, in microcosm, a version of the UK’s problem of an overcentralisation, overconcentration, of wealth in one corner of Wales. We want to see success in that corner of Wales, but we want to see that spread equally, and that also requires public investment in those areas as well. And, yet again, in this budget agreement, we tried to emphasise having that investment in all parts of Wales.

So, we have the £4 million to kick-start the development of the third Menai bridge, we have the development of the integrated healthcare centre in Cardigan, £15 million for the improvement north-south links, and the upgrading of the TrawsCymru service as well, of course, the work continuing on the feasibility study of the Aberystwyth-Carmarthen railway line, as was referred to earlier, and the national football museum in north-east Wales as well. And, indeed, if we’re removing tolls on the Severn bridge in that corner of Wales, then it’s right as well that we follow through on the principle and remove the tolls on the Cleddau bridge in south-west Wales as well.

It’s good to see a commitment for making sure that the south Wales metro reaches all parts of the Valleys in its area, and so looking at extending and linking into the Rhondda Fach, and creating a new metro as well for Swansea bay and the south Wales Valleys. So, making sure that this is a budget for the whole of Wales is a core principle for us, and that’s what we tried to do with the agreement, but it’s also about investing in our future, so it’s good to see an additional £40 million there for higher and further education. Young people are absolutely our most critical resource—true for any country and certainly true for us. There is £6 million, as well, for young farmers to actually ensure that we have a future for that sector that is grounded within new entrants into the industry. In north Wales, £14 million for medical training and a development fund for undergraduate medical training, building on the £7 million for last year.

Our deal is also about new ideas—new ideas that try to come up with solutions for some of the long-standing problems that we address in this Chamber, looking at new innovations within health and social care. The Buurtzorg pilot that will lead to the training of 80 new district nurses, the foundational economy, which has broad cross-party support—it’s here in the Plaid Cymru agreement so we can start the work, not just talk about it, but start the work on actually putting that into action in tangible ways, beginning with care and procurement as sectoral focuses.

So, there are a number of areas here that we also feel have been underinvested in in the past, and we’re trying to set the balance right. Mental health—I think there’s a broad consensus that that is a sector that has not had the support it deserves, and so, yet again, right at the core of the agreement, an additional £40 million on top of the £20 million from last year, but now, crucially, baselined, so that will be there, recurrent into the future, as it should be if we’re to meet the requirements of that important sector of our public health service. Agriculture and tourism get additional money. They’ve often been cinderella sectors in recent years. We need to see them actually—. They’re at the core of the rural economy, and it’s good to see additional money here as a result of Plaid Cymru priorities in this budget.

There is £15 million overall additional money for the Welsh language, and if you count all the additional Welsh language-related areas, there’s an additional £20 million investment. Additional money—that’s the way that we’re going to achieve the ambitious target that the Government has set out in terms of the million Welsh speakers by 2050.