Bethan Jenkins AC/AM South Wales West

BETHAN Jenkins AM will speaking at a special conference to mark International Women’s day on Monday, 8 March, in Merthyr Tydfil.

Women making a Difference in their Communities, which will be held at Myfanwy Theatre in Merthyr Tydfil College, is organised by the Bevan Foundation and will include discussions on the following topics:

- Why women matter

- Hints and tips on making your mark

- Women making a difference

- Women across the world

- How was it for you?

Bethan will feature along with a host of other speakers. The event runs from 10.15am to 3pm. Attendance is free, lunch is included and there is help with travel costs – but you must register to come by completing and returning a booking form.

To receive a a booking form, call (01495) 356702, or email events@bevanfoundation.org

Ar Ddydd Mawrth yr 2ail o Chwefror, fe wnaeth Bethan siarad ar gynllun gweithgarwch corfforol Llywodraeth Cymru. Dyma a ddywedwyd:

Hoffwn ddechrau trwy ddweud diolch i’r Gweinidog a’i dîm am adroddiad sydd, yn fy marn i, yr adroddiad mwyaf cynhwysfawr hyd yn hyn ar helpu pobl yng Nghymru cael y gorau o ymarfer corff.

Mae hyn yn bwysig iawn gan fod y ffigyrau yn dal yn achosion pryder:

• Mae llai na thraean (30%) o oedolion Cymreig yn gwneud digon o ymarfer corff i fod o les i’w hiechyd;
• Mae llai na hanner (44%) o blant rhwng 7 ac 11, a thipyn dros draean (35%) o blant rhwng 11 ac 16, yn cael 60 munud o ymarfer corff cymedrol pum niwrnod yr wythnos;
• Mae un allan o bob deg plentyn rhwng 7 ac 11, a 14% o’r rheini rhwng 11 a 16heb fod yn 60 munud o ymarfer corff ar unrhyw ddydd yn yr wythnos;
• Mae gan Gymru un o’r lefelau uchaf o ordewdra ymhlith pobl yn eu harddegau yn y byd gorllewin;
• Mae bron dau draean (62%) o ddynion a dros hanner (53%) o fenywod yng Nghymru dros bwysau neu’n ordew;
• Mae cost o anweithgarwch corfforol yn costio tua £650 miliwn i Gymru bob blwyddyn.

Nawr rydym wedi newid y targedi o osodwyd i fynd i’r afael â’r problemau hyn. Yn lle ceisio cynyddu pwyntiau canran y rheini sy’n gwneud ymarfer corff, a oedd yn fy nharo i fel ffordd tipyn yn haniaethol o fynd at y mater, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi mynd am rywbeth fydd pawb yn ei ddeall – gwneud ‘un diwrnod yn rhagor’.

Mae’n nod sy’n hawdd i’w ddeall, a rhywbeth y gall pawb ei wneud, yn ôl ei lefel o weithgarwch – heb ots os ydych chi’n weithgar yn barod neu’n dechrau. Mae hyn yn ffitio’n well gyda nod canolog Creu Cymru Egnïol– “gwneud gweithgarwch yn rhan naturiol o fywydau pobl”.

Hoffwn ganolbwyntio ar gwpl o feysydd yn yr adroddiad a chynnig rhai meddyliau. Does gan yr un cyntaf ddim yn wir i wneud gydag ymarfer corff, gan ei fod yn mynd i’r afael ag agwedd marchnata cymdeithasol y cynllun. Wrth gwrs, rydym am berswadio pobl ifainc i adael eu sgriniau a mynd mas, ond sut ydym yn mynd i’w hannog i wneud hyn. Pobl ifainc rhwng 13 a 24 yw’r grŵp y mae’n anosaf i gyrraedd gyda marchnata – yn arbennig y dyddiau ‘ma, pan mae argaeledd y rhyngrwyd yn caniatáu iddynt greu cymunedau’r cyfoed a rhannu heb lawer o ystyriaeth o argymhellion, awgrymiadau neu orfodaeth o lefydd neu bobl eraill.

Ar ôl darllen Creu Cymru Egnïol, yr adran ar farchnata cymdeithasol sy’n fy mhryderu’n fwyaf. Mewn llefydd eraill yn yr adroddiad mae cynigion cadarn am weithredu nodau’r adroddiad, mae’n edrych fel nad yw’r ymgyrch marchnata cymdeithasol ddim wedi cael ei ddatblygu’n bell o honni bod rhaid inni wneud rhywbeth.

Mae cyfeiriad at ymuno ag ymgyrch fel ymgyrch Newid am Oes yr Adran Iechyd. Mae ei wefan yn honni bod dros 400,000 o deuluoedd wedi ymuno â’i waith; ond mae gan y grŵp ar Facebook dim ond 300 o aelodau. Ro’n i’n methu dod o hyd i gyfrif Twitter ar ei gyfer. Mae’r ddau yn cynrychioli’r enwau pwysicaf yn y cyfryngau cymdeithasol.

Mae hyn yn codi rhai cwestiynau:

• Ydym wedi mesuro pa mor llwyddiannus y mae Newid am Oes wedi bod? Yn arbennig wrth gyrraedd y marchnadoedd a dargedi a thrwy gyfryngau cymdeithasol?
• A ydym yn gwybod pa ffyrdd y mae’n defnyddio i gyrraedd ei gynulleidfaoedd targed a pha mor effeithiol y mae mewn cyrraedd ei amcanion?
• Ydym wedi ystyried y bydd rhaid o bosib i addasu’r hyn sy’n gweithio yn Lloegr er mwyn iddo weithio yng Nghymru?
• Pa mor ddatblygedig yw ymgyrch y cyfryngau cymdeithasol integredig yn llawn a fydd yn cyrraedd y bobl y mae angen eu cyrraedd os ydym yn mynd i fynd i’r afael â gordewdra ac anweithgarwch ymhlith pobl ifainc?

Mae llawer o’r marchnata o’r fath yn methu oherwydd nad ydy’n deall y bobl y mae’n ceisio eu cyrraedd. Byddwn yn awgrymu na allwn ni fethu yma, a dyma pam rwy’n credu bod angen gofyn cwestiynau cadarn ynglŷn â’i hyfywdra cyn ei gyflwyno.

Mae rhai meysydd yn yr adroddiad lle mae potensial am groesi drosodd – mae teuluoedd yn gwneud ymarfer corff a’i gilydd yn helpu tuag at dargedi ar gyfer pobl ifainc a hŷn, er enghraifft. Yn ddiweddar, treuliais beth amser ym Margam Discovery Centre, yn fy rhanbarth. Er bod ganddo adeilad newydd carbon isel gwych, un o’i gryfderau mwyaf yw’r gwaith y mae’n wneud mewn dosbarthiadau’r tu allan.

Mae’n debyg nad oes llawer o ffyrdd gwell o helpu pobl ifainc a hŷn fod yn weithgar na thrwy ddysgu mewn amgylchedd awyr iach.

Wrth bori’r adroddiad, mae Margam Discovery Centre yn cwrdd â llawer o nodau. Yn ogystal ag annog plant a phobl ifainc i fod yn weithgar, mae’n rhoi mynediad i le gwyrdd a’r cefn-gwlad, yn darparu amgylchedd gweithgar, yn cysylltu â nodau anghydraddoldebau, ac yn gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol. Mae’n cefnogi agweddau’r ysgol gyfan, gan gynnwys darpariaethau cwricwlaidd ac allgwricwlaidd, ac yn cefnogi oedolion gweithgar.

Rwy’n sicr y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru, wrth weithredu’r adroddiad awdurdodol a mawr ei angen, yn gwneud defnydd o gyfleusterau o’r fath wrth ddarparu gwasanaethau a fydd yn cefnogi nodau Creu Cymru Egnïol.

Ar Ddydd Mawrth yr 2ail o Chwefror, fe wnaeth Bethan siarad ar strategaeth twrisitaeth newydd Llywodraeth Cymru, Teimlad o Le. Dyma a ddywedwyd:

Roedd amser pryd fyddwch yn cael dau ymateb petaech yn dweud eich bod o Gymru:

“I went to Wales once and it rained all the time I was there;”

“I went into a shop in Wales once and the people in there all starting talking Welsh as soon as they saw me.”

O bosib fyddwch chi wedi meddwl bod amseroedd wedi newid, ac maent. Ond mae – beth ddylem ni ei alw? – rhagfarnau twristiaeth yn dal i’w gweld. Mae arolwg a wnaethpwyd dros Croeso Cymru fis Tachwedd diwethaf yn dangos bod pobl yn Lloegr ac Iwerddon â barnau hollol wahanol am y wlad ‘ma. Mae’r Saeson yn ei gweld fel anghroesawgar, tra bod y Gwyddelod yn dweud y gwrthwyneb.

Ond o bosib yr agwedd fwyaf pryderus yn yr adroddiad oedd y ffaith bod pobl o’r tu allan i Gymru yn aml yn ei gweld fel ‘gwlad wag’, gydag un atebydd yn dweud: “I’m really struggling to think of things that are there”.

Dyma pam rwy’n ystyried y pecynnau cymorth Naws am Le fel ffordd wir arloesol o fynd â thwristiaeth yng Nghymru i’r lefel nesaf. Mae’r rhoi’r grym i weithredwyr twristiaeth a’u caniatáu i helpu llunio sut mae pobl estron yn gweld yr ardal y maent yn byw ynddo, pob dydd, ac maent yn ei ddeall yn agos.

Rwy’n gweld Naws am Le fel tystiolaeth bellach o ymrwymiad Cymru’n Un i ddatganoli cymryd penderfyniadau – y tro yma gan roi twristiaeth yn nwylo’r bobl sy’n dibynnu arni i fyw.

Mawr mae gennym ni’r pecynnau cymorth hyn, rwy’n credu y gallwn annog pobl i’w defnyddio mewn ffordd a fydd yn newid sut mae pobl estron yn gweld Cymru – er gwell – a datblygu hunaniaethau nodedig ar gyfer y rhannau gwahanol iawn o Gymru.

Oes gwlad arall yn y byd sy’n cynnig cymaint o amrywiaeth mewn ardal mor fach? Mae fy rhanbarth – Gorllewin De Cymru – yn fyd gwahanol i etholaethau fy nghydweithwyr yn y Gogledd, sy’n mor wahanol ar ei gilydd ag y mae fy ardal i o ardaloedd fy nghydweithwyr ar draws De Cymru.

Weithiau gall dau le fod dim ond milltiroedd o’i gilydd – yn y cwm nesaf hyd yn oed – ond mae ganddynt atyniadau gwahanol a diwylliannau gwahanol sy’n eu golygu eu bod yn haeddu ymweld â nhw.

Mae gwahaniaethau amlwg – Gwynedd, â’i mynyddoedd mawreddog; Sir Benfro, â’i thraethau byd enwog; y Canolbarth, â’i thir ffermio tonnog ac unigedd perffaith; Caerdydd, prifddinas ieuengaf Ewrop; a Bae Abertawe, ‘Napoli’r Gogledd’.

Ond mae Naws am Le yn gadael inni fynd cam ymhellach, i ddangos rhesymau gwahanol am ymweld ag ardaloedd llai enwog hyd yn hyn am resymau newydd. Mae fy nhref frodorol, Merthyr Tudful, dim ond 20 milltir o fy swyddfa yng Nghastell Nedd, ond mae’r ddwy wedi datblygu mewn ffyrdd gwahanol fel bod y ddwy dref mor wahanol i’w gilydd ag mae’r ddwy o rywle fel Blackburn.

Trwy adael i’r gweithredwyr twristiaeth ein tywys ni, gallwn ni dynnu ar eu henghreifftiau gorau pryd rydym yn hysbysebu Cymru. Eu dehongliad nhw o’n gwlad a fyddwn yn cynnig i weddill y byd.

Trwy ehangu’r ffordd y mae’r wlad yn cael ei gweld gan y bobl sy’n byw yma, o bosib gallwn ni obeithio ehangu ei hatyniad hefyd.

Dyw ddefnyddio agwedd o’r fath ddim yn wahanol iawn i fodel marchnata twristiaeth Iwerddon, sy’n pwysleisio’r bersonol i dal ein diddordeb. Yn y modd yma, does dim rhaid inni siarad am atyniadau mawr yn unig, ond ansawdd y profiad y gall ymwelwyr ei ddisgwyl.

Fel y dywedais, does dim gwlad arall gyda chymaint o amrywiaeth, felly mae gofyn llawer i ffitio popeth i mewn i hysbyseb 30-eiliad. Rwy’n credu y byddai canolbwyntio ar un dehongliad personol yn helpu gwneud i Gymru fyw yn nychymyg ymwelwyr yn fwy nag erioed o’r blaen.

Dywedais ar y cychwyr roedd arfer bod – neu o bosib mae o hyd – tipyn o ddrwgdybiaeth ynglŷn â’r iaith Gymraeg, cred y defnyddir yn gyfrinachol, i guddio ein bwriadau go iawn. Os yw’r rhagfarnau hyn yn dal i fodoli, o bosib mae’n amser inni eu hanwybyddu ac i ddechrau ceisio atynnu’r bobl sydd â diddordeb penodol yn yr iaith a beth mae’n meddwl.

Rwy’n credu y bydd yr elfen iaith yn Naws am Le yn helpu cyflawni hyn. Rwy’n credu y dylid annog defnydd Cymraeg yn arbennig pryd mae’n cyfeirio at dirwedd a diwylliant Cymru – y rhesymau y mae pobl yn ymweld â’r wlad.

Os gallwn anfon pobl i ffwrdd gyda thipyn o Gymraeg, efallai gallwn ddod â’r iaith i’r goleuni yn lle gadael i’n hymwelwyr dod o hyd iddo yng nghefn siop.

Bethan gave Plaid Cymru’s response to the Tory-brought debate on child poverty. This is what she said:

We have had our moments in this Siambr.

But this latest debate – in which we have heard the Tories lecture this Assembly and the One Wales Government how best to combat child poverty – must rank as the greatest hypocrisy ever heard under this roof or in any session since the National Assembly began.

What makes this particularly incredible is that this motion from the Tories seems to suggest that none of us know what is going on outside of Wales, that none of us receive our news from beyond the Severn Bridge, and that none of us know what their London masters are planning if this country is unfortunate to become landed with a Tory government.

Let me quote you. From the Financial Times – not noted as a left-leaning newspaper – dated January 19 and under the headline ‘Conservatives target child poverty strategy’:

“The Conservatives look set to water down Labour’s commitment to ending child poverty, according to people who have seen late drafts of the party’s election manifesto. They would do this by adopting such broad indicators of deprivation that it would be hard to identify or measure progress.”

Good start.

There is then all kinds of talk about introducing “a matrix of measures” which sounds like something straight out of The Thick of It, while moving towards “a richer picture”, a comment they could have nicked from Yes, Minister.

The piece winds down with an Oliver Letwin pledge from 2006, when he was the party’s policy chief: “David Cameron’s Conservatives are committed to the government target of ending child poverty by 2020.”

The FT report concludes: “Conservative sources say this bold intention is barely mentioned in a draft of the manifesto, beyond a statement that the party shares “the government’s aspiration to end child income-related poverty”.”

In between, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s support for broader measures of poverty is cited as evidence by the Tories that they have got it right.

But let’s view this policy U-turn for what it is:

Cuts. Pure and simple. Nothing else.

I don’t follow this approach from the Tories today. Do they really not know what is being planned on their behalf in London? If this is the case, what kind of regard will a Tory administration have for this Assembly and its powers when it doesn’t even tell its own Welsh representatives what it is planning?

So let’s get back to reality. A reality where the benefits system and the power to truly reform it lies in London. Of course, Plaid would welcome the chance to devolve the matter to Wales – but will the Tories allow it to happen?

To quote Joseph Rowntree back at the Tories, the foundation estimates that while child poverty costs the UK £25bn a year, the Government only needs to invest around £5bn a year to meet Letwin’s target of ending child poverty by 2020.

So here’s my next question: In the interest of saving the public purse, are the Tories prepared to commit to this?

Are the Tories prepared to:

• Uprate the combined value of child tax credits and child benefit?
• Increase adults’ payments within income support in line with those for children?
• Reform administration of tax credits and benefits to ensure they provide the right amount to the right people at the right time?
• Reduce the disproportionate burden of taxation on poorer families?

And are the Tories here prepared to argue with David Cameron if – as he has hinted in a radio interview – he cuts the Welsh budget? How would they expect us to address child poverty then? How do they want us to carry on child poverty programmes after Westminster-initiated cuts have scythed through the Welsh public sector?

Beyond what they have said so far – or, rather, what has been leaked – we know little. But their backers are indulging in some serious right wing kite flying.

The Institute of Directors and the Taxpayers’ Alliance have already put together a £50bn death list. It includes:

• Sure Start
• The educational maintenance allowance
• Grants from the Department of Communities and Local Government
• Freezes on public pay and the state pension
• An end to child benefit and free travel from the old
• And cuts – yes, cuts – to non-frontline NHS staff.

These are the people the Tories run with.

So their scheming is uncovered for what it is – a blatant, opportunistic grab at headlines without any regard for standing up their argument. In the process, they have revealed what respect their masters give their views, and how totally unsuited they are to any sort of government.

And it is irresponsibility. Irresponsibility made 10 times’ worse because, with their minds on the General Election, they have cynically targeted the most deprived people in this country – and not for the first time – with an opportunistic eye and a hardened conscience.

Bethan spoke on Tuesday, February 2 on the Welsh Government’s new tourism initiative, a Sense of Place. Here’s what she said:

There was once a time when you’d get two reactions if you said you were from Wales:

“I went to Wales once and it rained all the time I was there;”

“I went into a shop in Wales once and the people in there all starting talking Welsh as soon as they saw me.”

You might have thought that times have moved on, and so they have. But – what shall we call them? – tourism prejudices are still in evidence. A survey carried out for Visit Wales last November found that people in England and Ireland have wildly differing opinions of this country. The English regard us as unwelcoming, while the Irish say the opposite.

But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the report was how people from outside Wales often view it as an “empty” country, with one respondent commenting: “I’m really struggling to think of things that are there”.

That is why I see the Sense of Place tool kits as a truly innovative way of taking tourism in Wales to the next level. It passes power to tourist operators and allows them to help shape outside perceptions of the area that they live in, day-in and day-out, and understand intimately.

I see Sense of Place as further evidence of the One Wales Government’s commitment to devolving decision making – this time by putting tourism in the hands of the very people whose livelihoods depend upon it.

Now that we have this tool kit to hand, I believe we can encourage its use it in a way that will change further outside perceptions of Wales – for the better – and develop distinctive identities for the many different parts of Wales.

Is there a country on earth that packs so much variety into such a small area? My region – South Wales West – is a world away from my colleagues’ constituencies in the North, which are as different from one another as mine is from those of my colleagues across South Wales.

Sometimes two places can be just miles apart – in the next valley, even – and they have separate attractions and even different cultures that makes them worthy of visiting.

There are the obvious differences – Gwynedd, with its dramatic mountainscape; Pembrokeshire, with its world-renowned beaches; Mid Wales, with its rolling farm country and perfect solitude; Cardiff, Europe’s youngest capital; Swansea Bay, the ‘Naples of the North’.

But Sense of Place allows us go one step further, to show the different reasons for visiting hitherto less-recognised areas for new reasons. My home town of Merthyr Tydfil is just 20 miles from my office in Neath, yet both have developed so that the industrial heritage found in both towns are as different from one another as they would be from somewhere like Blackburn.

By allowing the operators to guide us, we can draw upon their best examples when we come to advertise Wales. It would be their interpretation of our country that we would present to the rest of the world.

By widening the way the country is seen by the people who live here, we might hope to widen its appeal, too.

Taking such an approach does not differ hugely from the Ireland tourism marketing model, which accentuates the personal experience to draw our interest. In this way, we don’t have to talk about huge attractions, but rather the quality of experience that visitors can expect.

As I said, there is no country with such variety, as we are asking a lot to pack it all in to a 30-second advert. I think that by focusing in on an individual interpretation, we would bring Wales alive to visitors as never before.

I mentioned at the start that there used to be – or perhaps still is – a certain suspicion about the Welsh language, a belief that it was used covertly, to hide our real intentions. If those prejudices remain, then perhaps it is time we stopped taking notice of them, and began appealing beyond those people to those who are specifically interested in the language and what it means.

I think the language element of a Sense of Place will help achieve this. I think that its use should be particularly encouraged where it refers to the landscape and the culture of Wales – the reasons that people visit the country.

If we can send them away with a little bit of Welsh, perhaps we can help bring the language further out into the open, rather allowing our visitors to discover it at the back of a shop.

Bethan spoke on Tuesday, February 2 on the Welsh Government’s Physical Activity Action Plan. Here’s what she said:

I would like to begin by thanking the Minister and his team for what is, to my mind, the most comprehensive report so far on helping people in Wales to make the most from physical activity.

This is most important, because the figures continue to worry:

• Less than a third (30%) of Welsh adults take enough activity to benefit their health;
• Less than a half (44%) of children between 7 to 11, and just over a third (35%) of those aged 11 to 16, have 60 minutes of moderate activity five days a week;
• One in 10 children aged 7 to 11, and 14% of 11 to 16-year-olds are not physically active for 60 minutes on any day of the week;
• Wales has one of the highest levels of obesity among teenagers in the Western world;
• Nearly two thirds (62%) of men and over half (53%) of all women in Wales are overweight or obese;
• The cost of physical inactivity to Wales is around £650 million per year.

Now we have changed the targets we set to address these problems. Instead of looking to increase percentage points for those taking exercise, which I found a slightly abstract way of approaching the issue, the Welsh Government has gone for something that everybody will get – doing ‘one day more’.

It’s an easily understandable aim, and something everyone can participate in, according to their level of activity – whether you are already active or just starting out. This better suits the central aim of Creating an Active Wales – “making activity a natural part of people’s lives”.

I wanted to focus on a couple of areas of the report and offer some thoughts. The first really doesn’t have anything to do exercise, as it addresses the social marketing aspect of the plan. Of course, we want to get young people away from their screens and out into the open, but how are we going to encourage them to do so. Young people aged 13 to 24 are the hardest aged group to market to – particularly so, these days, when online accessibility allows them to develop their own peer environments and share with little regard for recommendation, suggestion or coercion from elsewhere.

Having read through Creating an Active Wales, this section on social marketing concerns me the most. Whereas elsewhere there are firm proposals for taking forwards the report’s aims, and making them a reality, the social marketing campaign appears not to have been developed much beyond an assertion that we must do something.

There is mention of linking in such a campaign with the Department of Health’s Change4Life campaign. Its website claims that over 400,000 families have joined in with its work, yet the Facebook group has only 300 members. I couldn’t find any Twitter account. Both represent the biggest names in social media.

This raises some questions:

• Have we assessed how successful Change4Life has been, particularly in reaching the markets it has targeted, and particularly through social media?
• Do we know what routes it uses to reach target audiences, and how effective it is in achieving its aims?
• Have we considered that what might work for England may need adapting for Wales?
• How far advanced is a fully integrated social media campaign that will have the depth of reach we require if we are to tackle obesity and inactivity among young people?

So much of this kind of marketing fails because it does not understand the people it is attempting to speak to. I would suggest that we cannot fail here, which is why I believe we need to ask robust questions about its viability before we introduce it.

There are many areas of the report where there is potential for crossover – families taking exercise together helps towards targets for young and old people, for example. I recently spent some time at the Margam Discovery Centre, in my region. While it has a fantastic new, low carbon building, one of its greatest strengths is the work it does in outdoor classrooms.

It seems to be that there is few better ways of helping both young and older people to get active than through getting them interested in learning in a fresh air environment.

Looking through the report, the Margam Discovery Centre answers all kinds of aims. As well as encouraging active children and young people, it provides access to green space and countryside, delivers and active environment, connects with inequalities aims, and ties in with working with local authorities. It supports whole school approaches, including curricular and extra-curricular provisions and supports active adults.

I am sure that the Welsh Government, in implementing this authoritative and much-needed report, will make use of such facilities when delivering services that will support the aims of Creating an Active Wales.