Elin Jones AC / AM

With other firms having taken over the 40 and 50 services following Arriva’s withdrawal, do you have any queries about bus services in Ceredigion? ‘Bus Users UK’ have organised surgeries, with bus company and local authority representatives, at the following locations:

Nawr fod cwmniau eraill wedi dechrau’r gwasanaeth 40 a 50 yn dilyn ymadawiad Arriva, oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau am wasanaethau bws yng Ngheredigion? Mae ‘Bus Users UK’ wedi trefnu cymorthfeydd, gyda chynrychiolwyr o’r cwmniau bws a’r awdurdod lleol, yn y llefydd canlynol:

10/2/14
Aberaeron (Sgwar Alban Square) 10-12
Aberteifi / Cardigan (Sgwar Finch Square) 1-3

17/2/14
Aberystwyth (Gorsaf / Station) 10-12
Llanbed / Lampeter (High St) 2-4

18/2/14
Caerfyrddin / Carmarthen (Sgwar Guildhall Square) 2-4

Ceredigion fydd yn cael y gyfran fwyaf o becyn gwerth £1.5 miliwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru i helpu atgyweirio ardaloedd arfordirol yn dilyn stormydd dechrau mis Ionawr. Bydd y sir yn derbyn £560,000 tuag at sicrhau y bydd arfordir Ceredigion yn gwbl agored ar gyfer ymwelwyr erbyn dechrau’r prif dymor twristiaeth adeg y Pasg.
Daeth Gweinidogion y Llywodraeth ar gyfer Cyllid a’r Economi i ymweld gyda mi a phromenâd Aberystwyth, ac hefyd i siarad â chynghorwyr a swyddogion Ceredigion a pherchnogion gwestai.
Ers y stormydd yn gynharach y mis hwn, rwyf wedi bod yn siarad â nifer o weinidogion cabinet o fewn Llywodraeth Cymru, gan bwyso achos Ceredigion sy’n wynebu cost atgyweirio mawr. Rwy’n falch iawn eu bod wedi cyhoeddi’r cyllid ychwanegol yma.
Mae llawer iawn o waith eisoes wedi’i wneud i atgyweirio difrod i bromenâd Aberystwyth a lleoliadau eraill ar hyd arfordir Ceredigion – bu’r ymdrechion yn arwrol. Bydd yr arian hwn yn sicrhau y gall y cyngor fynd ymlaen â’r gwaith hanfodol i adfer seilwaith twristiaeth Ceredigion. Erbyn yr haf, mae angen i ymwelwyr fod yn sicr y cyfan y maent yn ei ddisgwyl gan yr ardal – y llwybr arfordirol godidog, traethau gwych a’r holl gyfleusterau cysylltiedig – yn union fel y byddent yn ei ddymuno.
Cawsom hefyd y cyfle i drafod gyda Gweinidogion ffyrdd eraill y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru helpu, gan gynnwys gweithio gyda Chroeso Cymru ar ymgyrchoedd marchnata a digwyddiadau arbennig gyda’r neges glir bod Ceredigion ar agor i fusnes.

Ceredigion is to get the largest share of a £1.5 million package from the Welsh Government to help fund repairs to coastal areas following the storms of early January. The county will receive £560,000 towards ensuring that Ceredigion is fully open for business by the time of the main tourist season at Easter.
The Government Ministers for Finance and the Economy visited Aberystwyth promenade with me this morning, and we also spoke to leading councillors and officials and to business-owners affected.
Since the storms earlier this month, I’ve been speaking to several cabinet ministers within the Welsh Government, pressing the case for Ceredigion which is faced with a huge repair bill. I’m very pleased that they have announced this extra funding.
A huge amount of work has already been done to repair damage to Aberystwyth promenade and other locations along the Ceredigion coast – the efforts have been heroic. This money will ensure that the council can go ahead with vital work to support Ceredigion’s tourist infrastructure. By the summer, visitors need to be assured that all that they expect from visiting the area – the wonderful coastal path, the fabulous beaches and all the associated facilities – will be just as they would wish.
We had the chance to discuss with the Ministers too other ways in which the Welsh Government could help, including working with Visit Wales on marketing campaigns and special events with the clear message that Ceredigion is open for business.

Today, I met a delegation from the Friends of Cardigan Hospital and Cardigan Town Council on the steps of the National Assembly. The delegation presented a petition against the closure of beds in Cardigan Hospital.

The petition presented today shows very clearly the feelings of people in Cardigan. It’s astounding that over 11,000 people have signed within a month. There has been no consultation on the closure of beds in Cardigan Hospital, as national guidelines clearly demand there should be. People feel that the Health Board has let them down. There are serious questions over the service as it stands, and over the long-delayed plans for a new Hospital. We must keep the pressure on the Welsh Government and the Health Board to treat the Cardigan area fairly.

Heddiw, cwrddais a chynrychiolaeth o Gyfeillion Ysbyty Aberteifi a Chyngor Tref Aberteifi ar risiau’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol. Cyflwynwyd eu deiseb yn erbyn cau gwelyau yn Ysbyty Aberteifi.

Mae’r ddeiseb a gyflwynwyd heddiw yn dangos teimladau pobl Aberteifi yn glir. Mae’n rhyfeddol fod dros 11,000 o bobl wedi arwyddo mewn mis. Does na ddim ymgynghoriad wedi bod ar gau gwelyau yn Ysbyty Aberteifi, fel y mae’r canllawiau cenedlaethol yn gofyn. Mae pobl yn teimlo fod y Bwrdd Iechyd wedi eu bradychu. Mae cwestiynau difrifol sydd angen eu hateb am diogelwch y gwasanaeth fel y mae hi, a dros y cynllun hir-ddisgwyliedig am Ysbyty newydd. Mae’n rhaid i ni gadw’r pwysau ar Lywodraeth Cymru a Bwrdd Hywel Dda i drin ardal Aberteifi yn deg.

Rumours that the issue of downgrading maternity services at Bronglais would be reopened have been confirmed to be true by the Minister, who seems to have accepted Hywel Dda Health Board’s view that there could be a case to have a midwife-led unit at Bronglais.

A scheduled ministerial statement on 21 January on maternity services at Withybush Hospital unexpectedly included proposals from the specialist panel to downgrade Bronglais too with a view to centralising services at Carmarthen.

People in mid Wales will rightly be angered at this news. The Minister only assured me in September that his review into maternity services in Pembrokeshire would have no effect on Bronglais. When he commissioned the review he said,

“As far as neonatal services are concerned, the report does not re-open the issue of Bronglais hospital. The issue of services at Bronglais hospital has not been referred to me by the community health council because it has reached an agreement with the local health board on the future of services at that hospital. Nothing in what I have said today should be taken as casting any doubt on that agreement for opening up an issue that has not been referred to me for consideration.”

When I questioned him yesterday, the Minister told me that no final decision would be made before the outcome of the review into the long-term future of healthcare in mid Wales, and that any change would be dependent on better arrangements for the rapid transfer of patients by helicopter. But people will scarcely be reassured by such words. Bronglais serves expectant mothers from across a wide area – a centralised service at Carmarthen is unacceptable.

If and when the Government decide that this is the option they want to pursue, we should expect a full consultation. Otherwise, the Health Board would be in breach of its own guidelines. The Health Minister and Hywel Dda Board should be in no doubt that people in our area will fight to preserve a proper maternity and obstetric service in Aberystwyth.

Bu sibrydion ers tro y byddai’r mater o israddio gwasanaethau mamolaeth ym Mronglais yn cael ei ailagor, a ddoe cafwyd cadarnhad fod hyn yn wir gan y Gweinidog Iechyd, sydd fel petai wedi derbyn barn Bwrdd Iechyd Hywel Dda y gallai fod achos i gael uned dan arweiniad bydwragedd yn Ysbyty Bronglais.
Mewn datganiad gweinidogol a drefnwyd ar 21 Ionawr ar wasanaethau mamolaeth yn Ysbyty Llwyn Helyg, death cynigion annisgwyl gan y panel arbenigol i israddio Bronglais hefyd gyda golwg ar ganoli gwasanaethau yng Nghaerfyrddin.

Bydd pobl yng nghanolbarth Cymru yn gandryll oherwydd hyn. Ym mis Medi, dywedodd y Gweinidog wrtha i na fyddai ei adolygiad o wasanaethau mamolaeth yn Sir Benfro yn cael unrhyw effaith ar Bronglais. Pan gomisiynwyd yr adolygiad meddai,

“As far as neonatal services are concerned, the report does not re-open the issue of Bronglais hospital. The issue of services at Bronglais hospital has not been referred to me by the community health council because it has reached an agreement with the local health board on the future of services at that hospital. Nothing in what I have said today should be taken as casting any doubt on that agreement for opening up an issue that has not been referred to me for consideration.”

Pan holais ef ddoe, dywedodd y Gweinidog y byddai unrhyw benderfyniad terfynol yn cael ei wneud ar ol canlyniad yr adolygiad i ddyfodol tymor hir y Gwasanaeth Iechyd yng nghanolbarth Cymru , ac y byddai unrhyw newid yn dibynnu ar drefniadau gwell ar gyfer trosglwyddo mamau yn gyflym mewn hofrennydd. Ond prin geiriau o’r fath yn tawelu ein meddyliau. Mae Bronglais yn gwasanaethu mamau beichiog r draws ardal eang – mae gwasanaeth yng Nghaerfyrddin yn annerbyniol .

Os a phan fydd y Llywodraeth yn penderfynu mai dyma’r opsiwn y maent am ei ddilyn, dylem ddisgwyl ymgynghoriad llawn. Fel arall, byddai’r Bwrdd Iechyd fod yn torri ei ganllawiau ei hun. Ni ddylai’r Gweinidog Iechyd a Bwrdd Hywel Dda fod mewn unrhyw amheuaeth y bydd pobl yn ein hardal yn ymladd i gadw gwasanaeth mamolaeth ac obstetreg priodol yn Aberystwyth .