On 8th June 2021 Robin spoke for the first time in a Westminster Hall debate. However, the debate was not held in "Westminster Hall". Confused yet?
There is a reason!
'Westminster Hall’ debates would normally take place in the Grand Committee Room – just off Parliament’s historic Westminster Hall. However, they were suspended due to Coronavirus restrictions on 14th January 2020. "Westminster Hall" debates are an important opportunity for MPs to debate matters and the House staff acknowledged that a solution needed to be found. Of course, the excellent teams that organised these things found a solution and these debates can now take place in the more modern Boothroyd Room in Portcullis House.
Interestingly, the move to the Boothroyd Room was the first time Westminster Hall debates have been held outside of the Grand Committee Room since 2014, when Committee Room 10 briefly hosted the debates. This move, is of course, temporary. For the time being it allows up to 20 MPs to participate in any one debate physically and virtually combined. The first "hybrid" debate was held on Monday 8th March 2021 and was about an e-petition relating to press freedoms and safety of protestors in India.
Robin's first speech in "Westminster Hall"
The occasion of Robin's speech was in a debate secured by Ruth Jones the Labour Member for Newport West and a fellow member of the Welsh Affairs Committee. The motion for debate was:-
That this House has considered the Community Renewal Fund and Levelling Up Fund in Wales.
In her opening remarks (which can be read in full on Hansard) she says,
"The so-called levelling-up fund will see decisions made in Whitehall rather than Wales, and will be driven by Departments with no history of delivering projects in and across Wales, no record of working with communities in Wales—north, south or mid—and no understanding of the priorities of those communities now or in future. That is why the First Minister of Wales, my right hon. friend Mark Drakeford MS, was correct to say that the Tory attempt to level up the economy in Wales is, simply put,
“a plan made for Wales – without Wales”.
That simply will not do."
Robin spoke about sovereignty, local decision making, trust and his work with Conwy Borough Council on the Levelling Up Fund. His full remarks can be see here.
Ar 8 Mehefin 2021 siaradodd Robin am y tro cyntaf mewn dadl yn Neuadd San Steffan. Fodd bynnag, ni chynhaliwyd y ddadl yn "Neuadd San Steffan". Ydi hyn yn ddryslyd?
Mae yna reswm!
Byddai dadleuon ‘Neuadd San Steffan’ fel arfer yn digwydd yn Ystafell yr Uwch-bwyllgor - dafliad carreg oddi wrth Neuadd San Steffan hanesyddol y Senedd. Fodd bynnag, cawsant eu hatal oherwydd cyfyngiadau Coronafeirws ar 14eg Ionawr 2020. Mae dadleuon "Neuadd San Steffan" yn gyfle pwysig i ASau drafod materion a chydnabu staff y Tŷ fod angen dod o hyd i ateb. Wrth gwrs, daeth y timau rhagorol a drefnodd y pethau hyn o hyd i ateb a gellir yn awr gynnal y dadleuon hyn yn yr Ystafell Boothroyd fwy modern yn Nhŷ Portcullis.
Yn ddiddorol, y symudiad i Ystafell Boothroyd oedd y tro cyntaf i ddadleuon Neuadd San Steffan gael eu cynnal y tu allan i Ystafell yr Uwch-bwyllgor ers 2014, pan gynhaliodd Ystafell Bwyllgor 10 y dadleuon am gyfnod byr. Wrth gwrs, dros dro’n unig y gwnaed y symudiad hwn. Am y tro y mae'n caniatáu i hyd at 20 AS gymryd rhan mewn unrhyw ddadl yn gorfforol ac yn rhithiol gyfun. Cynhaliwyd y ddadl "hybrid" gyntaf ddydd Llun 8fed Mawrth 2021 ac roedd yn ymwneud ag e-ddeiseb yn ymwneud â rhyddid y wasg a diogelwch protestwyr yn India.
Araith gyntaf Robin yn "Neuadd San Steffan”
Roedd achlysur araith Robin mewn dadl a sicrhawyd gan Ruth Jones, yr Aelod Llafur dros Orllewin Casnewydd a chyd-aelod o Bwyllgor Materion Cymru. Y cynnig i’w ddadlau oedd:-
Bod y Tŷ hwn wedi ystyried y Gronfa Adnewyddu Cymunedol a'r Gronfa Codi’r Gwastad yng Nghymru.
Yn ei sylwadau agoriadol (y gellir eu darllen yn llawn ar Hansard) meddai,
"Bydd y gronfa codi’r gwastad, fel y'i gelwir, yn gweld penderfyniadau yn cael eu gwneud yn Whitehall yn hytrach na Chymru, a bydd yn cael ei yrru gan Adrannau heb unrhyw hanes o gyflawni prosiectau yng Nghymru ac ar draws Cymru, heb unrhyw gofnod o weithio gyda chymunedau yng Nghymru - gogledd, de neu ganolbarth— a dim dealltwriaeth o flaenoriaethau'r cymunedau hynny nawr nac yn y dyfodol. Dyna pam y Prif Weinidog Cymru, fy Nghyfaill gwir anrhydeddus Mark Drakeford AS, yn gywir i ddweud bod ymgais y Torïaid i godi’r gwastad o ran yr economi yng Nghymru, a’i roi yn syml,
“yn gynllun a wnaed ar gyfer Cymru - heb Gymru”.
Yn syml, wnaiff hyn mo’r tro."
Siaradodd Robin am sofraniaeth, gwneud penderfyniadau lleol, ymddiriedaeth a'i waith gyda Chyngor Bwrdeistref Conwy ar y Gronfa Codi’r Gwastad. Gellir gweld ei sylwadau llawn yma.
bit.ly/3waGTXO
