English: Thank you very much, and I'm very grateful to Julie Morgan for choosing 'no fault' section 21 notices as a subject for this debate today, and I'm also grateful to Julie for the very helpful meeting that she organised last week to give me and my officials the chance to explore the issues in more depth with Julie, with Dawn Bowden and with Shelter. I've been really pleased to have some further discussions on this particular issue with Crisis earlier on today. Whilst I'm committed to working with landlords to build a vibrant private rented sector, this cannot be at the expense of tenants. How some landlords use section 21 notices is quite rightly of concern to many people, as we've heard during this debate, and it is to me. As we've heard, having to find a new home, covering the cost of moving, finding the deposit for a new tenancy before the current one is repaid, and suffering the potential stress and emotional upset of a move are all very real concerns. And that's before you take into account issues such as finding a new school for the children, moving away from families and social support networks. Section 21 notices mean that a family can face massive upheaval in a very short time, and all without the landlord needing to justify the issue of the notice in the first place. So, I do think that the time is right for a wider discussion on the use of 'no fault' notices. There are many aspects to be considered, and today's debate has certainly served to highlight some of them. I believe that, with imagination and partnership, we can have a private rented sector that works for both landlords and tenants. I think it's helpful if we look back as to how we got to where we are today. The ability of a landlord to issue a minimum two-month 'no fault' notice to end a tenancy was introduced under the Housing Act 1988. The 1988 Act saw the start of a prolonged growth in the private rented sector, which was further boosted by the availability of buy-to-let mortgages.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i Julie Morgan am ddewis hysbysiadau 'dim bai' adran 21 yn bwnc ar gyfer y ddadl hon heddiw, ac rwyf hefyd yn ddiolchgar i Julie am y cyfarfod defnyddiol iawn a drefnodd yr wythnos diwethaf i mi a fy swyddogion gael cyfle i archwilio'r materion yn fanylach gyda Julie, Dawn Bowden a Shelter. Cefais y pleser mawr o gael trafodaethau pellach ar y mater hwn gyda Crisis yn gynharach heddiw. Er fy mod yn ymrwymedig i weithio gyda landlordiaid i adeiladu sector rhentu preifat bywiog, ni all hyn fod ar draul tenantiaid. Mae'r modd y mae rhai landlordiaid yn defnyddio hysbysiadau adran 21 yn peri pryder i lawer o bobl, a hynny'n gwbl briodol, fel rydym wedi clywed yn ystod y ddadl hon, ac mae'n destun pryder i mi hefyd. Fel y clywsom, mae gorfod dod o hyd i gartref newydd, sy'n cynnwys y gost o symud, dod o hyd i flaendal ar gyfer tenantiaeth newydd cyn cael ad-daliad am yr un presennol, a dioddef straen a gofid emosiynol posibl o ganlyniad i symud oll yn bryderon go iawn. A hynny cyn i chi ystyried materion fel dod o hyd i ysgol newydd ar gyfer y plant, symud oddi wrth deuluoedd a rhwydweithiau cymorth cymdeithasol. Mae hysbysiadau adran 21 yn golygu y gall teulu wynebu newid anferthol mewn cyfnod byr iawn, a'r cyfan heb i'r landlord orfod cyfiawnhau mater yr hysbysiad yn y lle cyntaf. Felly, credaf fod yr amser yn iawn i gael trafodaeth ehangach ar y defnydd o hysbysiadau 'dim bai'. Mae sawl agwedd i'w hystyried, ac mae'r ddadl heddiw yn sicr wedi tynnu sylw at rai ohonynt. Gyda dychymyg a phartneriaeth, credaf y gellir cael sector rhentu preifat sy'n gweithio i landlordiaid a thenantiaid. Rwy'n meddwl y byddai'n ddefnyddiol inni edrych yn ôl i weld sut y daethom i lle rydym heddiw. Cyflwynwyd y gallu i landlord roi rhybudd 'dim bai' o ddau fis fan lleiaf i orffen tenantiaeth o dan Ddeddf Tai 1988. Daeth Deddf 1988 ar ddechrau twf hir yn y sector rhentu preifat, a rhoddwyd hwb pellach i hynny gan argaeledd morgeisi prynu i osod.