English: Thanks, Minister, for your statement today. I do appreciate that for many Members of the Chamber, and several past Members who have been mentioned, this has been a long campaign. It is an emotive issue, so I am mindful of what I say, but I think we do need to look carefully at any proposed legislation in this area. Minister, you say that this proposed legislation merely closes a loophole and that it doesn't create a new criminal offence. I agree that, technically, that's the case, but Crown Prosecution Service guidelines are quite clear on where the law lies on this currently. Currently, the defence for smacking a child only covers reasonable chastisement. So, logically, people who are unreasonably punishing a child in a physical manner are open to prosecution as it stands. So, there is an argument that we don't actually need this legislation, that this could confuse the issue, and that, logically, people will be open to prosecution for reasonable chastisement, which seems to me an unreasonable application of the law. So, how can we ensure that parents are not punished for legitimately disciplining their children who may be misbehaving? What safeguards are there going to be against needless prosecutions in these instances? There are potential problems of the police, the CPS and social services dealing with a large increase in complaints. Now, I appreciate what you just said, which I think was very sensible, when you said that you were looking at two years to bed in any change in legislation, and that there would be a public awareness campaign. I think that if we are going to go down this road, that is going to be a very important element. Siân Gwenllian was also raising the issue that, in harness with your legislation, we may need more support for parents. You mentioned that health visitors and midwives could potentially be used, I think, in an educational way, in encouraging parenting that doesn't involve physical chastisement and, of course, we need to avoid that as far as we possibly can. So, I agree with all that. The bit that Siân asked you that you didn't perhaps answer was about any increase in resources to fund such a campaign and to increase that public awareness, and also whether there will be any resource implications regarding the police, the CPS and social services, particularly when the legislation first kicks in. Finally, New Zealand, you've mentioned. You're going to look at - or you are looking at, rather - the example of New Zealand and, indeed, the 53 other countries that have introduced this legislation. I appreciate that you are doing that. If we could have more detailed responses to how they have dealt with this, either today or at a later date in the proceedings. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad heddiw. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi bod hon wedi bod yn ymgyrch hir i lawer o Aelodau yn y Siambr, ac i sawl cyn Aelod y cyfeiriwyd atynt. Mae hwn yn fater emosiynol, felly rwy'n ofalus yn yr hyn a ddywedaf i, ond credaf fod angen inni edrych yn ofalus ar unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth arfaethedig yn y maes hwn. Gweinidog, rydych chi'n dweud nad yw'r ddeddfwriaeth arfaethedig yn gwneud dim yn fwy na chau bwlch ac nad yw'n creu trosedd newydd. Rwy'n cytuno bod hynny'n wir, yn dechnegol, ond mae canllawiau Gwasanaeth Erlyn y Goron yn glir iawn o ran y sefyllfa gyfreithiol ar hyn o bryd. Ar hyn o bryd, nid yw'r amddiffyniad dros daro plentyn ond yn cwmpasu cosbedigaeth resymol. Felly, yn rhesymegol, mae pobl sy'n cosbi plant mewn modd corfforol yn afresymol yn agored i erlyniad fel y mae pethau'n sefyll. Ceir dadl nad oes angen y ddeddfwriaeth hon arnom mewn gwirionedd, a gallai hyn ddrysu'r mater, ac felly, yn rhesymegol, bydd pobl yn agored i erlyniad am gosbi rhesymol, sy'n ymddangos i mi yn ddefnydd afresymol o gyfraith. Felly, sut y gallwn ni sicrhau nad yw rhieni yn cael eu cosbi am ddisgyblu'n gyfreithlon eu plant sydd o bosib yn camymddwyn? Pa gamau diogelu fydd ar gael i atal erlyniadau diangen yn yr achosion hyn? Ceir problemau posibl o ran yr heddlu, Gwasanaeth Erlyn y Goron a'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn ymdrin â chynnydd mawr yn nifer y cwynion. Nawr, rwy'n deall yr hyn yr ydych chi newydd ei ddweud, a chredaf ei fod yn synhwyrol iawn, pan oeddech chi'n dweud eich bod yn edrych ar ddwy flynedd i ymsefydlu unrhyw newid yn y ddeddfwriaeth, ac y byddai ymgyrch ymwybyddiaeth ymhlith y cyhoedd. Rwyf i o'r farn, o ddilyn y trywydd hwn, y byddai honno'n elfen bwysig iawn. Roedd Siân Gwenllian yn codi'r mater hefyd, i fynd gyda'ch deddfwriaeth, efallai y bydd angen cael mwy o gymorth i rieni. Roeddech chi'n sôn y gellid defnyddio ymwelwyr iechyd a bydwragedd, rwy'n credu, mewn ffordd addysgol, gan annog rhianta heb ddefnyddio cosbi corfforol ac, wrth gwrs, mae angen inni osgoi hynny gymaint ag y gallwn ni. Felly, rwy'n cytuno â hynny i gyd. Y cwestiwn bach a ofynnodd Siân chi nad ydych chi wedi ei ateb efallai oedd ynghylch unrhyw gynnydd mewn adnoddau i ariannu ymgyrch o'r fath a chynyddu ymwybyddiaeth y cyhoedd, a hefyd a fydd yna unrhyw oblygiadau o ran adnoddau o ran yr heddlu, Gwasanaeth Erlyn y Goron a'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, yn enwedig pan fydd y ddeddfwriaeth yn dechrau. Yn olaf, rydych chi wedi sôn am Seland Newydd. Rydych chi'n mynd i edrych ar - neu, yn hytrach, rydych chi yn edrych ar - enghraifft Seland Newydd ac, yn wir, 53 o wledydd eraill sydd wedi cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth hon. Rwy'n sylweddoli eich bod chi'n gwneud hynny. A oes modd inni gael ymatebion mwy manwl a ran sut y maen nhw wedi ymdrin â hyn, naill ai heddiw neu yn nes ymlaen yn y trafodion. Diolch.