English: I'd like to thank you, Minister, for your statement here today. As you will know, Penrhiwceiber in my constituency was earlier this year identified as having the highest rate of child poverty in Wales, and I think that's a shameful indictment of a decade of Tory austerity. In the fifth-richest country in the world, there is no need for such suffering, but it's a suffering that's been engendered by the Tories' assault upon our welfare system. I'd like to thank you for attending the round-table meeting that I organised in that proud and close-knit community of Penrhiwceiber back in September, and I know that you were impressed by the evidence presented to you there by community groups working so hard, often with Welsh Government money, to try and mitigate some of the worst impacts of child poverty. I know that those present at that meeting will be following today's proceedings carefully. In your statement, you refer to the review of Welsh Government programmes and services that you're undertaking to ensure that they have maximum impact on the lives of children living in poverty, while recognising, of course, that most of the levers are outside of Welsh Government control. Are you able to provide us with any more detail on this, Minister, such as how the review will ensure that children's voices are heard front and centre? And will there be any focus on the impact of child poverty upon children's mental health? You will recall that we heard some quite startling evidence from schools present at that meeting about the mental health of children within that community, which I feel is closely linked to child poverty. What more could the Welsh Government do in this area? Secondly, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. Do you agree with me, Minister, that by continuing to pursue welfare reforms such as universal credit, the bedroom tax, the two-child limit on tax credit, reforms that are scheduled to push an extra 50,000 children into poverty by the time that they are fully implemented, this inhumane Tory Government could be in breach of several articles of the UNCRC? And I refer in particular to article 26, which states that every child has a right to benefit from social security, a right that is currently being denied to the third or fourth children of such families, or to the children of those families who have to wait four, six, eight or even 10 weeks to access their first instalment of universal credit, and also article 27, which states that every child has the right to an adequate standard of living. What state have we come to, Minister, where the policies of the Government of the fifth richest country in the world could be seen to contravene this most important of human rights treaties, and what work are you and your colleagues in this Welsh Labour Government doing to impress the seriousness of this situation, not just on the UK Tory Government, but on the wider international community? Finally, Minister, recognising that the greatest increase in child poverty is among working households, the very best way to lift children out of poverty is to enable their parents to access secure, well-paid employment. The excellent work of Communities for Work Plus and Parents Childcare and Employment has been widely documented in my community, but could you tell us a bit more about what other work you're doing with colleagues across Government to try and grow secure, well-paid employment opportunities within these communities most affected by child poverty, particularly within the south Wales Valleys?
Welsh: Hoffwn ddiolch i chi, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad yma heddiw. Fel y gwyddoch chi, nodwyd yn gynharach eleni mai Penrhiwceibr yn fy etholaeth i sydd â'r gyfradd uchaf o dlodi plant yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n dditiad cywilyddus o ddegawd o gyni gan y Torïaid. Yn y bumed wlad gyfoethocaf yn y byd, does dim angen dioddefaint o'r fath, ond mae'n ddioddefaint a achoswyd gan ymosodiad y Torïaid ar ein system les. Hoffwn ddiolch i chi am ddod i'r cyfarfod bord gron a drefnais yng nghymuned falch a chlos Penrhiwceibr yn ôl ym mis Medi, ac rwy'n gwybod ichi gael eich plesio gan y dystiolaeth a gyflwynwyd i chi yno gan grwpiau cymunedol sy'n gweithio mor galed, yn aml gydag arian Llywodraeth Cymru, i geisio lliniaru rhai o effeithiau gwaethaf tlodi plant. Rwy'n gwybod y bydd y rhai sy'n bresennol yn y cyfarfod hwnnw'n dilyn trafodion heddiw'n ofalus. Yn eich datganiad, rydych chi'n cyfeirio at yr adolygiad o raglenni a gwasanaethau Llywodraeth Cymru yr ydych yn ymgymryd ag ef i sicrhau eu bod yn cael yr effaith fwyaf posib ar fywydau plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi, gan gydnabod, wrth gwrs, fod y rhan fwyaf o'r grymoedd y tu allan i reolaeth Llywodraeth Cymru. A allwch chi roi rhagor o fanylion inni am hyn, Gweinidog, megis sut y bydd yr adolygiad yn sicrhau y caiff lleisiau plant eu clywed mewn modd clir iawn? Ac a fydd unrhyw bwyslais ar effaith tlodi plant ar iechyd meddwl plant? Byddwch yn cofio inni glywed tystiolaeth eithaf syfrdanol gan ysgolion a oedd yn bresennol yn y cyfarfod hwnnw am iechyd meddwl plant yn y gymuned honno, sydd â chysylltiad agos â thlodi plant yn fy nhyb i. Beth arall y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud yn y maes hwn? Yn ail, Confensiwn y Cenhedloedd Unedig ar Hawliau'r Plentyn yw'r cytuniad hawliau dynol rhyngwladol y bu'r cadarnhad mwyaf eang iddo mewn hanes. A ydych chi'n cytuno â mi, Gweinidog, drwy barhau i gyflwyno diwygiadau lles megis credyd cynhwysol, y dreth ystafell wely, y terfyn dau blentyn ar gredyd treth, diwygiadau y disgwylir iddynt wthio 50,000 o blant ychwanegol i dlodi erbyn iddynt gael eu llawn weithredu, y gallai'r Llywodraeth Dorïaidd annynol hon fod wedi torri sawl erthygl o'r Confensiwn hwnnw? A chyfeiriaf yn arbennig at erthygl 26, sy'n datgan bod gan bob plentyn yr hawl i elwa ar nawdd cymdeithasol, hawl sydd ar hyn o bryd yn cael ei warafun i drydydd neu bedwerydd plentyn teuluoedd o'r fath, neu i blant y teuluoedd hynny sy'n gorfod aros pedwar, chwech, wyth neu hyd yn oed 10 wythnos cyn cael eu rhandaliad cyntaf o gredyd cynhwysol, ac erthygl 27 hefyd, sy'n nodi bod gan bob plentyn yr hawl i safon byw ddigonol. Pa gyflwr ydym ni ynddo, Gweinidog, lle gellid gweld polisïau Llywodraeth y bumed wlad gyfoethocaf yn y byd yn mynd yn groes i'r holl gytundebau hawliau dynol pwysig hyn, a pha waith ydych chi a'ch cyd-Aelodau yn y Llywodraeth Lafur hon yng Nghymru yn ei wneud i bwysleisio difrifoldeb y sefyllfa hon, nid i Lywodraeth Dorïaidd y DU yn unig, ond i'r gymuned ryngwladol ehangach? Yn olaf, Gweinidog, gan gydnabod bod y cynnydd mwyaf mewn tlodi plant ymhlith aelwydydd sy'n gweithio, y ffordd orau o godi plant allan o dlodi yw galluogi eu rhieni i gael swyddi sicr, sy'n talu'n dda. Mae gwaith rhagorol Cymunedau am Waith a Mwy a Rhieni, Gofal Plant a Chyflogaeth yn hysbys iawn yn fy nghymuned i, ond a wnewch chi ddweud ychydig mwy wrthym ni am y gwaith arall yr ydych chi'n ei wneud gyda chydweithwyr ym mhob rhan o'r Llywodraeth i geisio cynyddu cyfleoedd cyflogaeth yn y cymunedau hyn y mae tlodi plant yn effeithio fwyaf arnynt, yn enwedig yng Nghymoedd y De?