English: It's good to speak in this debate today as Chair of the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee, Llywydd, because, as has already been mentioned, this is the second debate in short succession covering work the committee that I chair is currently undertaking as to whether prisoners in Wales should have the right to vote in Assembly and local elections. As part of that work, we are dealing with the issues in the round, as to whether there should be a blanket lifting of restrictions on the right of prisoners to vote, or whether there should be distinctions drawn between prisoners who would have that right and those who wouldn't. So, we've been looking at issues such as whether categories of prisoner on the basis of the sentence that they receive, or their release dates, or the type of offence, might be used to decide whether they should vote or not. We're yet to come to a collective view. We have the UK position, as has been outlined, and I guess that's informative in terms of a possible starting point. We've undertaken visits, one to Parc prison, and one tomorrow to Eastwood Park to look at Welsh female prisoners in that English prison in Gloucestershire. Certainly, the visit to Parc was very informative in terms of hearing from prisoners and prison staff, and the director of the prison was quite forthright in saying that she believed that all prisoners should have the right to vote on a human rights basis, and that some of the practical considerations were certainly not so logistically difficult that they would prevent that happening, and that necessary arrangements, in her view, would have to be made and could be made. So, that was a very interesting visit, and I'm sure tomorrow will be very interesting too. I also think, Llywydd, it's been quite informative in terms of our consultation process, in terms of hearing the public and organisations with a view, because it has, actually, been quite balanced, in terms of those for and against giving prisoners the right to vote and whether distinctions should be drawn and how they might be drawn. And it's certainly doesn't bear out the view that people are almost unanimously of the view that prisoners shouldn't have the right to vote at all. It's been far more nuanced than that. So, we are in the middle of taking oral evidence and in the middle of the committee's inquiry. We will be taking further oral evidence from a range of organisations and, of course, from the Minister in due course. We aim to publish our report after the Easter recess. So, I hope very much that, in the debates and consideration that we're having - the previous debate and this debate, Llywydd - the work of the committee is duly recognised and indeed respected, because we are going through, I think, a very important process. And it will, I think, put a body of evidence on the table that I hope all Members will look at very carefully in due course before fully forming their own opinions on these matters.
Welsh: Mae'n dda gallu siarad yn y ddadl hon heddiw fel Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb, Llywodraeth Leol a Chymunedau, Lywydd, oherwydd, fel y crybwyllwyd eisoes, dyma'r ail ddadl mewn amser byr sy'n ymwneud â gwaith y mae'r pwyllgor a gadeirir gennyf yn ei wneud ar hyn o bryd ynglŷn ag a ddylai carcharorion yng Nghymru gael hawl i bleidleisio yn etholiadau'r Cynulliad ac etholiadau lleol. Fel rhan o'r gwaith hwnnw, rydym yn ymdrin â'r materion sy'n codi yn eu cyfanrwydd, i weld a ddylid codi'r cyfyngiadau'n gyfan gwbl ar hawl carcharorion i bleidleisio, neu a ddylid gwahaniaethu rhwng carcharorion a fyddai'n cael yr hawl honno a'r rhai na fyddent yn ei chael. Felly, buom yn edrych ar faterion megis y posibilrwydd o ddefnyddio categorïau o garcharor ar sail y ddedfryd a gânt, neu eu dyddiadau rhyddhau, neu'r math o drosedd, i benderfynu a ddylent bleidleisio neu beidio. Rydym eto i ddod i farn gyfunol. Mae gennym safbwynt y DU, fel y'i hamlinellwyd, a thybiaf fod hwnnw'n ddefnyddiol fel man cychwyn posibl. Rydym wedi cynnal ymweliadau, un â charchar y Parc, ac un yfory i Eastwood Park i edrych ar garcharorion benywaidd a gedwir yn y carchar hwnnw yn swydd Gaerloyw. Yn sicr, roedd yr ymweliad â'r Parc yn addysgiadol iawn o ran gallu clywed gan y carcharorion a staff carchardai, ac roedd cyfarwyddwr y carchar yn dweud yn eithaf diamwys ei bod hi'n credu y dylai pob carcharor gael yr hawl i bleidleisio ar sail hawliau dynol, ac nad oedd rhai o'r ystyriaethau ymarferol mor anodd yn logistaidd nes eu bod yn atal hynny rhag digwydd, ac y byddai'n rhaid gwneud trefniadau angenrheidiol, yn ei barn hi, ac y gellid eu gwneud. Felly, roedd hwnnw'n ymweliad diddorol iawn, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yfory'n ddiddorol iawn hefyd. Credaf hefyd, Lywydd, y bu'n eithaf addysgiadol o ran ein proses ymgynghori, o ran gwrando ar y cyhoedd a sefydliadau sydd â barn ar hyn, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, mae wedi bod yn eithaf cytbwys, o ran y rhai sydd dros ac yn erbyn rhoi hawl i bleidleisio i garcharorion, ac a ddylid gwahaniaethu ac ar ba sail y dylid gwahaniaethu. Ac yn sicr nid yw'n ategu'r farn fod pobl yn unfrydol bron na ddylai carcharorion gael hawl i bleidleisio o gwbl. Mae wedi bod yn llawer mwy amrywiol na hynny. Felly, rydym ynghanol y broses o gymryd tystiolaeth lafar ac ynghanol ymchwiliad y pwyllgor. Byddwn yn cymryd rhagor o dystiolaeth lafar gan amryw o sefydliadau, a gan y Gweinidog maes o law wrth gwrs. Ein nod yw cyhoeddi ein hadroddiad ar ôl toriad y Pasg. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr, yn y dadleuon a'r trafodaethau rydym yn eu cael - y ddadl flaenorol a'r ddadl hon, Lywydd - fod gwaith y pwyllgor yn cael ei gydnabod yn briodol a'i barchu yn wir, oherwydd rydym yn mynd drwy broses bwysig iawn yn fy marn i. Ac rwy'n credu y bydd yn rhoi corff o dystiolaeth ar y bwrdd y gobeithiaf y bydd pob Aelod yn edrych arno'n ofalus iawn maes o law cyn ffurfio eu barn eu hunain ar y materion hyn yn llawn.