English: Thanks to Mick Antoniw and the other sponsors of today's debate. The issue of leaseholds and freeholds is not a new one in Wales. I'm not going to attempt to go all the way back to the eleventh century, as Mick did, but we did have a well-publicised situation during the 1950s when a large number of miners' homes in the south Wales Valleys had leases that the occupiers weren't able to purchase. At that point, one company, Western Ground Rent, held some 10,000 leases, and there were attempts to reform that situation in Parliament at the time, led by someone who was later my local MP, George Thomas. Now, whatever reputation George Thomas has these days, he was involved in at least one useful campaign, which was the campaign to reform leaseholds in Wales during the 1950s and 1960s. As we've heard in today's debate, though, there is evidence that leaseholds are still very much with us. As Mick Antoniw stated in his opening remarks, it's estimated that there are some 200,000 leasehold homes in Wales, and there is the disturbing aspect that a significant number of new-build developments are being offered to house buyers coming into the market as leasehold. One point that Mick made was that he acknowledged that there was a difference between leasehold flats and leasehold houses, and some would argue that there may be a case for flats being leasehold, as they clearly have communal areas and will also offer communal services. But, then again, the leaseholders are paying service charges for these facilities, so why should they be impeded from each owning their own freehold? In the case of leasehold houses, though, it is even odder that house builders are trying to fob buyers off with leasehold arrangements. In these instances there are no communal areas, there are no service charges, generally, so there is even less justification for not offering the freehold. In recent years there have been whole new developments that have gone up in which all the houses on offer were leasehold, and Dai Rees began to mention the names of some of the companies that have developed those arrangements. I noted today that, currently, on Darlows' website, there are no fewer than 185 leasehold properties on offer in Cardiff alone. A significant problem is that many first-time buyers lack financial education of the sort that is needed when they enter the world of property purchasing. This is something of a failing of the education system, which is sometimes too academic in nature and offers not enough of practical relevance to school students. We do need to give young people some meaningful financial education to prepare them for entering the world of property, although that debate is perhaps for another day. To return to the point at issue today, first-time buyers, desperate to get onto the housing ladder and knowing little, often buy a house, many of them not even understanding the difference between leasehold and freehold. Then, when they come to sell the house, they find that there is a significant difference between their market price and the market price of neighbouring houses in which the householders do own the freehold. For instance, one of my constituents, who lives in the Cynon valley, eventually sold her house for £110,000 because she was only a leaseholder, whereas other properties in the same street were going for £140,000. That is a significant loss, and that individual did not realise when she bought her property what a leasehold even was. So, this is one part of the problem we are dealing with. Dai Rees made the point that, in these cases, we should try to do something to ensure that the legal advice that prospective house buyers are getting from solicitors does actually explain these differences between leasehold and freehold. But, of course, we've had a series of financial packages offered over the years in which false advice has been given, so I fear that, unless there is some kind of meaningful regulation, we can't really rely on regulation to ensure advice that is given from solicitors. So, I believe there are many problems associated with leaseholds; legislation could well be the only way forward. The legal competence issue, which Dai Rees also raised, is a possible problem, so I'm interested to hear what the Minister says about that today, and how she clarifies that. But UKIP supports the principles behind this motion, that house buyers should not be ripped off, and is happy therefore to support today's motion. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Welsh: Diolch i Mick Antoniw a noddwyr eraill y ddadl heddiw. Nid yw mater lesddaliadau a rhydd-ddaliadau yn un newydd yng Nghymru. Nid wyf yn mynd i geisio mynd yr holl ffordd yn ôl i'r unfed ganrif ar ddeg, fel y gwnaeth Mick, ond fe gawsom sefyllfa a gafodd lawer o sylw yn ystod y 1950au pan oedd gan nifer fawr o gartrefi glowyr yng Nghymoedd de Cymru lesddaliadau nad oedd y meddianwyr yn gallu eu prynu. Ar yr adeg honno, roedd gan un cwmni, Western Ground Rent, oddeutu 10,000 o lesddaliadau, ac roedd ymdrechion i ddiwygio'r sefyllfa yn y Senedd ar y pryd, wedi'u harwain gan rywun a ddaeth yn AS lleol i mi yn ddiweddarach, sef George Thomas. Nawr, beth bynnag yw'r enw sydd gan George Thomas y dyddiau hyn, fe gymerodd ran mewn o leiaf un ymgyrch ddefnyddiol, sef yr ymgyrch i ddiwygio lesddaliadau yng Nghymru yn ystod y 1950au a'r 1960au. Fel y clywsom yn y ddadl heddiw, fodd bynnag, ceir tystiolaeth fod lesddaliadau yn sicr yn dal i fod gyda ni. Fel y nododd Mick Antoniw yn ei sylwadau agoriadol, amcangyfrifir bod oddeutu 200,000 o gartrefi lesddaliadol yng Nghymru, a cheir pryder fod nifer sylweddol o ddatblygiadau adeiladu o'r newydd yn cael eu cynnig i brynwyr gan ddod i mewn i'r farchnad fel lesddaliadau. Un pwynt a wnaeth Mick oedd ei fod yn cydnabod bod yna wahaniaeth rhwng fflatiau lesddaliadol a thai lesddaliadol, a byddai rhai'n dadlau y gallai fod achos dros i fflatiau fod yn lesddaliadol, gan fod ganddynt fannau cymunedol amlwg a byddant hefyd yn cynnig gwasanaethau cymunedol. Ond er hynny, mae'r lesddeiliaid yn talu costau gwasanaeth am y cyfleusterau hyn, felly pam y dylent gael eu rhwystro rhag bod yn berchen ar eu rhydd-ddaliad eu hunain? Yn achos tai lesddaliadol er hynny, mae'n fwy rhyfedd byth fod adeiladwyr yn ceisio twyllo prynwyr â threfniadau lesddaliadol. Yn yr achosion hyn nid oes unrhyw fannau cymunedol, ni cheir unrhyw gostau gwasanaeth fel y cyfryw, felly mae llai byth o gyfiawnhad dros beidio â chynnig y rhydd-ddaliad. Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf cafwyd datblygiadau newydd lle roedd yr holl dai a oedd ar werth yn lesddaliadau, a dechreuodd Dai Rees enwi rhai o'r cwmnïau sydd wedi datblygu'r trefniadau hynny. Sylwais heddiw ar wefan Darlows fod cymaint â 185 eiddo lesddaliadol yn cael eu cynnig ar hyn o bryd yng Nghaerdydd yn unig. Problem fawr yw nad yw llawer o brynwyr tro cyntaf wedi cael addysg ariannol o'r math sydd ei angen pan fyddant yn camu i fyd prynu eiddo. Mae hyn yn fethiant ar ran y system addysg, sydd weithiau'n rhy academaidd ei natur ac nid yw'n cynnig digon o berthnasedd ymarferol i fyfyrwyr ysgol. Mae angen inni roi addysg ariannol ystyrlon i bobl ifanc i'w paratoi ar gyfer camu i fyd eiddo, er mai dadl ar gyfer rhywdro eto yw honno. I ddychwelyd at y pwynt dan sylw heddiw, bydd prynwyr tro cyntaf sy'n awyddus iawn i gamu ar yr ysgol dai a heb wybod fawr ddim, yn aml yn prynu tŷ, er na fydd llawer ohonynt hyd yn oed ddeall y gwahaniaeth rhwng rhydd-ddaliad a lesddaliad. Yna, pan ddaw'n bryd iddynt werthu'r tŷ, gwelant fod gwahaniaeth sylweddol rhwng eu pris marchnad hwy a phris marchnad tai cyfagos lle mae'r deiliaid yn berchen ar y rhydd-ddaliad. Er enghraifft, gwerthodd un o fy etholwyr, sy'n byw yng Nghwm Cynon, ei thŷ yn y pen draw am £110,000 am mai lesddeiliad yn unig oedd hi, tra oedd tai eraill yn yr un stryd yn gwerthu am £140,000. Mae honno'n golled sylweddol, ac nid oedd yr unigolyn dan sylw'n sylweddoli pan brynodd ei heiddo beth oedd lesddaliad hyd yn oed. Felly, dyma un rhan o'r broblem rydym yn ei hwynebu. Gwnaeth Dai Rees y pwynt y dylem geisio gwneud rhywbeth yn yr achosion hyn i sicrhau bod y cyngor cyfreithiol a roddir i ddarpar brynwyr gan gyfreithwyr yn egluro'r gwahaniaethau hyn rhwng rhydd-ddaliad a lesddaliad. Ond wrth gwrs, cawsom gyfres o becynnau ariannol dros y blynyddoedd lle y rhoddwyd cyngor nad yw'n wir, felly rwy'n ofni, oni bai y ceir rhyw fath o reoliadau ystyrlon, na allwn ddibynnu'n iawn ar reoliadau i sicrhau cyngor da gan gyfreithwyr. Felly, rwy'n credu bod llawer o broblemau'n gysylltiedig â lesddaliadau; efallai'n wir mai deddfwriaeth yw'r unig ffordd ymlaen. Mae mater cymhwysedd cyfreithiol, a grybwyllwyd gan Dai Rees hefyd, yn broblem bosibl, felly rwy'n awyddus i glywed beth sydd gan y Gweinidog i'w ddweud am hynny heddiw, a sut y mae'n egluro hynny. Ond mae UKIP yn cefnogi'r egwyddorion sy'n sail i'r cynnig hwn, na ddylai prynwyr tai gael eu twyllo, ac rydym yn hapus felly i gefnogi'r cynnig heddiw. Diolch yn fawr iawn.