English: I speak as the Member who represented the Conservative group on the Stage 1 proceedings, and subbed on to the equality and local government committee for that purpose, but I'm no longer the housing spokesperson, and my colleague Mark Isherwood will speak officially for the group later. Can I say that I'm very pleased to agree the general principles of this Bill? I think, with other measures that have been referred to, it should provide a stronger and more efficient market for the private rented sector in particular, and it seeks to strike a balance between tenants - who are now often called 'generation rent' - and landlords. And generation rent, if I can take that to mean people in the private rented sector, is now something like 20 per cent of the population in housing terms, which is really quite a remarkable shift from the 1980s, when much of the law that we have sought to reform during this Senedd was first enacted to revive, really, the rental sector, which had gone into the doldrums through over-control at the time. So, it is a rebalancing; it's happening in England, it's happening in Scotland, and that's why, when I was the Conservative spokesperson - and a policy that continues - the Conservative group was pleased to broadly support these reforms to the rental sector. And can I say what a pleasure it was to work with the equality and local government committee and the Members - it was very constructive - and, more recently, I've also been on the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, and, again, I'm pleased with the diligence that's been applied to this Bill. And I indeed note, as others have, the similar recommendations in some respects between those two committees. I do want to make some specific points, but let me just say first of all that I think the consolidation of housing law is something much to be desired. We know the Welsh Government is committed to consolidating law. It has been one of the things we thought that the Senedd could do, or start to do, when it acquired primary lawmaking powers, and ensure that we didn't have the sort of cluttered statute book that exists in other jurisdictions, and that housing was a really good area of public law to start with, because it's so important in terms of people's lives, but also it was law that needed reforming and it is very systematic; they relate to each other. This Bill actually amends a 2016 Act, so An act of the fourth Assembly, as we've heard, which will not actually be commenced until the sixth Senedd. I do think it's a bit of a record for something to be passed in a fourth Parliament and not to be enacted - commenced, rather - until a sixth Parliament, and it is really not very good practice, even - . I mean, there are some reasons in COVID to explain the extension to this inordinate delay, but most of the inordinate delay has been caused by other factors, which I think the Welsh Government should have been more attentive about. But, anyway, that's a sour note and I want to be mostly positive in my remarks. If I can turn to the Stage 1 committee report, I would highlight the following: the need for better data of the private rented sector again has already been referred to, and I'm pleased the Minister has accepted that recommendation. As I said, it's 20 per cent of housing now, and we do just need better data and we need better liaison with private sector tenants. We have excellent connections over many decades with those in the social sector, and it's a harder sector - it's more fragmented, the private sector tenants - but we need to get better evidence from them. The Bill does need to have certain improvements made, and I'm sure my colleague Mark Isherwood might speak to some of this as well, but we would have pushed very strongly for the extension of the withdrawal and then reissue notice that landlords have to apply from 14 to 28 days, but I'm delighted the Minister's actually accepted that recommendation and so, presumably, there won't be a need for our own amendment on that. So, I do think, finally, as this completes a series of reforms to the private rented sector, that, as we've moved from no-fault evictions, in effect, to evictions for a cause, the landlord's right to an effective process is really important. And that's why the two committees have made this point about the need for landlords to be able to access efficient and low-cost procedure, and possibly that would best be done via housing tribunal. And I do hope that will be seriously looked at in the sixth Senedd, which I will not be a Member of, but I would urge Members who are elected to that to look at that particular part, because it is part of the balancing, and landlords do have a right to reclaim their property and there must be a process that's efficient for them to do so when there is cause.
Welsh: Rwyf i'n siarad fel yr Aelod a gynrychiolodd grŵp y Ceidwadwyr yn nhrafodion Cyfnod 1, ac a etholwyd i'r pwyllgor cydraddoldeb a llywodraeth leol at y diben hwnnw, ond nid fi yw'r llefarydd ar dai mwyach, a bydd fy nghyd-Aelod Mark Isherwood yn siarad yn swyddogol ar ran y grŵp yn ddiweddarach. A gaf i ddweud fy mod i'n falch iawn o gytuno ar egwyddorion cyffredinol y Bil hwn? Rwyf i'n credu, gyda mesurau eraill y cyfeiriwyd atyn nhw, y dylai ddarparu marchnad gryfach a mwy effeithlon i'r sector rhentu preifat yn benodol, ac mae'n ceisio sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng tenantiaid - sydd yn aml yn cael eu galw yn 'genhedlaeth rhentu' erbyn hyn - a landlordiaid. Ac mae'r genhedlaeth rhentu, os caf i gymryd bod hynny yn golygu pobl yn y sector rhentu preifat, yn rhywbeth tebyg i 20 y cant o'r boblogaeth o ran tai erbyn hyn, sy'n newid eithaf rhyfeddol o'r 1980au, pan gafodd llawer o'r gyfraith yr ydym ni wedi ceisio ei diwygio yn ystod y Senedd hon ei deddfu am y tro cyntaf, a hynny mewn gwirionedd i adfywio y sector rhentu, a oedd wedi dirywio yn sgil gor-reolaeth ar y pryd. Felly, mae'n fater o ail-gydbwyso; mae'n digwydd yn Lloegr, mae'n digwydd yn yr Alban, a dyna pam, pan oeddwn i'n llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr - a pholisi sy'n parhau - yr oedd grŵp y Ceidwadwyr yn falch o gefnogi'r diwygiadau hyn i'r sector rhentu yn gyffredinol. Ac a gaf i ddweud cymaint o bleser y bu hi i weithio gyda'r pwyllgor cydraddoldeb a llywodraeth leol a'r Aelodau - yr oedd yn adeiladol iawn - ac, yn fwy diweddar, rwyf i hefyd wedi bod ar y Pwyllgor Deddfwriaeth, Cyfiawnder a'r Cyfansoddiad, ac, unwaith eto, rwy'n falch o'r gwaith diwyd sydd wedi ei wneud ar y Bil hwn. Ac yn wir, rwy'n nodi, fel y mae pobl eraill wedi gwneud, yr argymhellion tebyg mewn rhai ffyrdd rhwng y ddau bwyllgor hynny. Hoffwn i wneud rhai pwyntiau penodol, ond gadewch i mi ddweud yn gyntaf fy mod i'n credu bod cydgrynhoi cyfraith tai yn rhywbeth a fyddai'n ddymunol iawn. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i gydgrynhoi cyfreithiau. Bu'n un o'r pethau yr oeddem ni'n credu y gallai'r Senedd ei wneud, neu ddechrau ei wneud, pan gafodd bwerau deddfu sylfaenol, a sicrhau nad oedd gennym ni'r math o lyfr statud anniben sy'n bodoli mewn awdurdodaethau eraill, a bod tai yn faes cyfraith gyhoeddus da iawn i ddechrau hyn, oherwydd ei fod mor bwysig o ran bywydau pobl, ond hefyd yr oedd yn gyfreithiau yr oedd angen eu diwygio ac maen nhw'n systematig iawn; maen nhw'n ymwneud â'i gilydd. Mae'r Bil hwn mewn gwirionedd yn diwygio Deddf 2016, felly Deddf o'r pedwerydd Cynulliad, fel y gwnaethom ni glywed, na fydd yn cael ei chychwyn mewn gwirionedd tan y chweched Senedd. Rwyf i yn credu bod hyn yn dipyn o record i rywbeth gael ei basio mewn pedwaredd Senedd a pheidio â chael ei ddeddfu - ei gychwyn, yn hytrach - tan chweched Senedd, ac nid yw'n arfer da iawn o gwbl, hyd yn oed - . Wrth gwrs, mae yna rai rhesymau yn sgil COVID i esbonio'r estyniad i'r oedi gormodol hwn, ond mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r oedi gormodol wedi ei achosi gan ffactorau eraill, ac rwyf i'n credu y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru fod wedi rhoi mwy o sylw iddyn nhw. Ond, beth bynnag, mae hwnnw'n nodyn sur ac rwy'n awyddus i fod yn gadarnhaol ar y cyfan yn fy sylwadau. Os gallaf i droi at yr adroddiad pwyllgor Cyfnod 1, hoffwn i dynnu sylw at y canlynol: cyfeiriwyd eisoes at yr angen am ddata gwell o'r sector rhentu preifat, ac rwy'n falch bod y Gweinidog wedi derbyn yr argymhelliad hwnnw. Fel y dywedais i, mae'n 20 y cant o'r sector tai erbyn hyn, ac mae angen gwell data arnom ni ac mae angen gwell cysylltu â thenantiaid y sector preifat arnom ni. Mae gennym ni gysylltiadau rhagorol dros ddegawdau lawer â'r rhai hynny yn y sector cymdeithasol, ac mae'n sector anoddach - mae'n fwy tameidiog, denantiaid y sector preifat - ond mae angen i ni gael gwell tystiolaeth ganddyn nhw. Mae angen gwneud rhai gwelliannau i'r Bil, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd fy nghyd-Aelod Mark Isherwood yn siarad rhywfaint am hyn hefyd, ond byddem ni wedi pwyso'n gryf iawn am ymestyn y rhybudd tynnu yn ôl ac yna ailgyhoeddi y mae'n rhaid i landlordiaid ei roi o 14 i 28 diwrnod, ond rwyf i wrth fy modd bod y Gweinidog wedi derbyn yr argymhelliad hwnnw ac felly, yn ôl pob tebyg, ni fydd angen ein gwelliant ein hunain ar hynny. Felly, rwyf i yn credu, i gloi, gan fod hyn yn cwblhau cyfres o ddiwygiadau i'r sector rhentu preifat, gan ein bod ni wedi symud o droi allan heb fai, i bob pwrpas, i droi allan am reswm, fod hawl y landlord i gael proses effeithiol yn bwysig iawn. A dyna pam mae'r ddau bwyllgor wedi gwneud y pwynt hwn ynghylch yr angen i landlordiaid allu cael gafael ar weithdrefn effeithlon a chost isel, ac o bosibl y byddai'n well gwneud hynny drwy dribiwnlys tai. Ac rwyf i yn gobeithio y bydd hynny yn cael ei ystyried o ddifrif yn y chweched Senedd na fyddaf i'n Aelod ohoni, ond byddwn i yn annog yr Aelodau sy'n cael eu hethol i honno i edrych ar y rhan benodol honno, oherwydd ei bod yn rhan o'r cydbwysedd, ac mae gan landlordiaid hawl i adfeddiannu eu heiddo ac mae'n rhaid bod â phroses sy'n effeithlon er mwyn iddyn nhw wneud hynny pan fydd rheswm i wneud hynny.