English: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this report. I would like to focus on specific aspects of the report, namely those that need urgent attention and those that haven't received attention yet this afternoon. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister for her comments, accepting of course that the full official response isn't available yet. Turning first of all to children who are excluded or suspended from school. How on earth is it possible that we need to exclude a child of three years of age, a child of five years of age, or a child who is seven years of age from school? How do we need to exclude 768 children who are between the ages of three and seven over a period of a year? These figures from the children's commissioner are frightening, and it's clear that the same process of exclusion should not be implemented for young children as for older pupils up to the age of 16 - even though we need to raise questions about the process for older children as well, by the way. But, in terms of the younger children, the commissioner has found that one child was excluded 18 times in a year. We're not talking about a statistic here, we're talking about a child, and it is clear that exclusion for a child time and time again doesn't get to the heart of the problem, nor does it respond to that child's needs. These children need to be supported, not turned away, and the Government needs to implement a policy to prevent the exclusion of children under the age of eight, and we need to review the exclusion guidelines for older children as well. I would like to hear this afternoon that this is a concern and that there is work under way to respond to the situation. Another issue that causes concern as a result of the annual report is the reform of the youth justice system. The commissioner states clearly that there hasn't been sufficient progress and, importantly, there's been very slow progress towards that youth justice blueprint. During the pandemic, the commissioner drew attention to children who were held in custody and who were losing their rights, or missing out on their rights. So, may we know what the timeline is for the full introduction of the blueprint, and, in the meantime, how much of a concern is it for the Government that there isn't an emphasis on alternative methods, rather than holding children in custody? There aren't sufficient opportunities for those restorative justice systems. Now, the commissioner also drew attention to the problem of children from Wales being held in custody in England, and it would be good to hear about the progress made with that particular problem. Turning to another issue, namely the registration of staff in independent schools with the Education Workforce Council, or indeed the lack of progress towards implementing this to safeguard pupils, especially to safeguard girls from sexual harassment. It's been a matter of concern for the commissioner for some time, and I do share that concern. Plaid Cymru has been sharing this concern that the Government is so slow in solving this problem of registration, so it would be good to hear that the Government at last is going to implement the twelfth recommendation of the children's commissioner's annual report, to safeguard school pupils in Wales. And I turn finally to another issue of concern, namely children who are educated at home. The commissioner has stated that the secondary legislation that the Government intends to introduce on elective home education, that this secondary legislation is insufficient and doesn't go far enough in terms of safeguarding the rights of children. I'd like to know what the rationale is behind not following the advice of the commissioner to bring forward primary legislation on this issue. I know that there's a lack of time within the legislative timetable, but perhaps there might be other reasons for being so unwilling to take robust action in this area. So, I'd like to hear the Minister's comments on these areas, please. May I thank the commissioner very much for her tireless work, continuing to press for these changes that are needed? The sadness is that we are still discussing these issues and that we still need to see action being taken.
Welsh: Diolch am y cyfle i drafod yr adroddiad yma. Hoffwn i ganolbwyntio ar agweddau penodol o'r adroddiad, rhai sydd angen sylw buan a rhai sydd heb gael sylw hyd yma y prynhawn yma. A hoffwn i gymryd y cyfle i holi'r Gweinidog am ei sylwadau, gan dderbyn, wrth gwrs, nad ydy'r ymateb llawn swyddogol ar gael eto. Trof yn gyntaf at blant sy'n cael eu hatal neu eu diarddel o'r ysgol. Sut yn y byd ei bod hi'n bosib fod angen diarddel plentyn tair oed, plentyn pump oed a phlentyn saith oed o'r ysgol? Sut bod angen diarddel 768 o blant tair i saith oed dros gyfnod o flwyddyn? Mae'r ffigurau yma gan y comisiynydd plant yn frawychus, ac mae'n amlwg nad yr un broses o ddiarddel a ddylai fod ar waith ar gyfer plant ifanc o'i chymharu â'r broses ar gyfer pobl ifanc hyd at 16 oed - er bod angen codi cwestiynau am y broses efo plant hŷn hefyd, gyda llaw. Ond, o ran y plant ieuengaf, mae'r comisiynydd wedi canfod bod un plentyn wedi cael ei ddiarddel 18 o weithiau mewn blwyddyn. Nid sôn am ystadegyn ydyn ni yn y fan yma, ond sôn am blentyn, ac mae'n hollol amlwg dydy diarddel plentyn dro ar ôl tro ddim yn mynd at wraidd y broblem nac yn ymateb i'w anghenion. Mae'r plant yma angen eu cefnogi, nid eu troi ymaith, ac mae'n rhaid i'r Llywodraeth roi polisi ar waith i atal diarddel plant dan wyth oed, ac mae angen adolygu'r canllawiau diarddel ar gyfer plant hŷn hefyd. Hoffwn i glywed y prynhawn yma fod hyn yn gonsýrn a bod yna waith ar droed i newid y sefyllfa. Maes arall sy'n peri pryder yn sgil adroddiad blynyddol y comisiynydd plant ydy diwygio gwasanaethau cyfiawnder ieuenctid. Mae'r comisiynydd yn dweud yn glir iawn na fu digon o gynnydd. Ac yn allweddol, araf iawn a fu'r cynnydd tuag at y glasbrint cyfiawnder ieuenctid. Yn ystod y pandemig, fe dynnodd y comisiynydd sylw at blant a oedd yn cael eu cadw yn y ddalfa ac oedd yn colli eu hawliau. Felly, a gawn ni wybod beth ydy'r amserlen ar gyfer cyflwyno'r glasbrint yn llawn ac, yn y cyfamser, faint o bryder ydy hi i'r Gweinidog nad oes yna bwyslais ar ddulliau amgen yn hytrach nag anfon plant i'r ddalfa? Does yna ddim digon o gyfleon ar gyfer gwasanaethau adferol. Fe dynnodd y comisiynydd sylw hefyd at y broblem o blant o Gymru yn cael eu gosod yn y ddalfa yn Lloegr a byddai'n dda clywed pa gynnydd sydd wedi ei wneud efo'r broblem benodol yna. Troi at faes arall, sef cofrestru staff mewn ysgolion annibynnol efo Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg, neu yn wir y diffyg cynnydd tuag at orfodi hyn er mwyn diogelu disgyblion, yn enwedig i ddiogelu merched rhag aflonyddu rhywiol. Mae'n fater o gonsýrn i'r comisiynydd ers tro, ac rwy'n rhannu'r consýrn. Mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn rhannu'r consýrn yma bod y Llywodraeth mor araf yn datrys y problemau cofrestru, felly byddai'n dda gwybod bod y Llywodraeth o'r diwedd yn mynd i weithredu deuddegfed argymhelliad adroddiad blynyddol y comisiynydd plant, a hynny er mwyn diogelu disgyblion ysgol yng Nghymru. A dwi'n troi yn olaf at fater arall o bryder, sef plant sydd yn cael eu dysgu gartref. Mae'r comisiynydd wedi dadlau nad ydy'r ddeddfwriaeth eilradd y mae'r Llywodraeth yn bwriadu ei chyflwyno ar addysg gartref ddewisol, nad ydy'r ddeddfwriaeth eilradd yma'n ddigonol, a dydy o ddim ychwaith yn mynd yn ddigon pell o safbwynt diogelu hawliau plant. Hoffwn i wybod beth ydy'r rhesymeg y tu ôl i beidio â dilyn cyngor y comisiynydd i ddod â deddfwriaeth gynradd ymlaen ar y pwnc yma. Dwi'n gwybod bod yna brinder amser o fewn y rhaglen ddeddfwriaethol, ond tybed oes yna resymau eraill dros fod mor amharod i weithredu'n gadarn yn y maes yma. Felly, hoffwn i glywed sylwadau'r Gweinidog ar y meysydd yma os gwelwch chi'n dda. A gaf i ddiolch yn fawr iawn i'r comisiynydd am ei gwaith diflino, yn dal ati i bwyso am y newidiadau sydd eu hangen? Y tristwch ydy ein bod ni'n dal wrthi yn eu trafod nhw, a'n bod ni'n dal angen gweld gweithredu.