English: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to speak in the final stage of the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill. This Bill is a free vote among the Welsh Conservative group, and I'd certainly like to reassure Members that, as spokesperson, I have listened to all sides of the debate, all evidence laid before the committee, and all of the Deputy Minister's own statements on this issue. I was pleased to see engagement throughout the Bill's progress, as well as some compromise from the Deputy Minister at Stage 3, which led to our amendments on reporting standards being accepted as part of this Bill. Nevertheless, from my own perspective, I remain still unconvinced that removing the defence of reasonable punishment is right or fair for Wales. As I have said throughout the Bill's progress, we have laws and systems already in place to protect the rights of the child, and we could have considered other options to change the behaviour of parents, such as civil liability. With this Bill, the state is now stepping into the private lives of families, and through the involvement of the police and social services to enforce the smacking ban, this will potentially have far-reaching consequences for us all. Exposing parents to criminal liability for smacking their children should be the last resort of a Government, not the first. It is the short-term thinking of this Government behind a long-term issue that concerns me the most. Today, this Welsh Parliament has been left the choice of passing a Bill that didn't have an in-depth costing for our public services from the start, and we now find out, from a letter that I've acquired, which is from the Chair of the Finance Committee, Llyr Gruffydd, of their concerns that since the explanatory memorandum the Bill has increased from a range of between £2.3 million and £3.7 million, to £6.2 million and £7.9 million. The revised regulatory impact assessment provides a total cost of awareness-raising activities of £2.8 million, previously in a range of £1.3 million; information on out-of-court disposal schemes, not originally costed, is now estimated to cost between £810,000 and £2.5 million; costs for staff working in a safeguarding role, who will need to familiarise themselves with new guidance, has been included - £882,000; costs of the task and finish implementation group, £620,000; and costs of the post-implementation review, £100,000. And it goes on. This is a letter that has been signed by a committee in this Assembly -
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n ddiolchgar bod gennyf y cyfle i siarad yng ngham terfynol Bil Plant (Diddymu Amddiffyniad Cosb Resymol) (Cymru). Mae'r Bil hwn yn bleidlais rydd ymhlith grŵp Ceidwadwyr Cymru, ac yn sicr hoffwn i sicrhau Aelodau fy mod i, fel llefarydd, wedi gwrando ar bob ochr o'r ddadl, yr holl dystiolaeth a gyflwynwyd gerbron y Pwyllgor, a holl ddatganiadau'r Dirprwy Weinidog ei hun ar y mater hwn. Roeddwn i'n falch o weld ymgysylltu drwy gydol hynt y Bil, yn ogystal â rhywfaint o gyfaddawdu gan y Dirprwy Weinidog yng Nghyfnod 3, a arweiniodd at dderbyn ein gwelliannau ar safonau adrodd yn rhan o'r Bil hwn. Fodd bynnag, o fy safbwynt i fy hun, nid wyf eto wedi fy argyhoeddi bod dileu amddiffyniad cosb resymol yn iawn nac yn deg i Gymru. Fel yr wyf wedi'i ddweud drwy gydol hynt y Bil, mae gennym ni gyfreithiau a systemau eisoes ar waith i amddiffyn hawliau'r plentyn, a gallem ni fod wedi ystyried dewisiadau eraill i newid ymddygiad rhieni, megis atebolrwydd sifil. Drwy'r Bil hwn, mae'r wladwriaeth bellach yn camu i mewn i fywydau preifat teuluoedd, a drwy gynnwys yr heddlu a'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol i orfodi'r gwaharddiad ar smacio, mae'n bosibl y bydd gan hyn effeithiau pellgyrhaeddol ar bob un ohonom ni. Dylai gwneud rhieni yn agored i atebolrwydd troseddol am smacio eu plant fod yn ddewis olaf i unrhyw Lywodraeth, nid y dewis cyntaf. Meddylfryd tymor byr y Llywodraeth hon y tu ôl i fater hirdymor sy'n peri'r pryder mwyaf i mi. Heddiw, mae'r Senedd Cymru hon yn gorfod dewis pasio Bil nad oedd wedi'i gostio'n fanwl ar gyfer ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus o'r cychwyn cyntaf, ac rydym yn cael gwybod yn awr, drwy lythyr yr wyf wedi cael gafael arno, gan Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyllid, Llyr Gruffydd, am eu pryderon bod y Bil, ers y memorandwm esboniadol, wedi cynyddu o ystod o rhwng £2.3 miliwn a £3.7 miliwn, i rhwng £6.2 miliwn a £7.9 miliwn. Mae'r asesiad o effaith rheoleiddiol diwygiedig yn rhoi cyfanswm cost gweithgareddau codi ymwybyddiaeth o £2.8 miliwn, a oedd gynt o fewn ystod o £1.3 miliwn; Amcangyfrifir y bydd gwybodaeth am gynlluniau gwarediadau y tu allan i'r llys, nad oedd wedi eu costio yn wreiddiol, yn costio rhwng £810,000 a £2.5 miliwn erbyn hyn; mae costau i staff sy'n gweithio mewn swydd ddiogelu, y bydd angen iddyn nhw ymgyfarwyddo â chanllawiau newydd, wedi'u cynnwys - £882,000; costau'r grŵp gweithredu gorchwyl a gorffen, £620,000; a chostau'r adolygiad ôl-weithredu, £100,000. Ac mae'n mynd ymlaen. Dyma lythyr sydd wedi ei lofnodi gan bwyllgor yn y Cynulliad hwn -