English: Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to start by saying that I'm grateful to Plaid for bringing forward this debate today. The cost-of-living crisis is something that we're all majorly concerned about, and it'll no doubt have an impact on learners and schools in the coming months. On top of the 22 years of failure from the Welsh Government to bring children out of poverty, with 200,000 children still being in poverty in Wales, it is important that we have this debate. We support today's motion laid before us, and I just would like to ask Plaid Cymru if they will accept and acknowledge our amendment as an addition to the original motion, as we believe that this amendment will make it stronger and reinforces the point that you're trying to make here today. Point 1 of this motion notes that the cost-of-living crisis has had a particular effect on schools and children. We of course have had the free breakfast schemes and the free school meals available in our schools - soon to be universal - and, as was raised in the Chamber earlier, we need to not only ensure these meals continue to be nutritious, but that they are actually available to all in all schools, and ensure that children can access the support that they need above and beyond the current free-school-meal identified children. We all know that a mix of inflation, knock-on effects of the war in Ukraine and the exit from the pandemic is bound to have a drastic effect on our economy. So, many will be affected right now, and there needs to be a focus on supporting the most vulnerable families and children in schools so no-one slips through the net. A more targeted approach, perhaps, is needed, particularly due to the move to universal school meals. The current cost-of-living situation in Wales has increased stress and tension around family finances and significant consequences for children and young people, who are facing more mental health challenges as a result. This is only going to exacerbate the mental health crisis Welsh students are already facing, and it was only yesterday that the First Minister admitted that mental health delivery is way behind where it should be. The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact upon families across Wales and the wider world, like Germany and the USA, so not just the UK, with more and more families facing hardship, being on the edge or living in poverty. In the most recent UK-wide Barnardo's practitioners' survey, published in March 2022, 68 per cent of respondents said that the top issue they were concerned about in schools was the lack of support and resources, and 59 per cent cited mental health and well-being issues. Point 2 of the motion calls on the Welsh Government to increase efforts to ensure measures to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in schools are implemented as effectively as possible, so I'm pleased that the Minister for education has announced that the pupil development grant access scheme will be raised for one year by £100 per learner. And this is all well and good, but there needs to be greater awareness of the scheme, as again was raised earlier in this Chamber, and also the problem about it being accessible to all, due to the fact that you have to apply online for it. It is great to see, finally, that the Welsh Government have now followed the UK Government in giving support to households by announcing measures to counteract the cost-of-living crisis that we all face. However, in the move to universal school meals, we must ensure that the pupil development grant identifying doesn't get lost in transition, and that we have a method just as effective for identifying those in most need. Although this is a much needed and welcome start, there is still much more that needs to be done, like improving the signposting of the pupil development grant, as pointed out in sub-note 2 (c). It is crucial that the Welsh Government work hard to provide further support for schools to include money for trips and activities, as was outlined by a Plaid Member earlier, for all, and to ensure consistent practice across Wales, as sub-point (e) mentions. Currently, we have an unacceptable situation, where parents have to fork out huge costs for school trips and to go and play sport in other schools, or whatever it might be, and many other things that were mentioned, and it's not a situation that can carry on, because it does highlight those children who don't have a lot of money and then have to say that they can't join in those activities. And it's something that happens now, and I've seen it through my children going to school, and I've seen their friends not being able to do things, and it's not good enough, that situation - it can't carry on. And of course now it's exacerbated by the situation we're now facing. I, myself, have really struggled as a single mother with my first child, so I'm all too aware that this Government needs to reach those areas that we're not reaching at the moment because of the postcode lottery of a lot of schemes that are available. Also, we need to ensure that as well as free-school-meal children, we are reaching those low-income families with working parents, who are so often overlooked. It seems that we've had initiatives over the last 22 years, yet, as I said at the beginning, 200,000 children are still in poverty, and it seems that we have in fact just put sticking-plaster solutions, rather than really identifying what's going on underneath. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy ddweud fy mod yn ddiolchgar i Blaid Cymru am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon heddiw. Mae'r argyfwng costau byw yn rhywbeth yr ydym i gyd yn pryderu'n fawr yn ei gylch, ac mae'n siŵr y caiff effaith ar ddysgwyr ac ysgolion yn ystod y misoedd nesaf. Ar ôl 22 mlynedd o fethiant Llywodraeth Cymru i ddileu tlodi plant, gyda 200,000 o blant yn dal i fod yn byw mewn tlodi yng Nghymru, mae'n bwysig inni gael y ddadl hon. Rydym yn cefnogi'r cynnig a osodwyd ger ein bron heddiw, a hoffwn ofyn i Blaid Cymru dderbyn a chydnabod ein gwelliant ni fel ychwanegiad at y cynnig gwreiddiol, gan ein bod yn credu y bydd y gwelliant hwn yn ei wneud yn gryfach ac yn atgyfnerthu'r pwynt y ceisiwch ei wneud yma heddiw. Mae pwynt 1 y cynnig yn nodi bod yr argyfwng costau byw wedi cael effaith benodol ar ysgolion a phlant. Wrth gwrs, rydym wedi cael y cynlluniau brecwast am ddim a'r prydau ysgol am ddim sydd ar gael yn ein hysgolion - darpariaeth a fydd ar gael i bawb cyn hir - ac fel y nodwyd yn y Siambr yn gynharach, mae angen inni sicrhau bod y prydau hyn yn parhau i fod yn faethlon, a hefyd eu bod ar gael i bawb ym mhob ysgol, a sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn gallu cael y cymorth y maent ei angen, nid dim ond y plant y nodwyd ar hyn o bryd eu bod yn gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim. Mae pawb ohonom yn gwybod bod y gymysgedd o chwyddiant, sgil-effeithiau'r rhyfel yn Wcráin ac effeithiau'r pandemig yn sicr o gael effaith eithafol ar ein heconomi. Felly, bydd llawer eisoes yn cael eu heffeithio, ac mae angen canolbwyntio ar gefnogi'r teuluoedd a'r plant mwyaf agored i niwed mewn ysgolion fel nad oes neb yn llithro drwy'r rhwyd. Efallai fod angen dull gweithredu wedi'i dargedu'n well, yn enwedig yn sgil symud tuag at brydau ysgol i bawb. Mae'r sefyllfa bresennol yng Nghymru gyda chostau byw wedi cynyddu'r straen a'r tensiwn sy'n gysylltiedig â chyllid teuluol a chanlyniadau sylweddol i blant a phobl ifanc, sy'n wynebu mwy o heriau iechyd meddwl o ganlyniad. Bydd hyn yn gwaethygu'r argyfwng iechyd meddwl y mae disgyblion Cymru eisoes yn ei wynebu, a ddoe yn unig y cyfaddefodd y Prif Weinidog fod y ddarpariaeth iechyd meddwl ymhell ar ei hôl hi. Mae'r argyfwng costau byw yn cael effaith sylweddol ar deuluoedd ledled Cymru a'r byd ehangach, fel yr Almaen ac UDA, felly nid y DU yn unig, gyda mwy a mwy o deuluoedd yn wynebu caledi, yn agos at fod yn dlawd neu'n byw mewn tlodi. Yn yr arolwg diweddaraf o ymarferwyr Barnardo's yn y DU a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Mawrth 2022, dywedodd 68 y cant o'r ymatebwyr mai'r prif beth yr oeddent yn pryderu yn ei gylch mewn ysgolion oedd y diffyg cymorth ac adnoddau, a nododd 59 y cant ohonynt broblemau iechyd meddwl a llesiant. Mae pwynt 2 yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gynyddu'r ymdrechion i sicrhau bod mesurau i gefnogi plant o gefndiroedd difreintiedig mewn ysgolion yn cael eu gweithredu mor effeithiol â phosibl, felly rwy'n falch fod y Gweinidog addysg wedi cyhoeddi y bydd y cynllun datblygu disgyblion - mynediad yn codi £100 y dysgwr am flwyddyn. Ac mae hyn yn beth da, ond mae angen mwy o ymwybyddiaeth o'r cynllun, fel y nodwyd yn gynharach yn y Siambr, a hefyd y broblem nad yw'n hygyrch i bawb am fod rhaid ichi wneud cais ar-lein amdano. Mae'n wych gweld o'r diwedd fod Llywodraeth Cymru bellach wedi dilyn Llywodraeth y DU a rhoi cymorth i aelwydydd drwy gyhoeddi mesurau i wrthsefyll yr argyfwng costau byw yr ydym i gyd yn ei wynebu. Fodd bynnag, wrth symud at brydau ysgol i bawb, mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau nad yw nodi pwy sy'n gymwys ar gyfer y grant datblygu disgyblion yn mynd ar goll yn ystod y broses bontio, a bod gennym ddull yr un mor effeithiol ar gyfer nodi'r rhai sydd â'r angen mwyaf. Er bod gwir angen y camau cychwynnol hyn, ac er eu bod i'w croesawu, mae'n dal i fod angen gwneud llawer rhagor, fel gwella sut y cyfeirir at y grant datblygu disgyblion, fel y nodir yn is-nodyn 2 (c). Mae'n hanfodol fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio'n galed i ddarparu cymorth pellach i ysgolion i gynnwys arian ar gyfer teithiau a gweithgareddau, fel yr amlinellwyd gan Aelod o Blaid Cymru yn gynharach, i bawb, ac i sicrhau arferion cyson ledled Cymru, fel y mae is-bwynt (e) yn ei ddweud. Ar hyn o bryd, mae'r sefyllfa'n annerbyniol, lle mae'n rhaid i rieni dalu costau enfawr ar gyfer tripiau ysgol ac i fynd i gymryd rhan mewn chwaraeon mewn ysgolion eraill, neu beth bynnag y bo, a llawer o bethau eraill a grybwyllwyd, ac nid yw'n sefyllfa a all barhau, oherwydd mae'n tynnu sylw at y plant nad oes ganddynt lawer o arian ac sydd wedyn yn gorfod dweud na allant gymryd rhan yn y gweithgareddau hynny. Ac mae'n rhywbeth sy'n digwydd yn awr, ac rwyf wedi'i weld wrth i fy mhlant fynd i'r ysgol, ac rwyf wedi gweld eu ffrindiau'n methu gwneud pethau, ac nid yw'n ddigon da, y sefyllfa honno - ni all barhau. Ac wrth gwrs caiff y broblem ei gwaethygu gan y sefyllfa a wynebwn yn awr. Yn bersonol, fe'i cefais hi'n anodd fel mam sengl gyda fy mhlentyn cyntaf, felly rwy'n ymwybodol iawn fod angen i'r Llywodraeth hon gyrraedd y mannau nad ydym yn eu cyrraedd ar hyn o bryd oherwydd loteri cod post llawer o'r cynlluniau sydd ar gael. Hefyd, yn ogystal â'r plant sy'n cael prydau ysgol am ddim, mae angen inni sicrhau ein bod yn cyrraedd teuluoedd incwm isel sydd â rhieni'n gweithio, sydd mor aml yn cael eu hanwybyddu. Mae'n ymddangos ein bod wedi cael cynlluniau dros y 22 mlynedd diwethaf, ac eto, fel y dywedais ar y dechrau, mae 200,000 o blant yn dal i fyw mewn tlodi, ac mae'n ymddangos ein bod wedi bod yn plastro dros y craciau mewn gwirionedd, yn hytrach na nodi'n iawn yr hyn sy'n digwydd o dan yr wyneb. Diolch.