English: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and may I welcome this motion, tabled by the Welsh Conservatives? I will move amendments that we believe strengthen this motion further. We are, of course, aware of the impact that securing quality housing, healthcare, education and being safe in the home, and so on, have on a child's development. I'm sure that some of you will recall some previous Plaid Cymru debates in this Chamber on preventing the eviction of families with children from their homes, where we've listed the numerous and negative impacts of homelessness, overly full and poor housing on children, but it's always worth reminding ourselves that children living in houses that aren't adequately heated and in a poor condition are more than twice as likely to suffer chest and breathing problems and conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. There's a strong relationship between overfilled housing and the helicobacter pylori, which is one of the main causes of stomach cancer and other diseases in the digestive system. They are twice as likely to develop such diseases when they reach 65 to 75 years old. Homeless children have four times as many respiratory diseases; they are five times as likely to suffer diarrhoea or stomach complaints; they are twice as likely to have to have an emergency admission to hospital; they are six times as likely to have speech defects and a stutter; and four times as likely to have asthma as children who are not homeless. This list of the impacts of a poor start in life is a lengthy one, but it's worth rehearsing it time and time again, and until the wider political culture in Westminster recognises, for example, that it's never acceptable to balance a budget by making children ill through cuts to welfare and so on, we will repeat these points time and time again. And I think that issue of housing is reflected in our first amendment. I will move to our next amendment. I think it is quite clear that the evidence that we've received from neurological scientists shows that brain development does continue swiftly through the teenage years and into one's early adulthood, and therefore it is crucial, I think, that the health and well-being of children, both physically and mentally, are supported as they grow up through those years. The Government, of course, does have a child health strategy for children up to seven years of age, but we are of the view that we need appropriate support beyond that age and throughout the adolescent years. The strategy needs to deal with physical health. I think it is fair to say that we need far more support for preventing and treating mental health problems too, before they become lifelong conditions, which can be very grave indeed. We often talk about the importance of identifying and treating cancer at an early stage, for example, but the same is true with mental health issues too. We need to recognise that and take strategic action. Our final amendment reflects the need for a continuous focus on tackling obesity. Schools have a crucial role to play here. I would like to see sport and other physical activities, because not all children enjoy or benefit from competitive sport, but all of this needs to play a far more prominent part in the new curriculum. Clearly, this will require improved facilities for sport. But, in addition to that, I do think that schools should consider how they can create an environment that tackles obesity: to consider what's on the school menu more than they currently do - there have been some developments, of course; and controlling access to junk food through vending machines, or managing whether pupils can get takeaways at lunchtime and so on. I also think that science teachers could have a role in ensuring that pupils do get some health literacy, so that they can differentiate between healthy eating advice based on evidence and the scare stories and dietary fads and so on. So, those are our amendments. We will be voting against the Government amendment. We are not convinced that the current support is sufficient. We would have preferred to see the wording emphasising the need for a revaluation of the situation, as it currently stands. But this is a very important motion and, in being amended in the ways that I have proposed, I do think that this can be a clear statement of our ambition to give children the best starts possible in life.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac a gaf i groesawu y cynnig yma gan y Ceidwadwyr? Ac mi wnaf i gynnig gwelliannau rydym ni'n credu sydd yn cryfhau y cynnig hwn ymhellach. Rydym yn ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, o'r effaith mae sicrhau tai o ansawdd da, gofal iechyd, addysg a bod yn ddiogel yn y cartref, ac ati, yn eu cael ar ddatblygiad plentyn. Rwy'n siŵr bod rhai ohonoch chi yn cofio rhai o ddadleuon blaenorol Plaid Cymru yn y Siambr yma ar atal troi teuluoedd efo plant allan o'u cartrefi, lle rydym ni wedi rhestru canlyniadau niferus a negyddol digartrefedd, tai gorlawn a thai gwael ar blant, ond mae wastad yn werth atgoffa ein hunain bod plant sy'n byw mewn tai sydd ddim wedi eu gwresogi'n ddigonol ac mewn amodau gwael yn fwy na dwywaith yn fwy tebygol o ddioddef o broblemau brest ac anadlu fel asthma a broncitis. Mae perthynas gref rhwng y lefel o dai gorlawn y mae plant yn ei brofi a'r haint helicobacter pylori, sy'n un o brif achosion canser y stumog ac afiechydon eraill yn y system dreulio. Maen nhw ddwywaith yn fwy tebygol o ddatblygu afiechydon o'r fath pan maen nhw'n cyrraedd rhyw 65 i 75 mlwydd oed. Mae gan blant digartref bedair gwaith gymaint o heintiau anadlol; maen nhw bum gwaith mwy tebygol o gael heintiau'r stumog neu ddolur rhydd; maen nhw ddwywaith mor debygol o orfod cael ymweliad brys â'r ysbyty; maen nhw chwe gwaith yn fwy tebygol o gael problemau lleferydd ac atal dweud; a phedair gwaith y gyfradd o asthma o'u cymharu â phlant sydd ddim yn ddigartref. Mae'r rhestr yma o sgil-effeithiau dechrau gwael mewn bywyd yn rhestr hir, ond mae hi'n werth mynd drwyddi dro ar ôl tro, ac hyd nes y bydd y diwylliant gwleidyddol ehangach yn San Steffan yn cydnabod, er enghraifft, nad ydy hi byth yn dderbyniol i gydbwyso cyllideb drwy wneud plant yn sâl drwy doriadau i fuddsoddiadau ac ati, mi fyddwn ni yn ailadrodd y pwyntiau yma dro ar ôl tro. Ac mae hynny ynglŷn â thai, rwy'n meddwl, yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn ein gwelliant cyntaf ni. Mi wnaf i symud at ein gwelliant nesaf ni. Mae'n eithaf amlwg, rwy'n meddwl, fod y dystiolaeth yr ydym ni'n ei chael gan wyddonwyr niwrolegol yn dangos bod datblygiad yr ymennydd yn parhau yn gyflym drwy flynyddoedd yr arddegau ac i mewn i flynyddoedd cynnar rhywun fel oedolyn, felly mae'n hanfodol, rwy'n meddwl, yn fy marn i, fod iechyd a lles plant yn gorfforol ac yn feddyliol yn cael eu cefnogi wrth iddyn nhw dyfu i fyny drwy y blynyddoedd yma. Mae gan y Llywodraeth, wrth gwrs, strategaeth iechyd plant hyd at saith oed, ond rŷm ni o'r farn bod angen cael cymorth priodol y tu hwnt i'r oedran hwnnw a thrwy gydol blynyddoedd yr arddegau. Mae angen i'r strategaeth honno ymdrin ag iechyd corfforol, ond rwy'n meddwl ei bod hi'n deg dweud bod angen llawer mwy o gefnogaeth ar gyfer atal a thrin problemau iechyd meddwl hefyd, cyn iddyn nhw ddod yn gyflyrau gydol oes difrifol. Rŷm ni'n siarad yn aml am bwysigrwydd adnabod a thrin canser, er enghraifft, yn gynnar - mae'r un peth yn wir efo iechyd meddwl hefyd. Mae eisiau i ni gydnabod hynny a gweithredu yn strategol. Mae ein gwelliant olaf ni yn adlewyrchu'r angen am ffocws parhaol ar fynd i'r afael â gordewdra. Mae gan ysgolion rôl hanfodol i'w chwarae yn fan hyn. Mi fuaswn i'n hoffi gweld chwaraeon a mathau eraill o weithgaredd corfforol, achos nid ydy pob plentyn yn mwynhau nac yn cael budd o chwaraeon cystadleuol, ond mae eisiau i'r cyfan chwarae rhan llawer mwy amlwg yn y cwricwlwm newydd. Yn amlwg, mi fydd hyn yn gofyn hefyd am well cyfleusterau chwaraeon. Ond, yn ogystal â hynny, rwy'n meddwl y dylai ysgolion ystyried sut y gallan nhw greu amgylchedd sy'n mynd i'r afael â gordewdra: ystyried beth sydd ar fwydlenni cinio ysgol yn fwy nag y maen nhw'n ei wneud yn barod - mae yna ddatblygu wedi bod, wrth gwrs; a rheoli mynediad at fwyd sothach drwy beiriannau gwerthu neu reoli a ydy disgyblion yn gallu cael têc-awes amser cinio ac yn y blaen. Hefyd, rwy'n meddwl bod gan athrawon gwyddoniaeth rôl wrth sicrhau bod disgyblion yn cael rhywfaint o lythrennedd iechyd fel eu bod nhw'n gallu gwahaniaethu rhwng cyngor bwyta iach yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth a straeon dychryn a ffadiau deietegol ac yn y blaen. Felly, dyna'n gwelliannau ni. Mi fyddwn ni'n pleidleisio yn erbyn gwelliant y Llywodraeth. Nid ydym ni'n argyhoeddedig bod y cymorth presennol yn ddigonol. Mi fuasai'n well gennym ni fod wedi gweld y geiriad yn pwysleisio yr angen am ailwerthusiad o'r sefyllfa ar hyn o bryd. Ond mae hwn yn gynnig pwysig iawn, ac o'i wella yn y ffordd yr ydw i wedi ei chynnig, rwy'n meddwl bod hwn yn gallu bod yn ddatganiad clir o'n huchelgais ni i roi'r dechrau gorau mewn bywyd i blant yng Nghymru.