English: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement and for the briefing that you shared with me and other spokespeople prior to today. Can I say that I welcome your statement? I think that it's a balanced approach. I think it's one that, in my view, addresses many of the concerns that have been raised in this Chamber on a number of occasions about ensuring that there is adequate support available to parents and other guardians who home educate their children. I'm pleased also to hear you, on behalf of the Government, reaffirming your commitment to the right of parents to home educate their children, to take them out of the school system. I have to say, though, that there are some issues that I just think I'd like you to clarify for me. You issued guidance just 12 months ago - non-statutory guidance - for local authorities to follow. I'm not aware of any assessment of the impact of that guidance and whether it was actually delivering any change in terms of levels of support for parents and for children who are educated other than in a school setting. Will you be able to share an evaluation with Assembly Members of your assessment of the effectiveness of that guidance? Because I do think that jumping into a statutory guidance position without showing us the evidence that the existing non-statutory guidance hasn't worked is perhaps a little premature. We know also, Cabinet Secretary, that many parents choose to home educate their children because they're not satisfied with the schooling that they can get in their local authority schools. We've heard evidence that pupils and learners with additional learning needs are not getting adequate support from their local authorities and that that is causing many of them, even with the ALN support system that is there, to withdraw their children. We know also that some parents, because they are concerned about the standards in local schools, are withdrawing their children and choosing to educate them in a different way. I wonder whether this new system, this new database system, will incorporate any views from parents and perhaps from pupils on the reasons that they have withdrawn their children from the state system, because I think that would give us an insight, really, into whether this is a particular issue in terms of standards in our schools that's leading to this particular phenomenon, because we have seen a rise in the number of home-educated children in recent years. I do think you're absolutely right to have an approach that looks at extending children's rights, if you like. I know that the children's commissioner has spoken about her concerns about the lack of going to a full compulsory registration system, but I disagree with the children's commissioner on that. One thing I do agree with the children's commissioner about is that we need to realise children's rights. Effectively, you're wanting to extend those rights, it seems to me, to ensure that there's access to additional learning needs support, access to learning the Welsh language, and access to some of the other technology and support that's available to learners that wouldn't otherwise be available to learners who were educated at home. It would be good to know that you've actually assessed your decision against the children's rights impact assessments that all ministerial decisions are supposed to be screened through, if you like. I'd be grateful if you could let us know and confirm that there has been a children's rights impact assessment in respect of the decision that you've announced to the Chamber today. Is there a timetable for the implementation of all of this work? You didn't allude specifically to a timetable in terms of the announcements you've made. I'd be grateful to know precisely when you expect to have completed your consultation with the various stakeholders and when we can expect some further significant development in terms of an actually statutory set of guidelines to be made available and published, and from when you expect those to be implemented. I'd also be interested in the costs that might arise from this, both for the Welsh Government and indeed local authorities. Again, there's no financial information in your statement. I assume that there's been some sort of financial impact assessment, particularly if you're going to be issuing statutory guidance. It would be interesting to see the results of that. But, as I say, on balance, I think you've gotten it about right. I think both sides of the argument here, those who don't want compulsory registration and those who do, will feel dissatisfied, frankly, from the statement that you've made today. But, you're right to focus on the obligations that local authorities already have to make sure that people are receiving an appropriate education where they are of compulsory school age. I believe, frankly, that the best local authorities have already adopted this sort of approach that you are hoping to roll out and make consistent across the country. So, I welcome your statement, but I look forward to your answers to my questions.
Welsh: Diolch ichi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am eich datganiad ac am y briff a roesoch i minnau a llefarwyr eraill cyn heddiw. A gaf i ddweud fy mod yn croesawu eich datganiad? Credaf ei fod yn ddull o weithredu cytbwys. Credaf ei fod yn un sydd, yn fy marn i, yn ymdrin â llawer o'r pryderon a godwyd yn y Siambr hon ar sawl achlysur o ran sicrhau bod cymorth digonol ar gael i rieni a gwarcheidwaid eraill sy'n addysgu eu plant gartref. Rwyf hefyd yn falch o'ch clywed chi, ar ran y Llywodraeth, yn ailddatgan eich ymrwymiad i hawl rhieni i addysgu eu plant gartref, eu cymryd allan o'r system ysgol. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, fodd bynnag, bod yna rai materion y byddwn i'n gofyn i chi eu hegluro i mi. Fe wnaethoch chi gyhoeddi canllawiau 12 mis yn ôl - canllawiau anstatudol - i awdurdodau lleol eu dilyn. Nid wyf yn ymwybodol o unrhyw asesiad ar effaith y canllawiau hynny ac a oedden nhw mewn gwirionedd yn cyflawni unrhyw newid o ran lefelau'r gefnogaeth i rieni ac i blant nad ydynt yn cael eu haddysgu mewn ysgol. A fyddech yn gallu rhannu gydag Aelodau'r Cynulliad werthusiad o'ch asesiad chi o effeithiolrwydd y canllawiau hynny? Oherwydd rwyf i o'r farn ei bod ychydig yn rhy gynnar i neidio i safiad o ran canllawiau statudol heb ddangos inni'r dystiolaeth nad yw'r canllawiau anstatudol presennol yn gweithio. Rydym hefyd yn gwybod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, fod llawer o rieni yn dewis addysgu eu plant yn y cartref oherwydd nad ydyn nhw'n fodlon ar yr addysg sydd ar gael yn ysgolion eu hawdurdod lleol. Rydym wedi clywed tystiolaeth nad yw disgyblion a dysgwyr sydd ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn cael cymorth digonol gan eu hawdurdodau lleol. Mae hynny'n achosi i lawer ohonyn nhw dynnu eu plant allan o'r ysgol, hyd yn oed gyda'r system cymorth Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol sy'n bodoli. Gwyddom hefyd fod rhai rhieni, oherwydd eu bod yn pryderu am y safonau mewn ysgolion lleol, yn tynnu eu plant o'r ysgol ac yn dewis eu haddysgu mewn ffordd wahanol. Tybed a fydd y system newydd hon, y system gronfa ddata newydd hon, yn cynnwys unrhyw sylwadau gan rieni ac efallai gan ddisgyblion am y rhesymau dros dynnu eu plant o system y wladwriaeth, oherwydd rwy'n credu y byddai hynny'n rhoi syniad inni, mewn gwirionedd, ai problem o ran safonau ein hysgolion sy'n arwain at y ffenomen benodol hon, oherwydd rydym wedi gweld cynnydd yn nifer y plant sy'n cael eu haddysgu gartref yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Rwy'n credu eich bod yn llygad eich lle i gael dull sy'n edrych ar ymestyn hawliau plant, os hoffech chi. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Comisiynydd Plant wedi sôn am ei phryderon ynglŷn â'r diffyg wrth fynd i system lawn o gofrestru gorfodol, ond rwy'n anghytuno â'r Comisiynydd Plant ar hynny. Un peth yr wyf yn cytuno arno gyda'r Comisiynydd Plant yw bod angen inni wireddu hawliau plant. I bob pwrpas, rydych yn awyddus i ymestyn yr hawliau hynny, mae'n ymddangos i mi, ar gyfer sicrhau bod cefnogaeth ar gael i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, cyfle ar gael i ddysgu Cymraeg, a bod technoleg a chymorth arall ar gael i'r dysgwyr hynny na fydden nhw ar gael fel arall i ddysgwyr sydd yn cael eu haddysg yn y cartref. Byddai'n dda inni gael gwybod eich bod mewn gwirionedd wedi asesu eich penderfyniad yn ôl asesiadau effaith ar hawliau plant y dylai'r holl benderfyniadau gweinidogol gael eu sgrinio drwyddyn nhw, os hoffech chi. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gallech roi gwybod inni a chadarnhau y gwnaed asesiad o effaith y penderfyniad yr ydych wedi ei gyhoeddi gerbron y Siambr heddiw ar hawliau plant. A oes amserlen ar gyfer gweithredu'r holl waith hwn? Ni wnaethoch grybwyll yn benodol amserlen o ran y cyhoeddiadau yr ydych wedi eu gwneud. Byddwn yn falch o gael gwybod yn union pryd yr ydych yn disgwyl cwblhau eich ymgynghoriad â rhanddeiliaid amrywiol a phryd y cawn ni weld rhywfaint o ddatblygiad sylweddol pellach o ran cyhoeddi cyfres o ganllawiau statudol a'u bod ar gael yn hawdd, a hoffwn wybod pryd y byddwch yn disgwyl y bydd y rheini'n cael eu rhoi ar waith. Byddwn hefyd yn hoffi cael gwybod am y costau a allai godi yn sgil hyn, ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru ac yn wir yr awdurdodau lleol. Unwaith yn rhagor, nid oes unrhyw wybodaeth ariannol yn eich datganiad. Rwy'n cymryd y bu rhyw fath o asesiad o'r effaith ariannol, yn arbennig felly os ydych chi'n mynd i gyhoeddi canllawiau statudol. Byddai'n ddiddorol cael gweld canlyniadau hynny. Ond ar y cyfan, rwyf i o'r farn eich bod yn weddol agos i'ch lle. Rwy'n credu. a dweud y gwir, mai anfodlon fydd dwy ochr y ddadl hon, y rhai nad ydyn nhw'n dymuno cael cofrestru gorfodol a'r rhai sy'n dymuno gweld hynny, â'r datganiad a wnaethoch chi heddiw. Ond, rydych chi'n iawn i ganolbwyntio ar y rhwymedigaethau sydd eisoes gan awdurdodau lleol i wneud yn siŵr bod pobl yn cael addysg briodol pan fyddant o oedran addysg orfodol. A dweud y gwir, rwy'n credu bod yr awdurdodau lleol gorau eisoes wedi mabwysiadu'r math hwn o ddull yr ydych yn gobeithio ei gyflwyno a'i wneud yn gyson ledled y wlad. Felly, croesawaf eich datganiad, ond edrychaf ymlaen at eich atebion i'm cwestiynau.