English: It's not right that families earning up to £200,000 a year can get free childcare when, of course, the poorest children from workless households are excluded from enjoying those very same benefits. We know that the poorest children, by the time they're three years old, are already 10 months behind their better-off peers in terms of vocabulary, literacy and speech development. Indeed, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists tells us that the poorest 20 per cent are, in fact, 17 months behind the highest income group by the time they're three years old. Not giving those poorest children access to high-quality childcare entrenches inter-generational poverty. It doesn't break the cycle; it makes it worse. That's not a sentiment that just I and others hold here in this Chamber - the children's commissioner shares those concerns. She's described the policy as a 'large subsidy for some of Wales's highest-earning families' that is 'likely to reinforce inequalities in outcomes for different social groups'. Save the Children and other children's organisations have expressed concerns, as have, in fact, some of the teaching unions as well. Now, we've heard it said a number of times that Flying Start is there for the poorest areas to support them, and the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee has already reminded us that the majority of poor children in Wales live outside of the Flying Start areas. That's a huge cohort of young people - or children, I should say - who fall through the gaps in this Government's policies, and that isn't acceptable to me or my party. There have been references to the evaluation of the pilots that will be available this autumn, and I'm grateful that the Minister is saying that he will give us early sight of the evaluation. But, of course, he's already tabled the Bill, so we don't really have the evidence to back up the anecdotal stuff that we're being told in committee and in this Chamber that it is the right policy and that it does work. I want to see the evidence before we approve this piece of legislation. In fact, another committee in this Assembly has - and we have, as a committee, as well - heard that targeting three- to four-year-olds isn't necessarily the right place to target this investment, that we need, maybe, to look at doing it before and that, actually, from one year old onward is where the greatest need is in terms of investing in allowing those parents to get back to work. That's a challenge back to us a party, as well, to look at our policy, but that's something that we're willing to do, and not just plough on regardless with our eyes closed and our heads down. I have to say, as laudable as the Minister's pitch to lead his party was, he made it clear that his big ambition was universal preschool provision. Well, we have an opportunity to do that, and you were perfectly right to say that that provision would address the impacts of poverty. You were perfectly right to say that it would narrow the attainment gap when children start school and that it would transform the life chances of those children. Well, do you know what? Had you voted for Plaid Cymru in the last Assembly election, we may already have started delivering that.
Welsh: Nid yw'n iawn fod teuluoedd sy'n ennill hyd at £200,000 y flwyddyn yn gallu cael gofal plant am ddim pan fo'r plant tlotaf o aelwydydd di-waith, wrth gwrs, yn cael eu heithrio rhag mwynhau'r union fanteision hynny. Gwyddom fod y plant tlotaf, erbyn yr adeg y maen nhw'n dair blwydd oed, eisoes 10 mis y tu ôl i'w cyfoedion mwy cefnog o ran datblygu geirfa, lleferydd a llythrennedd. Yn wir, mae Coleg Brenhinol y Therapyddion Lleferydd ac Iaith yn dweud wrthym fod yr 20 y cant tlotaf, mewn gwirionedd, 17 mis ar ôl y grŵp incwm uchaf erbyn iddynt gyrraedd tair oed. Mae peidio â sicrhau bod gofal plant o ansawdd uchel ar gael i'r plant tlotaf hynny yn cadarnhau tlodi rhwng cenedlaethau. Nid yw torri'r cylch; mae'n ei waethygu. Nid dim ond fy marn i ac eraill yn y Siambr hon yw hyn - mae'r comisiynydd plant yn rhannu'r pryderon hyn. Mae hi wedi disgrifio'r polisi fel cymhorthdal mawr i rai o'r teuluoedd sy'n ennill y cyflogau mwyaf yng Nghymru sy'n debygol o atgyfnerthu'r anghydraddoldebau mewn canlyniadau ar gyfer gwahanol grwpiau cymdeithasol. Mae Achub y Plant a sefydliadau plant eraill wedi mynegi pryderon, fel y mae rhai o undebau'r athrawon hefyd, yn wir. Nawr, rydym wedi clywed sawl gwaith bod Dechrau'n Deg yno ar gyfer yr ardaloedd tlotaf, i'w cefnogi, ac mae Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl ifanc ac Addysg eisoes wedi ein hatgoffa bod y rhan fwyaf o'r plant tlawd yng Nghymru yn byw y tu allan i ardaloedd Dechrau'n Deg. Mae hynny'n garfan fawr o bobl ifanc - neu blant, ddylwn i ei ddweud - sy'n disgyn drwy'r bylchau ym mholisïau'r Llywodraeth hon, a dydy hynny ddim yn dderbyniol i mi nac i fy mhlaid i. Cafwyd cyfeiriadau at werthuso'r cynlluniau treialu a fydd ar gael yr hydref hwn, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar bod y Gweinidog yn dweud y bydd yn rhoi cipolwg cynnar inni o'r gwerthusiad hwn. Ond, wrth gwrs, mae ef eisoes wedi cyflwyno'r Bil, felly nid oes gennym y dystiolaeth i ategu'r stwff anecdotaidd, y dywedir wrthym yn y Pwyllgor ac yn y Siambr hon, mai hwn yw'r polisi cywir a'i fod yn gweithio. Rwyf i eisiau gweld y dystiolaeth cyn inni gymeradwyo'r darn hwn o ddeddfwriaeth. Yn wir, mae Pwyllgor arall yn y Cynulliad hwn - ac rydym ni, fel Pwyllgor, hefyd - wedi clywed nad yw'n gywir targedu plant tair i bedair-oed o reidrwydd ar gyfer y buddsoddiad hwn, a bod angen inni, efallai, ystyried ei wneud cyn hynny. Mewn gwirionedd, o ran buddsoddi i ganiatáu i'r rhieni hynny ddychwelyd i'r gwaith, mae'r angen mwyaf yn digwydd o'r adeg pan mae'r plentyn yn un oed. Mae'r her yn dod yn ôl atom ni fel plaid, hefyd, i edrych ar ein polisi ni, ond mae hynny'n rhywbeth yr ydym ni'n barod i'w wneud, ac nid dim ond palu ymlaen er gwaethaf popeth â'n llygaid ar gau a'n pennau i lawr. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, er mor ganmoladwy oedd cynnig y Gweinidog i arwain ei blaid, fe wnaeth yn glir mai ei uchelgais mawr oedd rhoi darpariaeth cyn-ysgol i bawb. Wel, mae gennym gyfle i wneud hynny, ac roeddech chi'n gwbl iawn i ddweud y byddai'r ddarpariaeth honno yn mynd i'r afael ag effeithiau tlodi. Roeddech chi'n gwbl iawn i ddweud y byddai'n lleihau'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad pan fydd plant yn dechrau ysgol ac y byddai'n trawsnewid cyfleoedd bywyd y plant hynny. Wel, wyddoch chi beth? Pe byddech chi wedi pleidleisio dros Blaid Cymru yn etholiad diwethaf y Cynulliad, gallem ni eisoes fod wedi dechrau cyflawni hynny.