English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. In rising in this debate, I'm delighted to do so. I'm actually very grateful to UKIP for bringing the debate forward. It's a matter of extreme importance to all of us. I too also need to make a declaration of interest as I am one of the women affected, having been born in the 1950s. Fortunately, like Caroline Jones, I'm still in work and so not so badly affected by it, but a very large number of my friends, family, constituents and colleagues are affected by it. Many of them are now enduring hardship and poverty as a result of the changes, about which they knew nothing. This cannot be right and should not be allowed to continue. Many of the women in this age group will have worked in part-time and low-paid roles, or taken time off work to look after children or elderly relatives, and been subject to gender inequality for much of their adult life, as these are the women that were most affected by those changes that were brought in by the women's movement immediately following the second world war. So, it's somewhat ironic that they're the group that are most affected by this. Nick Ramsay actually asked me why were changing 'work with' to 'urge', and I will tell him very simply: it's because we've found it impossible to work with the UK Government on this. I wrote to Guy Opperman, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, at the end of February to reiterate our concerns, and urge them to reconsider transitional arrangements, having first written to the UK Government back in 2016 to express our concerns about the way in which the transition to equal state pension aid was communicated and implemented. I've also added my voice on many platforms and rallies in my own constituency and elsewhere in Wales to those urging the UK Government to reconsider the transitional arrangements without delay, in order that the system is fair to all and does not compound gender inequality for a minority of people. His response cites increases in life expectancy, affordability and sustainability as reasons why the UK Government has no plans to revisit the policy and does not intend to make any further concessions. So, I fear that I do not see the point of working with somebody who has set his face so against a campaign for justice, and that's why I've changed the motion to 'urge', because we continue to urge strenuously that they do indeed change their mind and revisit the transitional arrangements that many Members have pointed out the need for in this Chamber today. In Plenary on 6 March, I reiterated my commitment to raise again the concerns of the Welsh Government and of this Chamber with the UK Government, and I renew that commitment again today and I will write immediately expressing our views following this debate.
Welsh: Diolch ichi, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch iawn o godi yn y ddadl hon. Mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i UKIP am gyflwyno'r ddadl. Mae'n fater o gryn bwys i bob un ohonom. Mae angen i minnau hefyd ddatgan buddiant gan fy mod yn un o'r menywod yr effeithiwyd arnynt, gan i mi gael fy ngeni yn y 1950au. Yn ffodus, fel Caroline Jones, rwy'n dal i fod mewn gwaith ac felly heb gael fy effeithio mor wael ganddo, ond mae nifer fawr iawn o fy ffrindiau, teulu, etholwyr a chydweithwyr wedi'u heffeithio gan hyn. Mae llawer ohonynt bellach yn dioddef caledi a thlodi parhaus o ganlyniad i'r newidiadau na wyddent ddim oll amdanynt. Ni all hyn fod yn iawn ac ni ddylid gadael iddo barhau. Bydd llawer o'r menywod yn y grŵp oedran hwn wedi gweithio mewn swyddi rhan amser ac ar gyflogau isel, neu wedi cymryd amser o'r gwaith i ofalu am blant neu berthnasau oedrannus, ac wedi bod yn destun anghydraddoldeb rhwng y rhywiau am lawer o'u bywydau fel oedolion, gan mai dyma'r menywod yr effeithiwyd arnynt fwyaf gan y newidiadau a gyflwynwyd gan fudiad y menywod yn syth ar ôl yr ail ryfel byd. Felly, mae'n eironig braidd mai dyma'r grŵp yr effeithir arnynt fwyaf gan hyn. Gofynnodd Nick Ramsay i mi pam yr oeddem yn rhoi 'annog' yn lle 'gweithio gyda', ac rwy'n dweud wrtho'n syml iawn: oherwydd ein bod wedi ei chael hi'n amhosibl gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar hyn. Ysgrifennais at Guy Opperman, yr Is-Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Seneddol dros Bensiynau a Chynhwysiant Ariannol, ddiwedd mis Chwefror i ailadrodd ein pryderon, ac yn eu hannog i ailystyried trefniadau pontio, ar ôl ysgrifennu'n gyntaf at Lywodraeth y DU yn ôl yn 2016 i fynegi ein pryderon am y ffordd y cafodd y newid i gymorth pensiwn y wladwriaeth cyfartal ei gyfathrebu a'i weithredu. Rwyf wedi ychwanegu fy llais hefyd ar nifer o blatfformau a sawl rali yn fy etholaeth ac mewn mannau eraill yng Nghymru at leisiau'r rhai sy'n annog Llywodraeth y DU i ailystyried y trefniadau pontio yn ddi-oed, fel bod y system yn deg i bawb ac nad yw'n gwaethygu anghydraddoldeb rhwng y rhywiau i leiafrif o bobl. Mae ei ymateb yn cyfeirio at gynnydd mewn disgwyliad oes, fforddiadwyedd a chynaliadwyedd fel rhesymau pam nad oes gan Lywodraeth y DU gynlluniau i ailedrych ar y polisi a pham nad yw'n bwriadu gwneud unrhyw gonsesiynau pellach. Felly, mae arnaf ofn nad wyf yn gweld pwynt gweithio gyda rhywun sydd mor wrthwynebus i ymgyrch dros gyfiawnder, a dyna pam y newidiais y cynnig i 'annog', oherwydd rydym yn parhau i'w hannog yn gryf i newid eu meddwl ac ailedrych ar y trefniadau pontio y mae llawer o'r Aelodau wedi nodi'r angen amdanynt yn y Siambr hon heddiw. Yn y Cyfarfod Llawn ar 6 Mawrth, ailadroddais fy ymrwymiad i dynnu sylw Llywodraeth y DU unwaith eto at bryderon Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Siambr hon, ac rwy'n adnewyddu'r ymrwymiad hwnnw eto heddiw a byddaf yn ysgrifennu ar unwaith i fynegi ein safbwyntiau yn dilyn y ddadl hon.