English: I'd like to start by thanking the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee for producing what is a really excellent report. I'm not a member of that committee, but the issues it covers are of great concern to many of my constituents. And I'd go further to say that for a substantial period of time since I've been elected, helping constituents who've been denied a blue badge has comprised the largest single element within my casework, so I'm really pleased to be able to contribute to this debate. I'd like to focus on the experiences of people within the Cynon Valley, noting how the report's recommendations reflect the realities of their lives, starting with recommendation 1. Changes to the eligibility criteria that have occurred are to be welcomed, in my opinion, and as other speakers have said, blue badges are lifelines to enable their holders to access essential services, to enhance their choices and empower them to live independent lives. It is right that the application process recognises other conditions and diagnoses - that blue badges are available to all who could benefit from them. But I was struck by the evidence given to the committee that this isn't happening universally. For example, the National Autistic Society Cymru are quoted in the report saying that the potential benefits from including cognitive impairments hasn't been truly recognised. And this is something that I have seen really strongly within my casework. I've dealt with numerous cases where people with anxiety and other mental health issues have been denied a badge. From my casework, I'd say that this group are disproportionately affected when there appears to be any move towards the tightening up of applications. These are debilitating illnesses that affect people's ability to function socially, when a blue badge would really help the holder to get out and engage more. I've also been approached by constituents with significant health issues that affect their mobility, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, because they strive to overcome their condition, they can be affected because their level of mobility does not meet the eligibility criteria. Neither does it appear to take account of the fact that people with ongoing health problems feel better on some days than on others. I also have a constituent who told me that they could receive one of the benefits that would automatically entitle them to a blue badge. However, their financial situation meant that they didn't feel they wanted to apply for that particular benefit. But as a result of not applying for it, they lost out because their application for a blue badge was then automatically turned down. Now, this seems like a ludicrous situation to me, and I think we really need to get the eligibility criteria right. Similarly, I would support recommendation 2. Some of the most heartbreaking, inexplicable cases that I and my staff have had to deal with have involved terminally ill applicants being denied a blue badge. Recommendation 13 - dealing with renewal - is also crucial. The most frequent reason for people to contact me, as I am sure is the case with other AMs, is for support when an application has been refused. In many of these cases, it has been a renewal that has been turned down, and constituents who had been affected in this way were people with serious, life-limiting conditions who had heldblue badges for many years, whose conditions had not got any better, but, despite this, had been refused the blue badge that they had relied upon. I'll give you just one example. A constituent of mine had a plethora of physical and mental health difficulties, and she'd been using a blue badge for over 20 years. She was denied a renewal on account of her not using a walking stick. The use of a walking stick was taken as evidence of walking difficulties. What wasn't taken into account, despite lots of medical evidence that had been supplied from professionals who'd worked with her, was the fact that my constituent could not use a walking stick because she was recovering from breast cancer, had had a mastectomy, and had lost the strength that she needed in her arm to actually hold one. Dealing with appeals, I'd also like to mention recommendations 9 and 10. I would like to see some form of formal appeal process. In Rhondda Cynon Taf, there is such a capacity for unsuccessful applicants to appeal, but many of the cases that I have dealt with are applicants who've been turned down on appeal before coming to me. So despite this process, I think there is still something that is going on. To conclude, I feel we need to introduce twin principles of responsibility and clarity into this system. It's been more than a little frustrating, when I've raised constituent experiences, when Welsh Government have told me that the problem is how local authorities interpret the guidelines, and councils say the fault lies with how those guidelines are written. The recommendations the report sets out could introduce responsibility and clarity into the system, which will only benefit my constituents' experiences of the blue badge scheme.
Welsh: Hoffwn ddechrau trwy ddiolch i'r Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb, Llywodraeth Leol a Chymunedau am gynhyrchu'r adroddiad rhagorol hwn. Nid wyf yn aelod o'r pwyllgor hwnnw, ond mae'r materion y mae'n eu trafod yn peri pryder mawr i lawer o fy etholwyr. A buaswn yn mynd ymhellach i ddweud, am gyfnod sylweddol o amser ers i mi gael fy ethol, mai helpu etholwyr y gwrthodwyd bathodyn glas iddynt yw'r elfen unigol fwyaf yn fy ngwaith achos, felly rwy'n falch iawn o allu cyfrannu at y ddadl hon. Hoffwn ganolbwyntio ar brofiadau pobl yng nghwm Cynon, a nodi sut y mae argymhellion yr adroddiad yn adlewyrchu realiti eu bywydau, gan ddechrau gydag argymhelliad 1. Mae'r newidiadau sydd wedi digwydd i'r meini prawf cymhwystra i'w croesawu yn fy marn i, ac fel y mae siaradwyr eraill wedi dweud, mae bathodynnau glas yn achubiaeth sy'n galluogi eu deiliaid i gael mynediad at wasanaethau hanfodol, i wella eu dewisiadau a'u grymuso i fyw bywydau annibynnol. Mae'n iawn fod y broses ymgeisio yn cydnabod mathau eraill o gyflyrau a diagnosis - fod bathodynnau glas ar gael i bawb a allai elwa ohonynt. Ond cefais fy nharo gan y dystiolaeth a roddwyd i'r pwyllgor nad yw hyn yn digwydd ym mhob man. Er enghraifft, dyfynnir Cymdeithas Genedlaethol Awtistiaeth Cymru yn yr adroddiad yn dweud nad yw'r manteision posibl o gynnwys namau gwybyddol wedi'u gwireddu go iawn. Ac mae hyn yn rhywbeth a welais yn amlwg iawn yn fy ngwaith achos. Rwyf wedi ymdrin â nifer o achosion lle y gwrthodwyd bathodyn i bobl yn dioddef o orbryder a materion iechyd meddwl eraill. O fy ngwaith achos, buaswn yn dweud bod y grŵp hwn yn cael ei effeithio'n anghymesur pan ymddengys bod yna unrhyw symudiad tuag at gyfyngu ar geisiadau. Ac mae'r rhain yn afiechydon gwanychol sy'n effeithio ar allu pobl i weithredu'n gymdeithasol, pan fyddai bathodyn glas yn helpu'r deiliad i fynd allan ac i ymgysylltu mwy. Daeth etholwyr â phroblemau iechyd sylweddol sy'n effeithio ar eu symudedd, megis clefyd rhwystrol cronig yr ysgyfaint, i gysylltiad â mi hefyd. Fodd bynnag, oherwydd eu bod yn ymdrechu i oresgyn eu cyflwr, gallant ddioddef oherwydd nad yw lefel eu symudedd yn bodloni'r meini prawf cymhwystra. Nid yw'n ymddangos ychwaith fod y meini prawf hyn yn ystyried y ffaith bod pobl â phroblemau iechyd parhaus yn teimlo'n well ar rai dyddiau nag ar ddyddiau eraill. Mae gennyf etholwr hefyd a ddywedodd wrthyf y gallent dderbyn un o'r budd-daliadau a fyddai'n rhoi hawl iddynt i fathodyn glas yn awtomatig. Fodd bynnag, roedd eu sefyllfa ariannol yn golygu nad oeddent yn teimlo eu bod am wneud cais am y budd-daliad penodol hwnnw. Ond o ganlyniad i beidio â gwneud cais amdano, roeddent ar eu colled gan i'w cais am fathodyn glas gael ei wrthod yn awtomatig yn sgil hynny. Nawr, mae hon yn ymddangos yn sefyllfa chwerthinllyd, ac rwy'n credu bod gwir angen i ni gael y meini prawf cymhwystra'n iawn. Yn yr un modd, buaswn yn cefnogi argymhelliad 2. Roedd rhai o'r achosion mwyaf torcalonnus ac anesboniadwy y bu'n rhaid i mi a fy staff ymdrin â hwy'n ymwneud â bod bathodyn glas wedi'i wrthod i ymgeiswyr â salwch terfynol. Mae argymhelliad 13 - ymdrin ag adnewyddu - yn allweddol hefyd. Y rheswm pam y bydd pobl yn cysylltu â mi amlaf, fel ACau eraill rwy'n siŵr, yw i ofyn am gymorth pan fydd cais wedi'i wrthod. Mewn llawer o'r achosion hyn, adnewyddiad sydd wedi'i wrthod, ac roedd etholwyr a gafodd eu heffeithio gan hyn yn bobl â chyflyrau difrifol a gyfyngai ar eu bywydau ac a oedd wedi bod â bathodynnau glas ers blynyddoedd lawer, pobl nad oedd eu cyflyrau wedi gwella, ond er hynny, gwrthodwyd y bathodyn glas yr oeddent wedi dibynnu arno. Rhoddaf un enghraifft yn unig i chi. Roedd gan un o fy etholwyr lu o anawsterau iechyd corfforol a meddyliol, ac roedd hi wedi bod yn defnyddio bathodyn glas ers dros 20 mlynedd. Gwrthodwyd ei chais i'w adnewyddu am nad oedd hi'n defnyddio ffon gerdded. Câi'r y defnydd o ffon gerdded ei ddefnyddio fel tystiolaeth o anawsterau cerdded. Yr hyn na chafodd ei ystyried, er gwaethaf llawer o dystiolaeth feddygol a ddarparwyd gan weithwyr proffesiynol a oedd wedi gweithio gyda hi, oedd y ffaith na allai fy etholwr ddefnyddio ffon gerdded am ei bod yn gwella ar ôl cael canser y fron, a chael mastectomi, ac wedi colli'r cryfder roedd hi ei angen yn ei braich i afael mewn ffon. I ymdrin ag apeliadau, hoffwn sôn hefyd am argymhellion 9 a 10. Hoffwn weld rhyw fath o broses apelio ffurfiol. Yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, mae gallu o'r fath ar gael i ymgeiswyr aflwyddiannus apelio, ond mae llawer o'r achosion yr ymdriniais â hwy yn ymgeiswyr a wrthodwyd ar apêl cyn iddynt ddod ataf. Felly er gwaethaf y broses hon, rwy'n credu bod rhywbeth yn mynd o'i le o hyd. I gloi, rwy'n teimlo bod angen i ni gyflwyno dwy egwyddor, sef cyfrifoldeb ac eglurder, i'r system hon. Mae wedi bod yn rhwystredig iawn wrth i mi nodi profiadau etholwyr, pan fo Llywodraeth Cymru yn dweud wrthyf mai'r broblem yw'r modd y mae awdurdodau lleol yn dehongli'r canllawiau, ac mae cynghorau'n dweud mai'r ffordd yr ysgrifennwyd y canllawiau hynny sydd ar fai. Gallai'r argymhellion y mae'r adroddiad yn eu nodi gyflwyno cyfrifoldeb ac eglurder i'r system, a byddai hynny o fudd i brofiadau fy etholwyr o'r cynllun bathodyn glas.