English: I'm glad also of the opportunity to speak on this motion today, which I supported and which Plaid Cymru will be supporting, and I would like to thank Jenny Rathbone for bringing this debate to the Senedd. As she said, it's extremely timely. A person's social networks can have a significant impact on their health, both physical and mental, and studies have shown that a person's social relationships are as important a factor as obesity, smoking or excessive alcohol consumption when it comes to predicting mortality rates. It's a factor in recovery from illness, and where there's a lack of social support, where there is social deprivation and isolation, there is a direct correlation with poor health outcomes, damaging behaviours and mental health problems. Indeed, many studies point to healthy and positive social relationships are actually more important for people's health than factors such as smoking or obesity on mortality. Evidence on quitting smoking, for example, shows that the biggest motivator is a positive life event, and having a positive support network, ensuring a relationally healthy environment, is thus more successful as a public policy tool than using shame or coercion. Although multifaceted and complex, it is undeniable that our well-being as a society is inextricably linked to social cohesion and interaction, and the 'Together Through Tough Times' report makes clear how the strength of communities, their resources and resilience creates these positive impacts for mental health. And I have seen in my own region how those local community hubs, communal spaces and groups, have helped enrich and empower, fostering empathy and co-operation, forging connections and building confidence, and I'm sure that we can all think of examples in our communities. I'm thinking of the tremendous work of local area co-ordinators, those voluntary organisations - large and small - and community groups who do so much to provide social opportunities of all kinds. And as you mentioned, Huw Irranca-Davies, that variety is key, and the Mind Cymru report points out many different types of people in different types of circumstances need different kinds of access and opportunities and facilities that can help them address mental health problems, and many of the issues that can cause or exacerbate them. It also crucially underlines the barriers, which we heard about from Jenny, that can prevent different groups from being able to benefit from being part of social networks, and I'm sure we're all also acutely aware that the cost-of-living crisis and the pressures on public finances are bearing down on the structures that help support social capital and safeguard community assets. Just as we would naturally object to hospital closures, any threat to libraries, community halls, art centres and sporting facilities should be similarly resisted. One of my first campaigns that I fought in my community was against cuts that threatened the future of my local community arts centre in Pontardawe, because I knew that the groups that use that space were set to lose a lot more than somewhere to see the pantomime or a concert. Men's Sheds should be seen as crucial a facility as men's health clinics; coffee mornings as important as any formal advice centres. There can be no doubt that poverty and economic neglect, as well as deliberate ideology, have increased the threats to such beneficial social activity. The importance of co-operation and of our shared humanity is also lost when individualism is politically elevated over shared values, and certain groups are denigrated and scapegoated. Government must thus show that it values people, shares their concerns -
Welsh: Rwyf innau'n falch hefyd o'r cyfle i siarad am y cynnig hwn heddiw, cynnig rwyf wedi ei gefnogi ac y bydd Plaid Cymru yn ei gefnogi, a hoffwn ddiolch i Jenny Rathbone am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon i'r Senedd. Fel y dywedodd, mae'n amserol dros ben. Gall rhwydweithiau cymdeithasol unigolyn gael effaith sylweddol ar ei iechyd, yn gorfforol ac yn feddyliol, ac mae astudiaethau wedi dangos bod perthnasoedd cymdeithasol unigolyn yn ffactor yr un mor bwysig â gordewdra, ysmygu neu yfed gormod o alcohol wrth ragweld cyfraddau marwolaethau. Mae'n ffactor wrth wella o salwch, a lle mae diffyg cefnogaeth gymdeithasol, lle ceir amddifadedd cymdeithasol ac unigedd, mae cydberthynas uniongyrchol â chanlyniadau iechyd gwael, ymddygiadau niweidiol a phroblemau iechyd meddwl. Yn wir, mae llawer o astudiaethau'n dweud bod perthnasoedd cymdeithasol iach a chadarnhaol yn bwysicach i iechyd pobl nag effaith ffactorau fel ysmygu neu ordewdra ar farwolaethau. Mae tystiolaeth ar roi'r gorau i ysmygu, er enghraifft, yn dangos mai'r ysgogiad mwyaf yw digwyddiad bywyd cadarnhaol, ac mae cael rhwydwaith cymorth cadarnhaol, gan sicrhau amgylchedd iach o ran perthnasoedd, yn fwy llwyddiannus fel offeryn polisi cyhoeddus na defnyddio cywilydd neu orfodaeth. Er ei fod yn amlweddog a chymhleth, ni ellir gwadu bod ein llesiant fel cymdeithas yn gysylltiedig, yn anorfod, â chydlyniant a rhyngweithio cymdeithasol, ac mae adroddiad 'Gyda'n Gilydd drwy Adegau Anodd' yn egluro sut mae cryfder cymunedau, eu hadnoddau a'u gwytnwch yn creu'r effeithiau cadarnhaol hyn ar iechyd meddwl. Ac rwyf wedi gweld yn fy rhanbarth fy hun sut mae'r hybiau cymunedol lleol hynny, a grwpiau a gofodau cymunedol, wedi helpu i gyfoethogi a grymuso, meithrin empathi a chydweithrediad, ffurfio cysylltiadau a magu hyder, ac rwy'n siŵr y gallwn i gyd feddwl am enghreifftiau yn ein cymunedau. Rwy'n meddwl am waith aruthrol cydlynwyr ardaloedd lleol, y sefydliadau gwirfoddol hynny - mawr a bach - a grwpiau cymunedol sy'n gwneud cymaint i ddarparu cyfleoedd cymdeithasol o bob math. Ac fel y sonioch chi, Huw Irranca-Davies, mae'r amrywiaeth honno'n allweddol, ac mae adroddiad Mind Cymru yn nodi bod llawer o wahanol fathau o bobl mewn gwahanol fathau o amgylchiadau angen gwahanol fathau o fynediad a chyfleoedd a chyfleusterau a all eu helpu i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau iechyd meddwl, a llawer o'r problemau a all eu hachosi neu eu gwaethygu. Mae hefyd yn tanlinellu'r rhwystrau, y clywsom amdanynt gan Jenny, a all atal gwahanol grwpiau rhag gallu elwa o fod yn rhan o rwydweithiau cymdeithasol, ac rwy'n siŵr ein bod i gyd hefyd yn ymwybodol iawn fod yr argyfwng costau byw a'r pwysau ar gyllid cyhoeddus yn rhoi pwysau ar y strwythurau sy'n helpu i gefnogi cyfalaf cymdeithasol a diogelu asedau cymunedol. Yn union fel y byddem, yn naturiol, yn gwrthwynebu cau ysbytai, dylid gwrthsefyll unrhyw fygythiad i lyfrgelloedd, neuaddau cymunedol, canolfannau celfyddydau a chyfleusterau chwaraeon yn yr un modd. Un o'r ymgyrchoedd cyntaf i mi fod yn rhan ohoni yn fy nghymuned oedd ymgyrch yn erbyn toriadau a oedd yn bygwth dyfodol fy nghanolfan gelfyddydau gymunedol leol ym Mhontardawe, oherwydd gwyddwn y byddai'r grwpiau a ddefnyddiai'r gofod hwnnw'n colli llawer mwy na rhywle i weld pantomeim neu gyngerdd. Dylid ystyried Siediau Dynion yn gyfleusterau lawn mor hanfodol â chlinigau iechyd dynion; dylid ystyried bod boreau coffi yr un mor bwysig ag unrhyw ganolfannau cyngor ffurfiol. Yn ddiamheuaeth, mae tlodi ac esgeulustod economaidd, yn ogystal ag ideoleg fwriadol, wedi cynyddu'r bygythiadau i weithgarwch cymdeithasol buddiol o'r fath. Mae pwysigrwydd cydweithredu, a'n dynoliaeth gyffredin, hefyd yn cael ei golli pan fo unigolyddiaeth yn cael ei ddyrchafu'n wleidyddol dros werthoedd a rennir, ac mae rhai grwpiau'n cael eu difrïo a'u gwneud yn fychod dihangol. Felly, mae'n rhaid i'r Llywodraeth ddangos ei bod yn gweld gwerth pobl, yn rhannu eu pryderon -