English: I just wanted to take part in this debate to reflect on some of the challenges that are ahead. I have to say I did regret the rather self-congratulatory tone of the First Minister in his opening speech and I don't think it reflected many of the challenges that are still ahead. We know, for example, that the performance of our education system is lagging behind other parts of the UK. That's, of course, partly due to the significant spending gap per pupil between England and Wales, which we've debated and discussed many times. It doesn't matter which organisation you look to, everyone says that there's a funding gap and the outcomes are actually worse. We also, of course, don't have a service pupil premium for those children whose parents are in the armed forces here in Wales, which they do in other parts of the UK, and, as a result of that, there are challenges that service children have to face as a result of the difficulty, sometimes, of being posted to different places in the UK with their parents, which has an impact and we can't overcome that. Now, there has been some progress. This party has welcomed elements of the future generations Act, and I want to pay tribute, of course, as we have in the past, to the work of the former Cabinet Secretary Carl Sargeant in terms of his work on that front. We also, of course, welcome the childcare funding Bill that is currently making its way through the National Assembly. That's not to say that we won't be tabling some amendments to improve it, but we welcome what it's trying to achieve in terms of encouraging people back into work through the provision of free childcare. But what this party will always stand against is a smacking ban, a smacking ban that is not popular in the country at large, that no-one has been clamouring on the doorsteps to ask us to put through in terms of legislation. We've got many bigger things to do in terms of the challenges that our country has to face. So, I urge you, First Minister, to consider the growing evidence that there is out there about opposition to this sort of approach here in Wales. A ComRes poll back in 2017 suggested that 76 per cent of people in Wales do not think that parental smacking of children should be a criminal offence. Yet, that's precisely, effectively what is going to happen as a result of the legislation that you are bringing forward. Seventy per cent of those questioned were concerned that a smacking ban might flood police and social workers with relatively trivial cases, which would mean that they would struggle to stop the serious abusers of children. Seventy-seven per cent think that it should be the role of parents and guardians to decide whether or not to smack their children, not the state. Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed said that it's sometimes necessary to smack a naughty child. And, 85 per cent, of course, of adults across the country were smacked by their parents or guardians as a form of discipline. The current law is working. It safeguards against abuse, and the defence of reasonable chastisement isn't one that is being used in the courts system. The Crown Prosecution Service said that across England and Wales between 2009-17, there were just three cases reported to them where the defence of reasonable chastisement was actually used. All of those cases - all three of them - emanated from England, there wasn't a single one in Wales, and it suggests to me that the system is therefore proportionate and it is working. Now, as far as I'm concerned, there are many more important things that you ought to be focusing on in terms of opportunities for children and young people, in particular, the disgraceful state, I have to say, of the Welsh education system after being run by your party for the best part of 20 years. That's what you need to be getting to grips with, not legislating for something that most parents don't want you to legislate on, and that most members of the public don't want you to legislate on either. It will result in many decent, loving parents being criminalised by a system, and the system being absorbed all the time in focusing their energy on trivial things when the serious abuse that does take place in this country needs to be the focus of social workers, and needs to be the focus of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Welsh: Roeddwn i eisiau cymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon er mwyn ystyried rhai o'r heriau sydd o'n blaenau. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod yn gresynu at dôn hunanglodforus braidd y Prif Weinidog yn ei araith agoriadol ac nid wyf yn credu i'w araith adlewyrchu llawer o'r heriau sy'n dal o'n blaenau. Gwyddom, er enghraifft, fod perfformiad ein system addysg yn llusgo y tu ôl i rannau eraill o'r DU. Mae hynny, wrth gwrs, yn rhannol oherwydd y gwahaniaeth sylweddol yn y gwariant fesul disgybl rhwng Cymru a Lloegr, ac rydym wedi trafod a dadlau am hynny droeon. Does dim ots pa sefydliad yr ydych chi'n edrych arno, mae pawb yn dweud bod yna fwlch cyllido a bod y deilliannau'n waeth mewn gwirionedd. Hefyd, wrth gwrs, nid oes gennym ni bremiwm disgybl yn y gwasanaeth ar gyfer y plant hynny y mae eu rhieni yn y lluoedd arfog yma yng Nghymru, sydd ganddyn nhw mewn rhannau eraill o'r DU, ac, o ganlyniad i hynny, mae yna heriau y mae'n rhaid i blant sydd â rhieni yn y lluoedd arfog eu hwynebu o ganlyniad i'r anhawster, weithiau, o gael eu lleoli mewn gwahanol leoedd yn y DU gyda'u rhieni, sy'n cael effaith, ac ni allwn oresgyn hynny. Nawr, bu rhywfaint o gynnydd. Mae'r blaid hon wedi croesawu elfennau o Ddeddf cenedlaethau'r dyfodol, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged, wrth gwrs, fel y gwnaethom yn y gorffennol, i waith y cyn-Ysgrifennydd Cabinet Carl Sargeant am ei waith yn y maes hwnnw. Hefyd, wrth gwrs, croesawn y Bil cyllido gofal plant sydd ar hyn o bryd yn gwneud ei ffordd drwy'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol. Nid yw hynny'n golygu na fyddwn yn cyflwyno rhai gwelliannau er mwyn ei wella, ond rydym yn croesawu'r hyn y mae'n ceisio ei gyflawni o ran annog pobl yn ôl i weithio drwy ddarparu gofal plant rhad ac am ddim. Ond yr hyn y bydd y blaid hon bob amser yn ei wrthwynebu yw gwaharddiad ar smacio, gwaharddiad ar smacio nad yw'n boblogaidd yn y wlad yn gyffredinol, nad oes neb wedi bod yn galw ar garreg y drws yn gofyn inni ei roi ar waith o ran deddfwriaeth. Mae gennym ni lawer o bethau mwy i'w gwneud o ran yr heriau sydd gan ein gwlad i'w hwynebu. Felly, rwyf yn eich annog, Prif Weinidog, i ystyried y dystiolaeth gynyddol sydd ar gael am wrthwynebiad i'r math hwn o ymagwedd yma yng Nghymru. Awgrymodd arolwg ComRes yn ôl yn 2017 nad yw 76 y cant o'r bobl yng Nghymru yn credu y dylai smacio plant gan rieni fod yn drosedd. Eto, dyna'n union, yn ymarferol, fydd yn digwydd o ganlyniad i'r ddeddfwriaeth yr ydych chi yn ei chyflwyno. Roedd saith deg y cant o'r rhai hynny a holwyd yn pryderu y gallai gwahardd smacio lethu'r heddlu a gweithwyr cymdeithasol gydag achosion cymharol ddibwys, a fyddai'n golygu y bydden nhw'n cael trafferth i atal pobl sy'n cam-drin plant yn ddifrifol. Mae saith deg saith y cant o'r farn mai cyfrifoldeb rhieni a gwarcheidwaid yw penderfynu a ddylid smacio eu plant ai peidio, nid y wladwriaeth. Dywedodd chwe deg wyth y cant o'r rhai hynny a holwyd ei bod weithiau'n angenrheidiol i smacio plentyn drwg. Ac, wrth gwrs, roedd 85 y cant o oedolion ledled y wlad wedi cael eu smacio gan eu rhieni neu eu gwarcheidwaid fel modd o ddisgyblu. Mae'r gyfraith bresennol yn gweithio. Mae'n diogelu rhag cam-drin, ac nid yw cosb resymol yn amddiffyniad a ddefnyddir yn system y llysoedd. Dywedodd Gwasanaeth Erlyn y Goron mai dim ond tri achos a adroddwyd iddynt ledled Cymru a Lloegr rhwng 2009-17, pan ddefnyddiwyd cosb resymol fel amddiffyniad, mewn gwirionedd. Roedd pob un o'r achosion hynny - y tri ohonynt - yn deillio o Loegr, nid oedd yr un ohonyn nhw yng Nghymru, ac mae hynny'n awgrymu i mi fod y system yn gymesur felly, a'i bod yn gweithio. Nawr, cyn belled ag yr wyf i yn y cwestiwn, mae llawer o bethau mwy pwysig y dylech chi fod yn canolbwyntio arnyn nhw o ran cyfleoedd i blant a phobl ifanc, yn enwedig, cyflwr gwarthus, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, y system addysg yng Nghymru ar ôl iddi gael ei gweithredu gan eich plaid chi am bron i 20 mlynedd. Dyna beth y mae angen ichi fynd i'r afael ag ef, nid deddfu ar rywbeth nad yw'r rhan fwyaf o rieni ddim yn dymuno i chi ddeddfu arno, ac nad yw'r rhan fwyaf o aelodau'r cyhoedd yn dymuno i chi ddeddfu arno ychwaith. Bydd yn arwain at dorcyfraith i lawer o rieni caredig, cariadus gan system, a'r system honno yn treulio'i holl amser yn canolbwyntio'i hegni ar bethau dibwys pan fo angen i'r cam-drin difrifol sy'n digwydd yn y wlad hon fod yn flaenoriaeth i weithwyr cymdeithasol, ac yn flaenoriaeth i'r heddlu a Gwasanaeth Erlyn y Goron.