English: Thank you very much. I was very grateful that all members of the Equality and Social Justice Committee supported the request for me to sign a joint letter to Thérèse Coffey as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which went from all the Chairs of the committees responsible for social justice in the four Parliaments of the UK. And I'm aware that a similar joint letter has been sent by the Minister for Social Justice with her counterparts from the other devolved Governments. What is most extraordinary about this cruel cut is it is opposed by no less than six former Conservative Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions. So, I think it's a very uncomfortable task for Members of the Conservative Party on the benches opposite to be arguing that this is a credible idea. Indeed, a majority of Conservative voters, according to a recent poll, are opposed to this cut because they seem to fully understand, in a way that Rishi Sunak does not, that this is coming at the time of a perfect storm. Not only is it the time when the furlough support is being withdrawn, but it is also in the week, this week, when we have seen a massive increase in the energy prices, and a hike in what is the cap that can be paid. There's a particularly massive hike in the amount of money that can be charged to people who are paying on the meter for their electricity and gas, who are themselves the very poorest people, because that is why they are having to have a more expensive access to electricity prices. In addition to that, this week, we have seen the impact of COVID on families who need to buy childcare. Far too many parents are having to simply work in order to pay for childcare in order to keep their job, and we can see how this is a perfect storm. It seems to me a completely impossible idea that it is being argued by the Government that this was a temporary measure and we're now going back to business as usual, because there is no such thing as business as usual: we are still in a pandemic and people are still in precarious work, and meanwhile, prices are going up for a combination of reasons, including the legacy of leaving the European Union and the impact it's having on food supplies and food prices. It seems to me unbelievably difficult to in any way justify this cut at this particular time after 10 years of having failed to put up benefit rises in line with prices, and with wages. So, the very poorest people, including the poorest people in work, are going to have to pay for other people to have to pay fewer taxes. And it is an incredible situation. So, I think what we have to debate now is what we can actually do about this ourselves, because we cannot influence Rishi Sunak; we do not know whether there'll be a last-minute change of heart, but it seems unlikely, given that they've now marked 1 October as the date on which this cut will come in, and have actually written to recipients to tell them that. So, I think the people who will be hit hardest will have to end up having to choose whether they eat or heat, or they will have to choose whether to eat and heat but not pay other bills like council tax bills, which in turn will impact on local authorities who will be unable to pick up the revenue that they can normally expect to get from council tax. So, it is a complete perfect storm and very, very difficult to see how we can mitigate the impact of this very cruel cut.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn. Roeddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn fod holl aelodau'r Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi cefnogi'r cais i mi lofnodi llythyr ar y cyd at Thérèse Coffey fel yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Waith a Phensiynau, a aeth gan bob un o Gadeiryddion y pwyllgorau sy'n gyfrifol am gyfiawnder cymdeithasol ym mhedair Senedd y DU. Ac rwy'n ymwybodol fod llythyr tebyg ar y cyd wedi'i anfon gan y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol gyda'i chymheiriaid yn y Llywodraethau datganoledig eraill. Yr hyn sy'n fwyaf eithriadol am y toriad creulon hwn yw ei fod wedi ei wrthwynebu gan ddim llai na chwe chyn-Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Ceidwadol dros Waith a Phensiynau. Felly, credaf fod dadlau bod hwn yn syniad credadwy yn dasg anghyfforddus iawn i Aelodau'r Blaid Geidwadol ar y meinciau gyferbyn. Yn wir, mae mwyafrif y pleidleiswyr Ceidwadol, yn ôl arolwg barn diweddar, yn gwrthwynebu'r toriad hwn oherwydd ymddengys eu bod yn deall yn iawn, mewn ffordd nad yw Rishi Sunak yn deall, fod hyn yn dod ar yr un pryd â storm berffaith. Nid yn unig ei fod yn digwydd ar yr un adeg ag y bydd y cymorth ffyrlo'n cael ei dynnu'n ôl, ond hefyd yn yr un wythnos, yr wythnos hon, pan welsom brisiau ynni a'r cap ar yr hyn y gellir ei dalu'n codi i'r entrychion. Mae cynnydd arbennig o enfawr yn y swm o arian y gellir ei godi ar bobl sy'n talu drwy fesurydd am eu trydan a'u nwy, sef y bobl dlotaf un, gan mai dyna pam y maent yn gorfod cael mynediad drutach at brisiau trydan. Yn ogystal â hynny, yr wythnos hon, gwelsom effaith COVID ar deuluoedd sy'n gorfod prynu gofal plant. Mae llawer gormod o rieni'n gorfod gweithio er mwyn talu am ofal plant er mwyn cadw eu swydd, a gallwn weld sut y mae hon yn storm berffaith. Mae'n ymddangos i mi'n syniad cwbl amhosibl fod y Llywodraeth yn dadlau mai mesur dros dro oedd hwn a'n bod yn awr yn troi'n ôl at fusnes fel arfer, oherwydd nid oes y fath beth â busnes fel arfer: rydym yn dal i fod mewn pandemig ac mae pobl yn dal i fod mewn gwaith ansicr, ac yn y cyfamser, mae prisiau'n codi am gyfuniad o resymau, gan gynnwys canlyniadau gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd a'r effaith y mae hynny'n ei chael ar gyflenwadau bwyd a phrisiau bwyd. Mae'n ymddangos i mi'n anghredadwy o anodd cyfiawnhau'r toriad hwn mewn unrhyw ffordd ar yr adeg benodol hon ar ôl 10 mlynedd o fethu codi budd-daliadau i gyd-fynd â phrisiau, a chyflogau. Felly, bydd yn rhaid i'r bobl dlotaf un, gan gynnwys y bobl dlotaf mewn gwaith, dalu er mwyn i bobl eraill orfod talu llai o drethi. Ac mae'n sefyllfa anhygoel. Felly, credaf fod yn rhaid inni drafod yn awr beth y gallwn ni ei wneud am hyn ein hunain, oherwydd ni allwn ddylanwadu ar Rishi Sunak; ni wyddom a fydd newid meddwl ar y funud olaf, ond mae'n ymddangos yn annhebygol, o gofio eu bod bellach wedi nodi 1 Hydref fel y dyddiad y daw'r toriad hwn i rym, ac wedi ysgrifennu at dderbynwyr i ddweud hynny wrthynt. Felly, credaf y bydd yn rhaid i'r bobl a gaiff eu taro galetaf ddewis a ydynt yn bwyta neu'n gwresogi yn y pen draw, neu bydd yn rhaid iddynt ddewis rhwng bwyta a gwresogi ond peidio â thalu biliau eraill fel biliau'r dreth gyngor, a fydd yn ei dro yn effeithio ar awdurdodau lleol na fyddant yn gallu casglu'r refeniw y gallant ddisgwyl ei gael fel arfer o'r dreth gyngor. Felly, mae'n storm berffaith ac mae'n anodd iawn gweld sut y gallwn liniaru effaith y toriad hynod greulon hwn.