English: I welcome Huw Irranca-Davies into this post. You've got some very big shoes to fill, but I'm sure you will bring your thoughtful and learned approach to this particular area of public policy, as you have to others in the past. We face a pretty difficult situation for children, and I think the children's commissioner's report reflects that in part. Under 'Provision', she highlights the fact that children have rights to have their needs met, including safe and warm housing, food, education, healthcare, extra care if they're disabled, and access to leisure, culture and play and extra help if families are living in poverty. But it's very difficult to see how we're actually going to achieve that in the current set of circumstances we face. I mentioned earlier in questions to the First Minister the exponential rise in child poverty that is projected by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the difficulties that we have in any way mitigating the consequences of that, because we know that poverty will increase the number of adverse childhood experiences, and that, in turn, will increase the numbers very badly affected for the rest of their lives. We've also learnt within the last week that the UK is now regarded as the most obese nation in western Europe, and we don't need to run for the statistics to know that Wales is probably at the top of this particular league table in relation to other parts of the United Kingdom. So, I'm particularly concerned as to how we can address both those issues (a) in terms of ensuring that all children have the very best start in life, starting with breastfeeding and the continuing concerns about insufficient support - consistent support - for breastfeeding to ensure that all families are able to breastfeed their children. I think that we also need to ensure that families are supported to wean their children effectively. Unless people are able to combat the barrage of commercial messages that come across - . People are being sold these baby foods that contain sugar, which, frankly, ought to be banned, and there's really nothing more depressing than seeing a clinically obese child, who absolutely is a victim of the situation. They can't choose what is put in front of them, and it's really distressing to see that families and commercial interests are getting in the way of the child's interest. We have to use our schools as a place to re-educate those children who haven't had that level of support in their nutritional interest at home. But this is a really, really challenging situation. In my own school, where I'm a governor, a secondary school, I know that only 30 per cent of children have had breakfast before they come to school, and that is without exploring exactly what that breakfast constitutes. So, I think that's a major issue for me. There's a particular issue that I wanted to raise around strengthening the requirement for parents to register if they choose to electively home educate their children, because I think there's a real loophole in the law here. We're not talking about this being a safeguarding issue as a general rule, but, when parents make a decision to bring their children out of state education, they are making very big choices about the future of their children, and the socialising, as well as the learning, that they are denying them, unless there's very, very good alternative provision at home. So, I'd be particularly interested to learn what you think might be able to be done there. But I think that the - . Overall, I think it's going to be extremely difficult for us to safeguard all children in the light of the reduction in the amount of child benefit, as well as the overall reduction in benefits and the introduction of universal benefit, which is going to plunge more children into poverty. So, I welcome the Minister's response as to what we can do, working with the children's commissioner, to ensure that all our children are safeguarded.
Welsh: Rwy'n croesawu Huw Irranca-Davies i'r swydd hon. Mae gennych chi esgidiau mawr iawn i'w llenwi, ond rwy'n siŵr y dewch chi â'ch dulliau ystyriol a dysgedig i'r maes polisi cyhoeddus penodol hwn, fel yr ydych wedi'i wneud mewn meysydd eraill yn y gorffennol. Rydym yn wynebu sefyllfa eithaf anodd i blant, ac rwy'n meddwl bod adroddiad y comisiynydd plant yn adlewyrchu hynny'n rhannol. O dan 'Darpariaeth', mae hi'n tynnu sylw at y ffaith bod gan blant hawliau i fod â'u hanghenion wedi'u diwallu, gan gynnwys tai diogel a chynnes, bwyd, addysg, gofal iechyd, gofal ychwanegol os ydynt yn anabl, a darpariaeth hamdden, diwylliant a chwarae a help ychwanegol os yw teuluoedd yn byw mewn tlodi. Ond mae'n anodd iawn gweld sut yr ydym yn mynd i gyflawni hynny o dan yr amgylchiadau presennol sy'n ein hwynebu. Soniais yn gynharach mewn cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog am y cynnydd esbonyddol mewn tlodi plant a ragwelir gan y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid a'r anawsterau sydd gennym o ran lliniaru goblygiadau hynny mewn unrhyw ffordd, oherwydd rydym yn gwybod y bydd tlodi'n cynyddu nifer y profiadau niweidiol yn ystod plentyndod, a bydd hynny, yn ei dro, yn cynyddu'r niferoedd y mae hyn yn effeithio'n wael iawn arnynt am weddill eu bywydau. Rydym hefyd wedi dysgu o fewn yr wythnos diwethaf bod y DU erbyn hyn yn cael ei hystyried y genedl fwyaf gordew yng ngorllewin Ewrop, a does dim angen inni redeg am yr ystadegau i wybod bod Cymru yn fwy na thebyg ar frig y tabl cynghrair penodol hwn mewn perthynas â rhannau eraill y Deyrnas Unedig. Felly, rwy'n arbennig o bryderus ynghylch sut y gallwn ymdrin â'r ddau fater hynny (a) o ran sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn cael y dechrau gorau posibl i'w fywyd, gan ddechrau gyda bwydo ar y fron a'r pryderon parhaus ynghylch cefnogaeth annigonol - cefnogaeth gyson - i fwydo ar y fron i sicrhau bod pob teulu'n gallu bwydo eu plant ar y fron. Rwy'n meddwl bod angen inni hefyd sicrhau bod teuluoedd yn cael eu cefnogi i ddiddyfnu eu plant yn effeithiol. Os na all pobl frwydro yn erbyn y llwyth o negeseuon masnachol sy'n dod ar draws - . Mae'r bwydydd babi hyn sy'n cynnwys siwgr yn cael eu gwerthu i bobl, y dylid, a dweud y gwir, eu gwahardd, a does dim byd gwaeth na gweld plentyn clinigol ordew, sy'n ddim mwy na dioddefwr oherwydd y sefyllfa. Dydy'r plentyn ddim yn gallu dewis beth sy'n cael ei roi o'i flaen, ac mae'n wirioneddol dorcalonnus gweld bod teuluoedd a buddiannau masnachol yn drech na budd y plentyn. Rhaid inni ddefnyddio ein hysgolion fel lle i ail-addysgu'r plant hynny sydd ddim wedi cael y gefnogaeth honno i'w buddiannau maethol yn y cartref. Ond mae hon yn sefyllfa heriol iawn, iawn. Yn fy ysgol fy hun, lle'r wyf yn llywodraethwr, ysgol uwchradd, rwy'n gwybod mai dim ond 30 y cant o'r plant sydd wedi cael brecwast cyn dod i'r ysgol, ac mae hynny heb ystyried beth yn union beth yw'r brecwast hwnnw. Felly, rwy'n meddwl bod hwnnw'n fater pwysig i mi. Mae mater penodol yr oeddwn am ei godi ynglŷn ag atgyfnerthu'r gofyniad i rieni gofrestru os ydynt yn dewis addysgu eu plant gartref, oherwydd rwy'n meddwl bod bwlch gwirioneddol yn y gyfraith yma. Dydyn ni ddim yn sôn am hyn fel mater diogelu fel rheol gyffredinol, ond, pan fydd rhieni'n gwneud penderfyniad i dynnu eu plant allan o addysg y wladwriaeth, maent yn gwneud dewisiadau mawr iawn ynglŷn â dyfodol eu plant, a'r cymdeithasu, yn ogystal â dysgu, na fyddant yn eu cael, oni bai bod darpariaeth amgen dda iawn, iawn yn y cartref. Felly, byddai gennyf ddiddordeb arbennig mewn gwybod beth ydych yn meddwl y byddai modd ei wneud yno. Ond rwy'n meddwl bod y - . Yn gyffredinol, rwy'n meddwl y bydd yn anodd iawn inni ddiogelu pob plentyn yn sgil y gostyngiad yn swm budd-dal plant, yn ogystal â'r gostyngiad cyffredinol mewn budd-daliadau a chyflwyno budd-dal cynhwysol, sy'n mynd i roi mwy o blant mewn tlodi. Felly, rwy'n croesawu ymateb y Gweinidog ynghylch yr hyn y gallwn ei wneud, gan weithio gyda'r comisiynydd plant, i sicrhau bod ein plant i gyd yn cael eu diogelu.