English: One of the main problems with universal credit is that it is paid to households rather than to individuals, and I will focus on that aspect for a few moments. Only one person can be in receipt of the funds on behalf of the household, so there are issues of equality arising immediately from that because it is likely that it's the male that will receive that money in most cases, not always, of course - not by any means - but in most cases probably. This will increase the financial reliance of women on men and will militate against the fact that men and women are equal. Women's right to financial independence is a fundamental right - a right that is undermined through universal credit. It's therefore a significant retrograde step in seeking full equality between men and women - an effort that some of us have been involved with for 40 years and more. The journey towards full equality is painfully slow as it is. And any retrograde step in this regard - and this what this is - should be criticised by this Assembly and, more importantly, we must change it and use the powers that we could have here in order to change that. Benefits should be paid to individuals, and not to households. One aspect of this causes great concern. Paying the benefit to one person in a household can mean that some women can be held in an abusive relationship. With the man taking the payment, then that man has the power, and if that man is abusive towards his wife or partner then it's very difficult for the woman. Those in favour of universal credit argue that there is a mechanism to counteract that, but that's naïve in my view. Half of the women who are abused fail to leave the relationship because of financial abuse. A woman may remain in an abusive relationship because of concerns of serious financial consequences for her if she were to leave. The money itself can increase abuse. One partner can withhold money from another using financial power in an unacceptable way. Under universal credit, if a couple separate, then one person has to inform the DWP. Well, the person in receipt of the benefit isn't going to be willing to make that notification, so in most cases, again, it's the women who will have to do that and will be caught out by the process at times. A new application has to be made, which will take at least five weeks to be processed. For a woman without access to money and possibly childcare responsibilities, time is everything, and making a new application isn't always a priority when you're fleeing for your life or are concerned about the safety of your children. If the benefit were to be paid to individuals, then you wouldn't have to go through that bureaucratic process of registering when couples separate. Now, of course, if we did have the right to administrate benefits ourselves in Wales, we could change that. We are talking about administration here, not having the right to create new benefits; we're not talking about funding, but the administration. And having those levers could be a means of creating a fairer system. Yes?
Welsh: Un o brif broblemau credyd cyffredinol ydy ei fod o'n cael ei dalu i gartrefi yn hytrach nag unigolion, ac rwy'n mynd i ganolbwyntio ar yr agwedd yna am ychydig. Dim ond un person fydd yn cael derbyn yr arian ar ran y cartref, felly mae yna gwestiynau o gydraddoldeb yn codi yn syth efo hynny, oherwydd mae'n debygol mai'r dyn fydd yn ei dderbyn yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion - nid bob tro o bell ffordd, ond yn y mwyafrif o achosion, mae'n bur debyg. Bydd hyn yn cynyddu dibyniaeth ariannol merched ar ddynion ac yn milwrio yn erbyn y ffaith bod dynion a merched yn gydradd. Mae hawl merched i annibyniaeth ariannol yn hawl sylfaenol - hawl sy'n cael ei danseilio efo credyd cyffredinol. Mae o felly'n gam sylweddol yn ôl yn yr ymdrech i gael cydraddoldeb llawn rhwng dynion a merched - ymdrech y mae rhai ohonom ni yn rhan ohono fo ers 40 mlynedd a mwy erbyn hyn. Mae'r daith tuag at gydraddoldeb llawn yn boenus o araf fel y mae hi. Mae unrhyw gam yn ôl - a dyna beth ydy hwn - angen ei gollfarnu gan y Cynulliad hwn, ac yn bwysicach na hynny, mae angen ei newid o, a defnyddio'r hawliau y gallem ni eu cael yn fan hyn i newid o. Mae angen i fudd-dal gael ei dalu i unigolion, nid i gartrefi. Mae un agwedd ar hyn yn peri pryder mawr. Mae talu'r budd-dal i un person mewn cartref yn gallu golygu byddai rhai merched yn cael eu dal mewn perthynas o gamdriniaeth. Gyda'r dyn yn derbyn yr arian, y dyn sydd â'r pŵer, ac os ydy'r dyn hwnnw hefyd yn euog o gam-drin ei wraig neu ei bartner, mae'r sefyllfa yn anodd iawn i'r ferch. Mae rhai sydd o blaid credyd cyffredinol yn dadlau bod yna fecanwaith ar gyfer gweithio yn erbyn hynny, ond mae hynny'n safbwynt naïf iawn yn fy marn i. Mae hanner y merched sy'n cael eu cam-drin yn methu â gadael y berthynas oherwydd camdriniaeth ariannol. Efallai bod y ferch yn aros mewn perthynas niweidiol am ei bod yn poeni y byddai yna oblygiadau ariannol difrifol iddi hi petai hi'n gadael. Mae'r arian ei hun yn cynyddu camdriniaeth. Gall un partner gadw arian yn ôl o'r llall gan ddefnyddio grym ariannol mewn ffordd hollol annerbyniol. O dan credyd cyffredinol, os ydy cwpl yn gwahanu, mae'n rhaid i un person rhoi gwybod i'r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau. Nid yw'r person sydd yn derbyn y budd-dal yn mynd i fod yn barod i wneud yr hysbysiad. Felly, yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion, eto, y merched fydd yn gorfod gwneud hynny ac yn cael eu dal allan yn y broses, ar adegau. Mae'n rhaid gwneud cais newydd, a fydd yn cymryd o leiaf pum wythnos i'w brosesu. I ddynes sydd heb arian ac, o bosib, plant i ofalu amdanyn nhw, mae amser fel aur. Nid ydy gwneud cais newydd bob tro ddim yn flaenoriaeth pan fyddwch chi'n ffoi am eich bywyd neu'n poeni am ddiogelwch eich plant. Petai'r budd-dal yn cael ei dalu i bob unigolyn, yna ni fyddai angen mynd drwy'r broses fiwrocrataidd o gofrestru pan fo dau unigolyn yn gwahanu. Rŵan, wrth gwrs, petai gennym ni'r hawl i weinyddu ein budd-daliadau ein hunain yng Nghymru, fe allem ni newid hynny. Gweinyddu yr ydym ni'n sôn amdano fo yn y fan yma, cofiwch, nid derbyn yr hawl i greu budd-daliadau newydd, nid sôn am ariannu, ond y gweinyddu. Ac mi fyddai cael gafael ar hynny'n medru bod yn ffordd o greu system deg. Ie?