English: Thank you, Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to make a brief contribution to this debate. As Members will appreciate, the Children, Young People and Education Committee has taken a very keen interest in funding issues since the time we were established. One of our earliest inquiries was into the decision to amalgamate the funding of the previously ring-fenced grants for minority ethnic learners and Gypsy/Traveller learners into the new education improvement grant and, since the decision was taken in the most recent budget to put that money into the revenue support grant, we have maintained a constant dialogue with the Cabinet Secretary and are continuing to scrutinise the impact of that decision on those groups of learners. On 4 July, we're going to be debating here the committee's major inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people. The overarching recommendation in that calls for ring-fenced funding to be made available to schools so that they can become hubs of emotional and mental health support for our children and young people, because we recognise that when the system is stretched it will not be possible for our teachers to invest the time and the resource that is needed into that work and also because, as part of the inquiry, it was evident that there is an enormous amount of good practice out there in Wales in terms of supporting young people with their mental health but also that much of that is being funded through things like the pupil deprivation grant. We heard that there were schools that were unable to fulfil that role because they didn't have access to the PDG. Our most recent inquiry into targeted funding on educational outcomes will be published next week, and the sufficiency of school funding was a very strong theme throughout that inquiry, with lots of evidence being given to the committee that things like the pupil deprivation grant are now being used as a result of pressures on wider school budgets. So, as a result of that, I'm very pleased that the committee has decided that now is the time for us to take a rounder look at school funding. As Llyr and Mark will be aware, we are discussing tomorrow terms of reference for an inquiry - a broad, wide-ranging inquiry - on the sufficiency of school funding in Wales, which I think is very important. I think it's important that that work is undertaken independently of Welsh Government, and I think that our committee will be the right people to do that job. I do have to take issue with Mark Reckless's contribution. I think it is just a little bit rich for the Welsh Conservatives to come to this Chamber and lecture us on the record of this Government in trying to protect our public services in the face of record-breaking austerity from Westminster. I would suggest, Mark Reckless, that your efforts might be better employed in lecturing those in Westminster who are handing down these ongoing budget cuts to us.
Welsh: Diolch i chi, Lywydd, am y cyfle i wneud cyfraniad byr i'r ddadl hon. Fel y bydd yr Aelodau'n deall, mae'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg wedi bod â diddordeb brwd iawn mewn materion cyllido ers inni gael ein sefydlu. Roedd un o'n hymchwiliadau cynharaf yn ymwneud â'r penderfyniad i gyfuno cyllid y grantiau a oedd wedi'u clustnodi'n flaenorol ar gyfer dysgwyr o leiafrifoedd ethnig a dysgwyr sy'n Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yn y grant gwella addysg newydd ac ers i'r penderfyniad gael ei wneud yn y gyllideb fwyaf diweddar i roi'r arian hwnnw yn y grant cynnal refeniw, rydym wedi cynnal deialog gyson gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ac yn parhau i graffu ar effaith y penderfyniad hwnnw ar y grwpiau hynny o ddysgwyr. Yma, ar 4 Gorffennaf, rydym yn mynd i fod yn trafod ymchwiliad mawr y pwyllgor i iechyd emosiynol a meddyliol plant a phobl ifanc. Mae'r argymhelliad cyffredinol yn hwnnw yn galw am sicrhau bod cyllid wedi'i glustnodi ar gael i ysgolion fel y gallant ddod yn ganolfannau cymorth iechyd emosiynol a meddyliol ar gyfer ein plant a'n pobl ifanc, oherwydd pan fydd y system dan bwysau, rydym yn cydnabod na fydd yn bosibl i'n hathrawon fuddsoddi'r amser a'r adnoddau sydd eu hangen ar gyfer y gwaith hwnnw a hefyd fel rhan o'r ymchwiliad, roedd hi'n amlwg fod yna lawer iawn o ymarfer da yng Nghymru o ran cefnogi pobl ifanc gyda'u hiechyd meddwl ond bod llawer o hynny hefyd yn cael ei ariannu drwy bethau fel y grant amddifadedd disgyblion. Clywsom fod yna ysgolion nad oeddent yn gallu cyflawni'r rôl honno am nad oedd ganddynt fynediad at y grant amddifadedd disgyblion. Bydd ein hymchwiliad diweddaraf i gyllid wedi'i dargedu i wella canlyniadau addysgol yn cael ei gyhoeddi yr wythnos nesaf, ac roedd digon o gyllid i ysgolion yn thema gref iawn drwy gydol yr ymchwiliad hwnnw, gyda llawer o dystiolaeth yn cael ei rhoi i'r pwyllgor fod pethau fel y grant amddifadedd disgyblion yn cael ei ddefnyddio bellach o ganlyniad i'r pwysau ar gyllidebau ysgol mwy cyffredinol. Felly, o ganlyniad i hynny, rwy'n falch iawn fod y pwyllgor wedi penderfynu mai dyma'r amser i ni edrych yn fwy trylwyr ar ariannu ysgolion. Fel y bydd Llyr a Mark yn gwybod, yfory byddwn yn trafod y cylch gorchwyl ar gyfer ymchwiliad - ymchwiliad eang a phellgyrhaeddol - i ddigonolrwydd cyllid ysgolion yng Nghymru, a chredaf fod hynny'n bwysig iawn. Rwy'n meddwl ei bod hi'n bwysig i'r gwaith hwnnw gael ei wneud yn annibynnol ar Lywodraeth Cymru, a chredaf mai ein pwyllgor fydd y bobl iawn i wneud y gwaith hwnnw. Mae'n rhaid imi anghytuno â chyfraniad Mark Reckless. Credaf fod gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wyneb i ddod i'r Siambr a rhoi pregeth i ni ar record y Llywodraeth hon yn ceisio diogelu ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn wyneb mwy nag erioed o gyni o San Steffan. Buaswn yn awgrymu, Mark Reckless, y byddai'n well i chi ddefnyddio eich ymdrechion yn pregethu wrth y rheini yn San Steffan sy'n trosglwyddo'r toriadau cyllidebol parhaus hyn i ni.