English: Diolch, Llywydd. Plaid Cymru welcomes this debate today, and we will be supporting the Conservatives' motion, and that's because it's clear that many of our young people and children in Wales with vision impairments are being failed in the sense that they are not being supported to live as autonomously, independently and freely as they are entitled to, as noted in article 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We in Wales have prided ourselves on leading the way when it comes to children's rights. The Welsh Government has had to have had due regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and article 23 says that 'a child with a disability has the right to live a full and decent life with dignity and, as far as possible, independence and to play an active part in the community.' The Welsh Government has committed also to progressive steps to ensure the rights of disabled people. The stated aim of their disability rights taskforce is to remove inequalities experienced by disabled people, and among the priority areas of that programme of work are children and young people. You would think, therefore, that the findings in an article in the British Journal of Visual Impairment authored by Guide Dogs UK, the University of Liverpool and Bangor University that the key to empowering and supporting children and young people with vision impairment to achieve their potential lies in the delivery of habilitation training would be wholly aligned with the Government's vision. It is, therefore, disappointing to hear from Guide Dogs Cymru that there are potentially 2,000 children and young people with vision impairment who would benefit from the better provision of habilitation training that is not currently being provided. The research that informs this article found that 37 per cent of parents they surveyed reported that their child hadn't received mobility training at all during the previous year. Similarly, in 2019, the Royal National Institute of Blind People suggested as much as a third of children with visual impairments are suffering as a result of a lack of money in council budgets to pay for the extra support they need. This was before even accounting for the current inflationary and budgetary crises facing our local authorities at the moment. So, it's evident, we believe, that Welsh Government have to do more work alongside our local authorities to ensure this essential service is provided to these children and young people who need it in order to achieve the independent living skills noted in the motion, which I'm sure every Member would support as crucially important, and as outlined by Altaf Hussain. I'd also like to briefly highlight some other points made by the RNIB in relation to this matter that perhaps the Conservatives could perhaps push their Westminster counterparts to take action on if they truly have the best interests of blind and partially sighted people at heart. Because, even before this cost-of-living crisis, one in five blind and partially sighted people said they had some or great difficulty in making ends meet, a situation that has only now worsened in the light of the current economic pressures. People with sight loss are twice as likely to live in a household that has a total income of £1,500 a month or less, and, from this spring, they will be spending upwards of 16 per cent of their total income on energy. Many are reducing the use of lighting and assistive technologies, which are crucial, of course, both to their safety and which support everyday independent living. Some blind and partially sighted people will this year no longer be eligible for the Warm Home discount either. In their recent cost-of-living survey, the RNIB found that more than a third of respondents said they often skipped meals. One said, 'I am missing a meal today. I have a small bowl of cereal, then miss lunch and have something cheap in the evening like beans on toast. This is the only way I'm surviving. I'm also taking less showers now, which makes me feel dirty and uncomfortable.' People with sight loss are more reliant on benefits as only one in four registered blind and partially sighted people of working age are in employment. So, while supporting your motion today, Plaid Cymru asks the Conservatives, while calling on the Welsh Government to do all it can to support children and young people with sight impairment and ensure they're funding and supporting local authorities in Wales to provide that support needed for habilitation and other services, to also call on their Government in Westminster to properly support disabled people through the benefits system. Because, Llywydd, no-one in twenty-first century Wales, least of all those with disabilities, should have to skip a meal or feel unable to afford to keep clean. Diolch.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Mae Plaid Cymru yn croesawu'r ddadl hon heddiw, a byddwn yn cefnogi cynnig y Ceidwadwyr, a hynny oherwydd ei bod yn amlwg fod llawer o'n pobl ifanc a'n plant yng Nghymru sydd â nam ar eu golwg yn cael cam yn yr ystyr nad ydynt yn cael eu cefnogi i fyw mor annibynnol a rhydd ag y mae ganddynt hawl i fyw, fel y nodir yn erthygl 26 o Gonfensiwn y Cenhedloedd Unedig ar Hawliau Pobl ag Anableddau. Rydym ni yng Nghymru yn falch ein bod yn arwain y ffordd o ran hawliau plant. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gorfod rhoi sylw dyledus i Gonfensiwn y Cenhedloedd Unedig ar Hawliau'r Plentyn, ac mae erthygl 23 yn dweud bod 'gan blentyn ag anabledd hawl i fyw bywyd llawn a gweddus gydag urddas, ac i fod mor annibynnol ag y bo modd, ac i chwarae rhan weithredol yn y gymuned.' Mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd wedi ymrwymo i gamau blaengar i sicrhau hawliau pobl anabl. Nod datganedig eu tasglu hawliau anabledd yw cael gwared ar yr anghydraddoldebau a wynebir gan bobl anabl, ac mae plant a phobl ifanc yn un o feysydd blaenoriaeth y rhaglen waith honno. Byddech yn meddwl, felly, y byddai canfyddiadau erthygl yn y British Journal of Visual Impairment a ysgrifennwyd gan Guide Dogs UK, Prifysgol Lerpwl a Phrifysgol Bangor fod darparu hyfforddiant sefydlu'n allweddol i rymuso a chefnogi plant a phobl ifanc â nam ar eu golwg i gyflawni eu potensial yn cyd-fynd yn llwyr â gweledigaeth y Llywodraeth. Mae'n siomedig clywed felly gan Cŵn Tywys Cymru y gallai fod 2,000 o blant a phobl ifanc â nam ar eu golwg a fyddai'n elwa o ddarpariaeth well o hyfforddiant sefydlu nad yw'n cael ei ddarparu ar hyn o bryd. Canfu'r ymchwil y mae'r erthygl yn seiliedig arni fod 37 y cant o'r rhieni a holwyd yn dweud nad oedd eu plentyn wedi cael hyfforddiant symudedd o gwbl yn ystod y flwyddyn flaenorol. Yn yr un modd, yn 2019, awgrymodd Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Brenhinol Pobl Ddall fod cymaint â thraean o blant â nam ar eu golwg yn dioddef o ganlyniad i ddiffyg arian yng nghyllidebau cynghorau i dalu am y cymorth ychwanegol sydd ei angen arnynt. Roedd hyn yn wir hyd yn oed cyn ystyried yr argyfyngau chwyddiant a chyllidebol sy'n wynebu ein hawdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd. Felly, credwn ei bod yn amlwg fod yn rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru wneud mwy o waith ochr yn ochr â'n hawdurdodau lleol i sicrhau bod y gwasanaeth hanfodol hwn yn cael ei ddarparu i'r plant a'r bobl ifanc sydd ei angen er mwyn caffael y sgiliau byw'n annibynnol a nodir yn y cynnig, y byddai pob Aelod, rwy'n siŵr, yn eu cefnogi fel rhai hanfodol bwysig, ac fel yr amlinellwyd gan Altaf Hussain. Hoffwn dynnu sylw'n gryno hefyd at rai pwyntiau eraill a wnaed gan yr RNIB mewn perthynas â'r mater y gallai'r Ceidwadwyr, efallai, bwyso ar gyd-aelodau eu plaid yn San Steffan i gymryd camau yn eu cylch os ydynt o ddifrif yn poeni am fuddiannau pobl ddall a rhannol ddall. Oherwydd, hyd yn oed cyn yr argyfwng costau byw hwn, dywedodd un o bob pump o bobl ddall a rhannol ddall eu bod wedi cael rhywfaint o drafferth neu gryn drafferth cael deupen llinyn ynghyd, sefyllfa sydd ond wedi gwaethygu bellach yng ngoleuni'r pwysau economaidd presennol. Mae pobl sydd â nam ar eu golwg ddwywaith yn fwy tebygol o fod yn byw ar aelwyd sydd â chyfanswm incwm o £1,500 y mis neu lai, ac o'r gwanwyn hwn ymlaen, byddant yn gwario mwy nag 16 y cant o gyfanswm eu hincwm ar ynni. Mae llawer yn lleihau'r defnydd o oleuadau a thechnolegau cynorthwyol, sy'n hanfodol, wrth gwrs, i'w diogelwch ac yn cefnogi byw'n annibynnol o ddydd i ddydd. Ni fydd rhai pobl ddall a rhannol ddall yn gymwys bellach eleni ar gyfer y gostyngiad Cartrefi Cynnes ychwaith. Yn eu harolwg costau byw diweddar, canfu'r RNIB fod mwy na thraean o'r ymatebwyr yn dweud eu bod yn aml yn mynd heb brydau bwyd. Dywedodd un, 'Rwy'n mynd heb bryd bwyd heddiw. Rwy'n cael dysgl fach o rawnfwyd, yna'n mynd heb ginio ac yn cael rhywbeth rhad gyda'r nos fel ffa pob ar dost. Dyma'r unig ffordd rwy'n goroesi. Rwyf hefyd yn cael llai o gawodydd nawr, sy'n gwneud imi deimlo'n fudr ac yn anghyfforddus.' Mae pobl sydd â nam ar eu golwg yn fwy dibynnol ar fudd-daliadau gan mai dim ond un o bob pedwar o bobl o oedran gweithio sydd wedi'u cofrestru'n ddall a rhannol ddall sydd mewn gwaith. Felly, wrth gefnogi eich cynnig heddiw, ac wrth alw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i wneud popeth yn ei gallu i gefnogi plant a phobl ifanc â nam ar eu golwg a sicrhau eu bod yn ariannu ac yn cefnogi awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru i ddarparu'r cymorth hwnnw sydd ei angen ar gyfer sefydlu a gwasanaethau eraill, mae Plaid Cymru yn gofyn i'r Ceidwadwyr alw hefyd ar eu Llywodraeth yn San Steffan i gefnogi pobl anabl yn briodol drwy'r system fudd-daliadau. Oherwydd, Lywydd, ni ddylai unrhyw un yng Nghymru'r unfed ganrif ar hugain, yn enwedig pobl ag anableddau, orfod mynd heb bryd bwyd neu deimlo na allant fforddio cadw'n lân. Diolch.