English: I think I must begin by asking why this is the third time we're debating Plaid's position on free school meals in as many months. This motion replicates an amendment to the budget debate on 9 February, just two weeks ago. Back in December, we agreed that if you had no recourse to public funds then you shouldn't also have to worry about relying on someone's discretion in order for your child to be able to eat, and we recognised also that some families who might not have struggled in normal circumstances to pay for their children's food have found it more difficult during the pandemic, and that we supported Welsh Government's extension of free school lunch provision during the holiday period while we were in the throes of all this. But I also said that we shouldn't slip quietly into perpetuity with what was on offer here, and that we did not agree with proposals on universal provision of free school meals, and, in all fairness, Helen Mary was gracious enough to recognise that this was down to different philosophies about how best to tackle child poverty, rather than an unwillingness to face and take action on the challenge. Universal free school meals includes breakfasts, which we reject for the reasons I set out in December, which means we cannot support the Welsh Government amendment, but, having said that, we do agree with paragraph 1 of that amendment, and acknowledge again the Government's COVID response on free school meals, as well as wishing it well with its review. But we will be supporting the motion unamended. Earlier this month, we agreed that any underspent budget this year should be targeted in a temporary way to help families in receipt of universal credit. There are families in receipt of universal credit for the first time because COVID has robbed them of their jobs, and who will remain on universal credit for the foreseeable part of the coming year because they cannot find work or better paid work. But I have to say, Plaid, it was touch and go that we are agreeing to this motion as it is, again, because Welsh Government has kindly drawn our attention to the Education Policy Institute report in its own amendment, and what it says about the four nations' spending decisions on education during the pandemic. One hundred and seventy four pounds being spent on education recovery for every pupil in England, but just £88 per pupil in Wales, despite Wales receiving the £5.2 billion extra from the UK Government that we've heard of. We've had the lowest number of home learning hours here too, especially in more disadvantaged families, although, of course, those families have suffered the most across the UK. And Welsh Government has also been less generous up until now with its support for childcare funding and additional learning needs per pupil. And that should worry all of us who believe that education is an essential part of the route out of poverty, seeing this huge discrepancy in catch-up investment, meaning that too many of tomorrow's parents will still be relying on free school meals however much Welsh Government fiddles about with the criteria. Thank you.
Welsh: Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i mi ddechrau drwy ofyn pam mai dyma'r trydydd tro i ni drafod safbwynt Plaid Cymru ar brydau ysgol am ddim mewn cynifer o fisoedd. Mae'r cynnig hwn yn ailadrodd gwelliant i'r ddadl ar y gyllideb ar 9 Chwefror, bythefnos yn ôl yn unig. Yn ôl ym mis Rhagfyr, fe wnaethom gytuno, os nad oedd cyllid cyhoeddus ar gael i chi, na ddylech orfod poeni hefyd am ddibynnu ar ddisgresiwn rhywun er mwyn i'ch plentyn allu bwyta, ac roeddem hefyd yn cydnabod bod rhai teuluoedd na fyddent efallai wedi cael anhawster i dalu am fwyd eu plant mewn amgylchiadau arferol wedi ei chael hi'n anos yn ystod y pandemig, a'n bod yn cefnogi'r modd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymestyn y ddarpariaeth cinio ysgol am ddim i gynnwys cyfnod gwyliau tra'n bod ynghanol hyn i gyd. Ond dywedais hefyd na ddylem lithro'n dawel i gynnig hynny am byth yma, ac nad oeddem yn cytuno â chynigion ar ddarparu prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb, ac a bod yn deg, roedd Helen Mary yn ddigon graslon i gydnabod mai mater o athroniaeth wahanol oedd hyn, yn ymwneud â'r ffordd orau o fynd i'r afael â thlodi plant, yn hytrach nag amharodrwydd i wynebu'r her a gweithredu arni. Mae prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb yn cynnwys brecwast, ac rydym yn gwrthod hynny am y rhesymau a nodwyd gennyf ym mis Rhagfyr, sy'n golygu na allwn gefnogi gwelliant Llywodraeth Cymru, ond ar ôl dweud hynny, rydym yn cytuno â pharagraff 1 o'r gwelliant hwnnw, ac yn cydnabod eto ymateb y Llywodraeth i COVID ar brydau ysgol am ddim, yn ogystal â dymuno'n dda iddi gyda'i hadolygiad. Ond byddwn yn cefnogi'r cynnig heb ei ddiwygio. Yn gynharach y mis hwn, cytunasom y dylai unrhyw gyllideb sydd heb ei gwario eleni gael ei thargedu mewn ffordd dros dro ar helpu teuluoedd sy'n cael credyd cynhwysol. Ceir teuluoedd sy'n derbyn credyd cynhwysol am y tro cyntaf oherwydd bod COVID wedi eu hamddifadu o'u swyddi, teuluoedd a fydd yn parhau ar gredyd cynhwysol am y rhan ragweladwy o'r flwyddyn i ddod am na allant ddod o hyd i waith na gwaith am gyflog gwell. Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, Blaid Cymru, roeddem o fewn dim i beidio â chefnogi'r cynnig fel y mae, unwaith eto, oherwydd bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi tynnu ein sylw at adroddiad y Sefydliad Polisi Addysg yn ei gwelliant ei hun, a'r hyn y mae'n ei ddweud am benderfyniadau gwario'r pedair gwlad ar addysg yn ystod y pandemig. Mae £174 yn cael ei wario ar adfer addysg pob disgybl yn Lloegr, ond dim ond £88 y disgybl yng Nghymru, er i Gymru gael y £5.2 biliwn ychwanegol gan Lywodraeth y DU y clywsom amdano. Yma hefyd y cafwyd y nifer isaf o oriau dysgu gartref, yn enwedig mewn teuluoedd mwy difreintiedig, er mai'r teuluoedd hynny sydd wedi dioddef fwyaf ledled y DU wrth gwrs. Ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn llai hael hyd yma hefyd gyda'i chefnogaeth i gyllid gofal plant ac anghenion dysgu ychwanegol fesul disgybl. A dylai hynny fod yn destun pryder i bob un ohonom sy'n credu bod addysg yn rhan hanfodol o'r llwybr allan o dlodi, wrth weld yr anghysondeb enfawr hwn yn y buddsoddiad dal i fyny, sy'n golygu y bydd gormod o rieni yfory yn dal i ddibynnu ar brydau ysgol am ddim, ni waeth faint o ffidlan y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud â'r meini prawf. Diolch.