English: I think that you should've announced this in the Chamber, not to your party members, and I, frankly, am appalled, because this is the sort of behaviour that you would have been the first to shout up and criticise when you were on the opposition benches before you joined this shambolic Government, so I'm very disappointed that you have made the announcement in this way, and I think it shows very much a significant lack of respect for the children and young people's committee in particular, particularly given that we are in the middle of an inquiry into targeted funding for children and young people in our schools. And you know that, within the purview of that inquiry, we are looking very much at the pupil development grant and the efficacy of it and we're going to be making, probably, a good number of recommendations about the shape of that grant in the future. So, frankly, why you've done this at the moment I do not know. You should have been waiting for the receipt of that report, rather than pre-empting it with a pre-emptive strike today. So, very, very disappointed indeed, and I'm very disappointed that you've laid aside the morals that you seemed to have when you were in opposition with regard to these sorts of announcements. Now, that said, I do have a number of questions, as you might imagine, on your announcement. You've indicated that you've given some security to local education authorities in terms of the funding that you've provided through to the end of the Assembly term, but, as I understand it, you've based the allocations on the school census data in 2016. Why have you chosen to base the allocations on the school census data in 2016 and not 2017, which is available to you? Is it fixed, now, on the 2016 data, even though you know that the numbers of children and young people who might be eligible for the pupil deprivation grant will change from year to year in our schools? I've been contacted by schools in my own constituency saying, 'We haven't had a penny of pupil deprivation grant this year, even though we've got pupils who ought to be entitled to the grant, given the Welsh Government's criteria, simply because they've used the old data from the previous year'. Why have you chosen to do that? That certainly doesn't seem fair at all. So, I'd appreciate an explanation as to why you've done that. I'm pleased to hear you recognise that it's very important that all learners who are entitled to this grant are afforded the opportunity to develop to their full potential, including those who are more able and talented. One thing that has been very clear from the evidence that has been coming in to the committee is that they have been largely overlooked to date in terms of the efforts that have been made, and I think it's very important not only that you send a clear message by saying a few words in this Chamber, but that there's some clear and practical guidance that is issued to our local education authorities, to the regional consortia and our schools. So, I ask you: will you issue such guidance in the future on things that are there, available for people to use, which are in accordance with best practice to achieve the best possible outcomes for those learners? You made reference to the fact that the aim of this fund is to close the educational attainment gap. We know that that gap opened up significantly in 2017. Now, I appreciate that you say you can't necessarily directly compare to the previous year because you've changed the measures; it's the form of every Government to change measures where they don't like the measures that are in place, but the reality is that, even if you take into account those changes in the measures, the gap still grew. So, in spite of the fact that you're increasing the pupil development grant, we seem to have this reduction in its effectiveness in terms of being able to close that gap. So, I wonder what work you are doing to identify precisely why that gap is widening in spite of the extra resources that you are putting in. Just finally, if I may, one question that many people ask me is why there isn't some sort of recognition for those individuals who may not be eligible for free school meals, but whose funding in the schools has declined significantly as a result of the ever-increasing push to increase this grant at the expense of the overall funding pot for our schools. You and I both know that, where you increase a specific grant, you've got to reduce the overall spending allocation that schools are getting. There are many parents who are just about getting by in those schools, where you've got young people who are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and, frankly, the measure that we have of free school meals isn't necessarily the best one, and, again, this has been coming through sharply in some of the evidence. Now, one of the things that has been suggested is the use of the Ever 6 measure, which looks at those individuals who have been eligible for free school meals over the period of the past six years, rather than taking a single snapshot in any one particular year. I wonder what consideration you've given to the use of the Ever 6 measure in terms of eligibility, rather than the current eligibility criteria that you are using. Thank you.
Welsh: Rwy'n credu y dylech fod wedi cyhoeddi hyn yn y Siambr, nid i aelodau eich plaid, ac a dweud y gwir, mae'n wir wrthun gennyf, oherwydd chi fyddai'r cyntaf i weiddi a beirniadu'r math hwn o ymddygiad pan oeddech chi ar feinciau'r gwrthbleidiau cyn ichi ymuno â'r Llywodraeth ddi-drefn hon, felly rwy'n siomedig iawn eich bod chi wedi gwneud y cyhoeddiad yn y modd hwn, a chredaf ei fod yn dangos diffyg parch sylweddol tuag at y pwyllgor plant a phobl ifanc yn arbennig, yn enwedig gan ein bod yng nghanol ymchwiliad i gyllid wedi'i dargedu ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc yn ein hysgolion. Ac rydych yn gwybod, o fewn maes yr ymchwiliad hwnnw, ein bod ni'n edrych ar y grant datblygu disgyblion a'i effeithiolrwydd ac fe fyddwn, mae'n debyg, yn gwneud nifer fawr o argymhellion ynghylch ffurf y grant hwnnw yn y dyfodol. Felly, wn i ddim pam yr ydych chi wedi gwneud hyn yn awr. Dylech chi fod wedi aros i gael yr adroddiad hwnnw, yn hytrach nag achub y blaen gyda rhagymosodiad heddiw. Felly, siomedig iawn yn wir, ac yr wyf yn siomedig iawn eich bod chi wedi gosod o'r neilltu'r moesau yr oedd gennych pan oeddech chi yn yr wrthblaid o ran y mathau hyn o gyhoeddiadau. Yn awr, wedi dweud hynny, mae gennyf nifer o gwestiynau, fel y gallwch ddychmygu, ynglŷn â'ch cyhoeddiad. Rydych wedi nodi eich bod wedi rhoi rhywfaint o sicrwydd i awdurdodau addysg lleol o ran yr arian yr ydych wedi ei ddarparu hyd at ddiwedd tymor y Cynulliad, ond, fel y deallaf, rydych wedi seilio'r dyraniadau ar ddata cyfrifiad ysgolion 2016. Pam y dewisoch chi seilio'r dyraniadau ar ddata cyfrifiad ysgolion 2016 yn hytrach nag un 2017, sydd ar gael i chi? A yw wedi'i sefydlu nawr ar ddata 2016, er eich bod chi'n gwybod bod niferoedd y plant a phobl ifanc a allai fod yn gymwys ar gyfer grant amddifadedd disgyblion yn newid o flwyddyn i flwyddyn yn ein hysgolion? Mae ysgolion yn fy etholaeth i fy hun wedi cysylltu i ddweud 'Dydyn ni ddim wedi cael ceiniog o'r grant amddifadedd disgyblion eleni, er bod gennym ddisgyblion a ddylai fod â hawl i'r grant, yn ôl meini prawf Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae hyn oherwydd eu bod wedi defnyddio hen ddata o'r flwyddyn flaenorol'. Pam dewisoch chi wneud hynny? Yn sicr dydi hynny ddim yn ymddangos yn deg o gwbl. Felly, gwerthfawrogwn eglurhad ynglŷn â pham wnaethoch chi hynny. Yr wyf yn falch o glywed eich bod yn cydnabod ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn bod pob dysgwr sydd â hawl i'r grant hwn yn cael y cyfle i ddatblygu i'w botensial llawn, gan gynnwys y rhai sy'n fwy galluog a thalentog. Un peth sydd wedi bod yn glir iawn o'r dystiolaeth sydd wedi cyrraedd y Pwyllgor yw eu bod wedi eu hanwybyddu i raddau helaeth hyd yma o ran yr ymdrechion sydd wedi'u gwneud, a chredaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn, nid yn unig eich bod yn anfon neges glir gan ddweud ychydig o eiriau yn y Siambr hon, ond bod canllawiau clir ac ymarferol yn cael eu rhoi i'n hawdurdodau addysg lleol, consortia rhanbarthol ac i'n hysgolion. Felly, gofynnaf i chi: a wnewch chi gyhoeddi canllawiau o'r fath yn y dyfodol ar bethau sydd ar gael i bobl eu defnyddio, sydd yn unol ag arfer gorau i gyflawni'r canlyniadau gorau posibl ar gyfer y dysgwyr hynny? Fe gyfeirioch at y ffaith mai nod y gronfa hon yw cau'r bwlch o ran cyrhaeddiad addysgol. Rydym yn gwybod bod y bwlch hwnnw wedi agor yn sylweddol yn 2017. Yn awr, yr wyf yn gwerthfawrogi eich bod yn dweud na allwch gymharu'n uniongyrchol â'r flwyddyn flaenorol o reidrwydd oherwydd rydych wedi newid y mesurau; mae'n beth arferol i bob Llywodraeth newid mesurau pan nad ydy hi'n hoffi'r mesurau sydd yn eu lle, ond y realiti yw, hyd yn oed os gymrwch chi'r newidiadau hynny yn y mesurau i ystyriaeth, roedd y bwlch yn dal i dyfu. Felly, er gwaetha'r ffaith eich bod yn cynyddu'r grant datblygu disgyblion, mae'n ymddangos fod ei effeithiolrwydd yn lleihau o ran ei allu i gau'r bwlch hwnnw. Felly, tybed pa waith yr ydych yn ei wneud i ganfod pam yn union fod y bwlch hwnnw'n tyfu er gwaethaf yr adnoddau ychwanegol yr ydych yn eu rhoi i mewn. Yn olaf, os caf, un cwestiwn y mae llawer o bobl yn gofyn imi yw pam nad oes neb yn cydnabod yr unigolion hynny nad ydynt yn gymwys ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim, mewn ysgolion ble mae'r cyllid wedi gostwng yn sylweddol o ganlyniad i'r ymgyrch gynyddol i gynyddu'r grant hwn ar draul y pot cyllid cyffredinol ar gyfer ein hysgolion. Fe wyddoch chi a fi ein dau, pan fyddwch yn cynyddu grant penodol, fod yn rhaid i chi leihau'r dyraniad gwariant cyffredinol y mae'r ysgolion yn ei gael. Ceir llawer o rieni yn crafu byw yn yr ysgolion hynny ble mae gennych chi bobl ifanc sydd o gefndiroedd difreintiedig, ac, a dweud y gwir, nid yw'r mesur a ddefnyddiwn ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim, o reidrwydd yr un gorau, ac, unwaith eto, mae hyn wedi dod yn amlwg yn rhywfaint o'r dystiolaeth. Nawr, un o'r pethau sydd wedi ei awgrymu yw defnyddio'r mesur Ever 6, sy'n edrych ar yr unigolion sydd wedi bod yn gymwys ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim dros y chwe blynedd diwethaf, yn hytrach na chymryd un cipolwg yn ystod un flwyddyn arbennig. Tybed a ydych chi wedi ystyried defnyddio mesur Ever 6 erioed o ran cymhwysedd, yn hytrach na'r meini prawf cymhwysedd yr ydych yn eu defnyddio ar hyn o bryd. Diolch.