English: Thank you. I would like, at the start of my contribution, to acknowledge and pay tribute to Carl Sargeant for his leadership in introducing this Bill, and for his commitment and his hard work in seeing it through Stages 1 and 2. I'd also like to thank Assembly Members and, in particular, committee members, for their constructive scrutiny of the Bill during Stage 1 and Stage 2 proceedings, and for the support the Bill has had so far in its passage through the Assembly. This Bill forms a key part of the Government's housing policy. Ending the right to buy and the right to acquire will protect our social housing for those in need and give local authorities and housing associations the confidence to invest in new developments to help meet the need for quality, affordable housing in Wales. The right to buy has been a feature of social housing for many years in Wales, and this has resulted in the loss of a significant number of homes - more than 139,000 between 1981 and 2016 - from the social housing stock. In recent years, although sales of social housing have slowed, social housing stock is still being lost at a time of considerable housing supply pressure. Recognising the impact of homes lost through the right to buy and the continued pressure on social housing, the previous Welsh Government introduced the Housing (Wales) Measure 2011. This enables a local authority to apply to suspend the right to buy and the right to acquire in its area. Currently, as we've heard, six local authorities have suspended the right to buy. Amendment 5 seeks to lift right-to-buy suspensions and prevent any further applications for suspension being submitted. Proposing to lift suspensions ignores the fact that local authorities have demonstrated evidence of significant housing pressure and have proposed and taken action to address the pressure during the suspension period. Suspensions have been approved where evidence shows a substantial imbalance between the demand for social housing and its supply. To lift the suspensions would only exacerbate that imbalance and undermine the purpose of the Measure and the actions of the third Assembly in passing the Measure in 2011. In suspended areas, existing tenants of social housing still have security of tenure and affordable rents. They also benefit from the investment by landlords to bring all social housing up to the Welsh housing quality standard, and this is in contrast to those who cannot access social housing. For those who aspire to low-cost home ownership, this Government is committed to supporting them, but not at the expense of reducing the social housing stock. There are other home ownership schemes available, such as Help to Buy - Wales and homebuy. We're also developing a new rent-to-own scheme, which offers a route to home ownership for those who do not have a deposit saved, but can afford a market rent. Where suspensions are in place, social housing landlords are reassured that investment in new social housing is a long-term investment. Developments are proposed, for example, in Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Flintshire. Lifting the suspensions would undermine the efforts of local authorities to manage their housing stock in the face of increased pressure. It would also undermine our core aim of protecting social housing for the long-term benefit of the most vulnerable people in society. I therefore urge Members to reject amendment 5 and all the related amendments.
Welsh: Diolch. Hoffwn, ar ddechrau fy nghyfraniad, gydnabod a thalu teyrnged i Carl Sargeant am ei arweiniad wrth gyflwyno'r Bil hwn, ac am ei ymrwymiad a'i waith caled i'w lywio drwy Gyfnodau 1 a 2. Hoffwn hefyd ddiolch i Aelodau'r Cynulliad ac, yn benodol, aelodau'r Pwyllgor, am eu craffu adeiladol ar y Bil yn ystod trafodion Cyfnod 1 a Chyfnod 2, ac am y gefnogaeth y mae'r Bil wedi ei chael hyd yn hyn ar ei daith drwy'r Cynulliad. Mae'r Bil hwn yn ffurfio rhan allweddol o bolisi tai'r Llywodraeth. Bydd rhoi terfyn ar yr hawl i brynu a'r hawl i gaffael yn diogelu ein tai cymdeithasol ar gyfer y rhai mewn angen ac yn rhoi'r hyder i awdurdodau lleol a chymdeithasau tai i fuddsoddi mewn datblygiadau newydd er mwyn helpu i ddiwallu'r angen am dai fforddiadwy o ansawdd yng Nghymru. Mae'r hawl i brynu wedi bod yn nodwedd o dai cymdeithasol ers blynyddoedd lawer yng Nghymru, ac mae hyn wedi arwain at golli nifer sylweddol o gartrefi - mwy na 139,000 rhwng 1981 a 2016 - o'r stoc tai cymdeithasol. Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, er bod gwerthiant tai cymdeithasol wedi arafu, mae'r stoc tai cymdeithasol yn cael ei golli ar adeg o gryn bwysau ar gyflenwi tai. Gan gydnabod effaith y tai a gollwyd drwy hawl i brynu a'r pwysau parhaus ar dai cymdeithasol, cyflwynodd y Llywodraeth Cymru flaenorol Fesur Tai (Cymru) 2011. Mae hwn yn galluogi awdurdod lleol i wneud cais i atal dros dro yr hawl i brynu a'r hawl i gaffael yn ei ardal. Ar hyn o bryd, fel y clywsom, mae chwe awdurdod lleol wedi atal dros dro yr hawl i brynu. Mae gwelliant 5 yn ceisio codi'r ataliadau hawl i brynu a rhwystro unrhyw geisiadau pellach am atal dros dro rhag cael eu cyflwyno. Mae cynnig i godi'r ataliadau dros dro yn anwybyddu'r ffaith fod awdurdodau lleol wedi dangos tystiolaeth o bwysau tai sylweddol ac maent wedi cynnig ac wedi cymryd camau i fynd i'r afael â'r pwysau yn ystod y cyfnod atal. Cymeradwywyd ataliadau dros dro lle mae tystiolaeth yn dangos anghydbwysedd sylweddol rhwng y galw am dai cymdeithasol a'u cyflenwad. Byddai codi'r ataliadau dros dro yn gwaethygu'r anghydbwysedd hwnnw ac yn tanseilio diben y Mesur a gweithredoedd y trydydd Cynulliad wrth basio'r Mesur yn 2011. Mewn ardaloedd ataliedig, mae tenantiaid presennol tai cymdeithasol yn dal i elwa ar ddeiliadaeth a rhenti fforddiadwy. Maent hefyd yn elwa o fuddsoddiad gan landlordiaid i ddod â'r holl dai cymdeithasol i fyny at safon ansawdd tai Cymru, ac mae hyn yn wahanol i'r rhai na allant gael mynediad at dai cymdeithasol. I'r rhai sy'n anelu at berchentyaeth cost isel, mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn ymrwymedig i'w cefnogi, ond nid ar draul lleihau'r stoc tai cymdeithasol. Mae cynlluniau perchentyaeth eraill ar gael, megis Cymorth i Brynu - Cymru a Chymorth Prynu. Rydym hefyd yn datblygu cynllun rhentu i brynu newydd, sy'n cynnig llwybr i fod yn berchen ar gartref i'r rheini nad oes ganddynt flaendal wedi'i gynilo, ond a all fforddio rhent y farchnad. Lle mae ataliadau dros dro ar waith, mae landlordiaid tai cymdeithasol yn dawel eu meddwl bod buddsoddiad mewn tai cymdeithasol newydd yn fuddsoddiad hirdymor. Er enghraifft, cynigir datblygiadau yn Sir Gaerfyrddin, Abertawe a Sir y Fflint. Byddai codi'r ataliadau yn tanseilio ymdrechion awdurdodau lleol i reoli eu stoc tai yn wyneb pwysau cynyddol. Byddai hefyd yn tanseilio ein nod craidd o ddiogelu tai cymdeithasol er budd hirdymor y bobl sydd fwyaf agored i niwed mewn cymdeithas. Felly anogaf yr Aelodau i wrthod gwelliant 5 a phob gwelliant cysylltiedig.