English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Minister. I'd also like to thank the advisory group for their work so far. I'd also like to congratulate those involved in delivering the improvements in transition services and other positive steps that you've updated us on today, Minister. In an ideal world, no child would have to go into the care system - I think that's a given, isn't it? But part of the reason we're justifiably keen to prevent children needing to go into care is because successive Governments have not got care provision right. Your statement relates to reducing the number of children going into care, suggesting that children and young people are being taken into care when alternatives may be available. You've given an example of how alternatives are being considered, but the prospect of children going into care when there's another choice is deeply concerning and I'd like you to clarify the extent of the problem and quantify it. How big a worry is this? How are you going to ensure that aiming to reduce the number of children in care doesn't have the consequence of down-prioritising improving the care system itself and discourage Government from making the care system better for those who really do need it and for whom there is no choice but to put them in care? If fewer children and young people are in care, will that result in more funds being spent on each child still in care or will that result in a reduction in the amount of funding allocated to care provision? What conversations have you had with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance about directing the savings created by taking fewer children into care to those who have to be in care? Are you going to be looking at the threshold for placing children into care that's being used by the statutory agencies? If so, do you think that current threshold is too low, do you think it's about right - where do you think that threshold is right now? Is that the right threshold to have? I'd like to be reassured that, firstly, you won't be taking the money out of the care system in order to fund extra focus on preventing children needing the care system and, further, can you confirm that spending on the care system will increase in line with both need and inflation? Not long ago, I also asked you a question about the adoption system. You didn't answer it. So, as part of the efforts to prevent children having to stay in the care system longer than is necessary, I'll ask it again: do you believe, as I do, that there's no reason why children shouldn't be adopted by parents of a different ethnicity from themselves? And what have you done to assess whether, and if so ensure that, adoption agencies and social workers are neither formally nor informally acting to discourage mixed-race adoptions? There are many ethnically mixed families in the UK, and that's to be celebrated as we enjoy a diverse society. We rightly also don't treat gay couples differently from other couples in the adoption process. So, do you agree with me that racial diversity in families is a good thing, as it is in our wider society, and that ethnic differences shouldn't be a factor in placing children for adoption? If you're serious about keeping as many children as possible out of the care system, or keeping their time in it to a minimum, I'm sure you'll agree, but I would like to hear you say it. Finally, in this week of National Safeguarding Week, we've had many, many stories in the press and elsewhere over the last few years about grooming gangs and adults grooming children for sexual exploitation, so I would like the Minister to take this opportunity to actually give us an update on the measures that you're taking and the measures that social services are taking to safeguard children and to prevent groomers having - to prevent individual groomers and grooming gangs having - access to children in care, because one of the most vulnerable groups of children to these grooming gangs is obviously children in care. The state has a massive duty to make sure that those groomers don't have access to those children, so I would really, really like to know what you're actually doing to stop that. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Gweinidog. Hoffwn hefyd ddiolch i'r grŵp cynghori am eu gwaith hyd yma. Hoffwn hefyd longyfarch y rhai sy'n ymwneud â chyflawni gwelliannau yn y gwasanaethau pontio a'r camau cadarnhaol eraill y cawsom y newyddion diweddaraf yn eu cylch heddiw, Gweinidog. Mewn byd delfrydol, ni fyddai unrhyw blentyn yn gorfod mynd i mewn i'r system ofal - onid yw hynny'n hollol amlwg? Ond rhan o'r rheswm pam yr ydym ni'n awyddus i atal plant rhag gorfod mynd i mewn i ofal yw oherwydd nad yw Llywodraethau olynol wedi darparu gofal yn iawn. Mae eich datganiad yn ymwneud â lleihau nifer y plant sy'n mynd i ofal, gan awgrymu bod plant a phobl ifanc yn cael eu rhoi mewn gofal pan efallai fod dewisiadau eraill ar gael. Rydych chi wedi rhoi enghraifft o sut y mae dewisiadau eraill yn cael eu hystyried, ond mae'r posibilrwydd o blant yn mynd i mewn i ofal pan fo dewis arall ar gael yn peri pryder mawr ac fe hoffwn ichi egluro beth yw hyd a lled y broblem a'i maint hi. Pa mor fawr yw'r pryder hwn? Sut byddwch chi'n sicrhau na fydd ceisio lleihau nifer y plant mewn gofal yn lleihau'r flaenoriaeth i wella'r system ofal ei hun gan annog y Llywodraeth i beidio â gwella'r system ofal ar gyfer y rhai hynny y mae ei hangen arnyn nhw yn ddiau, y rhai nad oes dewis ar eu cyfer heblaw eu rhoi mewn gofal? Os oes llai o blant a phobl ifanc mewn gofal, a fydd hynny'n arwain at fwy o arian yn cael ei wario ar bob plentyn sy'n parhau mewn gofal, neu a fydd yn arwain at ostyngiad yn yr arian ar gyfer darparu gofal? Pa sgyrsiau ydych chi wedi eu cael gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid am gyfeirio'r arbedion a grëwyd drwy osod llai o blant mewn gofal, tuag at y rhai hynny sydd yn gorfod bod mewn gofal? A fyddwch chi'n edrych ar y trothwy ar gyfer lleoli plant mewn gofal a ddefnyddir gan yr asiantaethau statudol? Os felly, a ydych chi'n credu bod y trothwy presennol yn rhy isel, a ydych chi'n credu ei fod yn gywir - ble mae'r trothwy hwnnw ar hyn o bryd yn eich barn chi? Ai hwnnw yw'r trothwy cywir? Fe hoffwn gael sicrwydd, yn gyntaf, na fyddwch yn cymryd yr arian allan o'r system ofal er mwyn ariannu mwy o bwysais ar ffyrdd i leihau'r angen i blant fod yn y system ofal ac a wnewch chi gadarnhau y bydd gwariant ar y system ofal yn cynyddu yn unol ag angen a chwyddiant? Yn ddiweddar, gofynnais gwestiwn ichi hefyd am y system fabwysiadu. Ni wnaethoch ei ateb. Felly, yn rhan o'r ymdrechion i atal plant rhag gorfod aros yn y system ofal yn hwy na'r angen, fe'i gofynnaf eto: a ydych chi'n credu, fel yr wyf i, nad oes unrhyw reswm pam na ddylai plant gael eu mabwysiadu gan rieni o ethnigrwydd gwahanol iddyn nhw? A beth ydych chi wedi'i wneud i asesu, ac os felly sicrhau nad yw asiantaethau mabwysiadu a gweithwyr cymdeithasol yn gweithredu, yn ffurfiol nac yn anffurfiol i annog pobl i beidio â mabwysiadu pan fo hiliau'n gymysg? Ceir llawer o deuluoedd ethnig cymysg yn y DU, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth i'w ddathlu wrth inni groesawu cymdeithas amrywiol. Yn briodol hefyd, nid ydym ni'n trin cyplau hoyw yn wahanol i gyplau eraill yn y broses o fabwysiadu. Felly, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi bod amrywiaeth hiliol mewn teuluoedd yn beth da, fel y mae yn ein cymdeithas ehangach, ac na ddylai gwahaniaethau ethnig fod yn ffactor wrth leoli plant i'w mabwysiadu? Os ydych o ddifrif ynghylch cadw cymaint o blant â phosibl allan o'r system ofal neu gadw eu hamser ynddi mor fyr â phosibl, rwy'n siŵr y gwnewch chi gytuno, ond fe hoffwn eich clywed yn dweud hynny. Yn olaf, yn yr Wythnos Diogelu Cenedlaethol hon, rydym ni wedi cael llawer iawn o straeon yn y wasg ac mewn mannau eraill dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf ynghylch gangiau'n meithrin perthynas amhriodol ac oedolion yn paratoi plant i bwrpas camfanteisio rhywiol, felly hoffwn i'r Gweinidog achub ar y cyfle hwn i roi'r newyddion diweddaraf inni ynghylch y mesurau yr ydych chi'n eu cymryd a'r mesurau y mae'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn eu cymryd i ddiogelu plant ac i atal y rhai sy'n meithrin perthynas amhriodol rhag - i atal yr unigolion a'r gangiau sy'n paratoi plant i bwrpas rhyw - rhag cael mynd at blant sy'n derbyn gofal, oherwydd un o'r grwpiau o blant mwyaf agored i niwed oddi wrth y gangiau hyn yw, yn amlwg, plant sy'n derbyn gofal. Mae gan y wladwriaeth ddyletswydd enfawr i wneud yn siŵr nad yw'r rhai sy'n ceisio meithrin perthynas amhriodol yn cael mynd at y plant hynny, felly fe fyddwn i'n hoffi'n fawr iawn, iawn cael gwybod beth yr ydych chi mewn gwirionedd yn ei wneud i atal hynny. Diolch.