English: Can I say that this consultation and the national debate it's now going to spark, I hope, is highly welcome? I'm the only Conservative Assembly Member that has served in all the Assemblies so far. This is the fifth, and, in the first one, we did actually debate this issue of physical chastisement of children on a motion I think that was proposed by Christine Chapman and there were nine Conservatives in the Assembly then, and three of us voted for that motion. So, there has been cross-party support for this and there have been, obviously, people from all across the parties who feel the defence should be retained. I think what's vital is that we have this debate in the context of promoting the most positive parenting and an environment in which our children are allowed to flourish. One of the concerns we do need to remember is that it's much less the de minimis smacking, so called, that goes on in a culture that allows that, however minor the physical assault is. There is then a certain acceptability of the use of physical force, which can get way out of control, and those sorts of abuses may well be more preventable in a culture that says, 'The law here is very, very clear'. And I think we need to be minded of those children that are vulnerable to real physical harm sometimes, although I completely accept that that's way beyond anything that the vast majority of parents would regard as being remotely reasonable. Can I end by saying that we unfortunately have to face this debate as a question of criminal law? And I don't think that's helpful. I think it's much better to talk about the lawfulness of something, and, if we change the law, it's much better to say that physical chastisement is no longer lawful, and where it occurs, you would expect an intervention, but in the vast majority of cases, it will be informal and way below any criminal proceedings. That's my understanding of what's happened internationally, and that's what we should be encouraging. I do commend the Welsh Government for now taking this forward, and I'm sure that we will have a very extensive conversation with the people of Wales that we serve. There'll be many opinions, and Caroline is quite right to express the opinion of those who have a different view, but I think we need a full and proper debate. In my view, 20 years ago, I felt that it was time to move on, but I certainly think it is now.
Welsh: A gaf ddweud bod yr ymgynghoriad hwn a'r ddadl genedlaethol y bydd nawr yn ei hysgogi, gobeithio, i'w croesawu'n fawr? Fi yw'r unig Aelod Cynulliad Ceidwadol sydd wedi gwasanaethu pob Cynulliad hyd yma. Dyma'r pumed, ac, yn y cyntaf, cawsom ddadl am gosbi plant yn gorfforol ar gynnig yr wyf yn meddwl a gynigiwyd gan Christine Chapman ac roedd naw o Geidwadwyr yn y Cynulliad ar y pryd, a phleidleisiodd tri ohonom o blaid y cynnig hwnnw. Felly, bu cefnogaeth drawsbleidiol i hyn ac, yn amlwg, mae pobl o bob plaid sy'n teimlo y dylid cadw'r amddiffyniad. Rwy'n meddwl mai'r hyn sy'n hanfodol yw ein bod yn cael y ddadl hon yng nghyd-destun hyrwyddo'r dulliau rhianta mwyaf cadarnhaol ac amgylchedd lle mae ein plant yn cael cyfle i ffynnu. Un o'r pryderon y mae angen inni eu cofio yw nad y smacio de minimis, fel y'i gelwir, sy'n digwydd mewn diwylliant sy'n caniatáu hynny sydd bwysicaf; mae hynny'n ymosodiad corfforol bach iawn. Y pryder yw bod hynny'n gwneud defnyddio grym corfforol yn dderbyniol i ryw raddau, ac y gellir colli rheolaeth ar hynny, ac y gallai fod yn haws atal y mathau hynny o gam-drin mewn diwylliant sy'n dweud, 'Mae'r gyfraith yma yn glir iawn, iawn'. Ac rwy'n meddwl bod angen inni gofio'r plant hynny sy'n agored i niwed corfforol gwirioneddol weithiau, er fy mod yn derbyn yn llwyr bod hynny'n bell y tu hwnt i unrhyw beth y byddai'r mwyafrif helaeth o rieni'n ei ystyried yn rhesymol o gwbl. A gaf ddiweddu drwy ddweud bod rhaid inni, yn anffodus, wynebu y ddadl hon fel mater o gyfraith droseddol? Ac nid wyf yn meddwl bod hynny'n ddefnyddiol. Rwy'n meddwl ei bod yn llawer gwell sôn am gyfreithlondeb rhywbeth, ac, os ydym yn newid y gyfraith, ei bod yn well o lawer dweud nad yw cosb gorfforol yn gyfreithlon mwyach, ac os yw'n digwydd, y byddai disgwyl ymyriad, ond yn y mwyafrif helaeth o achosion, y byddai'n anffurfiol ac yn llawer llai nag unrhyw achos troseddol. Dyna fy nealltwriaeth o'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd yn rhyngwladol, a dyna beth y dylem fod yn ei annog. Rwy'n canmol Llywodraeth Cymru am fwrw ymlaen â hyn nawr, ac rwy'n siŵr y cawn sgwrs helaeth iawn â phobl Cymru yr ydym yn eu gwasanaethu. Bydd llawer o safbwyntiau, ac mae'n ddigon teg i Caroline fynegi barn pobl sydd â barn wahanol, ond rwy'n meddwl bod angen dadl lawn a phriodol. Yn fy marn i, 20 mlynedd yn ôl, roeddwn yn teimlo ei bod yn bryd inni symud ymlaen, ond rwy'n sicr yn meddwl hynny nawr.