English: I'd very much like to congratulate Julie Morgan and, indeed, Chris Chapman, for their really resilient work in keeping going on what was a very unpopular issue, and some of the scars on your back are from Members of our own party as well as from wider members of society. It's wonderful to see you introducing this legislation here today. Becoming a parent doesn't come with instructions and it's our job to promote society's responsibilities towards all our children, whether we are parents or not. Of course, that starts with the UK Government, whose deplorable reduction in the value of child benefit and child related tax credits and benefits over the last nine years has plunged even more children into poverty. But this is another way in which we can support those children who are most in need of society's help. One of the most vocal opponents of this piece of legislation is my constituent. I can find no reason to suppose that she isn't a completely excellent and caring mother, but I am simply not persuaded by her arguments that she needs to be able to smack her children in order to keep them safe. I've explained that I cannot find any evidence that smacking is anything other than harmful to a child. We have to remember that the child is defenceless, unable to assert their rights and entirely dependent on adults for their well-being, and the younger they are, the more that holds true. So, I really commend this initiative and I'm sure it will make for a better Wales for children. I just wanted to pick up on one point in the statement you made, Minister, which is the research done by the Wales Centre for Public Policy. You indicated that, rather than improving a child's behaviour, they found that the way physical punishment is typically used by parents is linked with anti-social behaviour and other undesirable behaviours in children, and I wondered if you could say a little bit more about that, because it seems to me that that is very, very important evidence.
Welsh: Hoffwn longyfarch Julie Morgan yn fawr iawn ac, yn wir, Chris Chapman, am eu gwaith cydnerth iawn nhw wrth ddal ati gyda'r hyn oedd yn fater amhoblogaidd iawn. Ac mae rhai o'r creithiau ar eich cefn oherwydd Aelodau o'ch plaid chi yn ogystal ag aelodau o'r gymdeithas ehangach. Mae'n hyfryd eich gweld chi'n cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth hon yma heddiw. Nid oes cyfarwyddiadau yn dod gyda bod yn rhiant, a'n gwaith ni yw hyrwyddo cyfrifoldebau cymdeithas am bob un o'n plant ni, os ydym yn rhieni neu beidio. Wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n dechrau gyda Llywodraeth y DU, pan welwyd y gostyngiad gresynus yng ngwerth budd-dal plant a chredydau treth a budd-daliadau sy'n gysylltiedig â phlant dros y naw mlynedd diwethaf, wedi gwthio mwy o blant eto i dlodi. Ond mae hon yn ffordd arall sydd gennym ni o gefnogi'r plant hynny sydd â'r angen mwyaf am gymorth gan gymdeithas. Mae un o'r gwrthwynebwyr mwyaf uchel eu cloch i'r darn hwn o ddeddfwriaeth yn un o'm hetholwyr i. Nid oes gennyf unrhyw reswm i dybio nad yw'n fam gwbl ardderchog a gofalus, ond nid wyf i'n cael fy argyhoeddi gan ei dadleuon fod angen iddi allu taro ei phlant er mwyn eu cadw'n ddiogel. Rwyf wedi egluro na allaf ddod o hyd i unrhyw dystiolaeth nad yw taro yn unrhyw beth ond niweidiol i blentyn. Mae'n rhaid inni gofio bod y plentyn yn ddiamddiffyn, heb allu i fynnu ei hawliau ac yn llwyr ddibynnol ar oedolion am ei les, ac mae hwnnw'n wirionedd sy'n sefyll yn gadarnach byth pan fo'r plentyn yn ifanc iawn. Felly, yn wir, rwy'n cymeradwyo'r fenter hon ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn golygu y bydd gennym Gymru well i blant. Roeddwn i eisiau sôn am un pwynt yn y datganiad a wnaethoch chi, Gweinidog, sef yn yr ymchwil a wnaeth Canolfan Polisi Cyhoeddus Cymru. Roeddech chi'n dweud, yn hytrach na gwella ymddygiad plentyn, eu bod yn canfod bod y ffordd y defnyddir cosb gorfforol gan rieni fel arfer yn gysylltiedig ag ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol ac ymddygiadau annymunol eraill gan blant. Tybed a allech chi ddweud ychydig mwy am hynny, oherwydd mae'n ymddangos i mi fod honno'n dystiolaeth bwysig iawn, iawn.