English: Thank you, Llywydd. The unprecedented impact of COVID has held a mirror up to our society. What we see in the reflection is not only the impact of the last difficult months on everyone, but also the difference in the impact on different parts of our society - the difference that arises from economic inequality. And the picture that we see is not a new one, either. It is tragically familiar, shamefully familiar. We've heard so much from politicians of all parties about the desire to create a new normal, about the unique opportunity afforded by the pandemic to see the cracks in the system, to see the holes in the net that's supposed to keep the most vulnerable from falling by the wayside. This renewed focus on the problems that have caused critical situations for too many Welsh families should lead to systems being repaired, practice being improved, funding gaps being closed to ensure an inclusive recovery that values all lives equally in every community in Wales. It's an opportunity that we must seize. Recent research has highlighted why we need to act now. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, the IFS, estimates that 27 per cent of the population of Wales will be living in relative poverty, and that 39 per cent of children will be living in poverty by the end of the year. Report after report has highlighted how poverty restricts the life chances of children, how it can harm them physically and mentally, and can create a chain that is difficult to break for generations in respect of health problems, lack of economic and educational opportunities, and personal and social difficulties. Having been forced through the lens of COVID to witness how deprivation is literally a question of life and death, these statistics are more than just embarrassing. They are sickening. The number of children across the UK living in poverty has increased over the last 10 years. The cruel austerity policies of successive Tory Governments in Westminster are partly responsible for that. But we also need to look more closely at the picture here in Wales. This is where a Labour Government has been, and continues to be, in power. Salary levels are an important factor in the picture. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in April last year found that wages in Wales are lower than almost all other parts of the United Kingdom, contributing to the relatively high levels of in-work poverty, and so many key and front line workers are earning less than the real riving wage. And now, with the pandemic having ripped through our communities, it is our most impoverished people that have suffered most. Research by this Senedd has revealed that people from low-income households have been the most likely to lose their jobs and to lose their income. Recently, the Bevan Foundation noted that a quarter of Welsh households have seen their incomes fall during the pandemic, while at the same time, living costs have risen in more than four in 10 households. As a result, the number of people claiming benefits that support those on low incomes has increased significantly. In April, over 125,000 more people in Wales were claiming universal credit than at the start of the pandemic. More and more of our people are falling into poverty, and the fact that the Westminster Government wants to withdraw the £20-a-week increase in universal credit is likely to see even more households experiencing desperate financial hardship. And this is not an exaggeration. It is a desperate situation when people are struggling to pay for everyday essentials. This is the situation for 110,000 households - roughly the same as the number of households in Swansea. Again, it is the households with children that have been hit hardest. So, how have people been coping with the increasing gap between lower incomes and higher living costs? People are going without food, and many of the most impoverished households expect to have to make further cuts in the future. They will go without heat, without clothes, without light or electricity. So, what do those who analyse this shocking research and statistics say should be done? What can the Welsh Government do to change this? There is one measure, one specific step that is affordable and simple to achieve, that repeatedly comes to the top of the list of possible measures: extending eligibility and ensuring access to free school meals for all children in poverty. Over 70,000 children currently living below the poverty line in Wales are not eligible for free school meals. They are missing out on something that would make a fundamental and striking difference to their lives and would relieve the economic pressure on their families. Eradicating child poverty was a target of the Welsh Government - a target that was dropped. Isn't this the most important target that any Government could have? The Government has also ignored its own child poverty review, which found that extending eligibility for free school meals to a wider range of children and young people was the one thing that would help the most. Therefore, the evidence in support of this measure is robust. But the record is disgraceful. Wales provides fewer free cooked meals to its schoolchildren at present than any other nation in the United Kingdom. It's also disappointing that the Welsh Government has refused to extend free school meals permanently to children in families who have no recourse to public funds due to their immigration status. These are some of the most vulnerable families in our nation. This would be a powerful anti-racist statement, and it would increase the pressure on the Tory Government in Westminster to abolish this unjust policy. Support for the measure is widespread.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Mae effaith ddigynsail COVID wedi codi drych ar ein cymdeithas. Yr hyn a welwn yn yr adlewyrchiad yw nid yn unig effaith y misoedd anodd diwethaf ar bawb, ond hefyd y gwahaniaeth yn yr effaith ar wahanol rannau o'n cymdeithas - y gwahaniaeth sy'n deillio o anghydraddoldeb economaidd. A dyw'r darlun a welwn ddim yn un newydd chwaith. Mae'n drasig o gyfarwydd, yn gywilyddus o gyfarwydd. Rŷm ni wedi clywed cymaint gan wleidyddion o bob plaid am yr awydd i greu normal newydd, am y cyfle cwbl unigryw a achoswyd gan y pandemig i weld y craciau yn y systemau, y tyllau yn y rhwyd sydd i fod i gadw'r mwyaf bregus rhag syrthio i'r ffos. Dylai'r ffocws newydd hwn ar y problemau sydd wedi creu sefyllfa argyfyngus i ormod o deuluoedd Cymru arwain at drwsio'r systemau, gwella'r arfer, cau'r bylchau cyllido i sicrhau adferiad cynhwysol, sy'n rhoi gwerth cyfartal ar bob bywyd ym mhob cymuned yng Nghymru. Mae'n gyfle y mae'n rhaid i ni ei fachu. Mae ymchwil diweddar wedi tanlinellu pam fod angen i ni weithredu nawr. Mae'r sefydliad astudiaethau cyllid, yr IFS, yn amcangyfrif y bydd 27 y cant o boblogaeth Cymru yn byw mewn tlodi cymharol, ac y bydd 39 y cant o blant yn byw mewn tlodi erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn. Mae adroddiad ar ôl adroddiad wedi amlygu sut mae tlodi yn cyfyngu cyfleon bywyd plant, yn gallu eu niweidio yn gorfforol, yn feddyliol, yn medru creu cadwyn anodd ei thorri am genedlaethau o broblemau iechyd, o ddiffyg cyfleon economaidd ac addysgiadol, o anawsterau personol a chymdeithasol. Wedi i ni gael ein gorfodi drwy lens COVID i weld sut mae amddifadedd yn llythrennol yn gwestiwn o fyw a marw, mae'r ystadegau hyn yn codi mwy na chywilydd. Mae'n codi cyfog. Mae nifer y plant dros y Deyrnas Gyfunol sy'n byw mewn tlodi wedi cynyddu dros y 10 mlynedd ddiwethaf. Polisïau llymder creulon Llywodraethau Torïaidd olynol San Steffan sy'n rhannol gyfrifol am hynny. Ond rhaid hefyd edrych yn fanylach ar y darlun yma yng Nghymru, lle bu, ac y mae, Llywodraeth Lafur mewn grym. Mae lefel cyflogau yn ffactor bwysig yn y darlun. Nododd gwaith ymchwil gan Sefydliad Joseph Rowntree ym mis Ebrill y llynedd bod cyflogau yng Nghymru yn is nag ym mhob rhan arall bron o'r Deyrnas Gyfunol, gan gyfrannu at y lefelau cymharol uchel o dlodi mewn gwaith a chymaint o weithwyr allweddol a rheng flaen yn ennill llai na'r cyflog byw go iawn. A nawr, wedi i'r pandemig rwygo drwy ein cymunedau, y tlotaf o'n pobl sydd wedi dioddef waethaf. Mae ymchwil gan y Senedd hon wedi datgelu mai pobl o aelwydydd incwm isel sydd wedi bod yn fwyaf tebygol o golli eu swyddi ac o golli incwm. Yn ddiweddar, tynnodd Sefydliad Bevan sylw at y ffaith bod chwarter aelwydydd Cymru wedi gweld eu hincwm yn gostwng yn ystod y pandemig ac, ar yr un pryd, mae costau byw wedi cynyddu mewn mwy na phedair o bob 10 aelwyd. O ganlyniad, mae nifer y bobl sy'n hawlio budd-daliadau sy'n cefnogi'r rhai ar incwm isel wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol. Ym mis Ebrill, roedd dros 125,000 yn fwy o bobl yng Nghymru yn hawlio credyd cynhwysol nag ar ddechrau'r pandemig. Mae mwy a mwy o'n pobl yn disgyn i dlodi, ac mae'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth San Steffan am dynnu'r cynnydd o £20 yr wythnos i'r credyd cynhwysol yn ôl yn debyg o weld hyd yn oed yn fwy o aelwydydd yn profi trafferthion ariannol enbyd. Ac nid gor-ddweud yw hyn. Sefyllfa enbyd yw cael hi'n anodd talu am hanfodion bob dydd. Dyna yw'r sefyllfa ar gyfer 110,000 o aelwydydd - tua'r un faint â nifer yr aelwydydd yn Abertawe. Eto, aelwydydd â phlant sydd wedi cael eu taro'n drwm. Felly, sut mae pobl wedi ymdopi â'r bwlch cynyddol rhwng incwm is a chostau byw uwch? Mae pobl yn mynd heb fwyd. Ac mae llawer o'r aelwydydd tlotach yn disgwyl y bydd yn rhaid iddynt wneud toriadau pellach yn y dyfodol: mynd heb wres, heb ddillad, heb olau neu drydan. Beth, felly, medd y rhai sy'n dadansoddi'r ymchwil a'r ystadegau brawychus yma y dylid ei wneud? Beth sydd o fewn gallu Llywodraeth Cymru i'w newid? Mae un mesur, un cam penodol, fforddiadwy a syml i'w gyflawni yn dod i frig y mesurau posib dro ar ol tro: ehangu cymhwysedd a sicrhau mynediad at brydau ysgol am ddim i bob plentyn mewn tlodi. Nid yw dros 70,000 o blant sy'n byw o dan y llinell dlodi yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd yn gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim. Maen nhw'n colli mas ar rywbeth a fyddai yn gwneud gwahaniaeth sylfaenol a thrawiadol i'w bywydau ac yn lleddfu pwysau economaidd ar eu teuluoedd. Roedd dileu tlodi plant yn darged gan Lywodraeth Cymru - targed a ollyngwyd. Onid dyma'r darged bwysicaf a allai fod i unrhyw Lywodraeth? Mae'r Llywodraeth hefyd wedi anwybyddu ei hadolygiad tlodi plant ei hun a oedd wedi canfod mai ehangu cymhwysedd i gael prydau ysgol am ddim i ystod ehangach o blant a phobl ifanc oedd yr un peth a fyddai'n helpu fwyaf. Felly, mae'r dystiolaeth o blaid y mesur hwn yn gadarn. Ond mae'r record yn warthus. Mae Cymru yn darparu llai o brydau wedi'u coginio am ddim i'w phlant ysgol ar hyn o bryd nag unrhyw genedl arall yn y Deyrnas Gyfunol. Mae'n siomedig hefyd fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwrthod ymestyn prydau ysgol am ddim yn barhaol i blant mewn teuluoedd heb unrhyw hawl i gael arian cyhoeddus oherwydd statws mewnfudo. Dyma rai o deuluoedd mwyaf bregus ein cenedl. Byddai hwn yn ddatganiad gwrth-hiliol pwerus ac yn helpu i gynyddu'r pwysau ar Lywodraeth Dorïaidd San Steffan i ddileu'r polisi anghyfiawn hwn. Mae'r gefnogaeth ar gyfer y mesur yn eang.