English: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Bill was referred to the health committee for Stage 1 scrutiny. As part of this, we took a wide range of evidence. In addition to the usual formal evidence gathering carried out in committee meetings, we consulted people with autism spectrum disorder and their families in a series of workshops run by the Assembly's outreach team over the summer. Committee members also met with parent representatives and visited Autism Spectrum Connections Cymru, a one-stop shop providing a safe place for adults with an autism spectrum condition to access a wide range of advice and support, to talk to service users. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this work. Now, autism is a lifelong condition like no other. We have talked to people with ASD and their families who are struggling, who say that they have waited 10 years for the autism strategies to deliver the support that they need and it has not happened. The committee understands the rationale of the Member in charge in introducing this Bill. We agree wholeheartedly with the need for improvements in provision of services for people with ASD. We have listened to people with ASD and their families and we're convinced that further action, much more action, is required in this area, particularly in terms of access to support services. The current difficulties people with ASD and their families regularly face in attempting to access support is unacceptable and must be addressed. The message that clearly came through in the evidence was that more support services are urgently needed for people with ASD. One area of particular concern was service provision for people with ASD with a high IQ and without a learning disability or mental health condition who seem to fall through the gap. The Welsh Government told us that it has all the powers it needs to deliver improvement to autism services in current legislation in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act, the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act and the NHS (Wales) Act 2006. However, parents who took part in our focus groups told us that the social services legislation had failed to deliver improved outcomes for their children because the assessments are not appropriate for people with ASD and they're therefore often wrongly denied care and support.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cafodd y Bil ei gyfeirio at y pwyllgor iechyd ar gyfer gwaith craffu Cyfnod 1. Fel rhan o hyn, cawsom ystod eang o dystiolaeth. Yn ychwanegol at y gwaith casglu tystiolaeth ffurfiol arferol a wnaed yng nghyfarfodydd y pwyllgor, ymgynghorwyd â phobl efo anhwylder sbectrwm awtistiaeth a'u teuluoedd mewn cyfres o weithdai a gafodd eu trefnu gan dîm allgymorth y Cynulliad dros yr haf. Cyfarfu aelodau'r pwyllgor hefyd efo cynrychiolwyr rhieni ac ymweld ag Autism Spectrum Connections Cymru, siop un-stop sy'n darparu lle diogel i oedolion sydd efo cyflwr sbectrwm awtistiaeth i gael mynediad at ystod eang o gyngor a chymorth, i siarad gyda defnyddwyr gwasanaeth. Hoffwn ddiolch i bawb a gyfrannodd at y gwaith yma. Mae awtistiaeth yn gyflwr gydol oes fel dim arall. Dŷn ni wedi siarad efo pobl gydag awtistiaeth a'u teuluoedd sy'n cael trafferth, ac sy'n dweud eu bod nhw wedi aros 10 mlynedd am y strategaethau awtistiaeth i ddarparu'r gefnogaeth sydd ei hangen arnyn nhw ac nad yw wedi digwydd. Mae'r pwyllgor yn deall rhesymeg yr Aelod sy'n gyfrifol wrth gyflwyno'r Bil yma, ac yn cytuno'n llwyr efo'r angen am welliannau yn y ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau i bobl sydd efo'r anhwylder. Dŷn ni wedi gwrando ar bobl sydd â'r anhwylder a'u teuluoedd, a dŷn ni wedi'n hargyhoeddi bod angen gwneud llawer mwy yn y maes hwn, yn enwedig o ran mynediad at wasanaethau cymorth. Mae'r anawsterau presennol y mae pobl efo awtistiaeth a'u teuluoedd yn eu hwynebu'n gyson wrth geisio cael cymorth yn annerbyniol ac mae'n rhaid mynd i'r afael â nhw. Y neges a ddaeth yn amlwg yn ein tystiolaeth yw bod angen mwy o wasanaethau cymorth ar frys i bobl sydd efo'r anhwylder. Un maes o bryder penodol oedd darparu gwasanaethau ar gyfer pobl sydd ag anhwylder sbectrwm awtistiaeth ac sydd ag IQ uchel a heb anabledd dysgu na chyflwr iechyd meddwl yr ymddengys eu bod nhw'n disgyn drwy'r bwlch. Dywedodd Llywodraeth Cymru wrthym fod ganddi'r holl bwerau sydd eu hangen arni i sicrhau gwelliannau i wasanaethau awtistiaeth yn y ddeddfwriaeth gyfredol yn y Ddeddf gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a llesiant, Deddf anghenion dysgu ychwanegol a'r tribiwnlys addysg a Deddf y Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol (Cymru) 2006. Fodd bynnag, dywedodd y rhieni a gymerodd ran yn ein grwpiau ffocws wrthym fod y Ddeddf gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn methu â sicrhau canlyniadau gwell ar gyfer eu plant am nad yw'r asesiadau'n briodol ar gyfer pobl sydd efo'r anhwylder, ac felly maen nhw'n aml yn methu â chael gofal a chefnogaeth.