English: Plaid Cymru firmly believes in the principle of free school meals for all school pupils in Wales, and that would be our view in Government. It would be a policy that would use local produce, would support Welsh businesses and would safeguard the environment. It's a duty on any Government to ensure that not a single child goes to school with an empty stomach, and yet, there are 70,000 living in poverty in Wales who don't currently qualify for free school meals. Clearly, we need to change that immediately. So, as a first, urgent step, we need to raise the threshold in terms of who qualifies, so that children in all homes in receipt of universal credit receive free school meals. According to estimates, increasing that threshold would cost some £60 million per annum. If we were in Government, we would publish a clear timetable for the next steps towards providing universal free school meal provision, starting with the youngest children, and working upwards. Again, according to the estimates, introducing free school meals in the first three years of primary school would cost some £30 million per annum. So, of course there is a cost attached to extending this policy, and that's why we would move in a phased manner, but this is a policy that would deliver a number of policy objectives. It would be a preventative model, creating financial savings ultimately, because there would be better health outcomes and education outcomes for our children. It would be a holistic policy, supporting the Welsh economy and, by reducing food miles, it would be beneficial to the environment too. This would be the well-being of future generations Act in action, improving many aspects of well-being, taking into account the long-term impact of the policy and preventing long-term problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change. Unfortunately, the Welsh Government has dropped its target to eradicate child poverty by 2020, whilst 129,000 school-age children in Wales are living below the UK poverty line, with just over half of them qualifying for free school meals. The other half are missing out, mainly because their parents are in low-paid employment that takes them over the qualifying threshold. Wales provides fewer cooked free school meals at the moment than any other nation in the UK. In Scotland and England, every child in the first three years of their education receives free school meals, whatever the family's income. In Northern Ireland, the threshold for those receiving universal credit is set far higher, namely £14,000, helping to support far more working families. The key benefit of providing universal free school meals is that it would eradicate the stigma that prevents many families from accessing the offer as it currently exists. Universal free school meals would remove such barriers and would reach all children, whatever that family's economic situation may be. The benefits of providing free school meals are enormous. How can a child learn on an empty stomach? How can you concentrate on your education if you're constantly hungry? Children would receive a nutritious meal every day and they would grow up as healthier young people, leading to less obesity and other health problems. Providing universal free school meals would improve the health of all children. There is research from the Nuffield Foundation that shows that, even for the children of parents who are relatively wealthy, school meals are more balanced in terms of nutrition than what's contained within their lunch boxes. And linking school meals to the local food chain would be good for the local economy and the environment, and pupils could learn about the benefits of eating good, fresh, local produce produced locally. Now, imagine a school hall full of children socialising over a nutritious school meal - all of the children; lunch time being an integral part of their learning, the children supporting each other over lunch and learning about the value of local food and healthy food, visiting local producers and farms and making those connections between the various elements and learning all sorts of new skills together. There are many reasons, therefore, for everyone to support this motion and vote in favour of what is before us this afternoon and to adopt this very important policy. Thank you.
Welsh: Mae Plaid Cymru yn credu'n gryf yn yr egwyddor o brydau am ddim ar gyfer pob disgybl ysgol yng Nghymru, a dyna fyddai ein safbwynt ni mewn Llywodraeth. Fe fyddai'n bolisi a fyddai'n defnyddio bwyd lleol, yn cefnogi busnesau Cymreig ac yn diogelu'r amgylchedd. Mae'n ddyletswydd ar unrhyw Lywodraeth i sicrhau nad oes yr un plentyn yn mynd i'r ysgol efo stumog wag, ac eto, mae yna 70,000 sy'n byw mewn tlodi yng Nghymru nad ydyn nhw'n gymwys ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim. Yn amlwg, mae angen newid hynny yn syth. Felly, fel cam cyntaf brys, mae angen codi'r trothwy ynglŷn â phwy sydd yn gymwys, fel bod plant ym mhob cartref sydd yn derbyn credyd cynhwysol yn derbyn prydau ysgol am ddim. Yn ôl yr amcangyfrif, mi fyddai codi'r trothwy yn costio tua £60 miliwn y flwyddyn. Fe fyddem ni mewn Llywodraeth yn cyhoeddi amserlen glir ar gyfer y camau nesaf ar gyfer darparu prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb, gan ddechrau efo'r plant ieuengaf, ac yna ymlaen. Ac eto, yn ôl yr amcangyfrif, byddai cyflwyno prydau bwyd am ddim i blant tair blynedd gyntaf yr ysgol gynradd yn costio tua £30 miliwn y flwyddyn. Felly, wrth gwrs, oes, mae yna gostau ychwanegol ynghlwm ag ymestyn y polisi, a dyna pam y byddem ni'n symud fesul cam. Ond mae hwn yn bolisi fyddai'n cyflawni sawl amcan polisi. Fe fyddai o'n fodel ataliol, yn creu arbedion ariannol yn y pen draw oherwydd fe fyddai yna well deilliannau iechyd ac addysg i'n plant ni. Byddai'n bolisi holistaidd, yn cefnogi economi Cymru, a thrwy leihau milltiroedd bwyd, mi fyddai'n llesol i'r amgylchedd hefyd. Dyma fyddai Deddf llesiant cenedlaethau'r dyfodol ar waith: gwella sawl agwedd ar lesiant, ystyried effaith tymor hir y polisi ac atal problemau hirdymor, fel tlodi, anghydraddoldeb iechyd a newid hinsawdd. Yn anffodus, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gollwng ei tharged i ddod â thlodi plant i ben erbyn 2020, tra bod 129,000 o blant oed ysgol o Gymru yn byw o dan linell dlodi'r Deyrnas Unedig, gyda dim ond dros hanner ohonyn nhw yn gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim. Mae'r hanner arall yn colli allan, yn bennaf oherwydd bod eu rhieni mewn swyddi â chyflog isel sy'n eu cymryd nhw dros y trothwy cymhwysedd. Mae Cymru yn darparu llai o brydau wedi eu coginio am ddim i'w phlant ysgol ar hyn o bryd nag unrhyw genedl arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Yn yr Alban a Lloegr, mae pob plentyn oedran ysgol yn nhair blynedd gyntaf eu haddysg yn derbyn prydau ysgol am ddim, beth bynnag bo incwm y teulu. Yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, mae'r trothwy enillion presennol i'r sawl sy'n derbyn credyd cynhwysol wedi ei osod yn llawer uwch, sef £14,000, gan helpu i gefnogi llawer mwy o deuluoedd sy'n gweithio. Y budd allweddol o wneud prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb ydy y byddai'n dileu'r stigma sy'n atal llawer o deuluoedd rhag derbyn y cynnig fel mae o ar hyn o bryd. Mi fyddai prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb yn cael gwared ar rwystrau o'r fath ac yn cyrraedd pob plentyn waeth beth fyddai sefyllfa economaidd y teulu. Mae'r buddion o ddarparu prydau ysgol am ddim yn anferth. Sut all plentyn ddysgu ar stumog wag? Sut fedrwch chi ganolbwyntio ar eich addysg chi os ydych chi'n llwglyd drwy'r amser? Mae plant fydd yn cael pryd bwyd iachus bob dydd yn tyfu yn blant iachach, yn arwain at lai o ordewdra a phroblemau iechyd eraill. Byddai prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb yn gwella iechyd pob plentyn. Mae yna ymchwil gan Sefydliad Nuffield sy'n dangos hyd yn oed i blant rhieni sydd yn lled gefnog, fod prydau ysgol yn fwy cytbwys o ran maeth na'r hyn sydd yn eu bocsys cinio nhw. Ac fe fyddai cysylltu'r prydau bwyd â'r gadwyn fwyd lleol yn dda i'r economi ac i'r amgylchedd, a byddai disgyblion yn gallu dysgu am y budd o fwyta bwyd da, ffres, lleol gan gynhyrchwyr bwyd lleol. Dychmygwch lond neuadd o blant yn cymdeithasu dros bryd bwyd maethlon - pawb o'r plant; amser cinio yn rhan annatod o'u dysgu nhw, a'r plant yn cefnogi ei gilydd dros bryd bwyd, yn dysgu am werth bwyd lleol a bwyd iach, yn ymweld â'r cynhyrchwyr bwyd a'r ffermydd lleol, yn gwneud y cysylltiadau rhwng gwahanol elfennau ac yn dysgu bob math o sgiliau newydd efo'i gilydd. Llawer iawn o resymau, felly, i bawb gefnogi'r cynnig a phleidleisio dros yr hyn sydd gerbron y prynhawn yma a mabwysiadu'r polisi pwysig yma. Diolch.