English: Firstly, can I join everybody else in thanking the Children's Commissioner for Wales and her staff for presenting us with such a comprehensive report? Again, like others, she should be applauded, I think, for the wide-scale consultation undertaken by her and her staff, having met with the thousands of children, parents and professionals that she did. The report does cover several significant areas, and others have really dealt with that, so I just want to cover two, if I may. Firstly, the evidence in the report of a level of concern over the current regime for supporting children and young people with additional learning needs is something that has certainly been raised with me by parents of children with special educational needs, who tell me about their struggle to get the right support for their child. And, in Wales, we've seen a rise of over 6,000 in the number of children with SENs since 2011, and, in Merthyr alone, there are 2,500 SEN children, nearly 200 of whom have statements. So, I was delighted when, in July this year, the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language indicated that a new additional learning needs and educational tribunal Bill will be introduced before Christmas, representing a significant step towards addressing the concerns identified by the children's commissioner, as it moves us towards a more modern, multi-agency approach to dealing with ALN. Secondly, given the economic challenges still faced in many constituencies, like my own in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, I was interested in the report's conclusions on child poverty, and I could spend a lot longer than the few minutes that I've got in this debate this afternoon talking about that particular issue, but I'm pleased that the report recognises that tackling child poverty isn't just a question of parents securing employment. We know that many hard-working men and women are having to cope daily with the scourge of in-work poverty, as outlined earlier by Julie James in her statement. Families with children are continuing to face damaging cuts to welfare support imposed by the Tories in Westminster, keeping them in poverty despite them often being in full-time employment. The enormous strides that were made by the last Labour Government in reducing child poverty have been rolled back, as the most vulnerable in our society continue to be the victims of austerity measures, where the poorest are hit the hardest. In-work poverty, therefore, is very much a theme that I've been focusing on in my constituency and, in the area of employment, stressing the need to ensure that, if new jobs come into an area, they are well-paid, they are not on zero-hours contracts, and they're provided by companies who have a commitment to becoming a sustainable part of the local community, and who can now link in to the 'Taking Wales Forward' programme with local colleges and training providers to deliver skills and training that employers need. Because parents in skilled, secure, long-term employment are a crucial element in taking children out of poverty. I'm also hopeful that the renewed commitment of the Welsh Government to support Flying Start and Families First with a more flexible tackling poverty framework and a cohesive community-based approach to tackling child poverty, through decent, sustainable employment, supported by Welsh Government when necessary, will start to address the issues identified by the commissioner, because, frankly, we cannot allow us to fail this generation of children.
Welsh: Yn gyntaf, a gaf i ymuno â phawb arall i ddiolch i Gomisiynydd Plant Cymru a'i staff am gyflwyno adroddiad mor gynhwysfawr i ni? Unwaith eto, fel eraill, dylid ei chanmol, rwy'n credu, am yr ymgynghoriad ar raddfa eang a gynhaliwyd ganddi hi a'i staff, ar ôl iddi gyfarfod â'r miloedd o blant, rhieni a gweithwyr proffesiynol hynny. Mae'r adroddiad yn ymdrin â sawl maes pwysig, ac mae eraill wedi ymdrin â hynny, mewn gwirionedd, felly rwyf am godi dau faes, os yw'n iawn i mi wneud hynny. Yn gyntaf, mae'r dystiolaeth yn yr adroddiad am lefel y pryder am y drefn bresennol ar gyfer cefnogi plant a phobl ifanc ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn rhywbeth yn sicr sydd wedi ei godi gyda mi gan rieni plant ag anghenion addysgol arbennig, sy'n dweud wrthyf am eu brwydr i gael y cymorth cywir ar gyfer eu plentyn. Ac, yng Nghymru, rydym wedi gweld cynnydd o dros 6,000 yn nifer y plant ag AAA ers 2011 a, dim ond ym Merthyr, mae 2,500 o blant ag AAA, bron i 200 ohonynt â datganiadau. Felly, roeddwn yn falch iawn, ym mis Gorffennaf eleni, pan ddywedodd Gweinidog y Gymraeg a Dysgu Gydol Oes y bydd Bil anghenion dysgu ychwanegol a thribiwnlys addysg newydd yn cael ei gyflwyno cyn y Nadolig, sy'n gam sylweddol tuag at fynd i'r afael â'r pryderon a nodwyd gan y comisiynydd plant, wrth ein symud ni tuag at ddull mwy modern, amlasiantaeth, o ymdrin ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Yn ail, o ystyried yr heriau economaidd a wynebir o hyd mewn llawer o etholaethau, fel fy un fy hun ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni, roedd gennyf ddiddordeb yng nghasgliadau'r adroddiad ar dlodi plant, a gallwn dreulio llawer mwy o amser na'r ychydig funudau sydd gen i yn y ddadl hon y prynhawn yma yn siarad am y mater penodol hwnnw, ond rwy'n falch bod yr adroddiad yn cydnabod nad yw trechu tlodi plant yn fater o rieni yn sicrhau cyflogaeth yn unig. Rydym yn gwybod bod llawer o ddynion a menywod sy'n gweithio'n galed yn gorfod ymdopi'n ddyddiol â chystudd tlodi mewn gwaith, fel yr amlinellwyd yn gynharach gan Julie James yn ei datganiad. Mae teuluoedd â phlant yn parhau i wynebu toriadau niweidiol i gymorth lles a orfodir gan y Torïaid yn San Steffan, gan eu cadw mewn tlodi er gwaethaf y ffaith eu bod yn aml mewn cyflogaeth lawn-amser. Mae'r camau enfawr a wnaethpwyd gan y Llywodraeth Lafur ddiwethaf i leihau tlodi plant wedi eu gwrthdroi, wrth i'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymdeithas barhau i ddioddef mesurau caledi, sy'n taro'r tlotaf galetaf. Mae tlodi mewn gwaith, felly, yn sicr yn thema yr wyf i wedi bod yn canolbwyntio arno yn fy etholaeth i ac, ym maes cyflogaeth, gan bwysleisio'r angen i sicrhau, os bydd swyddi newydd yn dod i ardal, eu bod yn talu'n dda, nad ydynt ar gontractau dim oriau, a'u bod yn cael eu darparu gan gwmnïau sydd wedi ymrwymo i ddod yn rhan gynaliadwy o'r gymuned leol, ac sydd bellach yn gallu cysylltu â'r rhaglen 'Symud Cymru Ymlaen' gyda cholegau a darparwyr hyfforddiant lleol i ddarparu'r sgiliau a'r hyfforddiant y mae eu hangen ar gyflogwyr. Oherwydd mae rhieni sydd mewn cyflogaeth fedrus, ddiogel, hirdymor yn elfen hanfodol wrth godi plant allan o dlodi. Rwyf hefyd yn obeithiol y bydd yr ymrwymiad o'r newydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi Dechrau'n Deg a Theuluoedd yn Gyntaf gyda fframwaith trechu tlodi mwy hyblyg ac ymagwedd gydlynol yn y gymuned i drechu tlodi plant, drwy gyflogaeth foddhaol, gynaliadwy, a gefnogir gan Lywodraeth Cymru pan fo hynny'n angenrheidiol, yn dechrau mynd i'r afael â'r materion a nodwyd gan y comisiynydd, oherwydd, a dweud y gwir, ni allwn ganiatáu i'n hunain fethu'r genhedlaeth hon o blant.