English: Am I open? Yes. We will support these regulations to prevent the enforcement of evictions in Wales except in the most serious circumstances as a public health response to transmission of the COVID-19 virus, extending the suspension on eviction enforcement to 31 March. However, unlike in England, there's no exemption to the ban for those with over six months of arrears, which is relevant, particularly in the context of the previous contribution by a Member. The Minister may cite the tenancy saver loan scheme as a reason for not having that in Wales. However, as the Minister confirmed to me in her answer to my written questions about the tenancy saver loan scheme on 22 December, take-up of these loans is low and, although payment is made directly to a landlord on behalf of the applicant via credit union, only 22 loans had been approved at that point, plus some 800 expressions of interest received from tenants, representing less than half of 1 per cent of private rented sector households in Wales. Further, these loans are targeted at private sector tenants who weren't in significant rent arrears before March and aren't on benefits. The majority of residential landlords in Wales have only one or two properties and they're relying on the income generated from these to fund both overheads and their own living expenses. I therefore urge the Minister to respond to calls for the Welsh Government to either massively expand knowledge and take-up of the loan, and maybe even expand eligibility, or to admit that, because there is little perceived need to pay off arrears in Wales, the exemption in England should be allowed here too, because those in arrears who are taking advantage of a loan are small in number and there is currently therefore little to help landlords and tenants sustain a tenancy, as opposed to imposition on the landlord of a tenancy that is significantly in arrears. I therefore also call on the Minister to invest in much more effective consultation with the sector to come up with a better scheme, including, for example, the exemption in England. Diolch.
Welsh: A yw'r meic ar agor? Iawn. Byddwn yn cefnogi'r rheoliadau hyn i atal gorfodi troi allan yng Nghymru ac eithrio o dan yr amgylchiadau mwyaf difrifol fel ymateb iechyd cyhoeddus i drosglwyddo feirws COVID-19, gan ymestyn yr ataliad ar orfodi troi allan hyd 31 Mawrth. Fodd bynnag, yn wahanol i Loegr, nid oes eithriad i'r gwaharddiad ar gyfer y rhai sydd â dros chwe mis o ôl-ddyledion, sydd yn berthnasol, yn enwedig yng nghyd-destun y cyfraniad blaenorol gan Aelod. Gall y Gweinidog gyfeirio efallai at y cynllun benthyciad arbed tenantiaeth fel rheswm dros beidio â chael hynny yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, fel y cadarnhaodd y Gweinidog wrthyf yn ei hateb i'm cwestiynau ysgrifenedig am y cynllun benthyciad arbed tenantiaeth ar 22 Rhagfyr, mae'r nifer sy'n manteisio ar y benthyciadau hyn yn isel ac, er bod taliad yn cael ei wneud yn uniongyrchol i landlord ar ran yr ymgeisydd drwy undeb credyd, dim ond 22 o fenthyciadau a gymeradwywyd bryd hynny, ynghyd â rhyw 800 datganiad o ddiddordeb a dderbyniwyd gan denantiaid, sy'n cynrychioli llai na hanner 1 y cant o aelwydydd y sector rhentu preifat yng Nghymru. At hynny, mae'r benthyciadau hyn wedi'u targedu at denantiaid yn y sector preifat nad oeddent mewn ôl-ddyledion rhent sylweddol cyn mis Mawrth ac nad ydyn nhw ar fudd-daliadau. Dim ond un neu ddau eiddo sydd gan y rhan fwyaf o landlordiaid preswyl yng Nghymru ac maen nhw'n dibynnu ar yr incwm a gynhyrchir o'r rhain i ariannu gorbenion a'u treuliau byw eu hunain. Felly, anogaf y Gweinidog i ymateb i alwadau ar Lywodraeth Cymru naill ai i ehangu gwybodaeth a'r nifer sy'n manteisio ar y benthyciad yn aruthrol, ac efallai hyd yn oed ehangu cymhwysedd, neu i gyfaddef, gan nad oes fawr o angen tybiedig i ad-dalu ôl-ddyledion yng Nghymru, y dylid caniatáu'r eithriad yn Lloegr yma hefyd, oherwydd mae'r rhai sydd ag ôl-ddyledion sy'n manteisio ar fenthyciad yn fach o ran nifer ac felly nid oes fawr ddim i helpu landlordiaid a thenantiaid i gynnal tenantiaeth, yn hytrach na gorfodi tenantiaeth ar landlord sydd ag ôl-ddyledion sylweddol. Galwaf hefyd ar y Gweinidog i fuddsoddi mewn ymgynghori llawer mwy effeithiol â'r sector i lunio cynllun gwell, gan gynnwys, er enghraifft, yr eithriad yn Lloegr. Diolch.