English: Last weekend, I spent the evening in Swansea with a group of volunteers who go out every Sunday evening with food, toiletries, warm clothing et cetera for homeless people. Some of the people I spoke to had absolutely nothing, and they were very grateful for the food and the provisions, and they shared with us some of their experiences. I heard from a number of people how they or their friends had been arrested under the Vagrancy Act. Now, the Vagrancy Act was brought in in 1824. It's antiquated. It was introduced to tackle homelessness caused by veterans returning from the Napoleonic wars. It specifically criminalises rough sleeping and begging - you can be arrested for either. One young woman told me on Sunday night, 'It's illegal to be homeless, yet it's not illegal to make someone homeless,' and I thought that was quite a profound statement. She told us how the police regularly clear out the streets, arresting people and removing their belongings, despite the fact that the First Minister told me last week that this was not Government policy. Wales is largely powerless to do anything about the Vagrancy Act, due to our lack of criminal justice powers. In Scotland and in the north of Ireland, the Act has already been repealed. For me, that provides yet another example as to why we need to see the devolution of the criminal justice system. It's yet another practical example of what those powers could do for us. We should be offering assistance to people who are forced to live on the streets. We should not be criminalising them. It's time you as a Government said enough is enough, and I would be grateful if you would be prepared to allow a debate, in Government time, favouring the devolution of criminal justice powers with a view to repealing the Vagrancy Act.
Welsh: Y penwythnos diwethaf, treuliais y noson yn Abertawe gyda grŵp o wirfoddolwyr sy'n mynd allan bob nos Sul gyda bwyd, deunydd ymolchi, dillad cynnes ac ati ar gyfer bobl ddigartref. Doedd gan rai o'r bobl y siaradais i â hwy ddim byd o gwbl, ac roedden nhw'n ddiolchgar iawn am y bwyd a'r darpariaethau, ac fe wnaethant rannu rhai o'u profiadau â ni. Clywais gan nifer o bobl sut yr oedden nhw neu eu ffrindiau wedi cael eu harestio o dan y Ddeddf Crwydradaeth. Nawr, cyflwynwyd y Ddeddf Crwydradaeth ym 1824. Mae'n hen ffasiwn. Fe'i cyflwynwyd i fynd i'r afael â digartrefedd a achoswyd gan gyn-filwyr yn dychwelyd o'r rhyfeloedd Napoleonaidd. Yn benodol, mae'n gwneud cysgu allan a chardota yn drosedd - gallwch gael eich arestio am y naill neu'r llall. Dywedodd un fenyw ifanc wrthyf nos Sul, 'Mae'n anghyfreithlon bod yn ddigartref, eto nid yw'n anghyfreithlon gwneud rhywun yn ddigartref,' ac roeddwn yn meddwl bod hwnnw'n ddatganiad eithaf dwys. Dywedodd wrthym fod yr heddlu'n clirio'r strydoedd yn rheolaidd, yn arestio pobl ac yn symud eu heiddo, er gwaethaf y ffaith bod y Prif Weinidog wedi dweud wrthyf yr wythnos diwethaf nad oedd hyn yn bolisi gan y Llywodraeth. I raddau helaeth, nid oes gan Gymru'r pŵer i wneud unrhyw beth am y Ddeddf Crwydradaeth oherwydd ein diffyg pwerau cyfiawnder troseddol. Yn yr Alban ac yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, mae'r Ddeddf eisoes wedi'i diddymu. I mi, mae hynny'n un enghraifft arall pam y mae angen i'r system cyfiawnder troseddol gael ei datganoli. Dyma enghraifft ymarferol arall eto o'r hyn y gallai'r pwerau hynny ei wneud i ni. Dylem fod yn cynnig cymorth i bobl sy'n cael eu gorfodi i fyw ar y strydoedd. Ni ddylem ni eu galw'n droseddwyr. Mae'n bryd i chi fel Llywodraeth ddweud, digon yw digon, a byddwn yn ddiolchgar petaech yn barod i ganiatáu dadl, yn amser y Llywodraeth, a fyddai'n ffafrio datganoli pwerau cyfiawnder troseddol gyda'r bwriad o ddiddymu'r Ddeddf Crwydradaeth.