English: It's a pleasure to take part in this debate, but I wish we didn't have to, in many ways. John F. Kennedy once said: 'If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.' I think that is the essence of what we are looking at here - it's how a society looks after those who face disadvantage. And by the way, disadvantage is not something that is a million miles away from any of us. The repeated analyses that have looked to see how many of us are one or two paychecks away from penury and from poverty is a reality. I myself - when I was working at the height of a former career in leisure management, doing exceptionally well, and the company was taken over and a whole raft of management was just stripped out by the new company - found myself in my mid-20s facing redundancy, in the City of London, paying high rent, still with myself and my wife there, and I spent six months not only getting my head together but also working as a night-time security guard on 12-hour shifts in the City of London surrounded by the wealth and the affluence of the mid 1990s in London, and working before the minimum wage through those long 12-hour shifts. I had a great time and met a lot of great people as well. But it just shows that, actually, for many of us - and those people who turn up in foodbanks are often people who are either in work or they've been working recently and a couple of incidents in their lives have pushed them beyond the brink. And at that point we expect the welfare and the tax system to support them to allow them to get back to work, and when they get back to work to actually make work pay. That is not happening, despite the very best ambitions - and I'm being generous here - at one time, of Iain Duncan Smith, who held this portfolio in Government, who went to the Glasgow housing estates, who spent six months there learning what it was like, who put in place a well-funded, at the time, proposal to actually turn around those communities, and then when he came back to Government George Osborne ripped the check book up and said, 'You can do all the stuff around the sticks, you can do some of the stuff around the carrots, but there'll be no money to do this.' It absolutely undermined what could have been a compassionate, thoughtful, well-structured, evidence-based way to actually help people back into work, give them the support that they need, and actually make work pay. That hasn't happened. We are here where we are now. I want to pay tribute to the many housing associations, local authorities, the credit unions, organisations like Christians Against Poverty and others, who are out there now on a day-to-day basis providing debt advice, money management advice, financial budgetary advice, holding people's hands as they try to reconstruct their lives, often because the tax and welfare reforms have pushed them into poverty. I also want to thank, of course, all those who volunteer week in, week out, not simply when we turn up as politicians to help them on one Saturday now and then, but actually those who every week, every day of every week, contribute within foodbanks like Bridgend foodbank, the Trussell Trust, the churches, the community organisers and others, who provide not only physical sustenance and literally food and nappies and deodorants and everything else to help people balance their budgets - this is in the sixth-most prosperous country in the world - but they also provide friendship and support as well. I want to thank as well all the local homelessness charities at this point, including Emmaus, The Wallich, Centrepoint and Shelter and the many others in Bridgend and throughout Wales as well. But we shouldn't be here - if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. The simple facts are, Mark, and I heard what you said, and I really appreciate the work you do as an individual Assembly Member, taking up cases on welfare and benefits for your constituents, as I do and as many others do - but the simple fact is these tax and welfare reforms have been deeply regressive. Even after the amendments, the analysis shows they are still deeply regressive. They're most deeply regressive because they hit those who are least able to defend themselves. It is women, it is particular ethnic communities, it is the young, it's those who do not have a voice - who need to come to you and me to ask for help. But do you know we're helping them against the system, despite the system? Why did not - ? When I was a Minister, when I and Julie James and others wrote the letter to the UK Ministers to say, 'Do your own evidence-based cumulative impact assessment. Work out what the impact of these are.' 'No, there's no need to do it.' 'Why, what are you afraid of?' They're afraid of the very fact that it will show that these are punishing the poor. This has never been to do with balancing austerity on the shoulders of those who can most afford it - it's being done on those who can least afford it, and it is damaging them and it is damaging communities. When we talk about the distance, as was mentioned in a previous debate there, between the elite, the politicians, can you wonder why, when in a constituency like mine you have affluent areas who do not see this at all, it doesn't touch their lives, and yet in Caerau and in Gilfach and in other places, there are whole communities now who are suffering under this, and it will get worse? And I can't go through the details of the submissions that you will have seen, and I will have seen, and everybody will have had from Age Cymru on some of the changes that are yet to come and how they will impact on some of our older recipients of PIP and so on. I simply say to compassionate Conservatives, to people who genuinely really care about their constituents - we cannot hide our head in the sand any longer. This is punishing people, and if we think the distance isn't going to grow larger, it is. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. We have a duty to acknowledge the facts out there before we can actually come forward with the solutions.
Welsh: Mae'n bleser gen i gymryd rhan yn y ddadl, ond byddai'n well gen i pe na fyddai'n rhaid i mi, mewn sawl ffordd. Dywedodd John F. Kennedy un tro: Os na all cymdeithas rydd helpu'r niferoedd sy'n dlawd, ni all achub yr ychydig sy'n gyfoethog. Rwyf i o'r farn mai hynny yw hanfod yr hyn yr ydym ni'n edrych arno yma - sut y mae cymdeithas yn gwarchod y rhai sy'n wynebu anfantais. Gyda llaw, nid yw anfantais yn rhywbeth sydd filiwn o filltiroedd i ffwrdd oddi wrth unrhyw un ohonom ni. Mae'r dadansoddiadau dro ar ôl tro wedi ystyried faint ohonom sydd ond rhyw un neu ddau o daliadau cyflog oddi wrth gyni a thlodi gwirioneddol. Yn fy achos i fy hunan - pan oeddwn i yn anterth fy ngyrfa ym maes rheoli hamdden, ac yn gwneud yn arbennig o dda, cafodd y cwmni ei gymryd drosodd a chafodd llu o reolwyr eu dihysbyddu gan y cwmni newydd - cefais fy niswyddo yng nghanol fy 20au, yn Ninas Llundain, yn talu rhent uchel, a'm gwraig a minnau yno o hyd. Treuliais i chwe mis nid yn unig yn rhoi ystyriaeth ddofn i bethau ond yn gweithio hefyd fel swyddog diogelwch nos ar sifftiau 12 awr yn Ninas Llundain wedi fy amgylchynu gan gyfoeth a golud canol y 90au yn Llundain, ac yn gweithio cyn yr isafswm cyflog drwy sifftiau hir o 12 awr. Cefais i amser wrth fy modd a chwrdd â llawer o bobl ffein hefyd. Ond mae'n hynny'n dangos, mewn gwirionedd, i lawer ohonom ni - ac mae'r bobl hynny sy'n troi i fyny yn y banciau bwyd yn aml yn bobl sydd naill ai mewn gwaith neu wedi bod yn gweithio tan yn ddiweddar a bod ychydig o ddigwyddiadau yn eu bywydau wedi eu gwthio dros y dibyn. Ac ar y pwynt hwnnw rydym yn disgwyl i'r system dreth a lles eu cefnogi a'u galluogi i ddychwelyd i'r gwaith, a phan fyddan nhw'n cael gwaith eto i wneud i'r gwaith hwnnw dalu mewn gwirionedd. Nid yw hynny'n digwydd, er gwaethaf dyheadau gorau - ac rwy'n bod yn hael yma - Iain Duncan Smith, ar un adeg, a ddaliodd y portffolio hwn yn y Llywodraeth, ac a aeth i'r ystadau tai yn Glasgow a threulio chwe mis yno yn dysgu sut beth oedd bywyd yno. Rhoddodd gynnig ar waith, wedi ei ariannu'n dda, ar y pryd, i chwildroi'r cymunedau hynny mewn gwirionedd, ac yna pan ddaeth yn ei ôl i'r Llywodraeth fe rwygodd George Osborne y llyfr sieciau a dweud, 'Fe gei di wneud yr holl stwff ynglŷn â'r gosbedigaeth, mi gei di wneud peth o'r stwff ynglŷn â'r cymhellion, ond 'fydd 'na ddim arian i ti wneud hynny'. Tanseiliodd hynny yr hyn a allasai fod yn ffordd dosturiol, ystyriol, strwythuredig ac yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth, o helpu pobl i ddychwelyd i'r gwaith a rhoi'r gefnogaeth iddyn nhw sydd ei hangen, i wneud i waith dalu mewn gwirionedd. Ni ddigwyddodd hynny. Rydym yma lle yr ydym ni nawr. Hoffwn dalu teyrnged i'r cymdeithasau tai niferus, yr awdurdodau lleol, yr undebau credyd, a'r sefydliadau fel Cristnogion yn Erbyn Tlodi ac eraill, sydd allan yno ar hyn o bryd yn feunyddiol yn rhoi cyngor ar ddyledion, cyngor ar reoli arian, cyngor ar gyllidebu ariannol, gan gynorthwyo pobl wrth iddyn nhw geisio ailadeiladu eu bywydau, yn aml oherwydd bod diwygiadau mewn treth a lles yn eu gwthio i dlodi. Hoffwn ddiolch hefyd, wrth gwrs, i'r rhai sy'n gwirfoddoli wythnos ar ôl wythnos, nid yn unig pan fyddwn ni'r gwleidyddion yn troi i fyny i helpu un dydd Sadwrn bob yn hyn a hyn, ond y rhai sy'n gwneud eu rhan bob wythnos, bob dydd o bob wythnos, gyda'r banciau bwyd fel banc bwyd Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, Ymddiriedolaeth Trussell, yr eglwysi, y trefnwyr cymunedol ac eraill, sy'n darparu nid yn unig gynhaliaeth gorfforol a llythrennol gyda bwyd a chewynnau a diaroglyddion a phopeth arall i helpu pobl i gael cydbwysedd yn eu cyllidebau - a hynny yn y chweched wlad fwyaf ffyniannus yn y byd - ond yn ogystal â hynny maen nhw'n cynnig cyfeillgarwch a chymorth hefyd. Hoffwn ddiolch i'r holl elusennau digartrefedd lleol ar hyn o bryd hefyd, gan gynnwys Emaus, y Wallich, Centrepoint a Shelter a llawer un arall ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr a ledled Cymru hefyd. Ond ni ddylem ni fod yma - os na all cymdeithas rydd helpu'r niferoedd sy'n dlawd, ni all achub yr ychydig sy'n gyfoethog. Y ffeithiau syml yw, Mark, ac fe glywais i'r hyn yr oeddech chi'n ei ddweud, ac rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'n fawr y gwaith yr ydych chi'n ei wneud fel Aelod Cynulliad unigol, yn ymgymryd ag achosion ar les a budd-daliadau er mwyn eich etholwyr, fel yr wyf innau a llawer un arall yn ei wneud - ond y ffaith syml yw bod y diwygiadau treth a lles hyn wedi bod yn atchweliadol iawn. Hyd yn oed ar ôl y gwelliannau, dengys y dadansoddiad eu bod yn dal i fod yn atchweliadol iawn. Maent yn druenus o atchweliadol gan eu bod yn taro'r rhai sydd leiaf abl i'w hamddiffyn eu hunain. Y menywod, cymunedau ethnig penodol, yr ifanc, y rhai nad oes ganddyn nhw lais - sydd yn gorfod dod atoch chi a minnau i ofyn am gymorth. Ond a wyddoch chi ein bod ni yn eu helpu nhw i wrthsefyll y system, er gwaethaf y system? Pam na wnaeth - ? Pan oeddwn i'n Weinidog, pan ysgrifennodd Julie James a minnau ac eraill y llythyr at Weinidogion y DU i ddweud, 'Gwnewch eich asesiad eich hunain ar yr effaith gronnol yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth. A gweithiwch allan beth yw effaith y rhain.' 'Na, does dim angen gwneud hynny'. 'Pam, beth sy'n codi ofn arnoch chi?' Maen nhw'n ofni'r ffaith syml y bydd yn dangos bod y rhain yn cosbi'r tlawd. Ni fu a wnelo hyn erioed â gosod cyni ar ysgwyddau'r rhai a all ei fforddio fwyaf - mae'n cael ei wneud ar y rhai a all ei fforddio leiaf, ac mae'n peri niwed iddyn nhw a niwed i gymunedau. Pan soniwn ni am y pellter, fel y crybwyllwyd mewn dadl flaenorol yn y fan hon, rhwng y goreuon, y gwleidyddion, pa ryfedd, pan mae gennych mewn etholaeth fel fy un i ardaloedd cefnog nad ydynt yn gweld hyn o gwbl ac nid yw'n cyffwrdd â'u bywydau, ac eto i gyd yng Nghaerau a Gilfach ac mewn mannau eraill, ceir cymunedau cyfan sy'n dioddef nawr dan hyn, a bydd pethau'n gwaethygu. Ni allaf fynd drwy fanylion y cyflwyniadau y byddwch chi wedi eu gweld, ac yr wyf i wedi eu gweld, ac y bydd pawb wedi eu cael nhw gan Age Cymru ynglŷn â rhai o'r newidiadau sydd eto i ddod a sut y byddan nhw'n effeithio ar rai o'r bobl hŷn sy'n cael y taliad annibyniaeth personol ac ati. Dim ond dweud a wnaf wrth Geidwadwyr tosturiol, wrth bobl sy'n wirioneddol boeni am eu hetholwyr - na allwn guddio ein pennau yn y tywod mwyach. Mae hon yn gosbedigaeth ar bobl, ac os ydym ni'n credu na fydd y bwlch yn cynyddu, wel fe wna. Os na all cymdeithas rydd helpu'r niferoedd sy'n dlawd, ni all achub yr ychydig sy'n gyfoethog. Mae'n ddyletswydd arnom gydnabod y ffeithiau ar lawr gwlad cyn y gallwn ddod ymlaen gyda'r atebion mewn gwirionedd.