English: Diolch, Llywydd. Independent living enables disabled people to achieve their own goals and live their own lives in the way that they choose for themselves. The independent living fund enabled severely disabled people to choose to live an independent life in the community, rather than in residential care. I move amendment 2, calling on the Welsh Government 'to ensure that disabled people are full partners in the design and operation of an Independent Living Fund for Wales which safeguards the rights of disabled people to live independent lives.' The Welsh Government announced a two-year transition period from April 2017, during which all Welsh independent living grant, or WILG, recipients will be required to have this element of their care needs assessed by their local authority. Scrapping the grant on 31 March is a betrayal of the rights of disabled people to live independently and make their own decisions. In 2015, the independent living fund was devolved by the UK Government to local authorities in England and to the respective Governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Welsh Government worked with local authorities to establish the WILG, but otherwise only undertook a consultation exercise and established a stakeholder advisory group, which it says produced a range of views. In contrast, the Scottish Government states that its new scheme was co-produced by the ILF working group, with representation from the Scottish Government, ILF Scotland, disabled people, carers, disability groups and local authorities. Scotland then launched ILF Scotland, to ensure that recipients have choice and control. Northern Ireland chose to join the Scottish scheme, and disabled people and disabled groups in Wales have told the cross-party group on disability they wanted to join it too. Unlike the Welsh Government, which only transferred the annual funding received from the UK Government for this to local authorities, the Scottish Government also committed an extra £5 million a year. In November 2016, the then Minister here argued that transferring fully to local authority responsibility would equalise access to support amongst disabled people and avoid the WILG becoming unsustainable. The then First Minister, Carwyn Jones, said, 'We would expect local authoritiesto fulfil their obligations to disabled people and to put sufficient funds aside in order for their financial needs to be recognised and satisfied', and that local authorities, he said, 'are answerable to their electorate if they pursue policies that the electorate deem to be unacceptable.' Unfortunately, severely disabled people do not have many votes. However, Welsh Government estimates obtained by disabled campaigners suggest that over 200 former WILG recipients will see their funding cut, and some Welsh local authorities admitted to them that a significant proportion of those currently receiving support through the WILG had already had their support packages cut. So much for the written statement by the Welsh Government in May last year that local authorities were reporting that most people were receiving similar support to that they'd had with their ILF payments, with no significant issues being raised. Who on earth are they listening to? I chaired January's packed meeting of the Assembly cross-party group on disability in Wrexham. At this meeting, the leader of the Save the Welsh Independent Living Grant campaign, Wrexham's Nathan Davies, who I've got to know over many years, emphasised that this is about the difference between staying in bed or getting out of bed, about having dinner or not having dinner, about having control or being controlled. Attendees agreed with Nathan that they just don't understand the importance of one word to disabled people - independence - and the impact on mental health and well-being and the ability to interact with society. This was lived experience talking, straight from the horse's mouth, and I was asked to get answers because time is running out. I subsequently raised this, as promised, with the Welsh Government during the business statement here. As Nathan Davies stated in his open letter to the new First Minister, the deep-dive review that was recently undertaken by the Welsh Government to analyse the performance of local authorities relating to the WILG transition is full of errors and, quite frankly, not worth the paper it is written on. How can an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the end of WILG be conclusive without having consulted disabled people who will be affected? In 2017, the UK Government announced that people with a severe lifelong disability, illness or health condition will no longer need to be reassessed for employment and support allowance and universal credit. In 2018, they announced an equivalent exception for the personal independence payment. However, the Welsh Government announced yesterday that former ILF recipients 'unhappy' with their care and support package will be offered another assessment. What shocking hypocrisy.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Mae byw'n annibynnol yn galluogi pobl anabl i gyflawni eu nodau eu hunain a byw eu bywydau eu hunain yn y ffordd y maent yn dewis drostynt eu hunain. Roedd y gronfa byw'n annibynnol yn galluogi pobl anabl iawn i ddewis byw bywyd annibynnol yn y gymuned, yn hytrach nag mewn gofal preswyl. Rwy'n cynnig gwelliant 2, sy'n galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru 'i sicrhau bod pobl anabl yn bartneriaid llawn wrth ddylunio a gweithredu Cronfa Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru, sy'n diogelu hawliau pobl anabl i fyw bywydau annibynnol.' Cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru gyfnod pontio o ddwy flynedd o fis Ebrill 2017 ymlaen, pan fyddai'n ofynnol i bawb a oedd yn derbyn grant byw'n annibynnol Cymru, neu'r GBAC, gael yr elfen hon o'u hanghenion gofal wedi'i hasesu gan eu hawdurdod lleol. Mae cael gwared ar y grant ar 31 Mawrth yn bradychu hawliau pobl anabl i fyw'n annibynnol ac i wneud eu penderfyniadau eu hunain. Yn 2015, cafodd y gronfa byw'n annibynnol ei datganoli gan Lywodraeth y DU i awdurdodau lleol yn Lloegr a'r Llywodraethau yng Nghymru, yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon. Gweithiodd Llywodraeth Cymru gydag awdurdodau lleol i sefydlu'r GBAC, ond fel arall ni wnaeth ddim ar wahân i gynnal ymarfer ymgynghori a sefydlu grŵp cynghori rhanddeiliaid, y dywed ei fod wedi cynhyrchu amrywiaeth o safbwyntiau. Ar y llaw arall, mae Llywodraeth yr Alban yn nodi bod ei chynllun newydd wedi'i gydgynhyrchu gan weithgor y gronfa byw'n annibynnol, gyda chynrychiolaeth o Lywodraeth yr Alban, cronfa byw'n annibynnol yr Alban, pobl anabl, gofalwyr, grwpiau anabledd ac awdurdodau lleol. Lansiodd yr Alban gronfa byw'n annibynnol yr Alban yn sgil hynny er mwyn sicrhau bod gan y rhai sy'n ei derbyn ddewis a rheolaeth. Dewisodd Gogledd Iwerddon ymuno â chynllun yr Alban, ac mae pobl anabl a grwpiau anabl yng Nghymru wedi dweud wrth y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar anabledd eu bod eisiau ymuno â'r cynllun hwnnw hefyd. Yn wahanol i Lywodraeth Cymru, na wnaeth ddim ond trosglwyddo'r cyllid blynyddol a ddaeth i law gan Lywodraeth y DU ar gyfer hyn i awdurdodau lleol, ymrwymodd Llywodraeth yr Alban £5 miliwn y flwyddyn yn ychwanegol hefyd. Ym mis Tachwedd 2016, dadleuodd y Gweinidog yma ar y pryd fod trosglwyddo'n llawn i gyfrifoldeb awdurdod lleol yn cydraddoli mynediad at gymorth ymhlith pobl anabl ac yn rhwystro'r GBAC rhag dod yn anghynaladwy. Dywedodd y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd, Carwyn Jones, 'Byddem yn disgwyl i awdurdodau lleol gyflawni eu rhwymedigaethau i bobl anabl a rhoi digon o arian o'r neilltu i'w hanghenion ariannol gael eu cydnabod a'u bodloni', a bod awdurdodau lleol, meddai, 'yn atebol i'w hetholwyr os byddant yn dilyn polisïau y mae'r etholaeth yn credu eu bod yn annerbyniol.' Yn anffodus, nid oes gan bobl ag anabledd difrifol lawer o bleidleisiau. Fodd bynnag, awgryma amcangyfrifon Llywodraeth Cymru a gafwyd gan ymgyrchwyr anabl y bydd toriad i gyllid dros 200 o bobl a oedd yn arfer cael y GBAC, a chyfaddefodd rhai awdurdodau lleol wrthynt fod cyfran sylweddol o'r rhai sy'n derbyn cymorth ar hyn o bryd drwy'r GBAC eisoes wedi cael toriad i'w pecynnau cymorth. Naw wfft i'r datganiad ysgrifenedig gan Lywodraeth Cymru ym mis Mai y llynedd fod awdurdodau lleol yn adrodd bod y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn derbyn cymorth tebyg i'r hyn yr oeddent wedi'i gael gyda'u taliadau cronfa byw'n annibynnol, heb i unrhyw broblemau sylweddol godi. Ar bwy ar y ddaear y maent yn gwrando? Cadeiriais gyfarfod ym mis Ionawr o grŵp trawsbleidiol y Cynulliad ar anabledd yn Wrecsam, lle roedd nifer fawr iawn o bobl yn bresennol. Yn y cyfarfod hwn, pwysleisiodd arweinydd ymgyrch Achub Grant Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru, Nathan Davies o Wrecsam, y deuthum i'w adnabod dros flynyddoedd lawer, fod hyn yn ymwneud â'r gwahaniaeth rhwng aros yn y gwely neu godi o'r gwely, ynglŷn â chael cinio neu beidio â chael cinio, am gael rheolaeth neu gael eich rheoli. Roedd y rhai a oedd yn bresennol yn cytuno gyda Nathan nad ydynt yn deall pwysigrwydd un gair i bobl anabl - sef annibyniaeth - a'r effaith ar iechyd meddwl a lles a'r gallu i ryngweithio â'r gymdeithas. Dyma brofiad bywyd yn siarad, yn syth o lygad y ffynnon, a gofynnwyd i mi gael atebion gan fod amser yn brin. Wedyn codais y mater, fel yr addewais, gyda Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystod y datganiad busnes yma. Fel y dywedodd Nathan Davies yn ei lythyr agored at y Prif Weinidog newydd, mae'r adolygiad dwfn a gyflawnwyd yn ddiweddar gan Lywodraeth Cymru i ddadansoddi perfformiad awdurdodau lleol mewn perthynas â throsglwyddo'r GBAC yn llawn o gamgymeriadau ac a dweud y gwir, nid yw'n werth y papur y mae wedi'i ysgrifennu arno. Sut y gall ymchwiliad i amgylchiadau rhoi diwedd ar y GBAC fod yn derfynol heb fod wedi ymgynghori â'r bobl anabl yr effeithir arnynt? Yn 2017, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU na fydd angen ailasesu pobl ag anabledd gydol oes, salwch neu gyflwr iechyd difrifol mwyach ar gyfer lwfans cyflogaeth a chymorth a'r credyd cynhwysol. Yn 2018, cyhoeddodd eithriad cyfatebol ar gyfer y taliad annibyniaeth personol. Fodd bynnag, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ddoe y bydd y rhai a arferai dderbyn taliadau'r gronfa byw'n annibynnol sy'n 'anhapus' â'u pecynnau gofal a chymorth yn cael cynnig asesiad arall. Am ragrith syfrdanol.