English: Thank you to the Minister for the statement. We are glad of the stated determination to tackle the inequity faced by disabled people in Wales that's included in the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. One of my close family members is disabled, so I know first-hand the challenges and barriers that are, unfortunately, part of his everyday life and, of course, the lives of thousands of other people across Wales: difficulties with public transport; with accessing support and care; a lower standard of living quite often; and, often, just the challenge of being seen and being heard. As you've mentioned in your statement, those difficulties and challenges were, of course, compounded and exacerbated by COVID, although we know that even before the pandemic far too many disabled people felt forgotten or ignored by the Government. A survey conducted by Disability Wales has found that 76 per cent didn't think that disability rights would improve over the next five years. Emergency coronavirus legislation relaxed the duty of care on local authorities, which left some disabled adults and children, and their carers, without the carer support they need - it was in the news just yesterday. And the implementation gap between policy and practice, unfortunately, widened. When restrictions lifted, there was not a return to normal for most disabled people. A report by Scope found that 35 per cent of disabled people have found that their finances have become worse since the pandemic, and the disability employment gap has been stuck at around 30 per cent for over a decade. So, we must try and use the experience of the pandemic to create a strategy to help close this gap. As COVID restrictions have eased slightly, and people are beginning to return to work, or switch to hybrid working, there is a risk that disabled people who previously benefited from the digital inclusion of the pandemic might be left isolated. Employers may be able to appear as accessible and inclusive while doing little to ensure inclusion in workplace culture, career progression or professional networking opportunities for disabled people who are working at home. And this, of course, is also true of leisure and social activities that were widely available online during the height of the lockdowns that have now tailed off. So, I'd therefore like to know what the Government is doing to ensure that flexible working will continue to work in favour of disabled people. And could the Minister also please outline what provisions are currently in place, and what further action is planned to ensure Wales's transport system is fully accessible to disabled people, as being able to travel safely to and from work has become an increasingly important issue for many disabled people during the pandemic? A key finding in the 'Locked out' report was that the lack of disabled people in positions of influence has contributed to decisions that have negative consequences for disabled people. The access to elected office fund Wales, which you made reference to in your statement and again in your answer to Altaf Hussain, offered that financial assistance to disabled people running as candidates in the Senedd election this year, and now for the forthcoming 2022 local government elections. You mentioned that two people had made use of this fund. Have you got any further information as to how effective the fund was in assisting disabled people to run as candidates? What improvement and changes need to be made to this fund, looking ahead to the 2022 election, to make sure that we get more people being able to use this fund so that they can run for office? As we face another worrying development, as we've heard today in the Chamber, in the pandemic with the arrival of this new variant in the UK, we must ensure that lessons learnt from the last months really are taken onboard. Disabled people, as you said, comprised 60 per cent of deaths from COVID-19 in Wales, and many of these deaths, as you say, were not the inevitable consequences of impairments, but were preventable and rooted in the socioeconomic factors that you alluded to. The impact of high infection rates on care and social services have been catastrophic to disabled people. The anxiety now being felt as we face the consequences of this omicron variant are tangible among disabled people, so I'd like to ask: what measures are the Government taking to ensure disabled people are better supported in the next months as regards things like the provision of suitable and sufficient supplies of equipment, such as personal protective equipment to social care staff and personal assistants caring for disabled people, but also, crucially, sufficient staffing levels to provide that essential, daily care and support? Diolch.
Welsh: Diolch i'r Gweinidog am y datganiad. Rydym yn falch o'r penderfyniad a nodwyd i fynd i'r afael â'r annhegwch a wynebir gan bobl anabl yng Nghymru sydd wedi'i gynnwys yn y cytundeb cydweithio â Phlaid Cymru. Mae un o fy nheulu agos i yn anabl, felly rwy'n gwybod yn uniongyrchol am yr heriau a'r rhwystrau sydd, yn anffodus, yn rhan o'i fywyd bob dydd ac, wrth gwrs, bywydau miloedd o bobl eraill ledled Cymru: anawsterau gyda thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus; gyda chael gafael ar gymorth a gofal; safon byw is yn eithaf aml; ac, yn aml, dim ond yr her o gael eich gweld a chael eich clywed. Fel yr ydych chi wedi sôn yn eich datganiad, cafodd yr anawsterau a'r heriau hynny, wrth gwrs, eu dwysáu a'u gwaethygu gan COVID, er ein bod yn gwybod, hyd yn oed cyn y pandemig, fod llawer gormod o bobl anabl yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu hanghofio neu eu hanwybyddu gan y Llywodraeth. Mae arolwg a gynhaliwyd gan Anabledd Cymru wedi canfod nad oedd 76 y cant yn credu y byddai hawliau anabledd yn gwella dros y pum mlynedd nesaf. Roedd deddfwriaeth coronafeirws brys yn llacio'r ddyletswydd gofal ar awdurdodau lleol, a adawodd rai oedolion a phlant anabl, a'u gofalwyr, heb y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt o ran gofalwyr - roedd yn y newyddion ddoe. Ac ehangodd y bwlch gweithredu rhwng polisi ac arfer, yn anffodus. Pan godwyd y cyfyngiadau, ni ddychwelodd y rhan fwyaf o bobl anabl i'w bywydau arferol gynt. Canfu adroddiad gan Scope fod 35 y cant o bobl anabl wedi canfod bod ganddyn nhw lai o arian ers y pandemig, ac mae'r bwlch cyflogaeth i bobl anabl wedi bod yn segur ar oddeutu 30 y cant ers dros ddegawd. Felly, rhaid inni geisio defnyddio profiad y pandemig i greu strategaeth i helpu i gau'r bwlch hwn. Gan fod cyfyngiadau COVID wedi lleddfu ychydig, a bod pobl yn dechrau dychwelyd i'r gwaith, neu newid i weithio hybrid, mae perygl y gallai pobl anabl a oedd gynt yn elwa o gael eu cynnwys yn ddigidol dros y pandemig gael eu hynysu. Efallai y bydd cyflogwyr yn gallu ymddangos yn hygyrch a chynhwysol gan wneud fawr ddim i sicrhau cynhwysiant yn niwylliant y gweithle, dilyniant gyrfa neu gyfleoedd rhwydweithio proffesiynol i bobl anabl sy'n gweithio gartref. Ac mae hyn, wrth gwrs, hefyd yn wir am weithgareddau hamdden a chymdeithasol a oedd ar gael yn eang ar-lein yn anterth y cyfyngiadau symud sydd bellach wedi lleihau'n arw. Felly, hoffwn wybod beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i sicrhau y bydd gweithio hyblyg yn parhau i weithio o blaid pobl anabl. Ac a allai'r Gweinidog hefyd amlinellu pa ddarpariaethau sydd ar waith ar hyn o bryd, a pha gamau pellach sydd wedi'u cynllunio i sicrhau bod system drafnidiaeth Cymru yn gwbl hygyrch i bobl anabl, gan fod gallu teithio'n ddiogel yn ôl ac ymlaen i'r gwaith wedi dod yn fater cynyddol bwysig i lawer o bobl anabl yn ystod y pandemig? Un canfyddiad allweddol yn yr adroddiad 'Drws ar Glo' oedd bod diffyg pobl anabl mewn swyddi dylanwadol wedi cyfrannu at benderfyniadau sy'n arwain at ganlyniadau negyddol i bobl anabl. Cynigiodd y mynediad i gronfa swyddi etholedig Cymru, y gwnaethoch chi gyfeirio ato yn eich datganiad ac eto yn eich ateb i Altaf Hussain, y cymorth ariannol hwnnw i bobl anabl a ymgeisiodd yn etholiad y Senedd eleni, ac yn awr yn etholiadau llywodraeth leol 2022 sydd i ddod. Fe wnaethoch chi sôn fod dau berson wedi defnyddio'r gronfa hon. Oes gennych chi unrhyw wybodaeth bellach ynghylch pa mor effeithiol oedd y gronfa o ran cynorthwyo pobl anabl i sefyll fel ymgeiswyr? Pa welliannau a newidiadau sydd angen eu gwneud i'r gronfa hon, gan edrych ymlaen at etholiad 2022, i sicrhau ein bod yn cael mwy o bobl yn gallu defnyddio'r gronfa hon fel y gallant ymgeisio am sedd? Wrth inni wynebu datblygiad arall pryderus, fel y clywsom ni heddiw yn y Siambr, yn y pandemig gyda dyfodiad yr amrywiolyn newydd hwn i'r DU, rhaid inni sicrhau bod gwersi a ddysgwyd o'r misoedd diwethaf yn cael eu hystyried mewn gwirionedd. Roedd pobl anabl, fel y dywedoch chi, yn cwmpasu 60 y cant o farwolaethau oherwydd COVID-19 yng Nghymru, ac nid oedd llawer o'r marwolaethau hyn, fel y dywedwch chi, yn ganlyniadau anochel namau, ond roedd modd eu hatal ac roedden nhw wedi eu gwreiddio yn y ffactorau economaidd-gymdeithasol y gwnaethoch chi gyfeirio atyn nhw. Mae effaith cyfraddau heintio uchel ar ofal a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol wedi bod yn drychinebus i bobl anabl. Mae'r pryder sy'n cael ei deimlo'n awr wrth i ni wynebu canlyniadau'r amrywiolyn omicron hwn yn amlwg ymhlith pobl anabl, felly hoffwn ofyn: beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod pobl anabl yn cael eu cefnogi'n well yn ystod y misoedd nesaf o ran pethau fel darparu cyflenwadau addas a digonol o offer, megis cyfarpar diogelu personol i staff gofal cymdeithasol a chynorthwywyr personol sy'n gofalu am bobl anabl, ond hefyd, yn hollbwysig, lefelau staffio digonol i ddarparu'r gofal a'r cymorth hanfodol, beunyddiol hwnnw? Diolch.