English: Obviously, poverty and child poverty in Wales are very significant issues for us and for those concerned with social justice at the very heart of the progress that we need to make in Wales. So, I welcome this debate today and the focus that it allows here in the Chamber. We should be discussing these matters and we should be looking at the most effective ways forward and possible new ways of addressing these matters. It is difficult, which I think we've recognised all along, given that many of the levers that would enable poverty to be more effectively tackled in Wales are in the hands of the UK Government. And when that UK Government is a Tory Government, then we see the results. We've seen the results through all the years of austerity, and I fear that we will see the results over the years to come of Boris Johnson's UK Government. So, I do think that we need to look at what we can do here in Wales with the powers that we currently have, but also what further devolution could take place to add tools to those that are currently available to us, to Welsh Government and to the Assembly. That's why the committee that I chair, the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, has done work on the benefits system. Because, as we've heard already, the benefits system is a very important part of the overall picture; because, yes, we do need to increase the income of families in poverty and we also need to reduce their outgoings. Organisations like the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Bevan Foundation have made those points quite clearly. So, one way of improving the income of poor families in Wales would be improvements to the welfare benefits system. You know, some things are in our control at the moment, and we could introduce new requirements - for example, benefits take-up. I think there's still quite a lot of work to be done there. In our report, we look at perhaps introducing a duty on local authorities with necessary funding, so that they could play a greater role. We also look at how we could generally improve benefit take-up in Wales. We look at universal credit. I think we do know that the shortcomings in universal credit are widely recognised by agencies and charities in Wales that are trying to address these issues and introduce improvements. You know, that wait for an initial payment, monthly payments rather than fortnightly, the lack of choice for benefit claimants in terms of flexibilities - for example, to get the housing benefit element paid direct to the landlord where they believe that would be advantageous to them - and, indeed, split payments between couples where there are problems in relationships and perhaps coercive behaviour. There are lots of flexibilities that could be introduced if Welsh Government had the power to do that rather than trying to negotiate something with the Department of Work and Pensions. Yes, there are possibilities around new benefits, around devolution of existing benefits. We know that the rules and regulations around sanctioning are problematic, and I believe we could have a much better approach if we had the power to change that here in Wales. The assessment process for sickness and disability benefits leaves a lot to be desired, and the percentage of successful appeals shows quite clearly the shortcomings to the initial process. You know, there is very much that could be done. We explore all of that and much more in our report. Welsh Government is interested, we know that, because Welsh Government is taking forward its own work on some of these aspects, and I know Welsh Government is very interested in the report of the committee. In due course, we will of course have the Welsh Government's response when the further work - [ Interruption.] Sorry?
Welsh: Yn amlwg, mae tlodi a thlodi plant yng Nghymru yn faterion arwyddocaol iawn i ni ac i'r rhai sy'n ymwneud â chyfiawnder cymdeithasol sydd wrth wraidd y cynnydd y mae angen inni ei wneud yng Nghymru. Felly, rwy'n croesawu'r ddadl hon heddiw a'r ffocws y mae'n ei ganiatáu yma yn y Siambr. Dylem fod yn trafod y materion hyn a dylem fod yn edrych ar y ffyrdd mwyaf effeithiol ymlaen a ffyrdd newydd posibl o fynd i'r afael â'r problemau hyn. Mae'n anodd, a chredaf ein bod wedi cydnabod hynny ar hyd yr amser, o gofio bod llawer o'r dulliau a fyddai'n ein galluogi i drechu tlodi'n fwy effeithiol yng Nghymru yn nwylo Llywodraeth y DU. A phan fydd Llywodraeth y DU yn Llywodraeth Dorïaidd, rydym yn gweld y canlyniadau. Rydym wedi gweld y canlyniadau drwy gydol y blynyddoedd o gyni, ac ofnaf y byddwn yn gweld canlyniadau Llywodraeth Boris Johnson yn y DU dros y blynyddoedd i ddod. Felly, credaf fod angen inni edrych i weld beth y gallwn ei wneud yma yng Nghymru gyda'r pwerau sydd gennym ar hyn o bryd, ond hefyd pa ddatganoli pellach a allai ddigwydd i ychwanegu dulliau o weithredu at y rhai sydd ar gael i ni ar hyn o bryd, i Lywodraeth Cymru ac i'r Cynulliad. Dyna pam y mae'r pwyllgor rwy'n ei gadeirio, sef y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb, Llywodraeth Leol a Chymunedau, wedi gwneud gwaith ar y system fudd-daliadau. Oherwydd, fel y clywsom eisoes, mae'r system fudd-daliadau yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r darlun cyffredinol; oherwydd, oes, mae angen inni gynyddu incwm teuluoedd tlawd ac mae angen inni hefyd leihau'r arian sy'n rhaid iddynt ei wario. Mae sefydliadau fel Sefydliad Joseph Rowntree a Sefydliad Bevan wedi gwneud y pwyntiau hynny'n gwbl glir. Felly, un ffordd o wella incwm teuluoedd tlawd yng Nghymru fyddai gwella'r system budd-daliadau lles. Wyddoch chi, mae rhai pethau o dan ein rheolaeth ar hyn o bryd, a gallem gyflwyno gofynion newydd - er enghraifft, o ran y nifer sy'n manteisio ar fudd-daliadau. Rwy'n credu bod cryn dipyn o waith i'w wneud ar hynny o hyd. Yn ein hadroddiad, rydym yn edrych ar y posibilrwydd o gyflwyno dyletswydd ar awdurdodau lleol gydag arian angenrheidiol, er mwyn iddynt allu chwarae mwy o ran. Rydym hefyd yn ystyried sut y gallwn wella'r nifer sy'n manteisio ar fudd-daliadau yng Nghymru yn gyffredinol. Rydym yn edrych ar gredyd cynhwysol. Rwy'n credu ein bod yn gwybod bod diffygion y credyd cynhwysol wedi'u cydnabod yn eang gan asiantaethau ac elusennau yng Nghymru sy'n ceisio mynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn a chyflwyno gwelliannau. Wyddoch chi, yr aros am daliad cychwynnol, taliadau misol yn hytrach na phob pythefnos, y diffyg dewis i hawlwyr budd-daliadau o ran hyblygrwydd - er enghraifft, i sicrhau bod yr elfen budd-dal tai yn cael ei thalu'n uniongyrchol i'r landlord lle credant y byddai hynny fanteisiol iddynt - ac yn wir, yn rhannu taliadau rhwng cyplau lle ceir problemau mewn perthynas a rheoli drwy orfodaeth efallai. Mae llawer o hyblygrwydd y gellid ei gyflwyno pe bai gan Lywodraeth Cymru bŵer i wneud hynny, yn hytrach na cheisio negodi rhywbeth gyda'r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau. Oes, mae yna bosibiliadau o ran budd-daliadau newydd, o ran datganoli'r budd-daliadau presennol. Gwyddom fod y rheolau a'r rheoliadau sy'n ymwneud â sancsiynau'n broblemus, a chredaf y gallem gael dull llawer gwell o weithredu pe bai gennym bŵer i newid hynny yma yng Nghymru. Mae'r broses asesu ar gyfer budd-daliadau salwch ac anabledd yn bell o fod yn briodol, ac mae canran yr apeliadau llwyddiannus yn dangos yn eithaf clir y diffygion yn y broses gychwynnol. Wyddoch chi, mae llawer iawn mwy y gellid ei wneud. Rydym yn archwilio hynny i gyd a llawer mwy yn ein hadroddiad. Mae gan Lywodraeth Cymru ddiddordeb, fe wyddom hynny, oherwydd mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwrw ymlaen â'i gwaith ei hun ar rai o'r agweddau hyn, a gwn fod ganddi ddiddordeb mawr yn adroddiad y pwyllgor. Maes o law, wrth gwrs, bydd gennym ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru pan fydd y gwaith pellach - [ T orri ar draws.] Mae'n ddrwg gennyf?