English: Interesting contribution from Sioned Williams, and I share your passion for ensuring that everybody gets what they're entitled to, but that, of course, is a main plank of the Welsh Government's proposals to try and help people through these very difficult times. That's why we have 'Claim what's yours'. So, I definitely support the administration of benefits to be devolved to Wales, as proposed by the Bevan Foundation, because I understand the benefits that it's had in Scotland. Amidst the unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, it looks very attractive to introduce such a Bill here, but is it within the scope of our powers and is it going to be necessary if, in fact, we get the devolution of benefits agreed by a future Government? Clearly, we need to improve on what we're doing at the moment, because far too many people are suffering really horrendously. And, at the moment, charities, for example, are really raising the red flag over the numbers of people who are being dumped onto prepayment meters simply because they've run into debt on their existing arrangements. This is very, very worrying, and something that we probably need to do something about, because disconnection by the back door is simply unacceptable. We wouldn't be doing this in relation to water debt, and we don't need to be doing it in relation to enabling people to keep warm and the light on. But whether or not we need legislation to improve on the situation, or whether we need further instruction from Welsh Government to improve local authority assessment of this matter. I was very concerned to hear Sioned say that fewer than half of the local authorities are passporting the council tax reduction benefit recipients onto other benefits, like the Welsh winter fuel payment scheme. That seems very worrying, because I know that that's certainly not occurring in Cardiff where all council tenants, for example, were automatically passported into the Welsh winter fuel payment scheme last year. Now, the take-up last year wasn't as good as 100 per cent, because it was obviously something that was done in a very short timescale, but now that the Welsh Government's extended the scheme to a greater number of households - 400,000 low-income households for this coming winter - although the scheme started on 26 September, I am completely amazed that approaching half the number of eligible people have already taken up the claim. Obviously that's a reflection of need, but it's also a reflection of the competency of people to ensure that they're getting it. I think that the universal free school meals is a missed opportunity to have a proper conversation with parents on whether they are actually claiming everything that they're entitled to, because I know that local authorities in England have massively increased the take-up of benefits as a result of that conversation that takes place -
Welsh: Cyfraniad diddorol gan Sioned Williams, ac rwy'n rhannu eich angerdd ynghylch sicrhau bod pawb yn cael yr hyn mae ganddynt hawl iddo, ond hynny, wrth gwrs, yw prif sail cynigion Llywodraeth Cymru i geisio helpu pobl drwy'r cyfnod hynod anodd hwn. Dyna pam y mae gennym 'Hawliwch yr hyn sy'n ddyledus i chi'. Felly, rwy'n bendant yn cefnogi datganoli gweinyddu budd-daliadau i Gymru, fel yr argymhellwyd gan Sefydliad Bevan, oherwydd rwy'n deall y manteision a ddaeth yn sgil hynny yn yr Alban. Ynghanol yr argyfwng costau byw na fu ei debyg o'r blaen, mae'n edrych yn ddeniadol iawn i gyflwyno Bil o'r fath yma, ond a yw o fewn cwmpas ein pwerau ac a fydd ei angen os oes Llywodraeth yn y dyfodol yn mynd i gytuno i ddatganoli budd-daliadau? Yn amlwg, mae angen inni wella'r hyn a wnawn ar hyn o bryd, oherwydd mae llawer gormod o bobl yn dioddef yn ddychrynllyd iawn. Ac ar hyn o bryd, mae elusennau, er enghraifft, yn codi'r faner goch dros niferoedd y bobl sy'n cael eu gorfodi i gael mesuryddion rhagdalu am ddim rheswm heblaw eu bod wedi mynd i ddyled ar eu trefniadau presennol. Mae hyn yn destun pryder mawr, ac yn rhywbeth y dylem wneud rhywbeth yn ei gylch yn ôl pob tebyg, oherwydd mae datgysylltu drwy'r drws cefn yn gwbl annerbyniol. Ni fyddem yn gwneud hyn mewn perthynas â dyled dŵr, ac nid oes angen inni ei wneud mewn perthynas â galluogi pobl i gadw'n gynnes a chadw'r golau ymlaen. Ond p'un a oes angen deddfwriaeth arnom i wella'r sefyllfa ai peidio, neu p'un a oes angen cyfarwyddyd pellach arnom gan Lywodraeth Cymru i wella asesiadau awdurdodau lleol o'r mater hwn. Roeddwn yn bryderus iawn o glywed Sioned yn dweud bod llai na hanner yr awdurdodau lleol yn sicrhau pasbort i'r rheini sy'n derbyn budd-dal gostyngiad y dreth gyngor i fudd-daliadau eraill, fel cynllun taliad tanwydd y gaeaf yng Nghymru. Mae hynny'n peri pryder, oherwydd rwy'n gwybod yn sicr nad yw hynny'n digwydd yng Nghaerdydd lle'r oedd holl denantiaid y cyngor, er enghraifft, wedi cael pasbort awtomatig i gynllun taliadau tanwydd y gaeaf Cymru y llynedd. Nawr, nid oedd y nifer a'i câi y llynedd yn 100 y cant, oherwydd yn amlwg roedd yn rhywbeth a wnaethpwyd mewn amser byr iawn, ond gan fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymestyn y cynllun i gynnwys nifer mwy o aelwydydd erbyn hyn - 400,000 o aelwydydd incwm isel ar gyfer y gaeaf sydd i ddod - er i'r cynllun ddechrau ar 26 Medi, rwy'n synnu'n fawr fod yn agos at hanner nifer y bobl gymwys eisoes wedi manteisio ar yr hawl. Yn amlwg mae hynny'n adlewyrchu'r angen, ond mae hefyd yn adlewyrchu cymhwysedd pobl i sicrhau eu bod yn ei gael. Rwy'n credu bod prydau ysgol am ddim i bawb yn gyfle a gollwyd i gael sgwrs briodol gyda rhieni ynglŷn ag a ydynt yn hawlio popeth y mae ganddynt hawl iddo mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd rwy'n gwybod bod awdurdodau lleol yn Lloegr wedi cynyddu'r nifer sy'n manteisio ar fudd-daliadau yn aruthrol o ganlyniad i gael y sgwrs honno -