English: Leader of the house, can I call for an oral statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on the Welsh Government's recent decision to provide abortions in Wales for women who are normally resident in Northern Ireland? The decision, as you will be aware, was announced on Friday. Just this morning, I received an e-mail from over 60 women living in Northern Ireland asking me to raise this issue as a matter of urgency. These women have said that they are appalled that one part of the UK that enjoys devolution should act to undermine the devolved arrangements in another part of the UK, and they are very concerned, frankly, that the decision to provide abortions has been made in spite of the significant opposition that women from Northern Ireland have expressed during the public consultation that the Welsh Government held on the matter. Now, I understand from reading the summary of responses that there were 802 consultation responses in all, 788 of which - over 98 per cent - opposed the Welsh Government's plans, and the consultation report says that a significant proportion of those were from women in Northern Ireland. There were just 14 submissions that were in support of the Government's plans, none of which came from a single woman in Northern Ireland. This is an unusual consultation, of course, because it is uniquely and exclusively looking at the impact on women living in another devolved jurisdiction, and I think it's very important that when these sorts of consultations - these unusual ones - happen, the views of women living in that jurisdiction should be taken into account. What is the point in holding public consultations if the outcome of those public consultations is to be ignored? I think that this Assembly deserves an explanation from the Cabinet Secretary as to why he's ignored the views of women in Northern Ireland and why he feels it is appropriate to undermine the devolved arrangements in another part of the UK.
Welsh: Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad llafar gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar benderfyniad diweddar Llywodraeth Cymru i ddarparu erthyliadau yng Nghymru i fenywod sy'n preswylio fel arfer yng Ngogledd Iwerddon? Fel y byddwch yn ymwybodol, ddydd Gwener y cyhoeddwyd y penderfyniad. Dim ond y bore yma, cefais e-bost gan dros 60 o fenywod sy'n byw yng Ngogledd Iwerddon a ofynnodd i mi godi'r mater hwn ar frys. Mae'r menywod hyn wedi dweud eu bod nhw wedi eu brawychu bod un rhan o'r DU sy'n mwynhau datganoli yn gweithredu i danseilio'r trefniadau datganoledig mewn rhan arall o'r DU, ac maen nhw'n bryderus iawn, a dweud y gwir, fod y penderfyniad i ddarparu erthyliadau wedi'i wneud er gwaethaf y gwrthwynebiad sylweddol a fynegwyd gan fenywod o Ogledd Iwerddon yn ystod yr ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus a gynhaliwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y mater. Nawr, deallaf o ddarllen crynodeb o'r ymatebion y cafwyd cyfanswm o 802 o ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad, ac roedd 788 ohonyn nhw - dros 98 y cant - yn gwrthwynebu cynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru, a dywed adroddiad yr ymgynghoriad fod cyfran sylweddol o'r ymatebion hynny gan fenywod o Ogledd Iwerddon. Dim ond 14 o gyflwyniadau oedd yn cefnogi cynlluniau'r Llywodraeth, ac ni ddaeth yr un ohonyn nhw gan unrhyw fenyw o Ogledd Iwerddon. Mae hwn yn ymgynghoriad anarferol, wrth gwrs, gan ei fod yn edrych yn unigryw ac yn benodol ar yr effaith ar fenywod sy'n byw mewn awdurdodaeth ddatganoledig arall, a chredaf ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn, pan geir y mathau hyn o ymgynghoriadau - y rhai anarferol hyn - fod barn y menywod yn yr awdurdodaeth honno yn cael ei hystyried. Beth yw pwynt cynnal ymgynghoriadau cyhoeddus os yw canlyniad yr ymgynghoriadau cyhoeddus hynny yn cael ei anwybyddu? Credaf fod y Cynulliad hwn yn haeddu eglurhad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ynghylch pam y mae wedi anwybyddu barn menywod yng Ngogledd Iwerddon a pham y mae'n teimlo ei bod hi'n briodol tanseilio trefniadau datganoledig mewn rhan arall o'r DU.