My response to Huw Lewis's child poverty short debate

Bethan Jenkins: Thank you for introducing this short debate today. It is important that we keep this on the political agenda. I would also like to recognise some of the points that you made in terms of creating a progressive alliance across Government layers and ensuring that tackling child poverty is the settled will of the Welsh people.

To pick up on a few comments, you mentioned that some Members would abdicate responsibility to Westminster. I agree that Wales has to show leadership in this instance, and I think that we are doing so in terms of the new policies that have come to light from the Government. I also think that we have to work in co-ordination with Westminster; that is the key—to work with Westminster, not against it. That can only be done through a progressive alliance to make sure that the benefits and taxation systems benefit our young people, but that they also work in a cross-cutting way with what we are doing in Wales. That can only be positive.

I look forward to your work as part of the expert group. I had a discussion, this morning, with Brian Gibbons, the Minister with responsibility for this area, and note that there is broad scope for that new group to scrutinise Government policies and to offer new ideas. I am excited about that group and I hope that you are too, and that you can work with us here, at the Assembly, to ensure that child poverty will not fall beneath the radar and will be at the forefront of the political agenda in Wales.

Bethan Jenkins: Diolch am gyflwyno’r ddadl fer hon heddiw. Mae’n bwysig ein bod yn cadw hyn ar yr agenda wleidyddol. Hoffwn hefyd gydnabod rhai o’r pwyntiau a wnaethoch o ran creu cynghrair flaengar drwy wahanol haenau Llywodraeth a sicrhau bod ymdrin â thlodi plant yn ewyllys gadarn ymhlith pobl Cymru.

Gan gyfeirio at rai o’r sylwadau, dywedasoch y byddai rhai Aelodau’n ildio’r cyfrifoldeb i San Steffan. Cytunaf fod yn rhaid i Gymru ddangos arweiniad y tro hwn, a chredaf ein bod yn gwneud hynny ac ystyried y polisïau newydd sydd wedi’u cyflwyno gan y Llywodraeth. Credaf hefyd ei bod yn rhaid inni gydweithio â San Steffan; dyna’r peth pwysig—gweithio gyda San Steffan, nid yn eu herbyn. Er mwyn gallu gwneud hyn, mae’n rhaid cael cynghrair flaengar i sicrhau bod y systemau budd-daliadau a’r systemau trethu o fudd i’n pobl ifanc, ond mae’n rhaid i hynny hefyd gyd-fynd â’r hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud yng Nghymru. Mae hynny’n beth cadarnhaol, bid siŵr.

Edrychaf ymlaen at eich gwaith yn rhan o’r grŵp arbenigwyr. Cefais drafodaeth y bore yma gyda Brian Gibbons, y Gweinidog sy’n gyfrifol am y maes hwn, a sylwaf fod gwir gyfle i’r grŵp newydd graffu ar bolisïau’r Llywodraeth a chynnig syniadau newydd. Teimlaf yn llawn cyffro am y grŵp a gobeithiaf eich bod chithau’n teimlo’r un fath, ac y gallwch weithio gyda ni yma yn y Cynulliad i sicrhau na fydd tlodi plant yn diflannu o’n meddyliau, ac y bydd ar frig yr agenda wleidyddol yng Nghymru.

link to Huw Lewis's debate