English: I, too, give thanks for this report by the commissioner on the work that has been completed between 2018 and 2019 - a period, as we've already mentioned, that is a transition period between two commissioners, namely Meri Huws, who has finished, and now Aled Roberts, who will be in post until 2026. And I would like to thank both of them very much for being so willing to meet regularly and to give me constant updates about the work of the commissioner's office, across all of its many responsibilities. It is true to say that the period in this report has been a period of uncertainty in terms of the commissioners work. Over the summer of 2017, the Government announced proposals that would have eradicated the post of the Welsh Language Commissioner. It's hard to believe that now, because, thank goodness, 18 months after those proposals were published, there was a u-turn and the plans to introduce a Welsh language Bill were dropped, in the face of opposition from various bodies and organisations, campaigners and experts, and also, of course, in the face of firm and robust evidence that was put forward by almost every witness who appeared before the culture and welsh language committee. And we in Plaid Cymru were also opposed to that intention, because it would have led to a significant weakening of the rights of Welsh speakers. The report does refer to this u-turn that took place and says that now, and I quote, there is certainty for them to continue with their work. We need that assurance. One concern that I have is that there has been a significant decrease in staffing levels in the commissioner's office over the past few years, despite the important function of the commissioner as an independent regulator, responsible for ensuring the rights of Welsh speakers and the general welfare of the language. Funding the commissioner's office directly from the Assembly would be an important step that could be considered, and an important step forward, I believe, from the point of view of giving that financial security, but also to strengthen the independence of the commissioner. The report does say this about the Government u-turn and the decision to continue with the post: 'It also means that the Government is able to proceed with introducing more standards regulations that will enable us to impose standards on other organisations in due course.' The report also says: 'We have already achieved the first stage of the introduction of standards, namely undertaking a standards investigation into the water, energy, transport and social housing sectorsthe processhas been at a standstill.' I have raised this a number of times and I don't apologise for doing so again today. Unfortunately it's clear that the Government doesn't have much of an intention or the will to move this important work forward, despite what is in the legislation. I have mentioned several times that the Government needs to announce and implement a timetable to enable the commissioner to impose standards on all of the remaining sectors in the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, in order to strengthen the rights of Welsh speakers, in order to create Welsh-medium workplaces, and in order to ensure consistency in the legislative framework that organisations adhere to in terms of using the Welsh language. And all this would maintain the momentum of the standards regime at a time when we are all craving the achievement of that aim of a million Welsh speakers. So, I'll ask the Minister again to announce that timetable, but I'm not confident that I'll have a positive response. And I have to say that the failure of the Welsh Government to announce and implement a timetable for expanding linguistic rights, in the age of Brexit and all the threats facing the Welsh language, is a cause of great disappointment. One area that is very weak in terms of providing basic Welsh-medium services is the rail services in Wales. I wonder whether we can have clarity this afternoon about the duties of KeolisAmey and Transport for Wales with regard to the language and what discussions are taking place with those bodies. Finally, I turn to an area that is part of the commissioner's responsibilities. We've talked about it already, namely holding statutory investigations into complaints. Now, I note that there's been a significant decline in inquiries and investigations and you've explained a little why that is, but this Assembly hasn't agreed to any changes to the legislation with regard to the complaints regime. And I've just received a copy of a letter that was sent by the Minister to the Welsh Language Commissioner, on 4 September this year, congratulating him for succeeding in decreasing the number of investigations undertaken. Now, I very much hope that that doesn't mean that there is a connection made between the decrease and the number of investigations and the changes to the budget for the commissioner. Could you also explain how is it appropriate for a Government to make a specific effort to influence an independent regulator in this way? Thank you.
Welsh: Dwi hefyd yn diolch yn fawr iawn am yr adroddiad yma gan y comisiynydd ar y gwaith sydd wedi'i gwblhau rhwng 2018 a 2019 - cyfnod sydd, fel rydyn ni wedi sôn yn barod, yn pontio cyfnod dau gomisiynydd, sef Meri Huws, sydd wedi gorffen ei thymor erbyn hyn, ac Aled Roberts, y comisiynydd hyd 2026. A hoffwn innau hefyd ddiolch yn fawr iawn i'r ddau ohonyn nhw am fod mor barod i gyfarfod yn rheolaidd ac i fy niweddaru'n gyson am waith swyddfa'r comisiynydd ar draws ei hamryfal gyfrifoldebau. Mae'n wir i ddweud bod y cyfnod sydd dan sylw'r adroddiad yma wedi bod yn gyfnod o gryn ansicrwydd i waith y comisiynydd. Yn ystod haf 2017, fe gyhoeddodd y Llywodraeth gynigion a fyddai wedi arwain at ddileu swydd Comisiynydd y Gymraeg. Mae'n anodd credu hynny erbyn hyn, oherwydd, diolch byth, 18 mis ers i'r cynigion yna gael eu cyhoeddi, fe gafwyd tro pedol ac fe roddwyd y gorau i'r cynllun i gyflwyno Bil y Gymraeg, yn wyneb gwrthwynebiad gan wahanol sefydliadau, mudiadau, ymgyrchwyr ac arbenigwyr, a hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn wyneb tystiolaeth gadarn gafodd ei gyflwyno gan bron bob tyst fu gerbron y pwyllgor diwylliant a'r Gymraeg. Mi oeddem ni ym Mhlaid Cymru hefyd yn gwrthwynebu'r bwriad, oherwydd mi fyddai o wedi arwain at wanio sylweddol ar hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg. Mae'r adroddiad yn cyfeirio at y tro pedol yma a ddigwyddodd ac yn dweud bod bellach, a dwi'n dyfynnu, sicrwydd iddyn nhw barhau â'u gwaith. Mae angen y sicrwydd hynny. Un pryder sydd gen i ydy bod yna leihad sylweddol wedi bod yn lefelau staffio swyddfa'r comisiynydd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, er gwaethaf swyddogaeth bwysig y comisiynydd fel rheoleiddiwr annibynnol sy'n gyfrifol am sicrhau hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg a lles cyffredinol yr iaith. Mi fyddai ariannu swyddfa'r comisiynydd yn uniongyrchol gan y Cynulliad yn gam pwysig y gellid ei ystyried, ac yn gam pwysig ymlaen, dwi'n credu, o safbwynt rhoi sicrwydd ariannol, ond hefyd er mwyn cryfhau annibyniaeth y comisiynydd. Mae'r adroddiad yn dweud hyn am dro pedol y Llywodraeth a'r penderfyniad i barhau efo'r swydd: 'Mae'n golygu hefyd bod modd i'r Llywodraeth fwrw ymlaen i gyflwyno mwy o reoliadau safonau fydd yn ein galluogi ni i osod safonau ar sefydliadau eraill maes o law.' Ac mae'r adroddiad hefyd yn dweud: 'Rydyn ni eisoes wedi cyflawni'r cam cyntaf o gyflwyno safonau, sef cynnal ymchwiliad safonau i'r sectorau dŵr, ynni, trafnidiaeth a thai cymdeithasolbu'r brosesar stop.' Dwi wedi codi hwn nifer o weithiau, a dwi ddim yn ymddiheuro am ei godi fo eto. Yn anffodus, mae'n amlwg nad oes gan y Llywodraeth lawer o fwriad, nag yn wir ewyllys, i symud y gwaith pwysig yma ymlaen, er gwaethaf beth sydd yn y ddeddfwriaeth. Dwi wedi sôn droeon fod angen i'r Llywodraeth gyhoeddi a gweithredu amserlen i ganiatáu i'r comisiynydd osod safonau ar yr holl sectorau sy'n weddill ym Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011, a hyn er mwyn cryfhau hawliau siaradwyr, er mwyn creu mannau gwaith cyfrwng Cymraeg, ac er mwyn sicrhau cysondeb yn y fframwaith deddfwriaethol y mae cyrff yn gweithio oddi mewn iddo o ran defnyddio'r Gymraeg. A hyn oll er mwyn cynnal momentwm y gyfundrefn safonau mewn cyfnod lle rydyn ni i gyd yn deisyfu cyrraedd at y nod o filiwn o siaradwyr. Felly, fe wnaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog unwaith eto i gyhoeddi'r amserlen, ond dwi ddim yn hyderus y caf i ateb. Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, mae methiant Llywodraeth Cymru i gyhoeddi a gweithredu amserlen ar gyfer ehangu hawliau ieithyddol, yn oes Brexit a'r holl fygythiadau sydd yn wynebu'r Gymraeg, yn fater siomedig tu hwnt. Un maes sy'n wan iawn o ran darparu gwasanaethau Cymraeg sylfaenol ydy'r gwasanaethau rheilffordd yng Nghymru. A tybed a fedrwn ni gael eglurdeb y prynhawn yma ynglŷn â dyletswyddau iaith KeolisAmey a Thrafnidiaeth Cymru a pha drafodaethau sydd yn digwydd efo'r cyrff hynny. Ac yn olaf dwi'n troi at faes sy'n rhan o gyfrifoldebau'r comisiynydd. Rydyn ni wedi sôn amdano fo'n fras yn barod, sef cynnal ymchwiliadau statudol i gwynion. Rŵan, dwi'n sylwi bod yna gwymp sylweddol wedi bod mewn ymchwiliadau, ac rydych chi wedi esbonio rhywfaint ar hynny. Ond dydy'r Cynulliad yma ddim wedi cytuno i unrhyw newidiadau i'r ddeddfwriaeth sydd yn ymwneud â'r gyfundrefn gwynion statudol. A dwi newydd dderbyn copi o lythyr yr anfonodd y Gweinidog at Gomisiynydd y Gymraeg, ar 4 Medi eleni, yn ei longyfarch o ar lwyddo i ostwng nifer yr ymchwiliadau. Rŵan, dwi'n mawr obeithio nad ydy hynny ddim yn golygu bod yna gysylltiad rhwng y gostyngiad yn yr ymchwiliadau a newidiadau i gyllideb y comisiynydd. Hefyd, fedrwch chi esbonio sut mae hi'n briodol i Lywodraeth wneud ymdrech benodol i ddylanwadu ar reoleiddiwr annibynnol yn y fath fodd? Diolch.