English: It is a challenge, because that's a consistent message that we have to put out to our service users - that that service is available to them. And perhaps we as authorities are duty-bound to be more proactive in terms of the proactive offer. In terms of social care, that active offer is now starting to come into service. And that's something we should be adopting across all our services - if someone contacts us as a council, that we make it clear to them that we are able to deal with that individual through the medium of Welsh. Our own call centre within the council works entirely bilingually, so you don't have to request a Welsh language service; you can start the conversation in Welsh, and it's made known to people via the greeting that a Welsh language service is available. All our materials issued, in terms of letters and so on, are bilingual, so that we can establish the language of choice of that individual, and, once we've established that, we will use that language. And all our materials do note that you're welcome to contact the council through the medium of Welsh if you so choose. And that is practice that will take time to establish itself with people using the council services - we understand that - but that promotion role is there for us to carry out in that. Just in terms of the complaints process - I assume that we're moving on to the complaints process now - the process as it currently stands is not fit for purpose, I would say. At the moment, complaints relating to the Welsh language are treated entirely differently to any other complaints received by the council, and I would argue that complaints related to the Welsh language should go through an internal council process, first of all, and if the complainant isn't content with the response that they receive, then they should be able to go to the commissioner, just as you would do with any other complaint going to the ombudsman. That's the weakness from our perspective at the moment. We receive complaints at the moment through the commissioner. It's a long-drawn-out process: you have to establish a remit related to a complaint and very often the complaint has been resolved before the remit of the inquiry has even been agreed. So, it's a waste of resources for us, if truth be told, because we've dealt with the complaint before the inquiry has even commenced.
Welsh: Mae hi yn her, achos mae honna'n neges gyson y mae'n rhaid i ni gadw rhoi allan i ddefnyddwyr ein gwasanaeth ni - bod y gwasanaeth yno i'w ddefnyddio. Ac efallai bod dyletswydd arnom ni fel awdurdodau i fod yn fwy rhagweithiol o ran y cynnig rhagweithiol. O fewn y maes gofal cymdeithasol, mae'r cynnig rhagweithiol hwn yn dechrau dod mewn i'r elfen o wasanaeth. Dylai hwnna fod yn rhywbeth rŷn ni'n ei fabwysiadu ar draws ein holl wasanaethau ni, mewn gwirionedd - os oes rhywun yn cysylltu â ni fel cyngor, ein bod ni'n ei gwneud hi'n amlwg eu bod nhw'n gallu defnyddio'r gwasanaeth drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Rŷn ni'n gwneud hynny - mae'n canolfan galwadau ni yn y cyngor yn gweithredu yn gwbl ddwyieithog, felly does dim rhaid ichi ofyn am wasanaeth Cymraeg; gallwch chi ddechrau'r sgwrs, ac mae'n cael ei wneud yn hysbys yn y cyfarchiad pan ŷch chi'n aros i gael eich ateb bod gwasanaeth Cymraeg ar gael. Mae'n holl ddeunyddiau ni sy'n mynd allan o safbwynt y cyngor, llythyrau sy'n mynd allan, yn ddwyieithog, er mwyn sefydlu iaith yr unigolyn hwnnw. Unwaith mae'r iaith wedi ei sefydlu, rŷn ni'n mynd mewn i'r iaith honno wedyn. Ac mae'r holl ddeunyddiau gyda ni yn nodi bod croeso ichi gysylltu â'r cyngor drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Mae hwnna'n arfer sy'n mynd i gymryd amser i'w sefydlu gyda'r bobl sy'n defnyddio gwasanaethau'r cyngor - rŷn ni'n deall hynny - ond mae rôl hyrwyddo gyda ni i'w gwneud yn hynny. Jest o ran y broses gwyno - rwy'n cymryd ein bod ni wedi dod ymlaen i'r broses gwynion nawr - nid yw'r broses fel y mae hi'n gweithredu ar hyn o bryd yn addas, bydden i'n ei ddweud. Ar hyn o bryd, mae cwynion sy'n ymwneud â'r Gymraeg yn cael eu trin yn gwbl wahanol i unrhyw gwynion eraill y mae'r cyngor yn eu derbyn a byddwn i'n dadlau bod eisiau i gwynion sy'n ymwneud â'r Gymraeg fynd trwy broses mewnol y cyngor yn gyntaf ac os nad yw'r achwynydd yn hapus gyda'r ymateb maen nhw wedi'i dderbyn, wedyn bydden nhw'n gallu mynd at y comisiynydd. Yr un fath fyddech chi'n ei wneud gydag unrhyw gŵyn arall yn mynd ymlaen at yr ombwdsman. Dyna'r gwendid o'n safbwynt ni ar hyn o bryd. Rŷn ni'n derbyn cwynion ar hyn o bryd trwy'r comisiynydd. Mae'r broses yn hirfaith: rŷch chi'n gorfod sefydlu cylch gorchwyl yn ymwneud â'r gŵyn ac yn aml, mae'r gŵyn wedi cael ei datrys cyn bod y cylch gorchwyl o ran yr ymchwiliad wedi cael ei osod. Felly, mae'n wastraff adnoddau inni, mewn gwirionedd, achos rŷm ni wedi delio gyda'r gŵyn cyn i'r ymchwiliad gychwyn.