English: The Welsh Language Act of 1993 was the legislation in force, of course. It was legislation created by the Conservative Government in London, which created the Welsh Language Board, and the Welsh Language Board, among its various activities, created Welsh language schemes for organisations and bodies in Wales. I do think it's fair to say that the 1993 Act was a step forward, and that the language schemes themselves had been a step forward, but there were weaknesses in that regime. There was no way of enforcing the language schemes. They were voluntary schemes, between an organisation and the Welsh Language Board. Every scheme was unique, so it wasn't possible for the public to know what their rights were without reading every scheme, and clearly that wasn't going to happen. Within sectors, of course, there were differences between various organisations although they were working in the same areas. So it appeared to us that we needed to legislate anew and to create a champion for the Welsh language, and that was the role of the commissioner. That was in the Plaid Cymru manifesto in 2007, and then, when the One Wales Government was created, it was part of the new Government's work programme. The intention, therefore, was to have consistency within the sectors, to expand the remit of the legislation and to create a commissioner, as I said, so that we could enforce those standards once they were in place - or once those schemes were in place. The wider purpose was to normalise the use of the Welsh language - that term was used very frequently during that decade. It was normalising the use of the Welsh language, as has happened in an institution such as this one, for example, and to make it an integral, natural part of the activities of various bodies. Of course, there were challenges in relation to this process, because, at the time - as I'm sure many of you will well remember - we had to draw the powers down from Westminster, and that was an extremely difficult and long, drawn-out process. There was some opposition. People were eager to restrict the powers that the Assembly would have, and there was great debate in Westminster at the time, among the party of Government at that time, about that issue. There was some clear opposition and I heard people saying that the intention was to slow the process so that we couldn't legislate; there would be no time. And we only just managed to get that legislation through at the beginning of 2011. I should say, therefore, that one criticism of the Measure is that the process of creating standards is long, drawn out and complex, but the reason for that is that there are many checks and balances within the process. I think the term in the Measure is that everything has to be fair and proportionate - I think those are the words - and that reflected the concern that we may impose unreasonable requirements on bodies in Wales.
Welsh: Wel, Deddf yr Iaith Gymraeg 1993 oedd yr un mewn grym, wrth gwrs - Deddf a gafodd ei chreu gan y Llywodraeth Geidwadol yn Llundain, ac a greodd Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg, a ddaru bwrdd yr iaith, wrth gwrs, ymhlith ei wahanol weithgareddau, greu cynlluniau iaith ar gyfer cyrff yng Nghymru. Rydw i'n meddwl ei bod hi'n deg dweud bod Deddf 1993 yn gam ymlaen, a bod y cynlluniau iaith eu hunain wedi bod yn gam ymlaen, ond mi oedd yna wendidau yn y drefn. Nid oedd modd gorfodi'r cynlluniau iaith. Roedden nhw'n gynlluniau gwirfoddol rhwng corff a bwrdd yr iaith. Mi oedd pob cynllun yn unigryw. Felly, nid oedd hi'n bosibl i'r cyhoedd wybod beth oedd eu hawliau nhw heb ddarllen pob un cynllun - a oedd yn amlwg ddim yn mynd i ddigwydd. Ac o fewn sectorau, wrth gwrs, mi oedd yna wahaniaethau rhwng gwahanol gyrff er eu bod nhw'n gweithredu, efallai, yn yr un un maes. Felly, roedd hi'n ymddangos i ni fod angen deddfu o'r newydd, a chreu pencampwr yr iaith, a dyna oedd rôl y comisiynydd. Roedd hynny ym maniffesto Plaid Cymru yn 2007, ac wedyn, pan luniwyd Llywodraeth Cymru'n Un, fe oedd o'n rhan, wedyn, o raglen waith y Llywodraeth newydd. Mae'n debyg mai'r bwriad, felly, oedd cael cysondeb o fewn sectorau, ehangu meysydd dylanwad y Ddeddf a chreu comisiynydd, fel yr oeddwn i'n ei ddweud, fel y byddem ni'n gallu gorfodi'r safonau hynny unwaith yr oedden nhw yn eu lle - neu'r cynlluniau hynny pan fyddan nhw yn eu lle. Mae'n debyg mai'r pwrpas ehangach oedd normaleiddio'r Gymraeg - y term yna a oedd yn cael ei ddefnyddio'n aml iawn yn y degawd hwnnw - normaleiddio'r defnydd o'r Gymraeg: yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd, er enghraifft, mewn sefydliad fel hwn a'i gwneud yn rhan naturiol o weithgaredd gwahanol gyrff. Wrth gwrs, mi oedd yna heriau ynglŷn â'r broses yma, achos ar y pryd - fel rydych chi'n cofio'n dda iawn, rhai ohonoch chi - mi oedd yn rhaid cael y pwerau i lawr o San Steffan, ac mi oedd honno'n broses anodd iawn a hirfaith iawn. Mi oedd yna wrthwynebiad. Mi oedd pobl yn awyddus i gyfyngu ar y pwerau y byddai'r Cynulliad yn eu derbyn, ac felly mi oedd yna ddadlau mawr yn San Steffan ar y pryd, ymhlith y blaid a oedd yn llywodraethu ar y pryd, ynglŷn â hynny. Roedd yna wrthwynebiad clir a chlywais i bobl yn dweud mai'r bwriad oedd arafu'r broses fel na fyddem ni ddim yn gallu deddfu yma; fyddai yna ddim amser. A dim ond cael y Ddeddf i mewn ddaru ni ar ddechrau 2011. Mi ddylwn i ddweud, felly, mai un feirniadaeth ar y Ddeddf wrth gwrs ydy bod y broses o greu safonau'n un hirwyntog ac efallai'n gymhleth, ond y rheswm am hynny ydy bod yna lot o checks and balances o fewn y broses. Rydw i'n meddwl mai'r term yn y Ddeddf ydy bod rhaid i bopeth fod yn deg ac yn rhesymol, os ydw i'n cofio'n iawn, felly roedd hwnnw'n adlewyrchu'r pryder y byddem ni'n gosod gofynion afresymol ar gyrff yng Nghymru.