English: Okay. Thank you for your welcome. I'm not sure whether I've ever had such a build-up before appearing before this committee, given the previous witness's comments. [ Laughter.] Right, in looking back to the 1993 legislation and what that legislation did, I think we have to recognise the importance of the 1993 Act. It was substantial - a piece of Westminster legislation that placed responsibilities on public bodies in Wales to provide services through the medium of Welsh through the language schemes. Simultaneously, the Welsh Language Board was established - and I should declare an interest: I was a member of the first Welsh Language Board in 1993, chaired by Dafydd Elis-Thomas - and that body was created in order to do two things, essentially, in terms of language planning: to approve the language schemes and to deal with complaints. The board could not enforce, monitor or regulate, and over the years that became a clear weakness. The board couldn't deal with failings in relation to language schemes, so if they did exist, and there was no compliance with those language schemes, then it was very difficult for the Welsh Language Board to intervene in any way that would generate change. And that, I think, was one of the main factors driving the demand for legislation by 2008-9, which led to the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. One other thing that I think we forget is that the 1993 legislation didn't give official status to the Welsh language. There was recognition of equality, but there wasn't a clear declaration as to the official status of the language. And I do think that the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 dealt with that issue too. What's happened with the Welsh language Measure, therefore, is the establishment of the Welsh Language Commissioner as a corporation sole, which has powers, once standards are created through regulations, to impose those standards on public bodies, to deal with complaints, to monitor compliance, and - I don't like the term, but I'll use it - to enforce compliance, to ensure that public bodies do operate within standards. I do believe, as we've stated in the evidence provided to you, we have seen progress. We have, after a relatively short period of time - and it is a short period of time since the implementation of the Measure - we have seen a change on the ground in terms of the availability of services and the consistency of those services, because I think that's important too. Every language scheme was unique to the body, therefore at one time I think there were some 550 different Welsh language schemes in existence in Wales. Well, as a service user, I would have to read 550 language schemes before I knew what services I could expect from a particular body. It has created the role of commissioner as the individual with responsibility for regulation. It has generated change, and what it's also done is to create an element of consistency across organisations. And one other thing - and I'm sure we'll return to discuss what's happened since the introduction of the Measure - the Measure imposes standards on sectors, and to remind you: local authorities, the Welsh Government, the national parks, Welsh police forces, emergency services, further education colleges in Wales, universities in Wales, tribunals in Wales, and thank goodness, now health bodies in Wales are all operating under standards. One of the benefits of sectoral standards is that bodies can work together, they can share good practice, and they can come to a joint understanding of the demand that they need to meet, and we've certainly seen that happening with - . One thing that struck me is the police forces, where they do collaborate as Welsh police forces to attain those standards. I will conclude there, but I do think that the 2011 legislation, the Welsh language Measure, does deal with the weaknesses highlighted in the 1993 Act. The 1993 Act was important and 2011 is a step forward, and that's what we should be doing through legislation - taking steps forward.
Welsh: Ocê. Diolch yn fawr am y croeso. Nid wyf yn siŵr iawn fy mod i wedi cael gymaint o build-up erioed cyn ymddangos o flaen pwyllgor gan y rhagflaenydd a oedd yn rhoi tystiolaeth. [ Chwerthin.] Reit, o edrych yn ôl i ddeddfwriaeth 1993 a'r hyn yr oedd 1993 yn ei wneud, rydw i'n credu bod angen inni gydnabod pwysigrwydd deddfwriaeth 1993. Roedd hi'n sylweddol bwysig - darn o ddeddfwriaeth San Steffan a oedd yn rhoi cyfrifoldebau ar gyrff cyhoeddus yng Nghymru i gynnig gwasanaethau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg trwy gynlluniau iaith. Ar yr un pryd, sefydlwyd Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg - mi ddylwn i ddatgan diddordeb: mi oeddwn i'n aelod o'r Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg cyntaf yn 1993, o dan gadeiryddiaeth Dafydd Elis-Thomas - a'r corff yna'n cael ei sefydlu er mwyn gwneud dau beth, yn y bôn, o ran cynllunio iaith: cymeradwyo'r cynlluniau iaith a chytuno ar y cynlluniau iaith, a delio â chwynion. Nid oedd y bwrdd yn gallu rheoleiddio, gorfodi a monitro, a thros y blynyddoedd mi ddaeth hynny'n wendid amlwg. Nid oedd modd delio â methiannau o ran cynlluniau iaith. So, os oedden nhw'n bodoli a bod yna ddim cydymffurfiaeth â'r cynlluniau iaith yna, roedd yn anodd iawn, iawn i Fwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ymyrryd mewn unrhyw ffordd a oedd yn creu newid. A dyna, rydw i'n credu, oedd un o'r prif ffactorau a oedd yn gyrru y galw am ddeddfwriaeth erbyn 2008-9, a wnaeth arwain at Fesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011. Un peth arall: rydw i'n credu ein bod ni'n anghofio nad oedd deddfwriaeth 1993 yn rhoi statws swyddogol i'r iaith Gymraeg. Mi oedd yna gydnabyddiaeth o gyfartaledd, ond nid oedd yna ddatganiad clir ynglŷn â statws swyddogol. Ac rydw i yn credu bod Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011 yn delio â hynny hefyd. Beth sydd wedi digwydd gyda Mesur y Gymraeg, felly, yw sefydlu Comisiynydd y Gymraeg, yn gorfforaeth un dyn, neu'n gorfforaeth un person, sydd â phwerau, wedi i safonau gael eu gosod trwy reoliadau, i osod y safonau hynny ar gyrff cyhoeddus, i ddelio â chwynion, i fonitro cydymffurfiaeth, ac - nid wyf i'n licio'r gair, ond mi wnaf i ei ddefnyddio fe - i orfodi cydymffurfiaeth, i sicrhau bod cyrff cyhoeddus yn gweithredu o fewn y safonau. Rydw i yn credu, fel rydym wedi'i ddweud yn y dystiolaeth, ein bod wedi gweld cynnydd. Ar ôl cyfnod byr o amser - ac mae yn gyfnod byr o amser gyda gweithredu deddfwriaeth - rydym wedi gweld newid ar lawr gwlad o ran argaeledd gwasanaethau a chysondeb gwasanaethau, achos rydw i'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig hefyd. Mi oedd pob cynllun iaith yn unigryw i'r corff. Felly, ar un adeg, rydw i'n credu bod rhywbeth fel 550 o gynlluniau iaith gwahanol yn bodoli yng Nghymru. Wel, fel defnyddiwr gwasanaethau, roedd angen i fi fynd i ddarllen 550 o gynlluniau iaith cyn fy mod i'n gwybod pa wasanaeth y gallwn i ddisgwyl oddi wrth gorff arbennig. Mae e wedi creu y comisiynydd fel y person sy'n gallu rheoleiddio. Mae e wedi creu newid, a beth mae e wedi ei wneud hefyd yw creu elfen o gysondeb ar draws sefydliadau. Ac un peth arall - ac rydw i'n siŵr y down ni nôl i drafod eto beth sydd wedi digwydd oddi ar gyflwyno'r Mesur - mae'r Mesur yn gosod safonau ar sectorau, ac i'ch atgoffa chi: awdurdodau lleol, Llywodraeth Cymru, parciau cenedlaethol, heddluoedd Cymru, gwasanaethau brys Cymru, colegau addysg bellach Cymru, prifysgolion Cymru, tribiwnlysoedd Cymru, a diolch byth, erbyn hyn mae cyrff iechyd Cymru yn gweithredu o dan y safonau. Un o fanteision safonau sectorol yw bod cyrff yn gallu gweithio gyda'i gilydd, rhannu arfer da, a deall, ar y cyd, beth yw'r galw yma sydd ei angen arnom ni. Rŷm ni'n sicr wedi gweld hynny gyda - un sydd wedi fy nharo i yw heddluoedd, lle maen nhw'n cydweithio fel heddluoedd yng Nghymru i gyrraedd y safonau. Fe wnaf i orffen yn fanna, ond rydw i yn credu bod deddfwriaeth 2011, Mesur y Gymraeg, yn delio â'r gwendidau a amlygwyd gan Ddeddf 1993. Roedd Deddf 1993 yn bwysig ac mae 2011 yn gam ymlaen, a dyna y dylem ni fod yn ei wneud gyda deddfwriaeth - camu ymlaen.