English: Thank you very much and thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate in order to discuss the Welsh Language Commissioner's annual report. I would also like to thank the commissioner and her team for their work during the year. This is a report looking back, and, as important as that is, we were eager to move the debate forward. That is why Plaid Cymru tabled a number of amendments to this motion, based specifically on the need for the Government to take action in terms of workforce planning policy. I am very pleased that you are willing to accept those amendments. It is a clear signal of your commitment in this area. If we are to increase the use of the Welsh language as well as the number of Welsh speakers then we do need to take action in a number of different areas, and education will be a core element, if the Government is to achieve its target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. The lack of progress in Welsh-medium education is a cause of increasing concern and is an issue that will have to be taken into account when the Government sets specific targets in order to implement and achieve its strategy. The amendments that we've tabled today relate to workforce planning in order to ensure that provision is available to offer services through the medium of Welsh, including education. Clearly, we will need to significantly increase the number of teachers and early years practitioners as a starting point to achieve that target of a million Welsh speakers, and there are a number of opportunities that do arise in order to do that - for example, extending free childcare to 30 hours, which would provide an opportunity, reforming teacher training and the Donaldson reforms. These are all opportunities for the Welsh language. Other issues that we could look at are financial incentives and extending the sabbatical scheme for teachers. The other report that you mentioned, 'Time to set the standard', by the Welsh Language Commissioner, is another important report, and the commissioner in that report states that institutions need to change gear and to provide public services of a high quality that would enable Welsh speakers to increase their use of the Welsh language in their daily lives. The commissioner does believe that a number of organisations have flatlined in terms of growth in Welsh language services while others have taken significant retrograde steps in providing Welsh language services over the past few years. Indeed, the report that we're discussing today does note that even the Government has failed to implement some aspects of its own Welsh language policies. In May of last year, a statutory inquiry report on the implementation of the Welsh Government's Welsh language scheme was published. The inquiry was held on the basis of doubts that the commissioner had in terms of linguistic requirements in recruiting the new Children's Commissioner for Wales and the consideration given to the Government's Welsh language scheme in revising the original job specification. The commissioner came to the conclusion that the Government had failed to implement two clauses of its own Welsh language scheme as part of that recruitment exercise, and I'm sure that you would agree with me that, if the leadership is to come from Government, then those issues cannot continue to arise. We have discussed the report of the working group on Welsh language and local government, namely 'Language, Work and Bilingual Services', in the Assembly already and some sections of that report do make specific reference to the need for the Government to ensure that there is a statutory duty on local authorities, including in their function as a local education authority, to plan the workforce in terms of linguistic skills and to prepare appropriate training to meet those demands. As you mentioned, we are still awaiting the outcome of the consultation on the recommendations of this working group, but I'm pleased that you have said that this is in the pipeline. Some of the points that Plaid Cymru would want to see the Government taking action on are as follows: we need to provide Welsh language lessons for staff through plans such as Welsh in the workplace; we must include linguistic requirements in recruitment policies; we need to conduct an audit in order to see what the skills gap is, particularly in front-line posts; and we need to plan the workforce in a meaningful way. If the rights of Welsh speakers that are established through the standards are truly to take root, then we must plan the workforce that can provide those services in full. So, this is a report that we welcome, but it does also highlight some of the problems. The problems have been known for some time, and the Government does now need to take action. The information, the policies and the expertise is available in order to achieve success in this area, and the Government must show the desire and the political leadership to implement this. I do know that you, as Minister, are sincere in your commitment to the Welsh language. The small increase in funding for plans to support the Welsh language that has been secured by Plaid Cymru in the budget is a step in the right direction, but in the words of the Welsh Language Commissioner - and I return to what she said - we must see a change of gear. I would add that that has to happen as a matter of urgency. So, I do hope that everyone can support these amendments so that we can concentrate on action. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, a diolch am y cyfle i siarad yn y ddadl yma er mwyn trafod adroddiad blynyddol Comisiynydd y Gymraeg. Hoffwn innau ddiolch i'r comisiynydd â'i thîm am eu gwaith yn ystod y flwyddyn. Adroddiad sy'n edrych yn ôl ydyw hwn, a, phwysiced ydy hynny, roeddem ni'n awyddus i symud y drafodaeth ymlaen. Felly, dyna pam ddaru Plaid Cymru gyhoeddi nifer o welliannau ar gyfer y ddadl yma, yn seiliedig yn benodol ar yr angen i'r Llywodraeth weithredu ym maes polisi cynllunio'r gweithlu. Rwy'n falch iawn eich bod chi yn fodlon derbyn y gwelliannau hynny. Mae'n arwydd clir o'ch ymroddiad chi yn y maes yma. Er mwyn cynyddu'r defnydd o'r iaith Gymraeg, yn ogystal â nifer y siaradwyr, mae'n ofynnol i weithredu nifer o elfennau gwahanol, ac mi fydd addysg yn elfen greiddiol, os ydy'r Llywodraeth am gyflawni ei darged o gael miliwn o siaradwyr erbyn 2050. Mae'r diffyg cynnydd ym maes addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg yn fater o bryder cynyddol, ac yn fater y bydd rhaid ei ystyried pan fydd y Llywodraeth yn gosod targedau penodol er mwyn cyflawni'r strategaeth. Mae'r gwelliannau rydym ni wedi eu cyflwyno heddiw yn ymwneud â chynllunio'r gweithlu er mwyn sicrhau fod y ddarpariaeth ar gael i gynnig gwasanaethau drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, gan gynnwys addysg. Yn amlwg, mi fydd yn rhaid cynyddu'n sylweddol nifer yr athrawon ac ymarferwyr blynyddoedd cynnar fel man cychwyn i gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr. Ac mae yna nifer o gyfleon yn codi yn fuan iawn i wneud hynny - er enghraifft, ymestyn gofal plant am ddim i 30 awr, mae hynny'n cynnig cyfle, a diwygio hyfforddiant athrawon a diwygiadau Donaldson. Mae'r rheini i gyd yn cynnig cyfle i'r Gymraeg. Materion eraill y medrwn ni sbïo arnyn nhw ydy cymhelliant ariannol a hefyd ymestyn y cynllun sabothol i athrawon. Mae'r adroddiad arall yr oeddech wedi sôn amdano fo, 'Amser gosod y safon', gan Gomisiynydd y Gymraeg, yn un pwysig hefyd, ac mae'r comisiynydd yn hwnnw yn dweud bod angen i sefydliadau newid gêr a darparu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus o ansawdd da a fydd yn galluogi siaradwyr Cymraeg i gynyddu eu defnydd o'r iaith yn eu bywydau pob dydd. Mae'r comisiynydd yn credu bod nifer o sefydliadau wedi cyrraedd rhyw fath o fan fflat o ran twf o ran gwasanaethau, tra bod eraill wedi cymryd camau sylweddol yn ôl o ran darparu gwasanaethau Cymraeg yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Yn wir, mae'r adroddiad rydym ni'n ei drafod heddiw yn nodi bod hyd yn oed y Llywodraeth wedi methu â gweithredu rhai elfennau o'i pholisi iaith ei hun. Ym mis Mai y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, cyhoeddwyd adroddiad ymchwiliad statudol i weithrediad cynllun iaith Gymraeg Llywodraeth Cymru. Cynhaliwyd yr ymchwiliad ar sail amheuon y comisiynydd ynghylch gofynion ieithyddol wrth recriwtio Comisiynydd Plant Cymru newydd, a'r ystyriaeth a roddwyd i gynllun iaith Gymraeg y Llywodraeth wrth ddiwygio'r fanyleb swydd wreiddiol. Fe ddaeth y comisiynydd i'r casgliad bod y Llywodraeth wedi methu â gweithredu dau gymal o'i chynllun iaith yn rhan o'r ymarferiad recriwtio, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch chi'n cytuno efo fi, os ydy'r arweiniad i ddod o'r Llywodraeth, fod yn rhaid i bethau felly beidio â digwydd. Rydym ni wedi trafod adroddiad y gweithgor ar yr iaith Gymraeg a llywodraeth leol, sef 'Iaith, Gwaith a Gwasanaethau Dwyieithog' yn y Cynulliad yn barod, ac mae adrannau o'r adroddiad yma'n trafod yn benodol yr angen i'r Llywodraeth sicrhau bod dyletswydd statudol i awdurdodau lleol, gan gynnwys eu swyddogaeth fel awdurdodau addysg lleol, i gynllunio gweithlu o safbwynt sgiliau ieithyddol ac i baratoi hyfforddiant addas i gwrdd â'r anghenion hynny. Fel yr oeddech chi'n sôn, rydym ni'n dal i ddisgwyl canlyniad yr ymgynghoriad ar argymhellion y gweithgor yma, ond rwy'n falch eich bod chi wedi dweud heddiw bod hynny ar ei ffordd. Rhai pwyntiau y buasai Plaid Cymru yn hoffi gweld y Llywodraeth yn gweithredu arnyn nhw ydy'r rhain: mae angen darparu gwersi Cymraeg i staff drwy gynlluniau fel Cymraeg yn y gweithle; mae'n rhaid cynnwys gofynion ieithyddol mewn polisi recriwtio; mae angen cynnal awdit er mwyn gweld beth ydy'r bwlch sgiliau ieithyddol, yn arbennig mewn swyddi rheng-flaen; ac mae angen cynllunio gweithlu pwrpasol. Os ydy hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg sydd wedi eu sefydlu drwy'r safonau am wreiddio, mae'n rhaid cynllunio gweithlu fydd yn gallu darparu'r gwasanaethau hynny yn gyflawn. Felly, adroddiad i ddiolch amdano fo ydy hwn, ond mae'n adroddiad sydd yn tanlinellu'r problemau. Mae'r problemau'n hysbys ers tro, ac mae angen i'r Llywodraeth weithredu rŵan. Mae'r wybodaeth, y polisïau, a'r arbenigedd ar gael er mwyn sicrhau llwyddiant yn y maes yma, ac mae'n rhaid i'r Llywodraeth ddangos yr awydd a'r arweiniad gwleidyddol i'w roi ar waith, ac rwy'n gwybod eich bod chi, fel y Gweinidog, yn ddiffuant yn eich ymroddiad tuag at y Gymraeg. Mae'r cynnydd bychan mewn arian i gynlluniau i gefnogi'r Gymraeg sydd wedi cael ei sicrhau gan Blaid Cymru yn y gyllideb yn gam i'r cyfeiriad iawn, ond yng ngeiriau Comisiynydd y Gymraeg - rwy'n mynd yn ôl at beth y dywedodd hi - rhaid newid gêr, a, buaswn i'n ychwanegu, a hynny ar frys. Felly, gobeithio y bydd pawb yn gallu cefnogi'r gwelliannau hyn er mwyn inni ganolbwyntio ar weithredu. Diolch.