English: I actually think that the Welsh Government has moved in a considerable direction over the years in order to deliver that, and I have to say, I think the Welsh Government does have, at the moment, in place significant support structures that are delivering for veterans and their families as well as serving personnel. I think there are things that the Government can do to improve its delivery and its performance, but I also think that we should recognise where the Government has got things right, and sometimes in our remarks, we don't always do that. I hope that, this afternoon, we will again be able to reach that same point of agreement across the Chamber. Can I say I listened, smiling, listening to Mark quoting his own speeches and actually some of mine, back from the years? Because I was the Minister, of course, who rejected the proposal from Darren Millar and the cross-party group on establishing a commission, and I did it for very good reasons, and I'll outline some of those perhaps this afternoon. The focus for me and the focus for everybody within the armed forces community in its widest sense has always been on the delivery of services and the delivery of services to people in need. Darren Millar and I, as chair and vice-chair of the cross-party group, work together to ensure that the Welsh Government continue supporting the armed forces liaison officers located in local government and accountable within local communities to ensure that services were delivered. And I was glad to see the Welsh Government, last year, delivering continued funding for that to the WLGA, so that those liaison officers can continue to work with local services, local veterans and the local armed forces community to ensure that the services are delivered in the way that they should be, and I very much welcome that. I will welcome the appointment of the commissioner, but I don't think this is the right role; I'll be absolutely clear with Members on that. Some Members will be familiar with my contributions on other matters. I'm not convinced that the model of appointed commissioners is particularly good for democracy. I think that this place and the committees of this place have done more to hold Ministers and others to account in terms of children's services and services for older people than either of those two commissioners over the years, if I'm quite clear with Members. There is nothing to prevent a committee of this place undertaking a review and an investigation into the delivery of services to the armed forces community or for the armed forces community. So, the democracy is there and in place, and can work, and, I believe, does work. I don't believe that appointing a commissioner accountable to a Government is the way that you increase accountability. Government should be accountable to us and not the other way round. You don't create accountability by appointing somebody to hold you to account. That's not how democracy or accountability work and certainly it's not what I would ever support. I believe that accountability should happen here. It should happen here in this place, with those of us who are elected holding Ministers and others to account for the delivery of services. That's the democratic model. It's one I support and agree with. And I have to say that, as we move forward with these matters, I think we do continue to have a very profoundly important agenda ahead of us and I pay tribute to the work of Darren Millar on these matters; he's been a little terrier, working away, leading the cross-party group, and he's ensured that these matters are constantly on the agenda of this place and of Ministers. He certainly kept chasing me when I was in Government and I appreciated and valued the work that he did. So, I believe that we need to continue to debate these subjects. I would be interested, Minister, in your response, if you could outline how you will continue to report to us on those issues that you believe are the priorities for the delivery of services, and I hope that we will be able to invite you, Minister, again to the cross-party group where we continue to have those conversations. And I hope too that a committee of the Senedd will begin, as we go through the work of this Senedd, to ensure that Ministers here, and others, are held to account for the delivery of services that are delivered to veterans and the whole of the armed forces community in Wales.
Welsh: A dweud y gwir, credaf fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud cryn dipyn dros y blynyddoedd i gyflawni hynny, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, credaf fod gan Lywodraeth Cymru strwythurau cymorth pwysig ar waith ar hyn o bryd sy'n cyflawni ar ran cyn-filwyr a'u teuluoedd yn ogystal â phersonél sy'n gwasanaethu. Credaf fod pethau y gall y Llywodraeth eu gwneud i wella ei darpariaeth a'i pherfformiad, ond credaf hefyd y dylem gydnabod lle mae'r Llywodraeth wedi gwneud pethau'n iawn, ac weithiau yn ein sylwadau, nid ydym bob amser yn gwneud hynny. Y prynhawn yma, rwy'n gobeithio unwaith eto y gallwn gyrraedd man lle y gallwn gytuno ar draws y Siambr. A gaf fi ddweud imi wrando, gan wenu, wrth wrando ar Mark yn dyfynnu ei areithiau ei hun, a rhai o fy areithiau innau mewn gwirionedd, o'r blynyddoedd a fu? Oherwydd fi oedd y Gweinidog, wrth gwrs, a wrthododd y cynnig gan Darren Millar a'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar sefydlu comisiwn, a gwneuthum hynny am resymau da iawn, ac fe amlinellaf rai o'r rheini y prynhawn yma o bosibl. Mae'r ffocws i mi a'r ffocws i bawb sy'n rhan o gymuned y lluoedd arfog yn ei ystyr ehangaf bob amser wedi bod ar ddarparu gwasanaethau, a darparu gwasanaethau i bobl mewn angen. Mae Darren Millar a minnau, fel cadeirydd ac is-gadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol, yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i sicrhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i gefnogi swyddogion cyswllt y lluoedd arfog sydd wedi'u lleoli mewn llywodraeth leol ac sy'n atebol yn y cymunedau lleol i sicrhau bod gwasanaethau'n cael eu darparu. Ac roeddwn yn falch o weld Llywodraeth Cymru, y llynedd, yn darparu cyllid parhaus ar gyfer hynny i CLlLC, fel y gall y swyddogion cyswllt hynny barhau i weithio gyda gwasanaethau lleol, cyn-filwyr lleol a chymunedau lleol y lluoedd arfog i sicrhau bod y gwasanaethau'n cael eu darparu yn y ffordd y dylent gael eu darparu, ac rwy'n croesawu hynny'n fawr. Fe wnaf groesawu penodiad y comisiynydd, ond ni chredaf mai dyma'r rôl gywir; dywedaf hynny'n gwbl glir wrth yr Aelodau. Bydd rhai o'r Aelodau'n gyfarwydd â fy nghyfraniadau ar faterion eraill. Nid wyf yn argyhoeddedig fod y model o benodi comisiynwyr yn arbennig o dda i ddemocratiaeth. Credaf fod y lle hwn a phwyllgorau'r lle hwn wedi gwneud mwy i ddwyn Gweinidogion ac eraill i gyfrif mewn gwasanaethau plant a gwasanaethau i bobl hŷn na'r ddau gomisiynydd dros y blynyddoedd, a dweud y gwir yn blaen wrth yr Aelodau. Nid oes unrhyw beth i atal un o bwyllgorau'r lle hwn rhag cynnal adolygiad ac ymchwiliad i'r modd y darperir gwasanaethau i gymuned y lluoedd arfog nac ar gyfer cymuned y lluoedd arfog. Felly, mae'r ddemocratiaeth yno ac ar waith, ac fe all weithio, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n gweithio. Nid wyf yn credu mai penodi comisiynydd sy'n atebol i Lywodraeth yw'r ffordd i gynyddu atebolrwydd. Dylai'r Llywodraeth fod yn atebol i ni ac nid y ffordd arall. Nid ydych yn creu atebolrwydd drwy benodi rhywun i'ch dwyn chi i gyfrif. Nid dyna sut y mae democratiaeth neu atebolrwydd yn gweithio ac yn sicr, nid dyna'r hyn y byddwn i'n ei gefnogi. Credaf y dylai atebolrwydd ddigwydd yma. Dylai ddigwydd yma yn y lle hwn, gyda'r rheini ohonom sy'n cael ein hethol yn dwyn Gweinidogion ac eraill i gyfrif am y modd y darperir gwasanaethau. Dyna'r model democrataidd. Mae'n un rwy'n ei gefnogi ac yn cytuno ag ef. Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, wrth inni fwrw ymlaen â'r materion hyn, credaf fod gennym agenda hynod bwysig o'n blaenau o hyd ac rwy'n talu teyrnged i waith Darren Millar ar y materion hyn; mae wedi bod wrthi fel daeargi bach, yn gweithio'n ddygn ac yn arwain y grŵp trawsbleidiol, ac mae wedi sicrhau bod y materion hyn ar agenda'r lle hwn a'r Gweinidogion yn gyson. Yn sicr, roedd ar fy ôl yn gyson pan oeddwn i yn y Llywodraeth, ac roeddwn yn gwerthfawrogi'r gwaith a wnâi. Felly, credaf fod angen inni barhau i drafod y pynciau hyn. Weinidog, yn eich ymateb, hoffwn pe gallech amlinellu sut y byddwch yn parhau i adrodd i ni ar y materion y credwch eu bod yn flaenoriaethau ar gyfer darparu gwasanaethau, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gallwn eich gwahodd unwaith eto, Weinidog, i'r grŵp trawsbleidiol lle'r ydym yn parhau i gael y sgyrsiau hynny. Ac wrth inni fynd drwy waith y Senedd hon, rwy'n gobeithio hefyd y bydd pwyllgor Senedd yn dechrau, i sicrhau bod Gweinidogion yma, ac eraill, yn cael eu dwyn i gyfrif am ddarparu'r gwasanaethau a ddarperir i gyn-filwyr a chymuned gyfan y lluoedd arfog yng Nghymru.