English: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. These regulations are clearly a very important part of the Welsh language standards system introduced by the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. The Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee agreed that it was important that the regulations should be scrutinised as carefully as possible, with an opportunity for stakeholders to submit written evidence and for the committee to hear oral evidence. In the extremely limited time available, the committee was able to invite and receive a range of written evidence, and also to question some of that evidence in a public meeting of the committee. I'd like to put on record the committee's thanks to all those who took part in our consultation and who provided oral evidence at very short notice. The committee also received a private technical briefing from Welsh Government officials in March, and I'd also like to put on record the committee's thanks to those officials. All of the evidence we received is attached to our report or is published in the transcript of our meeting on 14 March. Turning to the committee's conclusions and time available for scrutiny: well, we had just 21 days on this occasion from the regulations being laid before the Assembly until this debate. While this has allowed us to carry out a very basic written consultation and to arrange some oral evidence sessions, it's only barely sufficient to properly scrutinise regulations as significant as these. For example, there were only five working days available to receive written responses, and only 10 working days between the laying of the regulations and the final date for the committee to consider them. As a result of the requirements of Standing Orders and committee briefings, the time genuinely available was even more restricted. It doesn't appear that there's any specific reason why this debate couldn't have been held later on to allow time for more comprehensive scrutiny. Even though this could have caused some delay in terms of the preparatory work on implementing the regulations, it would have allowed our committee to consider this issue in more detail. So, the committee would be pleased if the Government could allow more time to scrutinise the regulations in future. This could be achieved easily by making it clear in the explanatory memorandum that it will not be seeking approval in terms of regulations until a period greater than the minimum of 20 days has elapsed. Forty days would allow reasonable committee scrutiny - including by other committees with an interest - while not holding up work unduly in terms of implementation. The committee agreed that it has taken too long to bring these regulations before the Assembly - some three years from start to finish. We agreed that there is now a pressing need to put in place robust Welsh language standards for the health service. And, we heard no evidence that standards are not needed to move Welsh language provision in the health service forward. However, the committee did hear considerable concerns about aspects of the regulations. In many ways, the health service is the most important public service that most people will use. Perhaps the greatest concern we heard was the lack of any right to receive face-to-face clinical healthcare services in Welsh. Of course, for practical reasons, a right to receive these services cannot be absolute. But, the importance of language in diagnosis and care is very clear. Also, the right to receive a service in your language of choice should be an established principle in the public sector in Wales, even if there are occasions when practicalities temper what can be provided. The idea that this basic principle should not also apply to the health service is, in our view, unacceptable. So, we want the Government to consider bringing forward, as soon as practicable, additional regulations to establish clearer rights to receive face-to-face healthcare services in Welsh. Primary care services are the ones most often used by the public, and the other major area of concern about the regulations is that they do not apply for the most part to primary care service providers. Again, the committee recognises the practicalities, but the absence of any standards at all for independent primary care providers is a clear weakness, in our view. We are not convinced that it is unreasonable to place duties on local health boards to pursue compliance with standards by independent primary care providers. [ Interruption.] I think this a statement.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Mae'r rheoliadau hyn yn amlwg yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r system safonau iaith Gymraeg a gyflwynwyd gan Fesur yr Iaith Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011. Cytunodd y Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chyfathrebu ei bod yn bwysig craffu ar y rheoliadau yma mor ofalus â phosib, gyda chyfle i randdeiliaid gyflwyno tystiolaeth ysgrifenedig ac i'r pwyllgor glywed tystiolaeth lafar. Yn yr amser cyfyngedig iawn oedd ar gael, roedd y pwyllgor yn gallu gwahodd a derbyn ystod o dystiolaeth ysgrifenedig, a hefyd cwestiynu peth o'r dystiolaeth honno mewn cyfarfod cyhoeddus o'r pwyllgor. Hoffwn gofnodi diolchiadau'r pwyllgor i bawb a gymerodd ran yn ein hymgynghoriad a darparu tystiolaeth lafar, a hynny ar fyr rybudd. Cafodd y pwyllgor sesiwn friffio technegol preifat gan swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru ym mis Mawrth, a hoffwn hefyd gofnodi diolchiadau'r pwyllgor i'r swyddogion hynny. Mae'r holl dystiolaeth a gawsom wedi'i hatodi i'n hadroddiad neu wedi'i chyhoeddi yn nhrawsgrifiad ein cyfarfod ar 14 Mawrth. Casgliadau'r pwyllgor, ac amser ar gael i graffu: wel, dim ond 21 diwrnod gafodd eu caniatáu y tro hwn o'r rheoliadau yn cael eu gosod gerbron y Cynulliad tan y ddadl hon. Er bod hyn wedi caniatáu i ni gynnal ymgynghoriad ysgrifenedig sylfaenol iawn, a threfnu rhywfaint o dystiolaeth lafar, prin yw hynny'n ddigonol er mwyn craffu ar reoliadau mor arwyddocaol â'r rhain. Er enghraifft, dim ond pum diwrnod gwaith oedd ar gael i dderbyn ymatebion ysgrifenedig, a dim ond 10 diwrnod gwaith rhwng gosod y rheoliadau a'r dyddiad olaf i'r pwyllgor eu hystyried nhw. Oherwydd gofynion y Rheolau Sefydlog a briffio'r pwyllgor, roedd yr amser a oedd wirioneddol ar gael rhywfaint yn llai na hyn. Nid yw'n ymddangos bod unrhyw reswm penodol pam na ellid fod wedi cynnal y ddadl hon yn nes ymlaen er mwyn caniatáu amser ar gyfer craffu mwy cynhwysfawr. Er y gallai hyn fod wedi achosi ychydig o oedi o ran y gwaith paratoi ar weithredu'r rheoliadau, byddai wedi caniatáu i'n pwyllgor ni ystyried y mater yma'n fanylach. Felly, byddai'r pwyllgor yn falch pe byddai'r Llywodraeth yn caniatáu mwy o amser i graffu ar reoliadau safonau'r Gymraeg yn y dyfodol. Gellid cyflawni hyn yn haws trwy ei wneud yn glir yn y memorandwm esboniadol na fydd yn ceisio cymeradwyaeth o ran rheoliadau tan fod cyfnod hwy na'r isafswm o 20 diwrnod wedi mynd heibio. Byddai 40 diwrnod yn caniatáu craffu rhesymol gan y pwyllgor - gan gynnwys pwyllgorau eraill sydd â diddordeb - ac ni fyddai hynny'n achosi oedi gormodol o ran eu gweithredu. Cytunodd y pwyllgor ei fod wedi cymryd yn rhy hir i ddod â'r rheoliadau hyn gerbron y Cynulliad - rhyw dair blynedd o'r dechrau i'r diwedd. Cytunom fod angen dybryd bellach i roi safonau Cymraeg cadarn ar waith ar gyfer y gwasanaeth iechyd. Ac ni chlywsom unrhyw dystiolaeth oedd yn nodi nad oes angen safonau er mwyn symud darpariaeth y Gymraeg yn y gwasanaeth iechyd yn ei blaen. Fodd bynnag, clywodd y pwyllgor bryderon sylweddol am agweddau o'r rheoliadau. Mewn sawl ffordd, y gwasanaeth iechyd yw'r gwasanaeth cyhoeddus pwysicaf y bydd y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn ei ddefnyddio. Efallai mai'r pryder mwyaf a glywsom oedd diffyg unrhyw hawl i dderbyn gwasanaethau gofal iechyd clinigol wyneb yn wyneb yn Gymraeg. Wrth gwrs, am resymau ymarferol, ni all hawl i dderbyn y gwasanaethau hyn fod yn absoliwt. Ond mae pwysigrwydd iaith mewn diagnosis a gofal yn glir iawn. Hefyd, dylai'r hawl i dderbyn gwasanaeth yn eich dewis iaith fod yn egwyddor sefydledig yn y sector cyhoeddus yng Nghymru, hyd yn oed os ceir achlysuron pan fydd amgylchiadau ymarferol yn cwtogi ar yr hyn y gellir ei ddarparu. Nid yw'r syniad na ddylai'r egwyddor sylfaenol hon hefyd fod yn gymwys i'r gwasanaeth iechyd, yn ein barn ni, yn dderbyniol. Felly, rydym am i'r Llywodraeth ystyried cyflwyno rheoliadau ychwanegol cyn gynted ag y bo'n ymarferol posib i sefydlu hawliau cliriach i dderbyn gwasanaethau gofal iechyd wyneb yn wyneb yn y Gymraeg. Gwasanaethau gofal sylfaenol yw'r rhai sy'n cael eu defnyddio amlaf gan y cyhoedd, a'r prif faes pryder arall am y rheoliadau yw nad yw'r mwyafrif ohonynt yn gymwys i ddarparwyr gwasanaethau gofal sylfaenol. Unwaith eto, mae'r pwyllgor yn cydnabod y problemau ymarferol, ond mae absenoldeb unrhyw safonau o gwbl ar gyfer darparwyr gofal sylfaenol annibynnol yn wendid clir yn ein tyb ni. Nid ydym yn argyhoeddedig ei fod yn afresymol gosod dyletswyddau ar fyrddau iechyd lleol i sicrhau bod darparwyr gofal sylfaenol annibynnol yn cydymffurfio â safonau. [ Torri ar draws.] Rwy'n credu taw datganiad yw hwn.