Cwtogiadau Pellach Llywodraeth Prydain i S4C - torri’r siarter dros ieithoedd lleiafrifol

Annwyl Mr Alexey Kozhemyakov

Fel y gwyddoch o’n cyflwyniad diweddar i bwyllgor yr arbenigwyr a’ch cyfarfod wyneb yn wyneb â’m cydweithwyr, credwn fod Llywodraeth Prydain yn torri ei haddewid o dan y Siarter Ieithoedd oherwydd y cwtogiad o 94% i grant i’n hunig sianel deledu Gymraeg, S4C.  

Fodd bynnag, ddydd Mercher wythnos yma mewn cyhoeddiad am yr Adolygiad Gwariant Cynhwysfawr, ymddengys fod Adran Ddiwylliant Llywodraeth Prydain yn paratoi i wneud toriadau pellach ar ben y cwtogiad a wnaed eisoes. Fel esboniom yn ein cyflwyniad diweddar i bwyllgor yr arbenigwyr, credwn fod hyn yn torri ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Prydain o dan y Siarter. A fortiori, byddai toriadau pellach ar ben y rhai a gyhoeddwyd eisoes, heb amheuaeth felly, yn groes i ymrwymiadau’r Llywodraeth o dan y Siarter.  Noder yn ôl y rhai sydd yn rhedeg y sianel, byddai unrhyw doriadau pellach yn dod â’r sianel fel darlledwr annibynnol i ben.  

Credwn fod newidiadau a chwtogiadau Llywodraeth Prydain i S4C yn golygu bod Llywodraeth Prydain yn cefnu ar eu hymrwymiadau o dan erthygl 11.1(a)(i) o’r siarter ac wedi israddio eu hymrwymiadau i ddarpariaeth gyfystyr â 11.1(a)(ii) yn unig. Annog a hwyluso yn unig fydd y Llywodraeth drwy roi rhywfaint o arian neu beidio, fel dymuna Gweinidog y dydd, er bod Siarter Ewrop yn gwahaniaethu rhwng ‘sicrhau’ ac ‘annog/hwyluso’ sianel deledu Gymraeg – nid yw’n caniatáu symud o un i lawr i’r llall.

Rydym fel mudiad yn gwrthwynebu polisïau llymder Llywodraeth Prydain. Ymhellach, credwn fod y Llywodraeth yn gwahaniaethu yn erbyn y Gymraeg yn y ffordd y maen nhw wedi gwneud toriadau, ac yn paratoi i wneud toriadau pellach. Gwelwn enghraifft glasurol o leiafrif o fewn gwladwriaeth yn dioddef oherwydd diffyg amddiffyniad hawliau’r lleiafrif o fewn y diriogaeth. Mae’r toriadau i S4C wedi bod yn llawer iawn mwy nag ar gyfartaledd i sefydliadau eraill o fewn yr adran ddiwylliant.   

Apeliwn atoch felly i herio ymddygiad Llywodraeth Prydain ac i’w hatgoffa o’u hoblygiadau o dan y siarter er mwyn achub ein hunig sianel deledu Gymraeg ac er mwyn diogelu’r iaith Gymraeg dros y blynyddoedd i ddod.  

Byddwch hefyd yn ymwybodol o sefyllfa fregus y Gymraeg ar lawr gwlad, gyda nifer y siaradwyr a chymunedau Cymraeg yn cwympo yn ôl y Cyfrifiad diwethaf. Credwn fod y toriadau hyn yn mynd i waethygu’r sefyllfa a bod gyda chi fel corff gyfrifoldeb dros ymyrryd er mwyn atal y Llywodraeth rhag gwanhau iaith unigryw genedlaethol Cymru.

Erfyniwn arnoch i ymateb ar frys i’r neges hon er mwyn achub ein unig sianel deledu Gymraeg a gwarchod yr iaith Gymraeg er lles hawliau lleiafrifoedd ledled y cyfandir.

Yr eiddoch yn gywir,

Robin Farrar, Cadeirydd

Greg Bevan, Llefarydd Darlledu

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg

cc: Thorbjørn Jagland, Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol, Cyngor Ewrop

Leighton Andrews AC, Gweinidog dros y Gymraeg, Llywodraeth Cymru

Carwyn Jones AC, Prif Weinidog Cymru

Maria Miller AS, Ysgrifennydd Diwylliant, Llywodraeth Prydain

David Jones AS, Ysgrifennydd Cymru, Llywodraeth Prydain

British Government’s Further Cuts to S4C - breach of minorities language charter

Dear Mr Alexey Kozhemyakov

As you know from our recent presentation to the committee of experts and your face to face meeting with my colleagues from Cymdeithas yr Iaith, we believe that the British Government is breaching its promise under the Languages Charter because of its 94% cut to the grant of the only Welsh language channel, S4C.  

However, Wednesday this week in an announcement about the Comprehensive Spending Review, it appears that the British Government’s Culture Department is preparing to make further spending cuts on top of those already made. As we explained in our recent presentation to the committee of experts, we believe this is breaking the British Government’s commitment under the Charter. A fortiori, further cuts on top of those already announced are, without a doubt , in contravention of the Government’s obligations under the Charter. Note that according to those running the channel, any further cuts would end its existence as an independent broadcaster.

We believe that the British Government’s changes and cuts to S4C mean that the British Government is reneging on its commitments under article 11.1(a)(i) of the charter, and has down-graded its commitments to provision equivalent to 11.1(a)(ii) only. By granting some funding or otherwise, as the incumbent Minister sees fit, the Government would only be encouraging and promoting - despite the European Charter’s differentiating between ‘ensuring’ and ‘encouraging/promoting’ a Welsh-language television channel (it does not allow moving from one down to the other).

We as an organisation oppose the British Government’s austerity measures. Further, we believe that the Government is discriminating against the Welsh language in the way that they have made cuts, and in their preparations for further cuts. We see a classic example of a minority within a state suffering because of an absence of measures to defend the rights of the minority within the territory. The cuts to S4C have been much greater than the average for other bodies in the culture department.

We therefore appeal to you to challenge the British Government’s behaviour, and to remind them of their commitments under the charter in order to save our only Welsh-language television channel, and in order to protect the Welsh language over the years to come.

You will also be aware of the Welsh language’s precarious demographic situation, with the number of speakers and the number of Welsh-speaking communities on the decrease according to the last Census. We believe that these cuts would worsen the situation, and that you as an institution should be responsible for intervening in order to prevent the Government from weakening Wales’ unique national language.

We implore you to respond promptly to this message, in order to save our only Welsh-language television channel and to defend the Welsh language, for the benefit of the rights of minorities across the continent.

Yours sincerely,

Robin Farrar, Chair

Greg Bevan, Broadcasting Spokesperson

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg

cc: Thorbjørn Jagland, General Secretary, Council of Europe

Leighton Andrews AM, Minister for the Welsh Language, Welsh Government

Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of Wales

Maria Miller MP, Culture Secretary, UK Government

David Jones MP, Welsh Secretary, UK Government