Hansard

I welcome the committee to the Highlands. Thank you for allowing us to make our presentations in Gaelic. It demonstrates the position that you desire to give Gaelic in the Scottish Parliament and in the country. Comunn na Gàidhlig was set up in 1984, following a report commissioned by the Highlands and Islands Development Board on the way ahead for co-ordinating the promotion and development of the Gaelic language and culture. CNAG is a Government-funded agency with a national remit for the development and promotion of the Gaelic language and culture. CNAG has also acted as adviser on Gaelic matters to the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Scottish Office. Comunn na Gàidhlig is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Its bard of drectors represent local authorities, public bodies, all the main Gaelic organisations and the wider Gaelic community.The policies of the organisation are formulated at the annual congress and implemented by the chief executive and staff. The current structure of the organisation, which has evolved over the past 15 years, is based on four main areas: promotion, status, education, youth and community development. Over the past 15 years, some of our main initiatives have been a campaign for secure status, development plans for Gaelic, a campaign for Gaelic broadcasting, a national parent organisation, a Gaelic arts agency, youth initiatives, Gaelic immersion courses, the economic impact of Gaelic—the Brian Ashcroft and Allan Sproull report—the Fàilte culture and tourism initiative, Gaelic education initiatives and Gaelic in the community schemes. Members can see some of our main policies in the policy documents. The draft brief for a Gaelic language bill was submitted to the Executive in August this year. It identifies education, public bodies—including the Scottish Parliament—the courts and broadcasting as the four main areas that should be covered in legislation to provide meaningful protection or secure status. That is based on the principle of equal validity for Gaelic with English in Scotland, along the lines of the recognition given to Welsh in the Welsh Language Act 1993. As far as the interests of the committee are concerned, the draft brief recommends that the principle underlying a Gaelic language act should be that Gaelic-medium education has parity with English-medium education in terms of access, availability, rights, funding and other resources.The importance of Gaelic and its associated culture in the development of Scotland's identity should be recognised by the teaching in primary and secondary education of its history and of its present role in language and culture. More money should also be given to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.The scarcity of learning and teaching materials for Gaelic has been recognised, and the recent establishment of Stòrlann Nàiseanta na Gàidhlig is a welcome first step, but development structures at national and local levels must be properly funded.Broadcasting is becoming increasingly important in the context of lifelong learning; our draft brief argues that legislative provision is essential if a cohesive Gaelic broadcasting service with a capacity for growth that meets its needs is to be achieved.The proposals for a national policy for Gaelic education in the document "Framework for Growth" submitted to the Government in May 1997 seek, as a matter of urgency, to establish a mechanism to co-ordinate the development of Gaelic and Gaelic-medium education at national level. Gaelic plc was set up earlier this year; its three main objectives are to increase the number of Gaelic speakers, to strengthen Gaelic communities and to develop the Gaelic economy. I will address those objectives individually.Regarding the first objective, Gaelic speakers are still deprived, despite recent developments, because older members of the Gaelic community are dying faster than new members are coming to replace them. The main obstacle is the lack of a national Gaelic education policy. Although we have made significant progress in the past 40 years, intergenerational transfer of Gaelic has weakened so much in the Gaelic community that positive and focused policies, such as a Gaelic act that includes education provisions, are crucial to the language's survival.Although a national policy for Gaelic education might be delivered as part of an education act or as part of a Gaelic language act, it must provide for the recruitment and training of Gaelic-medium teachers at all levels. The necessary funding must be made available to deliver those objectives. Such funding would be a step towards halting the decline in the number of Gaelic speakers.The second objective is to strengthen Gaelic communities. The long-term revival of Gaelic requires a social, economic and cultural revitalisation of Gaelic communities to create the confidence and self-esteem that are essential for sustainable growth. The obstacle to that is lack of confidence and of resources.The vast majority of Gaels achieve no economic benefit from Gaelic because of the lack of any education in their own language. They have no confidence in the language nor in their own ability to use it beyond social conversation. We do not yet have effective resources to tackle that. The solution would be a clear national strategy for Gaelic. A Gaelic language act must provide a framework for addressing all the critical development needs of the language, and adequate resources must be provided to allow such initiatives to succeed.The third objective is to strengthen the Gaelic economy. For any linguistic or cultural community to survive, its language must be fully and actively integrated in business and commerce. Gaelic is no different—we must seek to expand its function and place in economic activity. The obstacle is lack of funding support.There is still a general lack of awareness in the business and economic sectors of the opportunities associated with Gaelic. Consequently, there is a lack of resources and promotion allocated to that sector. The solution is the allocation of a fairer share of resources for Gaelic in general, which would enable the wide range of urgent developmental initiatives that have been identified to be addressed. That would allow us to build on existing investment and to ensure continued growth.Gaelic is a unique part of Scotland's rich national heritage. A partnership approach to planning is essential. Education investment is critical to Gaelic enterprise and lifelong learning. Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the local enterprise companies, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the University of the Highlands and Islands and the local authorities, with continued support from central Government, have demonstrated that a partnership approach to Gaelic planning and initiatives is paramount if the language and culture are to survive the challenges of the coming millennium. The presentation by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig representatives will demonstrate the continuing importance of education investment as a springboard for future language and prime economic development opportunities. It is an essential prerequisite in securing the future of Gaelic language and culture.