Hansard

Mòran taing, Oifigeir-riaghlaidh. Tha mi air mo dhòigh glan an cothrom seo fhaighinn gus an deasbad seo a thoirt ro sheòmar-deasbaid na Pàrlamaid agus bu mhath leam taing a thoirt dha na buill a chuir an ainmean ris a’ ghluasad a’ comharrachadh deich bliadhna de dh’Achd na Gàidhlig (Alba) 2005, a’ leigeil dhuinn an deasbad seo a chumail an-diugh.

Tha an deasbad seo cudthromach air sgàth ’s gum feum sinn dèanamh cinnteach, mar Phàrlamaid agus mar Riaghaltas, ge brith dè ar pàrtaidhean poilitigeach, gum bi Gàidhlig ga bruidhinn agus ga cleachdadh ann an Alba agus gu bheil sinn a’ dealbhachadh àm ri teachd seasmhach dhan Ghàidhlig.

Gu mì-fhortanach, feumaidh mi tionndadh air ais dhan Bheurla. ’S e mo leisgeul gur e townie a th’ annam à Steòrnabhagh bho thùs, agus tha fhios is cinnt nach eil Gàidhlig cho math aig coves Steòrnabhaigh.

Following is the simultaneous interpretation:

Many thanks, Presiding Officer. I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead this debate in the Parliament’s chamber. I thank members who added their names to the motion to commemorate and celebrate 10 years since the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 was passed and to enable the debate to go ahead.

The debate is important, because we need to ensure as a Parliament and as a Government, whatever political party we belong to, that Gaelic continues to be spoken and used in Scotland and that we plan for a secure future for it.

Unfortunately, I must go back to English. My excuse is that I am originally a townie from Stornoway, and it is an accepted fact that the Gaelic of Stornoway coves is not that good.

The member continued in English.

The debate is important because we have to ensure as a Parliament and as a Government of whatever political colour that Gaelic continues to be spoken and used in Scotland and that we create a sustainable future for the Gaelic language.

We are here to highlight the on-going good work to stem the decline in our indigenous and precious language and to celebrate 10 years since the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 secured royal assent. That act not only established Bòrd na Gàidhlig as the public body responsible for the preservation of Gaelic but affirmed Gaelic as an official language of Scotland that enjoys equal respect with English. Sadly, that equal respect is not always evident, but I have been impressed by action that a number of public bodies have taken and by the efforts that they have made to promote Gaelic, which is a language that is dear to all, or at least most, of our hearts.

I have been a strong supporter of Gaelic all my life. Both my grandfathers spoke Gaelic, and I was taught it as early as primary 1 in Sandwickhill primary school, which is just outside Stornoway. Sadly, that has not had the desired effect. To my shame as a Leòdhasach, I am not fluent in the language of my ancestors, although I hope to sort that at some point in the not-too-distant future. I admit that I have been promising that for a while.

I have supported the language all my political life and I successfully attracted the Royal National Mod to Falkirk in 2008. As the convener of the local organising committee, I hoped to leave a lasting legacy for Gaelic in Falkirk district, and I am glad to say that the Falkirk Gaelic forum has carried that work forward.

In Falkirk, the Scottish Government provides a specific grant for Gaelic and has offered to discuss the potential of capital for any project support that may be identified. Falkirk Council has actively embraced the Gaelic language in primary school—GLPS—programme: 25 per cent of Falkirk Council primary schools deliver GLPS and a total of 26 members of staff will have been trained to deliver the programme by the end of March 2016. Although there is no Gaelic-medium education in Falkirk, the council supports all applications and provides free transport, which allows pupils to attend GME outwith the authority’s area, usually at neighbouring GME schools in Stirling and North Lanarkshire.

Falkirk’s Gaelic language plan is monitored by the Falkirk Council officers group and Falkirk community group, with input from Fèis Fhoirt, An Clas Gàidhlig, An Comunn Gàidhealach, Falkirk junior Gaelic choir and Falkirk Gaelic forum. The groups track the plan’s progress and suggest action to further develop the language. Falkirk Council is one of 40 public authorities that have had Gaelic plans agreed by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, and although, sadly, Falkirk’s Gaelic language plan has already missed some of its targets, I hope that it will catch up, with a bit of encouragement from the forum.

I am pleased to say that, within the past week, a Gaelic development officer has been appointed in a joint project between Falkirk Council and the Falkirk Gaelic forum, which will allow further language and cultural development of Gaelic to be delivered throughout nurseries and schools. The development officer will also deliver staff training, carry out a feasibility study for GME and create a greater profile for Gaelic in the Falkirk area. That is an extremely heartening development.

Plenty of good work is going on locally in Falkirk. Nationally, we are well over halfway through the national Gaelic language plan for 2012 to 2017, which places a strong focus on the role that Gaelic-medium education has to play in future years to increase the numbers of young Gaelic speakers and ensure that the language has a sustainable and vibrant future. The use of Gaelic in the home and in the community is a strong element of that.

The 2011 census figures provided positive news about Gaelic in Scotland. The statistics showed an overall trend in which the number of Gaelic speakers had more or less stabilised in comparison with figures from the 2001 census. There are 57,000 Gaelic speakers in Scotland, and in excess of 90,000 people have some ability in the language. The results also showed a small increase in the number of people under 20 who can speak Gaelic and showed that more than 14,000 children between the ages of five and 18 are learning the language at different levels across Scotland each week.

One aspect of Gaelic that is not broadcast enough is its economic and social benefits. A joint agency research project that was published last year looked at the ways in which Gaelic is being used to deliver economic and social benefits to businesses, social enterprises and communities and at how its impact can be maximised. Entitled “Ar Stòras Gàidhlig”—or “Our Gaelic Resource”—the report demonstrates how the language is being used to add value in a wide variety of circumstances and highlights Gaelic’s considerable potential to bring further benefits to businesses, communities and individuals.

Almost 70 per cent of the businesses that were consulted said that Gaelic is an asset to their activities and more than half of businesses—60 per cent—and 85 per cent of community organisations that responded to the survey stated that Gaelic features as a key element of their work. From that result, the researchers calculated that the economic value of Gaelic as an asset to the wider Scottish economy could be up to £148.5 million a year.

The findings of the research demonstrate emphatically that investment by the Scottish Government in Gaelic translates into a significant economic contribution not just in the Highlands and Islands but in the central belt. It is worth noting that, when the Mod was held in Falkirk in 2008, it attracted £1.5 million to the local economy, just when we were struggling with the economic downturn. Figures for last year’s Mod in Inverness show that it took in more than £3 million for the local economy.

Previous studies have shown that, relative to its size, the Gaelic community punches well above its weight in its contribution in a range of sectors. Loyalty to language and culture is a powerful motivating force and it is encouraging to see the growing support for Gaelic at grass-roots and institutional levels and to see the economic benefits as well as the social, cultural and linguistic benefits that accrue from the concerted action that is being developed.

With such figures, there is hope for our precious indigenous language, but only if we all work to ensure its survival and growth. I am committed to playing my part and I hope that everyone else is too. Mòran taing.