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I am absolutely sure that he will. I know from my office staff that he felt that the bill was important.

Although I do not have the same history with the Gaelic language as Donald Cameron, I share his belief that it should be preserved and promoted, not just because of its national importance as one of Scotland’s indigenous languages, but because of its importance within its vernacular communities—almost all of which I represent.

As my colleague Liam Kerr said in his opening remarks, the Scottish Conservatives cautiously welcome the bill, although we share many of the concerns that were outlined by witnesses during evidence sessions at the Education, Children and Young People Committee earlier in the year. The main consideration with respect to the Gaelic language is the concern that the bill as it stands tinkers around the edges and, therefore, risks failing to address all the issues that prevent Gaelic from thriving.

During a committee evidence session, Professor Ó Giollagáin of the University of the Highlands and Islands stated that the bill

“is a rebureaucratisation of the existing set-up, and, as the crisis emerged under the existing set-up, the only way out of the crisis is radical change, and the bill does not amount to radical change.”

He went on to argue that it would be better to

“halt the process as it is and redraft the bill with a view towards addressing the social issues, rather than placing an emphasis on schools and the symbolic value of Gaelic.”—[Official Report, Education, Children and Young People Committee, 1 May 2024; c 30, 31.]

Although I would never go as far as to advocate starting from scratch, I believe that that position should certainly give members food for thought, as should the fact that substantial amendments would be needed should the Parliament pass the bill at stage 1.

However, it was difficult to disagree with much of the evidence that the professor put forward, especially his view that much more emphasis is needed on addressing the social factors that prevent the growth of the Gaelic language. That was a key recommendation of the report, “The Gaelic Crisis in the Vernacular Community”, which was published in 2019 and of which the professor was a lead author.

Others have already touched on the findings of the 2022 census, which showed that there was an increase in the number of people who have some Gaelic skills. However, that is a far cry from what is needed to ensure the language’s long-term future. During a committee evidence session, Professor McLeod of the University of Edinburgh urged a note of caution about the census, which others have picked up on, as, prior to the release of its findings on languages, he stated that the census was a crude instrument. While the aforementioned headline figure might show some positive signs, the fact that the number of people who speak, read and write in Gaelic has increased by only just over 11,000 people in a decade—a third of whom live in Glasgow and Edinburgh—shows that the current policy is not delivering the results that are expected or needed, especially in the Gaelic heartlands.

I turn to the role of the Gaelic board, which came under some scrutiny during the evidence sessions. The Scottish Government has proposed that the board will no longer have responsibility for producing the national Gaelic plan or for providing statutory guidance on Gaelic education. That was broadly welcomed by those who gave evidence to the committee, with the general view being that such changes will mean that the national Gaelic strategy will receive more prominence, and that they will ensure that public institutions take their responsibilities for promoting the Gaelic language more seriously. I understand that the changes have also been broadly accepted by the board and that, in return, the board will receive new reporting powers. However, the fact that responsibility for developing the national strategy for the Gaelic language and Gaelic education will be removed from the board begs a question about the board’s purpose in the future.

We must ensure that we get the bill right, because it has implications not just for the future of the Gaelic language but, importantly for me, for the communities where Gaelic remains a working language. Tackling rural depopulation is one of my driving missions as an MSP, and ensuring that we have a thriving Gaelic language in the vernacular communities is one of several ways to halt the depopulation trend in those areas. That means that the Government must meet people, where they are, in those communities who have real and practical solutions to offer. At present, they feel that they do not have a voice in such debates.

More work is needed on the bill to ensure not only that it is fit to address the challenges that it seeks to address but that it receives wide support from the communities that it will most impact. On the Gaelic language in particular, the Parliament has talked a lot about strategies and planning, but advocates of the language want meaningful action. That is what we need to achieve, and I look forward to playing my part in that.