Hansard

I am pleased to announce today that the Scottish Government has published its consultation paper for our draft Gaelic language plan. I am very pleased with it, and I hope that everyone else in the chamber is, too—apart from with the inevitable drafting error, which has now been corrected. I apologise for that.

Gaelic belongs to Scotland and is a unique and essential part of the rich cultural life of Scotland, so we must ensure that we take the necessary steps to secure its place in the future. The Scottish Government has made its position very clear: we came to Government with a strong programme of ambitious Gaelic commitments, on which we are making good and steady progress. My hope is that those commitments and initiatives, and the increased funding that we are putting in place, will improve the status and appeal of the language. I hope that they will also lead to an increase in use of Gaelic in the home, at school, in the community, at the workplace, in the arts and in public life generally.

Along with five others, the Scottish Government was one of the initial public bodies to receive a notice to produce a Gaelic language plan by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The Scottish Government's Gaelic language plan sets out the measures to be taken in relation to use of Gaelic within Government. It will set out how the Scottish Government will use, and enable use of, Gaelic in delivery of its services.

The Scottish Government's Gaelic language plan will include commitments in relation to our corporate identity, our communications, our publications and our staffing. It will outline measures that we have put in place to support the promotion of Gaelic throughout Scotland, which are aimed at raising the status of Gaelic, promoting the use of Gaelic and encouraging learning of Gaelic.

With our Gaelic plan, the Scottish Government will seek to raise awareness about, and to improve the status of Gaelic. I am pleased to announce that we hope to recruit a new Gaelic language plan development officer, who will have responsibility for implementing the plan and monitoring progress.

I have been impressed with agencies such as Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Library of Scotland, which have begun work on their Gaelic language plans without having received formal notification. I encourage other bodies to do the same. Of course, other Scottish public authorities—Highland Council, Argyll and Bute Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Parliament—have prepared Gaelic language plans and are moving forward with their implementation. Other bodies, including Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Learning and Teaching Scotland, the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council, are following suit. I congratulate all those bodies for their efforts. I am confident that Gaelic plans have improved the status and have increased awareness and use of Gaelic throughout Scotland. There will be further progress as more plans are prepared and finalised.

There continues to be a need for expansion in Gaelic-medium education, which is vital to support growth in the number of Gaelic speakers. There has been good progress on Gaelic-medium education and important commitments have been made in Gaelic plans. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's Gaelic plan contains a commitment to provide Gaelic-medium education as mainstream primary provision. Highland Council's Gaelic plan contains a commitment to open a further two dedicated Gaelic schools—it has decided to move forward on the issue in Portree and Fort William. Discussions are also on-going about the possibility of a dedicated Gaelic school in Edinburgh. I take this opportunity to support the proposal and to remind councils of the Scottish Government's support for the establishment of dedicated Gaelic schools. The developments that I have described are good and welcome, and we need to maintain momentum.

The Scottish Government has very much demonstrated its clear support for Gaelic education. We have increased our support for Gaelic-medium education throughout Scotland, and the Government's funding for resources to support teachers and pupils in Gaelic education is at an unprecedented level. A major review of Gaelic early years education was commissioned earlier this month. There can be no question about our commitment to Gaelic education in Scotland. The amendment in Pauline McNeill's name acknowledges the need for

"continued investment in and expansion of Gaelic-medium education."

That expansion is continuing and should continue in the future.

The presence of Gaelic in our lives enriches us all, so it is essential that there be a living language community to support Gaelic. We must therefore give thought to how we will strengthen and grow that community. The language is in a fragile condition and I believe that we are at a critical point for Gaelic in Scotland. I am encouraged by the desire to support Gaelic that I find in Scottish public life, not least in the Parliament, where the issue enjoys cross-party support. I am encouraged, too, by the commitment and vitality of Gaelic speakers, learners and supporters.

Efforts to keep the language fresh and current can be illustrated by recent developments, including the online Gaelic natural history database, "Faclan Nàdair", which was launched today by Scottish Natural Heritage. Such developments are encouraging. We welcome the success of MG Alba and we are all working together to ensure that the BBC Alba channel can be seen on Freeview, to the benefit of everyone in the country. There are encouraging signs in the Gaelic education sector, in the ambitious work of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and in the development by Bòrd na Gàidhlig of public authority Gaelic plans. Our duty is to maintain that progress, to use the initiatives that have been put in place and to work to ensure a secure future for Gaelic so that the language has its rightful place in Scotland.

I am aware that I have more time for speaking, but I will not use it because it is important that other members can contribute fully to the debate. I hope to be able to respond to what they say. I look forward very much to receiving responses from members and others—individuals, organisations and public and private bodies right across the country—about the contents of our plan. We are here to listen to what people say.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises that Gaelic is an integral part of Scotland's heritage, national identity and current cultural life; welcomes and supports the launch of the consultation on the Scottish Government's draft Gaelic Language Plan, and acknowledges the work being carried out on the implementation of other Gaelic language plans by Argyll and Bute Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Edinburgh City Council, Glasgow City Council, Highland Council, the Scottish Parliament and Highland and Islands Enterprise.