Hansard

I am so envious of my colleagues who can stand here and deliver a speech in Gaelic as either their first or second language. I ask for your sympathy, Presiding Officer, as I deliver this speech in my second language—English—my first being closer to Ayrshire Scots, which is similar to the language that was spoken in Ayrshire around the time of Robert Burns.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Scottish Government producing its Gaelic language plan, as required under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. It is worth recalling the words of Peter Peacock, who spoke immediately before me, and who introduced the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill. During the stage 1 debate, he said:

"It is the first time in recent history that a Government-sponsored bill that seeks to strengthen Gaelic and not to do it down has been brought before a Parliament."—[Official Report, 2 February 2005; c 14089.]

As Mr Peacock reminded us then, using the strength of Government in relation to Gaelic is nothing new. The difference now is that, following nearly 400 years of suppression, the force of law and the power of Government have been turned to its support.

The passing of the 2005 act and the publication of the Gaelic language plan that is before us and those of other public bodies allow us to see clearly how the Gaelic language will be supported in the years ahead. Like many people, I have an interest not just in the development of Gaelic but in seeing Gaelic enjoy its rightful place alongside English, Scots and other languages in a country that is comfortable with linguistic diversity. Through a shared history and experience, is ann leinne a tha Gàidhlig—or, in English, Gaelic belongs to all of us, not just the communities who speak it, as the minister pointed out in her opening speech.

It is worth recalling, in this special year, that Robert Burns, although not a Gael, was familiar with the language, and he would have regarded hearing it spoken and sung as a regular feature of his community life and cultural experience. At least one of Burns's friends, Mary Campbell, or Highland Mary, was a Gael. Members of the Crochallan Fencibles, with whom Burns socialised while in Edinburgh, were regular users of the language, too.

In more recent times, the crossover between Gaelic and Scots has been demonstrated by Hugh MacDiarmid. A leading writer in Scots, MacDiarmid also had a high regard for Gaelic culture, and he translated the poetry of Gaelic bards into Scots.

As the history of language shows, the power of language as a cultural tool is no protection against its decline. If the language is to be strengthened, it must be present in all areas of life—used in the home, experienced in the community and used as a medium of education. If the language is to sustain an economic base, it is critical that it is present in the workplace, too.

I look forward to reviewing the plan that the Government has produced to see how it will address the development of the language in all the areas that we have discussed. The Scottish Government's plan builds on the foundations of the national plan for Gaelic. In drawing up the national plan, Bòrd na Gàidhlig drew on the experience of Wales and Ireland. Both those countries, with their sister languages to Scots Gaelic, have more experience of strongly promoting their ancient languages than does Scotland. They demonstrated that the vision underlying our national plan is achievable. Sustained effort in support of a language can lead to an increase in the number of speakers and learners, and can broaden participation in activities in which the language is used.

Here in Scotland, fewer than 2 per cent of the population now acknowledge any familiarity with the Gaelic language. In Ireland, by contrast, more than 40 per cent of the population regard themselves as competent Gaelic speakers, and a third of them use the language every day. In Wales, about 20 per cent of the population speak Welsh. The depth of commitment to the language in some communities is demonstrated by the very high proportion of Welsh speakers who use the language every day. At more than 60 per cent, that is almost twice the rate of daily usage of Gaelic in Ireland. In Scotland, we are taking small but significant steps forward in supporting Gaelic.

Valuable work is being carried out even in Kilmarnock, in my constituency. Gaelic-medium education at Onthank primary school is now celebrating its 11th year. Having established that base, the Gaelic unit at Onthank is able to extend its work to support the development of Gaelic across East Ayrshire. Earlier this week, the unit extended the Gaelic-Scots crossover by holding a Gaelic Burns supper—I commend my colleague Dave Thompson, who is going to attend such a supper in Skye, but the weans of Kilmarnock have beaten him to it. I look forward to seeing a DVD of the event in the near future. Perhaps I should bring the event to the attention of BBC Alba—I suspect that I have just done so.

In addition to putting plans in place, we need to encourage agencies to be creative in their approach to embedding Gaelic in their activities. High-profile signage, which a few members have mentioned, regular Gaelic-based activities and continued development of Gaelic-medium education all have a part to play.

The establishment of BBC Alba will provide a welcome boost to the language, as Pauline McNeill's amendment says. I look forward to the channel becoming available to a wider audience.

I very much welcome the publication of the Scottish Government's draft Gaelic language plan, which reflects the commitment of the Government and the Parliament to the language and to righting an historic wrong.