Scottish Gaelic is ‘in a perilous state’

Bill does not provide sufficient support and protection to Gaelic and Scots

Scottish Gaelic is in a ‘perilous state’ according to a new report released today by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.

The Committee’s report details reservations about the practical impact of the Scottish Languages Bill, which aims to support Scotland’s indigenous languages. The Committee recommends the Bill should proceed to the next stage of scrutiny, but says that more needs to be done to effectively support Gaelic and Scots.

The Committee understood the symbolic importance for stakeholders of designating Gaelic and Scots as official languages in legislation, and the general aims of the Bill were widely supported.

However, witnesses expressed significant concerns about the lack of tangible support for communities using these languages and dialects, concerns the Committee shares. In the report it warns that without additional support, the Bill’s aim to strengthen the support for and promotion of the languages will not be achieved.

In particular, the Committee describes Gaelic as being in a ‘perilous state’. During evidence sessions, most witnesses, including the Deputy First Minister, agreed that action beyond legislation was needed to solve the problems facing the language.

The Committee’s report calls on the Scottish Government to explain how it would use the powers in the Bill to improve the position of Gaelic.

Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, said: “We have serious concerns about the future of Gaelic.

“On its own, we believe the Scottish Languages Bill does not address the challenges facing the Gaelic language or provide the necessary support to either Gaelic or Scots.

“While our Committee has recommended that the Parliament backs the general principles of the Bill, the Scottish Government must do more to avoid it being purely symbolic.

“We’re also concerned by the lack of clarity around what the obligations attached to this Bill mean for public bodies and local authorities regarding Gaelic and Scots. We would expect the Scottish Government to provide clarity on this, and the other concerns in our report, as scrutiny of the Bill continues.”

The report also highlights concerns about one of the flagship proposals in the Bill, which would see areas of linguistic significance established in areas where there are high proportions of Gaelic speakers.

The Committee agreed with witnesses that the Bill does not explain:

• what an area of linguistic significance would look like in places with smaller proportions of Gaelic speakers
• how public bodies would work in these areas to deliver opportunities for Gaelic speakers
• what funding would be available for local authorities to establish and maintain an area of linguistic significance

The Bill is expected to be considered by the Scottish Parliament in a Stage 1 debate in the autumn.

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