Scottish Parliament welcomes Gaelic language developments

067/2006 | 17 October 2006

The Presiding Officer George Reid MSP today welcomed the announcement by Bòrd na Gàidhlig that the Scottish Parliament is one of the six public bodies required to develop a formal Gaelic language plan, under the Gaelic Language ( Scotland ) Act 2005.

Mr Reid, currently visiting Ireland with a delegation of MSPs, said:

"The announcement today is a significant milestone for Gaelic development in Scotland. Our current commitment to the language acknowledges the strong historical and cultural reasons for carrying out work in Gaelic. The services we offer are extensive and we have much to be proud of.

"However, we must always strive to improve on our accessibility, including visitor and outreach services. Developing a Gaelic language plan alongside Bòrd na Gàidhlig will ensure we continue to engage with the Gaelic community."

The Scottish Parliament has dedicated Gaelic language resources. Two full time equivalent posts responsible for communications and for outreach work help the Parliament meet the needs of the Gaelic community, including:

•  More than 50,000 hits a month on average to the Gaelic section of the Parliament's website. The Gaelic pages of the site are comprehensive and mirror the English language pages as far as possible, including news releases issued by the Parliament.

•  All printed education publications for schools are available in Gaelic, along with the majority of all public information leaflets and the Scottish Parliament Annual Report.

•  Attending a range of bilingual community outreach events in 2005/6 (including major events in Inverness, Skye, Benbecula, Fort William), the Royal National Mòd, Gaelic careers seminar and Gaelic teachers' conference (A' Chuisle).

•  Involving Gaelic medium units in 'MSPs in Schools' project and further education work through participation in Comann na Gàidhlig Gaelic schools week in April 05 and April 06 where pupils visited the Parliament. Sessions were provided for hundreds of Gaelic medium pupils.

Mr Reid continued:

"Amongst other things, the Parliament's current language policy commits to translation services where people chose to address the Parliament in Gaelic. The draft guidelines published by Bòrd na Gàidhlig will enable us to explore other ideas for work we could undertake in the language."

The Parliament is now working on its Gaelic Language Plan ahead of its submission to Bòrd na Gàidhlig for their consideration.

Background

The Parliament's existing language policy can be viewed at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/index.htm

The Gaelic section of the Parliament's website can be viewed at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/language/gaelic/vl-gaelic.htm

News Release available in Gaelic on request and on the Parliament's website.

Interviews are available in Gaelic on request. Please contact the Parliament's Gaelic Communications Officer to request an interview.

Together with MSPs Shiona Baird, Dennis Canavan, Maureen Macmillan, Jim Mather, Dave Petrie and Iain Smith, the Presiding Officer is undertaking a six-day visit to Ireland to examine ways in which Scotland and Ireland can cooperate in areas of common interest and strengthen the relationship between the Irish and Scottish Parliaments.

The delegation will meet with fellow politicians in the Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas, to discuss how the two countries can benefit from closer workings between the two Parliaments.

As part of the visit, the Presiding Officer will today give a keynote address on Scottish-Irish links and 21st century democracy at the Royal Irish Academy, co-hosted by the Centre for Irish-Scottish Studies, Trinity College, Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy.

For more about the visit see the Parliament website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/ireland_visit.htm

The contact for members of the media is:

Sally Coyne: Tel: 0131 348 6265

RNID TypeTalk calls welcome

E-mail:sally.coyne@scottish.parliament.uk

Gaelic Communications Officer: Alasdair MacCaluim: 0131 348 5395

Email: gaidhlig@scottish.parliament.uk

For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 348 5000 or 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
Text phone: 0131 348 3415 RNID Typetalk calls welcome
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk

Visit our website at: www.scottish.parliament.uk