An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about support for the Gaelic and Scots languages; to make provision about education in relation to Gaelic and Scots; and for connected purposes.
There had never been legislation relating to the promotion of Scots, and the previous legislation relating to the promotion of Scottish Gaelic had been the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.[2]
Scottish Gaelic was recorded as a minority language in Na h-Eileanan Siar at the 2022 Scottish census for the first time.[3] The census also found that the number of people who had any level of proficiency in Gaelic had increased from 1.7% to 2.5%.[4]
The Act provides access to Gaelic medium education in more secondary schools,[1][2] and enables the use of Scots in the school curriculum.[1]
The Act gives both Gaelic and Scots "official status"; but this is essentially symbolic, with no "enforceable" rights.[2]
The Act establishes certain geographical areas as "areas of linguistic significance" for the promotion of Gaelic and Scots in those specific areas, but the process for the establishment of these areas is not clear in the text.[6]
Reception
The bill was criticised by Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, a professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands, for focusing on the requirements for Gaelic to meet "official" status as a second language, rather than on Gaelic as a living language and some people's mother tongue.[7]
A report by the Scottish Parliament Education, Children and Young People Committee was sceptical that the legislation would increase the number of people who speak Gaelic and Scots.[8]
Other developments
During the passage of the bill, the government pledged to spend £30,000,000 on Gaelic, separately from the provisions of the bill.[4]
Notes
↑ During its passage, the legislation was referred to as the Scottish Languages Bill (Scots: Scottish Leids Bill, Scottish Gaelic: Bile nan Cànan Albannach)
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