Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic report: SG response

Public Sector and Gaelic Plans

3.2.1 Where a body has a duty to produce a Gaelic Language Plan and a remit, which includes sectors with potential for economic growth, in addition to any corporate outcomes, they must consider and articulate a strategy for Gaelic as an asset within their operations.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

As outlined under recommendation 3.1.12, the current system of Gaelic Language Plans is to be modified by the Scottish Languages Bill. Through the Bill, Scottish Ministers will have a duty to produce a Gaelic Language Strategy. Scottish Ministers and public authorities will be required to consider the Gaelic Language Strategy in the course of exercising their functions. For economic aspects of government this will involve the consideration of Gaelic as an asset within their wider remit. The same will be true for public authorities with an economic role.

This builds on the requirements found within the current system of Gaelic Language Plans for public bodies to consider Gaelic’s potential as an asset across their operations. The Bill introduces powers for Scottish Ministers to develop guidance, standards and regulations regarding the implementation of the Gaelic Language Strategy. These will articulate the extent to which public bodies must have regard to Gaelic as an asset within their work.

The strategy and its associated guidance, standards and regulations will be developed in consultation with the bodies identified for this recommendation.

3.2.2 The system of Gaelic Language Plans (GLP) is reviewed to ensure stronger, deliverable commitments and inclusion of support for GLPs produced voluntarily, without notice from Bòrd na Gàidhlig, which may have a positive impact in communities and aid delivery of statutory plan recommendations.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

The measures outlined under the previous recommendation seek to ensure that the commitments within Gaelic Language Plans are stronger and more deliverable. Throughout the Scottish Languages Bill there is an emphasis on proportionate delivery across public life relevant to the area and extent of a public body’s operations.

While strengthening the national framework for Gaelic Language Plans, the Bill also places greater emphasis on community involvement. It introduces measures for Areas of Linguistic Signficance whereby community groups within designated areas would have a greater role in the development and implementation of language planning.

This expands on work already being undertaken by Bòrd na Gàidhlig through its cooperation with community language plans such as those being developed in the north-west of Lewis, and Uist.

3.2.3 The ‘Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Language Plans’ is reviewed with an aim to secure more ambitious GLPs while strengthening measurement and delivery.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has reviewed its ‘Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Language Plans’ with a refreshed version published.

Through the Scottish Languages Bill the power to create such guidance will be allocated to Scottish Ministers. This will complement the duty on Ministers to develop a Gaelic Language Strategy and will be accompanied by powers to set standards and regulations. By emanating from the level of Scottish Ministers rather than a Non-Departmental Public Body, as at present, this guidance and its acommpanying documents will have greater standing – enabling the development of more ambitious Gaelic Language Plans with stronger measurement and delivery. Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s enhanced role as a monitoring body will further strengthen the measurement and delivery of individual plans.

3.2.4 Legislation should be strengthened to ensure the delivery of GLPs and consideration given to the need for a Gaelic Language Commissioner with a remit to monitor the compliance of public bodies with its provisions.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

Under the proposals brought forward in the Scottish Languages Bill, Bòrd na Gàidhlig will function as a monitoring body. This enhances the current system for ensuring the compliance of public bodies in delivering their Gaelic Language Plans. Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s current power for reporting on compliance to Scottish Ministers will be complemented by a power to lay reports directly before the Scottish Parliament.

In developing the Bill’s provisions the potential for a Gaelic Language Commissioner – drawing on examples of Language Commissioners in other jurisdictions – was considered. However, this was ultimately decided against. The public consultation on the Scottish Languages Bill indicated an appreciation for the work of Bòrd na Gàidhlig and the value in retaining a public body with a promotional and monitoring functions for Gaelic.

It was recognised that stronger leadership from the Scottish Government and across the public sector could improve the delivery and effect of Gaelic language plans.

3.2.5 Initiatives in key sectors, in receipt of public money, should be required to manifest cognisance of Gaelic in product/services and/or marketing or justify its exclusion.

The Scottish Government accepts this proposal.

The measures introduced by the Scottish Languages Bill for proportionate delivery will outline the extent to which publicly funded intiatives are expected to support Gaelic in their work. Demonstrating awareness of Gaelic in products, services and marketing will form part of this – as will providing reasonable justification for not doing so. The criteria under which initiatives are expected to fulfil this obligation will be outlined in the guidance, standards and regulations produced by Scottish Ministers for the implementation of the Gaelic Language Strategy.

3.2.6 Ar Stòras Gàidhlig should be updated to give an up-to-date picture of economic growth related to Gaelic since the original study was published in 2014.

The Scottish Government has noted this recommendation.

Subject to budget availability, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) are now looking to include this in their plans for 2025-26. HIE are undertaking research relating to Regional Transformational Opportunities and have added a language angle to consider the effects on Gaelic speaking communities and Areas of Linguistic Significance of large influxes of workers for projects such as Scotwind.

Also relevant to this recommendation is work being undertaken in relation to the Scottish Languages Bill’s Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment. Our initial assessment^[2] highlighted the gaps which exist in our understanding of the connections between Gaelic development and wider social and economic questions. This highlighted for the Scottish Government the value of further research into the intersection of minority language issues and social and economic ones. Relevant datasets have been identified for consideration, and further review of published evidence will be undertaken in the course of the Bill’s passage. An update on evidence, as well as an account of any changes to the Bill to address inequalities in response to further evidence, will follow once the Bill has completed Parliamentary passage and the associated Act has been published.

The relationship between economic development and language revitalisation remains an underdeveloped field – whether within academia or among policymakers. The work undertaken through ‘Ar Stòras Gàidhlig’ a decade ago is just one example of various efforts across language communities to establish what connections exist between economic and linguistic initiatives and how these can be brought to bear in policy. For Gaelic, individual impact studies exist such as those cited by the Short Life Working Group: for example, the economic impact of MG ALBA, Glasgow’s Gaelic economy or the studies annually commissioned by An Comunn Gàidhealach for the Royal National Mòd. Internationally, we can cite examples such as Aberystwyth University’s Language Revitalisation and Economic Transformation workshop of 2019. The Report of the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic is, of course, its own contribution to this developing field.

Within the planning framework proposed by the Scottish Languages Bill, and building on the blueprint provided by the Group’s report, it is expected that the continual assessment of the economic dimensions of Gaelic development will play a key role in future Gaelic policy.