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

Key Sectors

3.5.1 While acknowledging the potential of Creative Scotland's Place Partnership Programme, a national Gaelic Arts Strategy be developed outlining ways to support and enhance the economic opportunities for those working in the arts and screen industries where Gaelic is the medium of delivery or is related to the work being undertaken in the artform.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

As outlined throughout the response, the Scottish Languages Bill aims to introduce a Gaelic Language Strategy which will replace the current requirement for a National Gaelic Language Plan. The strategy, as a product of Scottish Ministers rather than an NDPB, will provide a more comprehensive outline of how Gaelic must be supported across Scotland’s public life. The arts will naturally feature in this. In working towards strategic goals on behalf of Gaelic in the arts and cultural sectors, future Gaelic Language Strategies will build on the success so far achieved by Gaelic Language Plans produced by public bodies such as Creative Scotland, National Galleries Scotland and National Museums Scotland. The insights of organisations such as MG ALBA and independent production companies will also be vital.

Submissions to the public consultation on the Bill revealed the need there was for artistic development to play a greater role in Gaelic planning. It is expected that the measures introduced by the Bill will be a means to ensure this.

3.5.2 In recognition of the economic, social and educational importance of the broadcast and digital media, increased funding should be made available to MG ALBA and others to enable the development of a range of new programmes, a larger proportion to be made in Key Gaelic Communities, for broadcast on television, radio and on digital platforms with a strong language policy which increases the use of Gaelic with optional subtitles.

The Scottish Government partially accepts this recommendation.

The Scottish Government continues to argue that, while broadcasting is reserved, the UK Government needs to consider its current support for minority indigenous languages and whether it is currently demonstrating parity of support and provision. We are clear on the importance of minority language broadcasting and the need to protect and enhance the important role it plays in driving community and economic growth, particularly in rural areas. The Scottish Government continues to support a thriving Gaelic broadcasting industry, with £12.8m funding a year for MG ALBA. The Scottish Government believes broadcasting policy should be devolved to Scotland to ensure that proportionate decisions can be taken which recognise the requirements of audiences and the creative industries in Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to support skills and education, working closely with Screen Scotland to support programmes across the sector as well as in formal and informal education settings. Screen Scotland will continue to work with film and TV productions to ensure that projects have opportunities attached for new, and developing, crew and talent. We will encourage engagement with BBC ALBA and Screen Scotland to identify areas where training can be provided to boost skills training and engagement with the Gaelic language.

The Scottish Government continues to support MG Alba in its efforts to increase the recognition of Gaelic broadcasting and digital media. This support will continue.

3.5.3 The partnership established by VisitScotland to support Gaelic tourism should be continued with a wide range of bodies working towards improving the Gaelic experience for visitors.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

VisitScotland launched its Gaelic Tourism Strategy in February 2024. The strategy emphasises the importance of Gaelic to Scotland’s international appeal. Its aim is to enable Scotland’s wider tourism sector to integrate Gaelic into the experience offered to tourists. VisitScotland’s implementation of this strategy will proceed alongside its continued leadership of the Faster Rate of Progress initiative’s tourism workstream.

Beyond the strategy, VisitScotland is also reaching out to tourism bodies in Wales, Ireland and New Zealand to share knowledge of work being done with indigenous languages and culture.

An area which will be addressed is the lack of data available for the value of Gaelic to the visitor economy. This is especially true at the national level. There is an aim to improve our national and regional insights in order to help the tourism industry understand the current and potential value of Gaelic. This will be done in a way sensitive to the language’s needs – avoiding tokenism

3.5.4 A range of industry training opportunities should be developed to prepare people to work in the media, as far as possible through the medium of Gaelic, to increase employment opportunities, use of Gaelic and provide a range of transferable skills.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

The success of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig’s DipHE in Gaelic Media and initiatives such as FilmG have demonstrated the value of media industry training for Gaelic speakers. BBC Alba’s success in expanding the number of career paths in Gaelic media over the last generation has served to the general enrichment of Scotland’s public life. MG ALBA and independent production companies are significant contributors to the economies of Gaelic communities.

The Scottish Government continues to support skills and education, working closely with Screen Scotland to support programmes across the sector as well as in formal and informal education settings. Screen Scotland will continue to work with film and TV productions to ensure that projects have opportunities attached for new, and developing, crew and talent. We will encourage engagement with BBC ALBA and Screen Scotland to identify areas where training can be provided to boost skills training and engagement with the Gaelic language.

The Scottish Government will work with MG ALBA and the other identified bodies to bring forward this recommendation.

3.5.5 As called for in a 2021 scoping exercise for NatureScot, ‘Ecosystem Services and Gaelic’, further research be undertaken to explore the role Gaelic language and culture and its relationship with the Highland landscape has in promoting self-esteem, health and well-being with a view to improving knowledge, access and creating social and economic opportunities relating to the natural environment.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

The expansion of outdoor and landbased learning is among the Scottish Government’s priorities.

The ecological arguments for minority language revitalisation have long been articulated by linguists. In Scotland, there is an increasing awareness of the role which Gaelic ecological knowledge can play in formal policymaking – not least in our efforts to counter climate change.

Two recent examples stand out. The first is NatureScot and Ainmean-àite na h-Alba’s Coilltean Caillte project. Coilltean Caillte utilised Gaelic placename knowledge to reveal Scotland’s historical woodlands – identifying sites which could be suited for present day reforesting. This is a seminal demonstration of the way in which Gaelic’s historical relationship with Scotland’s landscape can be a key tool in advancing an urgent contmporary policy goal. The second is Climate Hebrides’ Gàidhlig Convention at Cnoc Soilleir in November 2023, which was sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Unit. This event combined the twin goals of providing an entirely Gaelic forum to discuss the government’s Just Transition policies while also being an opportunity to collect local climate knowledge to better inform their future development.

The models these offer of the social and economic – and policy – opportunities offered by a knowledge of Gaelic and its intersection with t he natural world will be built on. The immediate means of doing this within the Scottish Government will be through our own Gaelic Language Plan and Gaelic Implementation Group. The increased emphasis which a future Gaelic Language Strategy will place on Gaelic as a general asset for all policy areas will achieve this across Scotland’s public sector.

3.5.6 In addition to specific recommendations in 3.5.1-3.5.5, economic opportunities should be strengthened by increasing support for Gaelic organisations, companies and individuals working across the range of key sectors to expand provision, employ more people and strengthen communities further.

The Scottish Government accepts this recommendation.

Alongside the other bodies listed against this recommendation, we will work to increase the support for Gaelic organisations, companies and individuals. Many of these have contributed so far to the development of the Scottish Languages Bill – through consultation submissions and ongoing discussions with Scottish Government officials. The overarching aim of the Bill with regards to Gaelic is to improve the support which exists for the language and its stakeholders across Scotland’s public life. Responses to the recommendations above have outlined the measures within the Bill which will achieve this. A ministerial Gaelic Language Strategy will place a renewed and more wideranging perspective on Gaelic’s position across Scotland’s public life. An emphasis on proportionate delivery will require public bodies to consider the extent of support the language can receive across their operations. The designation of Areas of Lingusitic Significance will be a means of strengthening the community foundations of Gaelic in modern Scotland.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) have recently published their updated Gaelic plan, which commits HIE to make an active offer of Gaelic services, to have equal respect for Gaelic and English and to mainstream the use of Gaelic. They are looking to normalise the use of Gaelic through everything they do. HIE are also updating their systems to allow better reporting against investment in Gaelic communities, with the anticipation that within 1-2 years they will be able to provide reports.