Scottish Languages Bill: island communities impact assessment

Step Two - Gather Your Data And Identify Your Stakeholders

What data is available about the current situation in the islands?

Until the data for Gaelic and Scots collected in the 2022 Census is published, the returns of the 2011 Census remain the most authoritive statistics for the position of both languages across Scotland.

For Gaelic, research has been undertaken by various bodies looking at the position of the language within inidividual communities. The findings of such research have also informed the policy aims of the Scottish Languages Bill.

The Scottish Government and its stakeholders supports various initiatives on behalf of Gaelic and Scots across Scotland. These relate to educational provision on behalf of the languages, teacher numbers, and community activities and are an additional source of data for our work.

Do you need to consult?

As stated above, the Scottish Languages Bill is the product of an extensive public consultation between August and December 2022. This took place in island and mainland communities and used a mixture of in-person and online events across Scotland to ensure the process was accessible. Introducing the Bill to the Scottish Parliament will also result in a further consultation process. The Report of the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic was another significant source of community opinion.

How does any existing data differ between islands?

Language use differs both in terms of density of speakers in different islands and the circumstances of the two languages.

For Gaelic, existing data demonstrates a variation in speaker density between different islands. As mentioned above, the proportion of Gaelic speakers within an island community can range from 70-80% in parts of the Outer Hebrides to low double figures in parts of the Inner Hebrides with a great number of island communities inhabiting a position somewhere between.

The main sources of data for Gaelic are consistent between islands. The first of these is the returns of the national census which ensure that Gaelic data is collected in a consistent and comprehensive manner across Scotland. The second is the annual education data collected by Bòrd na Gàidhlig illustrating the extent of Gaelic medium education and Gaelic learner education provision in all Scottish local authorities. This is supplemented by work undertaken by organisations such as Highlands & Islands Enterprise, MG Alba, universities and estate or community trusts in providing a statistical impression of Gaelic's circumstances across a variety of social and economic sectors.

For Scots speakers, the returns for Orkney and Shetland in the 2011 Census showed a range of between 28.02% and 60.94%. As with Gaelic, these figures are derived from the SNS 2011 Datazones and more local perspectives, such as those afforded by postcode areas, will show a greater variation. Returns for Scots speakers are higher in the Shetland Islands than in the Orkney Islands with Shetland as a whole reporting 48.66% Scots speakers and Orkney 40.59%. These figures place them within the same range for density of speakers as mainland areas such as Aberdeenshire, Moray and East Ayrshire or Angus. It should be noted that the difference between branches of Scots, and the distinct identities attached to them, should guard against conflating the circumstances of these communities based on census returns. This was a view which came across in responses to the public consultation.

Are there any existing design features or mitigations in place?

There are a number of mitigations in place to support the Gaelic and Scots languages. These are things which the Scottish Languages Bill seeks to enhance within island communities - further bolstering both the languages and the wider aspects of community life which they in turn sustain.

The primary areas in which the Scottish Government supports Gaelic are in education, broadcasting and our funding and sponsorship of Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The latter in turn is a means by which the Scottish Government indirectly supports Gaelic development in public bodies and communities across Scotland.

Since its establishment in 1985 Gaelic medium education (GME) has grown to become a successful minority sector within the Scottish state school system. Much of GME's early progress came from communities in Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Skye and other islands. Since 2019 GME has been the default for pupils starting school in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities and other local authorities in their provision of GME and also Gaelic learner education for pupils attending English medium education. The provisions within the Scottish Languages Bill relating to Gaelic medium and Gaelic learner education aim to place their provision on a strategic base across Scotland - addressing the challenges identified within the current system. This will in turn strengthen one of the key aspects of government activity within Gaelic speaking island communities.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig was established following the enactment of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. In the 18 years since it has played a crucial role in advocating for Gaelic across Scotland's public life, giving the Bòrd a prominent voice in the island communities where Gaelic has a significant presence. The Bòrd's main activities involve the guidance and monitoring of institutional Gaelic Language Plans outlining the support public bodies give to Gaelic speakers as well as the wide range of initiatives they fund on behalf of the language. The Bòrd also funds Comunn na Gàidhlig (CnaG) which acts as a community development body in multiple island communities. The Bòrd will retain this role and its ability to pursue it will be enhanced through the creation of a duty for Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Gaelic Language Strategy in place of the current National Gaelic Language Plan.

Other Scottish Government stakeholders such as An Comunn Gàidhealach, Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Stòrlann both contribute to the support of Gaelic as a community language in the islands while also providing employment and training through their activities.

For Scots, the Scottish Government supports a number of bodies which contribute to the vitality and promotion of the language. Organisations which can be mentioned in this regard are the Scots Language Centre, Scots Hoose, Dictionaries of the Scots Language and the Association for Scottish Literary Studies. These groups and the activities they support help sustain Scots in its island communities while also providing opportunities for Scots speakers within them to use the language in different aspects of public life.