Gaelic Language Development
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S3M-2374, in the name of Alasdair Allan, on Gaelic language development. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
I have agreed to requests by a number of members, under rule 7.1.1, to speak in Scots Gaelic. Members should note that headphones for simultaneous interpretation are being handed out and are also available at the back of the chamber. Members should turn to channel 1 to receive an English translation.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament commends Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, along with other local authorities and public bodies, for the recent publication of their Gaelic language plans; likewise commends the Gaelic plan of the Scottish Parliament and the soon to be published Gaelic language plan of the Scottish Government; notes the important work done by the community and by many agencies and bodies in Scotland to maintain and develop the Gaelic language; recognises that in the coming few years it will become clear whether or not Gaelic is to survive as a community language, and therefore recognises that a sense of urgency in this area of policy is essential, particularly in respect of the expansion of Gaelic medium education, if we are to ensure that the number of speakers has, by the 2021 census, been stabilised at 2001 levels as the prerequisite for long term growth.
Gu bheil a' Phàrlamaid a' moladh Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, cho math ri ùghdarrasan ionadail agus buidheannan phoblach eile, airson na planaichean Gàidhlig aca fhoillseachadh o chionn ghoirid; gu bheil i cuideachd a' moladh nam planaichean Gàidhlig aig Pàrlamaid na h-Alba agus a' phlana a tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba gu bhith a' foillseachadh a dh'aithghearr; gu bheil i a' toirt fa-near an obair chudromach a tha a' choimhearsnachd agus tòrr bhuidheannan ann an Alba air dèanamh airson Gàidhlig a leasachadh agus a ghlèidheadh; gu bheil i ag aithneachadh gum fàs e soilleir anns na beagan bhliadhnaichean a tha romhainn am mair a' Ghàidhlig mar chànan coimhearsnachd agus mar sin gu bheil i ag aithnicheadh gu bheil cùis-èiginn anns an roinn phoileasaidh seo, gu h-àraidh a thaobh leudachadh foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig ma tha sinn a' dol a dhèanamh cinnteach gu bheil àireamhan an luchd-labhairt aig àm cunntas-sluaigh 2021, air an glèidheadh aig ìrean 2001 mar riatanas airson fàs san fhad-ùine.
Tapadh leibhse, Oifigeir-riaghlaidh.
Tha mi glè thaingeil don a h-uile duine a tha a' gabhail pàirt anns an deasbad seo, an fheadhainn aig a bheil Gàidhlig agus, dìreach cho cudromach, an fheadhainn a tha ga h-ionnsachadh fhathast—mi fhìn nam measg. Tha mi taingeil cuideachd do na buidhnean Gàidhlig a bha a' gabhail pàirt an-diugh ann an latha Gàidhlig na Pàrlamaid.
Carson, ge-tà, a tha sinn a' bruidhinn mun Ghàidhlig a-rithist? Carson a tha Alasdair MacAilein gur bodraigeadh leis a' chuspair seo turas eile, agus nas miosa, a' bruidhinn sa Ghàidhlig fhèin.
Chuala mi cuideigin gun ainm anns a Phàrlamaid a' gearan o chionn goirid mun phuing seo. Thuirt e, "Bidh deasbad againn an t-seachdain seo a' tighinn mu dheidhinn seòladh. Am bu chòir dhuinn uile a bhith a' bruidhinn mar pirates?" Uill, chan eil mi duilich idir gu bheil mi a' bruidhinn sa Ghàidhlig.
Air an làimh eile, tha mi a' tuigsinn a' chunnairt a tha ann, anns an t-suidheachadh seo, agus is sin cunnart "tokenism" mar a chanas iad. Is ann air sgàth sin a bhios mi a' faighneachd cheistean sa Ghàidhlig anns a' Phàrlamaid, bho àm gu h-àm, air cuspairean eadar-dhealaichte. Tha mi a' dèanamh sin dìreach a bhith a' cumail nam chuimhne gu bheil Gàidhlig comasach air barrachd na cuspair na Gàidhlig fhèin. Ma tha an inbhe a tha aig a' Ghàidhlig a-nis a' ciallachadh dad, tha i a' ciallachadh gu bheil a' Gàidhlig cho math airson còmhradh mu Bhaghdad ‘s a tha i airson còmhradh mun mhòine.
Ma tha sibh ag èisteachd ri seo air na clogaidean-èisteachd, tha mi duilich nach robh an alliteration ag obair anns a' Bheurla cho math ‘s a tha i anns a' Ghàidhlig. Cuimhnichibh air an eisimpleir sin an ath thuras a bhios sibh a' cluinntinn na h-argamaid gu bheil bàrdachd Gàidhlig dìreach cho math anns a' Bheurla ‘s a tha i anns a' prìomh chànan.
Co-dhiù, chan eil mi a' smaoineachadh gu bheil an deasbad seo cudromach dìreach aig ìre ìomhaigheil. Tha tòrr a' tachairt ann an saoghal na Gàidhlig an-dràsta a tha a' dèanamh an deasbaid seo freagarrach agus feumail.
Bha deasbad den t-seòrsa seo againn airson a' chiad uair ann an 2000—a' chiad deasbad a bha air a chumail tro mheadhan na Ghàidhlig bhon bhliadhna 1307. An uair sin, bha sinn a' suidhe ann an Àird Chatain ann an Earra-Ghàidheal, agus cò bha anns a' chathair, Oifigear-riaghlaidh, ach Raibeart Brùs?
Dè tha air tachairt don Ghàidhlig eadar 2000 agus an-diugh? Uill, airson aon rud, tha taic nas làidire ann don Ghàidhlig aig a h-uile pàrtaidh. Bhiodh e doirbh a chreidsinn 10 bhliadhna air ais, mar eisimpleir, gum biodh sianal telebhisein aig a' chànan, le prògraman matha, luchd-èisteachd a' fàs, ùidh ga brosnachadh anns a' chànan agus misneachd ga toirt gu gnìomhachas craolaidh ann an Alba air fad. Agus ged a tha cnap-starra ann—ged nach eil an sianal air Freeview fhathast—tha sinn uile aig an aon ràmh a' strì gus sin a chur ceart.
Tha plana Gàidhlig aig a' Phàrlamaid a-nis a tha a' cur ris na seirbheisean Gàidhlig a tha rim faotainn aig a' Phàrlamaid an-dràsta ann an caochladh dhòighean. Chaidh na planaichean Gàidhlig aig Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, mar eisimpleir, agus Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd fhoillseachadh o chionn ghoirid cuideachd. Canaidh am ministear, tha mi cinnteach, rudeigin mu phlanaichean a tha aig an Riaghaltas cuideachd, agus na targaidean neartmhor a tha aca airson adhartas nas làidire fhathast. Mar eisimpleir, a' dèanamh cinnteach gu bheil àireamhan nan Gàidheal aig a' chunntas-sluaigh ann an 2021 aig an aon ìre ‘s a bha e ann an 2001. Airson a' chiad uair, tha mi an dòchas gu bheil sinn ag obrachadh gus crìonadh na Gàidhlig a thionndadh air ais.
Carson a tha sinn a' bruidhinn mu dheidhinn leasachadh a' chànain, ge-tà? Uill, a chionn ‘s gu bheil rathad fada romhainn eadar an seo agus slàinte airson na Gàidhlig. Tha mòran adhbharan ann airson "meal-an-naidheachd" a chantainn rinn fhèin. Ach feumaidh sinn, aig an aon àm, ar casan a chumail air an làr.
Tha mi eòlach air cuideigin ann an Leòdhas a tha a' tuigsinn na Gàidhlig, ach cha bhi e ga cleachdadh idir. Bha mi a' faighneachd dheth carson, agus thuirt e nach robh ach a' Ghàidhlig aige nuair a thòisich e anns an sgoil. Thuirt an tidsear ris—anns a Bheurla, ged a bha Gàidhlig gu leòr aice—gum faigheadh e an strap a h-uile turas a bhiodh e a' cleachdadh na Gàidhlig. Fhuair e an strap a h-uile latha anns a' chiad agus san darna bliadhna aige anns an sgoil gus an do dh'ionnsaich e a' Bheurla. Agus tha sinn a' faighneachd fhathast carson a tha "hang-ups" aig tòrr dhaoine anns na h-eileanan mu bhith a' cleachdadh na Gàidhlig agus carson nach eil ach cairteal de na pàrantan a' taghadh fòghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig airson na cloinne aca ged a tha a' chomhairle a' dèanamh deagh obair air a' chuspair siud.
Chaidh a' Ghàidhlig sìos mu 3,800 duine dìreach anns na h-Eileanan an Iar eadar 1991 agus 2001. Anns an 100 bhliadhna eadar 1901 agus 2001, chaidh àireamh nan Gàidheal ann an Alba air fad sìos bho faisg air cairteal a' mhillein gu dìreach 58,000. Cha mhair a' Ghàidhlig le àireamhan mar sin. Is e fàs no bàs an roghainn a tha againn.
Ged a tha an rabhadh sin romhainn ge-tà, tha sinn ag aithneachadh an adhartais a tha ann. Tha 2,200 cloinne a' dol tro fhoghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig aig ìre na bun-sgoile air feadh na h-Alba. Bha dìreach 24 ann ann an 1985. Feumaidh an àireamh seo a dhol suas gun dàil sam bith.
Tha e fìor chudromach gu bheil am poileasaidh againn ag aithneachadh gu bheil a' Ghàidhlig airson na coimhearsnachd, agus chan ann dìreach airson na sgoile. Mar a thuirt aon nighean bheag riumsa ann an Leòdhas, "Carson a tha a h-uile mac màthair anns a' bhaile agam a' bruidhinn riumsa anns a Bheurla? Nach eil iad a' creidsinn gu bheil a' Ghàidhlig agam?" Mar sin, feumaidh sinn an t-àite a tha aig a Ghàidhlig anns a' choimhearsnachd a neartachadh, ma tha sin a' ciallachadh cùrsaichean ulpan no ge-brith dè.
Tha a' Ghàidhlig mar phàirt de ar n-eachdraidh, ar cultar, pàirt de ar nàdar fhèin. Ma bhios sinn ga call, bidh sinn a' call rudeigin prìseil da-rìribh. Tha an cànan ann an staid chunnartach, ach tha e ann an staid dòchasach cuideachd. Sin an t-adhbhar gu bheil e cho cudromach gu bheil Gàidhlig ga cluinntinn anns an t-seòmar seo. Sin an t-adhbhar gu bheil mi a' togail a' chuspair seo turas eile agus is ann air sgàth sin gu bheil mi, gun nàire sam bith, a' bruidhinn mun Ghàidhlig a-rithist.
Thank you, Presiding Officer.
I thank everyone who is taking part in the debate—those with Gaelic and, just as important, those, like me, who are still learning. I am also thankful to all the Gaelic organisations that have taken part in the Scottish Parliament's Gaelic day.
Why, though, are we talking about Gaelic again? Why is Alasdair Allan bothering Parliament once more with this subject and, indeed, worse than that, why is he speaking in Gaelic itself? Recently, I heard someone in Parliament who shall remain anonymous making that very point. They said, "There's a debate next week on sailing. Should we all speak like pirates?" Well, I am not at all sorry to be speaking in Gaelic.
On the other hand, I understand the danger of tokenism in this situation. That is why, now and again, I will ask questions in Gaelic in Parliament on many different subjects; I need to remind myself that Gaelic is useful for more than simply talking about Gaelic. Gaelic's current status means that it is just as good for talking about Baghdad as it is for talking about peat. I should apologise to anyone who is listening on headphones, because the alliteration in my previous sentence does not work as well in English as it does in Gaelic. Members should remember that example the next time someone argues that Gaelic poetry is just as good in English. Anyway, this debate is important not only at a symbolic level. Just now, there is a lot happening in the Gaelic world that makes this debate appropriate and useful.
The Parliament first had a debate of this kind in 2000; in fact, it was the first such debate in Gaelic to take place since the year 1307. At that time, the Parliament met in Ardchattan in Argyll, and who was in the chair, Presiding Officer, but Robert the Bruce? What has happened with Gaelic between 2000 and today? For one thing, there is stronger support for it from every party. Ten years ago, for example, it would have been difficult to believe that the language would have its own television channel. The channel has good programmes, its audiences are growing, interest in the language is being encouraged and confidence is growing in the broadcasting industry in the whole of Scotland. However, there is an obstacle: the channel is not available on Freeview, although we are working together to put that right.
Parliament now has its own Gaelic plan, which adds to its many services in a number of ways. Western Isles Council and the Highland Council recently published their Gaelic plans. I am sure that the minister will say something about the Government's plans and its strong targets for promoting Gaelic, which include ensuring that the 2021 census shows that the number of Gaelic speakers has remained at the level that it was when the 2001 census was carried out. I hope that, for the first time, we are all working to turn back the decline of Gaelic.
If that is the case, why is my motion on the development of the language? Well, the road between where we are now and a healthy Gaelic language is a long one. There are many reasons for congratulating ourselves, but we must keep our feet firmly on the ground. For example, I know someone on Lewis who understands Gaelic but does not use it at all. When I asked him why, he said that when he started school he only had Gaelic. The teacher told him—in English, even although she had plenty of Gaelic—that he would get the strap every time he used Gaelic, and he got it every day in primary 1 and P2 until he learned English. That story shows why many people in the islands still have hang-ups about using Gaelic and why, for example, only a quarter of parents in the Western Isles choose Gaelic-medium education for their children.
Between 1991 and 2001, the number of Gaelic speakers declined by 3,800 in the Western Isles alone and, in the 100 years between 1901 and 2001, the number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland decreased from a quarter of a million to 58,000. Gaelic will not survive with numbers like that; the choice is growth or death. Bearing that warning in mind, however, we should also acknowledge the progress that has been made. At the moment, 2,200 children throughout Scotland are in Gaelic-medium primary education, whereas in 1985, there were just 24, although I have no doubt that the number must increase without delay.
It is very important that our policy recognises that Gaelic is for the whole community, not just for school. As one little girl said to me, "Why does every single person in my village talk to me in English? Do they not believe that I have Gaelic?" We must strengthen the place that Gaelic has in the community, whether that means using ulpan Gaelic immersion courses, or anything else. Gaelic is a part of our history, our culture and our nature. If we lose it, we will lose something that is priceless. The language is in a dangerous state, but it is also in a hopeful state. That is the reason why it is important that Gaelic is heard in this chamber, that is the reason why I am raising this subject again and it is the reason why I am once more speaking—without apology—about Gaelic.
Ciamar a tha thu was the only Gaelic that I knew until this afternoon, when I learned how to say, "Good afternoon, friends": feasgar math, a chàirdean. I apologise to Alasdair Allan for my poor pronunciation—I hope to learn a bit more in the coming months.
I congratulate Alasdair Allan on securing this debate. I want to talk about Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu, which is the Gaelic-medium school in my constituency. I know that we are all proud of that school, but I am particularly proud of it. Glasgow has 10 per cent of Scotland's Gaelic speakers, which is the largest number outside the Western Isles. I often claim that Partick has more Gaels than the Western Isles, which I know is not true, but it sounds plausible. That is why I want to make a short contribution to tonight's debate.
The first stand-alone Gaelic-medium primary school in Glasgow was established in 1999, with a roll of 105 pupils. The new Gaelic school has 287 primary pupils, 104 secondary pupils and 60 nursery children. It is virtually full and has proved to be a great success. I must pay tribute to the City of Glasgow Council and to the minister who was responsible for education at the time, Peter Peacock. I know that the council and the minister had to fight hard to establish the school, which is now a permanent feature of education in Glasgow.
Not only does the school represent progress for Gaelic-medium education in my constituency, it resides in the Anderston area, which lost its school some years ago. The new Glasgow Gaelic school lives in the building that was formerly Woodside secondary school. But for the Gaelic school, that site would have become another housing estate, so we are pleased that we have retained a good school in our locality.
There are now more than 400 pupils and children in the school. Crucially, 80 per cent of the families who send their children to the school speak English as their first language. The school is, therefore, important to parents who might have missed out on learning Gaelic and are keen that their children should learn the language. There are early indications that the school is performing extremely well. I know that Maureen Watt will be watching developments closely: I see that she is nodding, which means that she agrees that the early indications are that the school is doing well. Its school roll grows every year—we now have three primary 1 classes, which is another indication of the popularity of the school.
From my work with the school and with local people, I know that children from English-speaking families who learn Gaelic are much more open to learning other languages. I have done a lot to encourage people to send their children to the school for that reason.
As members can imagine, being a Gaelic school, the school promotes a lot of work in the expressive arts. For example, pupils can learn the bagpipes, the fiddle and the harp. However, it is important to emphasise that the school focuses just as much on other issues. For example, it is an eco-school and a fairtrade school, and it places a great emphasis on enterprise.
More work needs to be done to ensure that we have enough Gaelic-medium education teachers to support Gaelic education, and I know that that will be a big issue for the Government. I support progress in that regard.
The primary 7 class of Sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu were the first children to sit on the steps in the Parliament's garden lobby and draw what they saw. They used those drawings to design jewellery, which is displayed in the school. I am proud of how the school has developed and that people from it have been here many times.
We have made significant progress in protecting and promoting the Gaelic language. That has been one of devolution's big successes: without devolution, we would not have been able to protect the language and promote it as we have.
Bu toigh leam meal-an-naidheachd a thoirt gu Alasdair MacAilein airson a bhith a' cur deasbad an fheasgair seo air dòigh. Tha mi glè thoilichte a bhith a' bruidhinn air Gàidhlig san àm-ri-teachd agus cuiridh mi fàilte air a' Phlana Gàidhlig a tha Pàrlamaid na h-Alba air bogadh an-diugh an co-bhoinn ri Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
I congratulate Alasdair Allan on securing tonight's debate. I am very happy to be talking about the future of the Gaelic tongue and I welcome today's Gaelic plan put forward by the Scottish Parliament in conjunction with Bord na Gaidhlig.
I hope that that roughly approximated to the following. I congratulate Alasdair Allan on securing tonight's debate. I am very happy to be talking about the future of the Gaelic tongue and I welcome today's Gaelic plan put forward by the Scottish Parliament in conjunction with Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
The Scottish Conservatives are justifiably proud of our record on supporting Gaelic. The Conservative Government introduced state funding for the language in 1979-80, and the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 placed a duty on local authorities to provide the teaching of Gaelic throughout the Gaidhealtachd. The Gaelic broadcasting fund was established by the then Secretary of State for Scotland, Malcolm Rifkind, in 1989, initially for around £8 million, which was a huge sum at the time. It was consolidated in law under the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Broadcasting Act 1996.
I was involved in some of those decisions in my role as head of news and current affairs at Grampian Television. We broadcast the first-ever Gaelic weekly news service—"Seachd Làithean"—and we were one of the first companies to be commissioned by the Comataidh Telebhisein Gàidhlig to produce Gaelic programmes. I am delighted that the fund has now grown into the Scottish Government's contribution to the annual budget of Scotland's dedicated Gaelic channel, MG Alba, which is, of course, co-funded with the BBC. The new channel's involvement with the work of the excellent Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on Skye, which I revisited during the summer recess after a long absence; cultural organisations; and events such as the annual Gaelic Mod, which I had the pleasure of attending in October—it was in Falkirk; I was not lucky enough to hear Alasdair Allan singing with the Back Gaelic choir—show that the language and culture are still as wonderfully organic as they are dynamic.
It is right and proper that the Parliament and the Government continue to play a full supportive role in promoting Scotland's original tongue, but we recognise the sense of urgency that Alasdair Allan refers to in his motion and the continuing concerns about Gaelic's sustainability. In addition to the Parliament's plan, we look forward to the Scottish Government's plan in the near future.
On Gaelic-medium education, we believe that parents throughout Scotland should have the right to have their children educated in the language of their choice, with English being taught at the same time. However, I have long held the view that we will not save Gaelic simply by giving local authorities in parts of Scotland that have little interest in the language the funds and choice to learn it.
It seems to me that only two things will save Gaelic. One is broadcasting, which I have already dealt with; the other is immersion education. If we are to bring the language back from its deathbed, we must use the same methods that have been successfully implemented by educationists in Ireland, Wales, the Basque country, Catalunya and elsewhere. I continue to hold the view that all subjects should be taught in Gaelic in the remaining Gaelic heartlands of Skye, Lewis, Harris and the Uists. Spreading the same policy to, say, the inner isles and sympathetic mainland council areas in the west should be considered only when a degree of linguistic stability has been achieved.
Until 1971, Welsh speakers in Wales were in decline. Following the national immersion education strategy there, nearly a quarter of the population of Wales now speaks Welsh. In the same period in which Wales has gained 80,000 Welsh speakers, Scotland has lost 50,000 Gaelic speakers. The figures for Ireland, following its immersion strategy, are even more dramatic. In 1926, only half a million spoke Irish Gaelic; the figure is now 1.5 million. A policy of immersion education for a period of, say, four to six years has, of course, long been advocated by Sir Iain Noble, who founded Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, and others who have studied minority languages that are at risk. I commend such a strategy to members.
As I said when the previous Executive introduced the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill, a previous generation muzzled the Gaelic language. Màiri mhòr nan òran—big Mary of the Songs—got it wrong when she blamed the Sassunach. What happened had nothing to do with the English; it had everything to do with Scottish educationists. I appeal to the minister. With the forthcoming publication of this Government's plan for Gaelic, let us hope that we will not deliver a strategy that—however well meaning—sees a new generation of Scots presiding over the last rites of this great language.
Tha mise, mar a tha a h-uile duine eile, gu math toilichte agus pròiseil a bhith a' gabhail pàirt anns an deasbad a-nochd. Tha mi airson taing a thoirt do mo charaid Alasdair MacAilein airson an deasbad a thoirt air beulaibh na Pàrlamaid.
Anns a' chiad àite, tha mi airson taing a thoirt dha na coimhearsnachdan sgìreil agus na buidhnean poblach a tha ag obair anns na h-àiteachan sin, bhon a rinn iadsan adhartas mòr airson a' chànan is a' chultar. Feumaidh sinn a bhith taingeil gun do thachair sin. Tha mi airson taing cuideachd a thoirt gu Pàrlamaid na h-Alba—a' Phàrlamaid againn fhìn—a stèidhich Achd na Gàidhlig (Alba) 2005 air creig chruaidh. Tha mi a' dèanamh dheth gun do rinn an achd sin tòrr feum airson inbhe na Gàidhlig agus gum bi sin againn airson iomadach bliadhna. Tha mi toilichte gu bheil sinn, mar a thuirt Alasdair MacAilein, leis na casan againn air talamh gu math làidir.
Tha mòran de na comhairlean agus na buidhnean poblach a chuir an ainm ris an achd a-nis ag obair gu math cruaidh agus gu math dripeil airson an cànan a bhrosnachadh anns na sgìrean aca fhèin. Gu dearbh, tha mòran dhiubh an dèidh na planaichean aca airson Gàidhlig a chur air beulaibh na Pàrlamaid agus air beulaibh na buidhne ùire, Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Tha sin a' toirt inbhe ùr dhan Ghàidhlig agus brosnachadh is cuideachadh nach robh ann bho chionn iomadach bliadhna.
Chunnaic sinn an-diugh mar a tha Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, an seo ann an Dùn Èideann, prìomh bhaile na h-Alba, ag obair airson brosnachadh is cuideachadh a thoirt dhan Ghàidhlig. Chaidh plana ùr còig bliadhna a thoirt a-staigh le buidheann chorporra na Pàrlamaid. Chaidh sin a chur air beulaibh an t-sluaigh an-diugh agus thàinig mòran a-staigh airson sin a chur air bhog. Rud a thug toileachas mòr dhomh, b' e a bhith a' faicinn Rody Gorman, bàrd ainmeil à Èirinn, is e a' toirt an t-eadar-theangachadh a rinn e air pìos bàrdachd aig Edwin Morgan "Open the doors!", a sgrìobh e airson fosgladh na Pàrlamaid o chionn naoi no 10 bliadhna air ais. Mar a thuirt sinn an-diugh, bha sinn toilichte gun do thachair sin agus gun deach na dorsan fhosgladh aig an àm sin airson an cultar is an cànan a thoirt a-staigh agus a sgaoileadh a-mach tro Alba air fad. Bha sinn gu math pròiseil an seo anns a' Phàrlamaid an-diugh.
Dh'fhairich sinn gu bheil Bòrd na Gàidhlig a' dèanamh obair mhòr. Tha sianal ùr Gàidhlig againn air telebhisean, a-nis an dèidh iomadach bliadhna de strì agus stramash mu dheidhinn. Tha sin againn an-diugh ach tha duilgheadas againn nach eil sin a' ruigeil a-mach dhan a h-uile pàirt den Ghàidhealtachd, ach thig sin ge-tà. Dh'fhairich sinn mu dheidhinn an inneil Freeview gum bu chòir gur ann, cho fada ‘s a tha sin aig daoine, gum faigh iad na prògraman Gàidhlig a tha a' dol a-mach.
A-nochd, tha fios againn gu bheil deasbad gu bhith eadar na sgoiltean às a' Ghàidhealtachd a thàinig sìos gu Dùn Èideann an-dè. Leis an deasbad sin a' tachairt anns a' Phàrlamaid a-nochd, bidh Gàidhlig a-rithist air beulaibh an t-sluaigh. Tha sin a' dèanamh mòran airson Gàidhlig a bhrosnachadh is a chuideachadh is a sgaoileadh a-mach air feadh Alba air fad.
Tha mi làn chinnteach nuair a thig an cunntas-sluaigh air ais ann am beagan bhliadhnachan gum bi, mar a bha Alasdair MacAilein ag iarraidh, àireamhan luchd-bruidhinn na Gàidhlig—agus àireamhan nan daoine a tha a' cumail a' chultair is a' chànain beò—a' sìor-dhol suas. Tha mi an dòchas gum bi sin a' tachairt, agus tha mi làn chinnteach gum bi. Mòran taing.
I am, like everyone else, pleased and proud to be taking part in this debate tonight. I thank my friend Alasdair Allan for securing the debate. I also thank communities and public bodies for their work in helping to promote the language and culture. We must be thankful that that has happened.
I thank our own Scottish Parliament for establishing the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 on a very hard rock. I gather that it has done a lot of good for the status of Gaelic and that it will be a benefit for many years. I am happy that we find ourselves, as Alasdair Allan said, with our feet firmly on the ground.
Many of the councillors and the people from other public bodies who put their names to the original bill have been working very hard to promote Gaelic in their own communities. Many of those people have presented their own plans to the Parliament and to the new group, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, which will give a lot of status to the language, providing help that has not been there for many years.
We have seen today how the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, has been working to encourage the language. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has launched a new five-year plan and many people came for the launch. What really impressed me was seeing Rody Gorman, a noted poet from Ireland, who has translated the poem "Open the Doors!", written in English by Edwin Morgan to mark the opening of the Parliament 10 years ago. We are happy that the doors have opened for Gaelic language and culture so that they could be promoted and strengthened. We feel very proud, here in the Parliament today.
Bòrd na Gàidhlig is doing a lot of work. We have a new Gaelic channel on television that we did not have before. Many a struggle there was to get it going, but now we have it. It is not broadcast in all parts of the Highlands, but that will come. As long as people have Freeview, they will get the Gaelic programmes.
Later tonight, schools from the Highlands will debate Gaelic—people came down to Edinburgh yesterday. Opening Gaelic out to people does a lot to encourage them and increase their confidence.
I am sure that the number of people who speak Gaelic, and who are keeping the culture alive, has increased since the previous census, as Alasdair Allan wishes. I am sure that that will have happened.
Tapadh leibhse, Oifigeir-riaghlaidh.
Tha mi gu math toilichte pàirt a ghabhail anns an deasbad seo air leasachadh na Gàidhlig agus meal-a-naidheachd a thoirt gu Alasdair MacAilein a thug an deasbad seo don Phàrlamaid.
Tha tòrr Gàidhlig agam, ach chan eil mi fhathast fileanta no misneachail. Is e an t-àite far a bheil mi a' tuiteam nach eil mòran cothrom agam Gàidhlig a chleachdadh agus, mar sin, tha mi ga call. Ged a tha mi a' gluasad air adhart agus air ais a-rithist, tha mi fhathast fada nas fheàrr na bha mi o chionn 35 bliadhna nuair a thòisich mi ag ionnsachadh.
Tha mi a' creidsinn gu bheil an rud a tha a' cur stad air an neach-ionnsachaidh aig nach eil mòran ùine an dearbh dìth ùine sin agus dìth chothroman an cànan a chleachdadh ann an coimhearsnachd nàdarra.
Rugadh mi ann an Inbhir Losaidh, ann an teaghlach aig nach robh Gàidhlig, ged a thuirt m' athair gun do bhruidhinn a sheanmhair Gàidhlig ann an Inbhir Losaidh mun bhliadhna 1900. Cha robh cuimhne aige air mòran ach abairt a chleachdadh i a bha caran coltach ri "Càite a bheil mo phìob clay?"
Mar sin, tha e a' coimhead gun robh an t-sinn-seanmhair agam a bhiodh a' bruidhinn Gàidhlig agus a' smocadh pìob dìreach trì ginealaichean air falbh bhuamsa. Leis an sin, tha Gàidhlig, tha mi cinnteach, nam fhuil, anns an aon dòigh ‘s a tha i anns an fhuil aig mòran daoine eile gun fhios dhaibh.
Ghluais mi gu Steòrnabhagh ann an 1973 agus bha mi an dùil Gàidhlig ionnsachadh. Mar sin, chaidh mi don leabharlann airson leabhar fhaighinn air iasad leis an ainm "Teach Yourself Gàidhlig". Bha droch ghàire aig neach-cuideachaidh an leabharlainn a thuirt "Seo fear eile", agus cha robh i misneachail idir. Gus an fhìrinn innse, bha droch bhlas agam agus mi a' feuchainn ri Gàidhlig ionnsachadh ann an Steòrnabhagh anns na 1970an. Bha tòrr anns a' bhaile gun Ghàidhlig agus cha robh an fheadhainn aig an robh Gàidhlig ag iarraidh a bhith a' bruidhinn a' chànain. B' e cànan na "Maus", no muinntir na dùthcha, a bha innte agus cha b' urrainn dhut a bruidhinn nan robh thu ag iarraidh àrdachadh sam bith. Neo ‘s e sin am beachd a bha ann co-dhiù. Bha iad buailteach a bhith a' magadh orm ged a bhiodh duine no dhà sònraichte nach do rinn sin. Tha mi toilichte a ràdh gu bheil beachdan tòrr nas fheàrr ann a-nis a thaobh na Gàidhlig, ged a tha mòran fhathast an aghaidh rud sam bith Gàidhealach.
Dh' fhàg mi Leòdhas ann an 1983 le cuid mhath de Ghàidhlig, ach fhathast fada bho fhileantachd. Air ais air an tìr-mòr, ann an Inbhir Nis, lean mi air adhart leis na clasaichean oidhche agus seachdain an-siud is an-seo aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, gus an d' fhuair mi àrd ìre Gàidhlig ann an 1994, ach cha do rinn mi mòran airson 10 bliadhna às dèidh sin.
Cha robh e gus an deach a' bhan-ogha agam, Yasmin, don chròileagan, agus an uair sin don aonad Gàidhlig aig Bun-sgoil a' Mheadhain ann an Inbhir Nis, a thòisich mi a-rithist leis a' chursa comais làn-thìde aig Colaiste Inbhir Nis nuair a leig mi às mo dhreuchd ann an 2002.
Bha sin fìor mhath a chionn ‘s gum b' e sin a' chiad uair a bha an tìde agam airson cùrsa-bogaidh làn-thìde a dhèanamh. Agus is e seo, tha mi cinnteach, an dòigh gus adhartas mòr a dhèanamh. A-nis tha mi air feuchainn ris na cùrsaichean "Gàidhlig san dachaigh" agus "Ulpan" a dhèanamh agus tha an dithis dhiubh glè mhath agus tòrr nas fheàrr na an dòigh traidiseanta.
Rinn mo nighean an cùrsa comais cuideachd gus a bhith a' cuideachadh Yasmin leis an obair dhachaigh aice agus tha i a-nis ag obrachadh mar neach-cuideachaidh san sgoil ùr Gàidhlig ann an Inbhir Nis.
Tha mi cuideachd toilichte gum biodh clann na nighinne eile agam, Ella agus Jude, a' dol tro fhoghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig agus gu bheil sinne a' dèanamh pàirt beag airson Gàidhlig san àm ri teachd, agus tha mi an dòchas gum biodh an granaidh à Inbhir Losaidh a bhiodh a' smocadh na pìoba toilichte leis a sin.
Ma tha sinn airson Gàidhlig a shàbhaladh, feumaidh sinn fhathast foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig a leudachadh, agus tha mi gu math toilichte gu bheil Comhairle na Gàidhealtachd dìreach air aontachadh sgoiltean Gàidhlig eile a thogail ann am Port Rìgh agus sa Ghearasdan.
Feumaidh sinn na cùrsaichean "Gàidhlig san dachaigh" agus "Ulpan" a leasachadh mar dhòighean ionnsachaidh, còmhla ri bogadh làn-thìde, airson luchd-ionnsachaidh gus am bi iad ag ionnsachadh ann an ùine tòrr nas giorra na na 35 bliadhnaichean a bha agamsa.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am happy to take part in this debate about the development of Gaelic. I congratulate Alasdair Allan on bringing the debate to the Parliament. I have a lot of Gaelic, but I am not yet fluent or confident in it. Where I fall short is that I do not have much opportunity to use Gaelic and therefore I lose it. Although my Gaelic goes forward, then back again, I am still much better at it than I was 35 years ago when I started learning it. I believe that what stops the learner from continuing with Gaelic is lack of time and lack of opportunity to use the language in a natural environment.
I was born into a family in Lossiemouth that had no Gaelic, although my father said that his grandmother spoke Gaelic in Lossiemouth around 1900. He did not remember many of the Gaelic sayings that she would use other than something like, "Where is my clay pipe?" It looks like my great-grandmother was speaking Gaelic and smoking a clay pipe just three generations away from me. I am sure that Gaelic is in my blood in the same way that it is in the blood of many other people who do not know Gaelic.
When I moved to Stornoway in 1973, I wanted and expected to learn Gaelic. I went to the library to borrow the book "Teach Yourself Gaelic". There was a smirk on the assistant's face when she said, "Here's another one." She was not at all confident in me. To tell the truth, I did not have a very good accent when I was trying to learn Gaelic in Stornoway in the 1970s. Many people in the town were without Gaelic, and those who had Gaelic did not want to speak the language. They called it the language of the "Maws", or the country people. People could not speak Gaelic if they wanted to be promoted—or that was the opinion at the time. People were liable to make fun of us for speaking Gaelic, although one or two special people were not like that. I am glad to say that opinions of Gaelic are much better now, although many are still against anything that is Highland.
I left Lewis in 1983 with quite a bit of Gaelic, but I was still far from being fluent. Back on the mainland in Inverness, I carried on with the night classes and a week here and there at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig until I got higher Gaelic in 1994. However, I did not do much for 10 years after that. It was not until my granddaughter Yasmin went to the play group and then the Gaelic unit in Central primary school in Inverness that I started again. I did the cùrsa comais full-time in Inverness College when I retired in 2002. That was really good because it was the first time that I had had the time to do a full-time immersion course. I am sure that that is the only way to progress to a great extent. I now try to do the Gaelic in the home and ulpan courses. They are both very good and much better than the old traditional ways.
My daughter also took the cùrsa comais in order to help Yasmin with her homework. She is now working as an assistant in the new Gaelic school in Inverness. I am also happy that Ella and Jude, the children of my other daughter, are going through Gaelic-medium education and that we are playing a little part in the future of Gaelic. I hope that the granny from Lossiemouth who smoked a pipe would be happy with that.
If we want to save Gaelic, we must expand Gaelic-medium education. I am very happy that Highland Council has just agreed to build other Gaelic schools in Portree and Fort William. We must develop the Gaelic in the home and ulpan courses as ways of learning, along with full-time immersion courses for learners, so that they will learn in a much shorter time than the 35 years that it took me.
Mòran taing. I congratulate Alasdair Allan on securing the debate this evening, and I congratulate the learners of Gaelic who have spoken so well. The debate offers an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made in strengthening the place of Gaelic in Scottish life since—and, indeed, before—the establishment of the Scottish Parliament nine years ago, as well as a chance to consider what more needs to be done.
The Gaelic language is important to me as a native of the Isle of Lewis and as a representative of the city of Aberdeen. On the island side, my family have lived in Harris, Uist and neighbouring islands for as long as anyone can remember, and many of them are still active in some of the communities that Alasdair Allan represents. My father, the Rev Roddy Macdonald, was both a translator into Gaelic and a Gaelic bard in his own right. He translated all the works of Burns from Scots and English into Gaelic, and he collaborated with others in writing a book of trilingual poetry that celebrates the diverse languages and cultures that are native to Scotland. He was the latest in a long line of people in my family who were fluent in the Gaelic language, which stretched back to the bard Peter Morrison in the 17th century.
That is my Gaelic inheritance. Equally important to me, however, is our investment in the future of Gaelic. That future lies not only in the Highlands and Islands, but in cities such as Aberdeen and in communities in countries overseas for which Gaelic remains important.
Like Pauline McNeill, I have the privilege to have a Gaelic-medium school in my constituency. Gilcomstoun primary school is host to both the nursery and the primary school units for Gaelic-medium education in Aberdeen. This year, we celebrate 25 years of Gaelic pre-school education in the city, and we look forward to building on those successes going forward.
My daughter Iona has enjoyed Gaelic-medium education from the age of two and is now in primary 6. She is looking forward to taking her bilingual skills into secondary school. Her experience of Gaelic-medium education has been immensely enjoyable and productive, not least because of its success in passing on the culture as well as the language of the Gàidhealtachd in the heart of an east coast city. The experience has also been immensely productive for an inner-city school, where Gaelic has been a vehicle for making a distinctively Scottish contribution to a multicultural environment.
It is important that all those advances are not lost. Gaelic must not be seen as inward looking or it will fail. It must be a part of what makes Scotland an inclusive and multicultural society, and it must be as open to those who arrive in Scotland as it is to those whose families have lived here for many generations.
Gaelic-medium education is also affected by wider policies in education. In the area that I represent, a number of cuts in education funding are being considered. It is important to recognise that Gaelic-medium education cannot succeed in isolation, but can do so only in the context of a successful schools system. I am concerned by the proposal that is being considered in Aberdeen to end French immersion teaching at Walker Road school. That successful initiative, which is in another member's constituency, has been praised by ministers in this Government and in previous ones. Ending the initiative would send the wrong signal not only to members of Comann nam Pàrant who already sent their children to Gilcomstoun and Hazlehead schools, but to other parents who may be considering doing the same.
Proposals to end schooling on a Friday afternoon or to reduce school transport have serious implications for all children at all Aberdeen schools but particularly for those at a Gaelic-medium school that serves the entire city. I hope that councillors in another place will take those implications into account.
I welcome the debate. I hope that the minister will take the opportunity to reinforce the position of Gaelic-medium education in our cities as well as elsewhere. It matters for our young people, our Gaelic heritage and our multicultural communities and it reinforces the message that a bilingual education is an asset for all those who enjoy the opportunities that it offers.
At this point, I would be prepared to accept a motion to extend the debate by up to 20 minutes in order to finish the debate.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended until 5.56 pm.—[Alasdair Allan.]
Motion agreed to.
I am pleased to speak in the debate and congratulate my colleague Alasdair Allan on securing it.
I will make a brief speech, not as a speaker of Gaelic but as a supporter. There are supporters of the language in some perhaps unlikely places.
Gaelic plays an important part in the history, culture and life of Scotland, as we have just heard. Too often, debates around the language centre on whether this or that area was part of the Gàidhealtachd, as if Gaelic used to occupy some well-enclosed space and was heard nowhere else. Of course, that is not true. Whether or not Gaelic was the dominant language in an area, it was part of the common experience of people all over Scotland, as Gaels and other Scots conducted trade and commerce.
My home county of Ayrshire is identified, quite rightly, as Robert Burns country. We are proud of that, but it is not our only inheritance. Just 20 miles from Burns's birthplace in Alloway is the village of Barr, which has been identified as possibly the last Gaelic-speaking community in the Lowlands. Even today, Ayrshire is home to Gaels, with Anne Lorne Gillies, who will be known to most members, prominent among them.
In recognising that twin inheritance, I am pleased to highlight the work that East Ayrshire Council is doing to re-establish Gaelic as part of the common experience throughout Scotland. The council provides Gaelic-medium education for pre-school and primary pupils at Onthank primary school in my beloved Kilmarnock. Given that the area has no recent tradition of Gaelic, that is remarkable. It is even more remarkable when we consider that it is an area of long-standing multiple deprivation. East Ayrshire Council should be congratulated on that remarkable achievement.
The Gaelic language is also offered to pupils in six other primary schools in the authority's area. Gaelic-medium education is available at the Grange academy, which also hosts a Gaelic-medium youth club.
The growth in Gaelic-medium education at pre-school and primary levels is a real building block for the future. Those years of education are an exciting challenge for children as they learn to read, write and count. An important part of their formative years is that children in Gaelic-medium classes experience those challenges while using Gaelic.
If Gaelic is to be a truly community language, it must be experienced outside the classroom and the theatre. It needs to be a language in which we can conduct business and everyday conversation.
The Gaelic plans that are being produced by the Parliament and the Government, which are to be rolled out across public agencies, are important signposts for the future. They must not only demonstrate a commitment to the language but spell out how agencies will reinforce the use of the language on a daily basis.
I thank the member for promoting what is being done in East Ayrshire and I hope that he will join me in congratulating Aberdeenshire Council on having a Gaelic teacher in the schools in upper Deeside, where the crofters used to speak the Gaelic not that many decades ago. Does he agree that it is incumbent on us all to highlight the number of job opportunities that there are for people who speak Gaelic fluently, not just in the media industry but in teaching? Pauline McNeill highlighted the fact that we need Gaelic teachers not just in primary schools but increasingly in secondary schools, where they teach their subject specialism in the Gaelic. There are also opportunities for translators and people who work for public agencies. The opportunities are immense.
I certainly agree. Development in that area in recent years has been a revelation to me.
If Gaelic is to develop, it must be allowed to come in from the cold and the sidelines of Scottish society. In some pockets of the country, an unhealthy attitude is still taken to the language and its importance. That can be overcome by raising awareness of the language, which must be not only heard but seen. It is crucial that people see the language in its written form, particularly in communities that do not speak Gaelic. I hope that that will be emphasised as Gaelic language plans develop. I look forward to hearing the minister's speech, which will add to earlier comments. I am delighted to support Alasdair Allan's motion. Mòran taing.
I join Alasdair Allan in welcoming the Gaelic language plans from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the Parliament, which I congratulate. I will stop short of congratulating the Scottish Government, because I have not seen its plan, but Alasdair Allan may well have seen it. If he has confidence in it, I hope that it will make the big contribution that we all hope it will make to developing Gaelic.
The bald statistics on the demographics of Gaelic still suggest that it is in a parlous condition. The sad fact is still that more people who speak Gaelic die each year than there are people learning the language. Like Alasdair Allan, I look forward to the day when those figures cross over and when the number of learner speakers exceeds the number of speakers who die. That will give us hope for the future.
Despite those demographic trends, I have never been more optimistic that Gaelic has a strong and secure future than I am now. In my years of involvement in public life in the Highlands and Islands, I have seen enormous change. I am well aware of the days to which Alasdair Allan referred, although they were before my time, when kids were thrashed in schools throughout the Highlands and Islands for uttering a single word of Gaelic. Today, we take pride in educating huge numbers of pupils through the medium of Gaelic. That was unimaginable a few years ago.
As John Farquhar Munro spoke, I thought about the early pioneers in my time on Highland Regional Council at the start of the Gaelic-medium education movement. They were people such as the Reverend Jack MacArthur from Sutherland—he also spent periods in the Western Isles and in Skye; Duncan Grant from Glen Shiel and then from Skye; Jim Henderson from Lochaber; Neil McKechnie from Dingwall; and John Farquhar Munro himself. Years ago, they all advocated the importance of Gaelic-medium education in a modest way, but they saw that movement begin to take off in the Highlands and Islands.
I am sad to say that Jack MacArthur, Jim Henderson and Duncan Grant are no longer with us. They would be astonished if they saw the progress that had been made from the very small beginnings about which they used to argue. The Sleat peninsula in Skye provides an example. From the modest beginnings of a Gaelic-medium unit in an English-speaking primary school there, 20 years later, huge controversy and debate now occur over whether English should be used in that school at all. We now have a Gaelic school with an English-medium unit. That is a massive transformation. In Barra, Portree and Fort William, people demand Gaelic-medium schools. They have the ambition for that and the confidence that it is possible.
As Pauline McNeill said, Glasgow has an all-through Gaelic-medium school and the first full Gaelic-medium secondary school in Scotland. That is possible because of the concentration of Gaelic speakers there. That provides enormous hope for the future in that community and more widely by showing that secondary education through the medium of Gaelic is possible and achievable. Such developments were unimaginable only 10 or 15 years ago, but they are now real. That means that we can develop further initiatives.
One great joy of visiting Gaelic-medium schools is not just hearing young people speaking the language, but hearing music and poetry and seeing art everywhere. One great aspect of visiting such schools is that their pupils always sing or play a musical instrument, such as the clarsach. That gives a clue to our future policy needs. We are talking not just about language and words, but about the expression of the language through music, poetry and recitals. We need to embrace all that.
Gaelic-medium education will be critical to the future of the language, but it must develop in other ways, as I have said. I have been amazed by the development and high quality of the fèisean music movement in the Highlands and Islands, which contributes to culture and understanding by making them relevant and contemporary for young people.
Major increases are beginning to happen in people's ability to use Gaelic in everyday ways, which Dave Thompson mentioned. That allows people to practise speaking Gaelic. One function of Gaelic language plans is to have a role in such developments, but they are only a vehicle to allow those developments to progress. If Gaelic language plans sit on a shelf once they have been written, they will be of no value. We must monitor implementation and encourage progress from modest beginnings.
It was my great privilege to be able to take the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 through the Parliament. It is fascinating to see acts of the Parliament result in actions on the ground. That is why I welcome the Gaelic language plans but, in themselves, they will not save Gaelic. Ultimately, the language will survive because of the generation that is coming through the schools now and is involved in the fèisean movement; because of those who are involved in the new Gaelic television channel, those who watch it and those who take an interest in the language; and because of those who are involved in many other activities. The involvement of people in Gaelic-medium education and other forms of expression gives me the optimism that I have not had for many years.
Tha mi an dòchas gu bheil deasbad an latha an-diugh na cheum eile air adhart ann an aiseirigh na Gàidhlig.
I tried to say that I hope that the debate marks another step forward in the revival of the Gaelic language.
I congratulate Alasdair Allan on securing the debate, which marks a significant milestone in the publication of Gaelic language plans. I will concentrate my remarks on Gaelic-medium education. I hope that many members agree that it is the key to the language's survival. We have certainly come a long way since the establishment of the first Gaelic-medium units, which have been highly successful—I hope—in stopping the language's decline and sparking its revival.
Not only Gaels but any linguist would confirm that immersion in an all-Gaelic environment makes a huge difference in building pupils' confidence and to the learning environment. That is particularly the case in the English-dominated culture that we have in this country. There is growing parental and community support for all-Gaelic schools. The decisive step that we need to make now is from Gaelic units to all-Gaelic schools. Proposals exist for such schools in Portree, Barra, Fort William and Edinburgh among other places. In Glasgow, there is a proposal for a second such primary school.
The evidence that we have shows that all-Gaelic schools are particularly good not only for the Gaelic language but educationally. Where they exist, they are popular with parents and can encourage more families to opt for Gaelic-medium education. Therefore, they are an important tool if we are to achieve the ambitious targets that have been set in the national plan. Schools that have more children than their predecessor units are also more efficient, with fewer composite classes and higher output per teacher.
I welcome the £2.7 million funding that the Scottish Government has announced for new buildings. I hoped that it would be more, but it is a good start. I am particularly pleased that the Government has accepted the principle that some form of central funding is necessary. It is essential that there be supplementary support for local authorities to fulfil the targets that are in the national plan. The number of local authority areas in which we need to intervene to expand Gaelic-medium education is small but it would make a big difference, so we should not spread those limited resources round every council.
Moreover, using the normal rules for allocating money for new buildings would not necessarily achieve our objectives. I give Portree primary school—where I first started my education—as an example. It currently has a roll of around 250 pupils, 150 of whom are in English-medium education and 100 in Gaelic-medium education. The existing school is a decent building and in fine order but, if we are to expand Gaelic-medium education there, we need to build a brand new school with additional capacity. That is clearly a difficult decision to take in a tight financial climate, but part-fund arrangements are the solution. The previous Executive showed the way in Glasgow by providing funding to the council, which in turn provided the building. That is the model that we should use. However, I certainly welcome the initial funding from the Government and hope that it will be renewed after the two years.
I was going to mention the importance of getting BBC Alba on Freeview, but John Farquhar Munro has done that so I will conclude with a brief mention of the Gaelic college on Skye. The growth and success of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig has been at the heart of the revival of Gaelic and symbolic of its success. One of the key figures in building Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and the person who should take most credit for the college's achievements is its director, Norman Gillies. As some members know, Norman is coming up to retirement and will soon step down from his post. I hope that the Presiding Officer does not mind my taking this opportunity to extend my best wishes and the Parliament's thanks for the immense contribution that Norman Gillies has made to the Gaelic language and the college, and to wish him well for his retirement.
Tapadh leibh, Oifigear-riaghlaidh. Gaelic is unique to Scotland, and everyone here has recognised that, I am delighted to say. Everyone has also recognised that we must take necessary and urgent steps to secure Gaelic for the future. For that reason, I thank Alasdair Allan for lodging the motion for debate, and everyone else who has contributed. I am delighted that we had to extend the time for the debate; it is a mark of the respect of everyone in Parliament.
The Scottish Government has made its position clear. We came to Government with a strong programme of ambitious Gaelic commitments, on which we are making good and steady progress. I hope that those commitments and initiatives, and the increased funding that we are putting in place, will improve the status and appeal of the language. I hope that it will also lead to an increase in the use of Gaelic in the home, school, community, workplace, the arts and in public life generally.
I commend the Scottish public authorities that have prepared Gaelic language plans—Highland Council, Argyll and Bute Council, and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar—and are moving forward with their implementation. On this day, I also congratulate the Scottish Parliament on the launch of its Gaelic language plan. The Parliament has taken vigorous steps to promote the language, including the language planning forum that is being held here tomorrow.
I am confident that the Gaelic language plans have already led to an increase in the use of Gaelic. More progress must be made as plans are prepared and finalised. However, I take on board what Peter Peacock said: the plans cannot be left on a shelf—they must be constantly monitored, refreshed and renewed where necessary.
The Scottish Government was one of the initial bodies to receive a notice to produce a Gaelic language plan from Bòrd na Gàidhlig. Our plan will set out the measures that are to be taken on the use of Gaelic in Government, and how the Scottish Government will use and enable the use of Gaelic in the delivery of its services. It will include commitments on our corporate identity, communications, publications and staffing, and it will outline measures that we have taken to support the promotion of Gaelic throughout Scotland. It will describe measures that are aimed at raising the status of Gaelic, promoting its use and encouraging its learning.
When put together with the plans that are being rolled out by all the other public bodies, that could increase the status of Gaelic and the level of its use in Scotland. For that reason, I am pleased to be able to inform members that the Cabinet has considered and approved the Government's draft Gaelic plan, which will be prepared for a period of consultation in January 2009.
The text of tonight's motion refers to the need for an expansion in Gaelic-medium education. I agree; it is vital to support the growth in the number of Gaelic speakers. The Highland Council Gaelic language plan contains a commitment to open two more dedicated Gaelic schools and, last week, the Highland Council moved forward on that in Portree and Fort William.
Discussions are going on about the possibility of a dedicated Gaelic school in Edinburgh, the nation's capital city, and we are all aware of the success of the Glasgow Gaelic school and the increasing reputation of the Inverness Gaelic school.
We have increased our support for Gaelic-medium education throughout Scotland. As Ken Macintosh said, we have made capital support available to authorities that would like to make progress with Gaelic-medium schools. We have also supported Gaelic teacher recruitment for reviewing Gaelic early years education. We have increased provision for a range of education projects that Bòrd na Gàidhlig will implement.
The Government's funding for resources to support teachers and pupils in Gaelic education is at an unprecedented level. There is no question about the Government's and the Parliament's commitment to Gaelic-medium education in Scotland.
The motion that we are debating refers to the importance of the survival of Gaelic as a community language. The presence of Gaelic in our lives and culture enriches every one of us. However, it is essential that we have a living language community to support that and that we give thought to how we strengthen and grow the community. That issue was discussed at a recent conference in Lewis that focused on growing Gaelic in communities. It was a good day: new initiatives were put in place and new funding was made available. It is vital that we maintain momentum in this very important area. It is important, too, that Bòrd na Gàidhlig gives further thought to how matters can be taken forward. I have written to it in that regard.
Gaelic is in a fragile condition. We cannot be complacent, but like others I believe that we are at a critical point. I am very encouraged by the desire to support Gaelic that I find in Scottish public life, and I am encouraged by the commitment and vitality that I have found with Gaelic speakers, learners and supporters. Even this week, there have been encouraging signs of vitality. The Scottish Parliament's Gaelic plan has been launched, while a book of Gaelic poetry was launched last night. A new Gaelic novel was published today in Glasgow, and later this evening we have the final of the Gaelic high schools debating competition.
Those developments, and many more, are reasons for optimism and confidence, and our duty is to maintain progress, use the initiatives that have been put in place and work to ensure a secure future for Gaelic so that the language will continue to play a significant role in Scottish society and cultural life. I totally support the motion, and I am confident that all members will be able to support the necessary steps that will ensure the survival of Gaelic as a community language in Scotland. Tapadh leibh.
Meeting closed at 17:56.