Chamber and committees

Thank you.

In speaking about joined-up working with partners, you spoke about your work with local authorities. Will you go into more detail about the joined-up work that you have done with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other public authorities?

Good morning, and thank you for coming along. The strategic plan says that Scottish Water is going to

“promote blue-green approaches and drive innovative solutions to reduce flooding.”

With that in mind, can I ask what progress has been made in adoption of blue-green infrastructure to manage surface water, and whether you have any examples of projects? Douglas Millican, I will direct that question to you, as you are looking at me.

I welcome the update from the Scottish Government on the action that it is taking to avert industrial action—which would be in no one’s best interests. Does the cabinet secretary agree that, if the Scottish Tories are looking to place the blame, they should look more closely at their colleagues down in Westminster, whose policies of austerity have, in effect, tied the Scottish Government’s hands when it comes to public sector pay rises?

What is your union’s view on the possible unbundling of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services in any future tendering exercise? What is the reasoning behind your union’s view, whether it is for that or against it?

I will keep my questions short. That was me being telt beforehand.

Good morning and welcome. I will go to Martyn Gray and Gordon Martin in that order, because that is how I see them on the screens. What discussions have your unions had with Transport Scotland about the forthcoming islands connectivity plan?

Thank you for that. Martyn, what are your union’s views on that?

I am jist fair tricket tae spik in this debate e day and, like my fellow co-convener o the Scots leid cross-pairty group, Emma Harper MSP, I want tae use my time tae focus on the Doric and the Scots leid. I agree wi aathin that Emma said in her contribution.

A leid maks fowk; a common leid brings us aa thegither; a kintra’s leids shape its culture. Scots, Doric and Gaelic have aa made us fa we are the day, and they hiv tae be a pairt o oor future anaa.

Like the cabinet secretary, in my education I was constantly telt tae spik e English and nae ma ain language, so I wint tae touch on attainment and education. The curriculum for excellence maks clear that e languages, dialects and literature o Scotland provide a rich resource for bairns and young fowk tae learn aboot Scotland’s culture, identity an language. Through engaging wi a wide range o texts, they will develop an appreciation o Scotland’s literary and linguistic heritage and its indigenous languages and dialects. I wid be affa grateful if e cabinet secretary wid confirm that Doric texts will be equitable to Scots.

Thon educational principle permeates experiences and ootcomes, and it is expected that oor teachers will build upon e diversity o language represented within the communities of Scotland, valuing the languages that bairns and young fowk bring tae e skweel.

Mair than 50 per cent o fowk in Aiberdeen and the shire spik Doric or Scots, so it is important tae ensure that fowk in the region are supported tae use their ain mither tongue.

Especially for our young fowk, promotin their ain language is so important in education.

I thank the member for the question and for understanding fit I am saying. I absolutely agree. Especially wi the Doric, which is a form o Scots, it is sometimes affa difficult tae write doon fit you are trying tae say. I absolutely agree with fit you are saying.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority has confirmed that the use of Scots in education tackles the attainment gap by allowing students tae spik in their own vyce. Bilingualism has monie ither educational benefits, and promoting Scots bilingualism assists in the Government’s een-plus-twa language policy goal.

Fundamentally, promoting Scots and Doric in education is aboot building a parity o esteem o oor language so that it is thocht o in equal terms wi ither European languages. It is aboot showing oor bairns and young fowk that it is okay—it is aaricht tae use their ain language. It is nae slang and it is nae inferior tae English—it is a language and its use needs to be promoted and protected.

Doric has rules and it has vocabulary, and its spikkers hae a certain wey o looking at the world that gings wi onie language. If you lose onie language or lose onie aspect o a language, you lose something that is unique. Many fowk associate Doric wi humour, and richtly so, as there is a great tradition o self-aware humour richt across the north-east. However, if it is only seen through that lens, the power and status o the language is soon undermined.

As my colleague Emma Harper said, Scots, like e Doric, is often seen as a non-professional language. We need tae overcome these barriers and normalise e use o Scots Doric, nae jist in humour but in everyday life—particularly in skweels because, currently, Scots Doric is often used socially but nae professionally.

For example, if you go up tae the Broch or Peterheid, you will find sparkies fae Poland and Lithuania who hiv skweel English but fa find themselves learning e Doric. In their work life, it is fit fowk spik. In plenty waalks o life, Doric is useful and used.

We need tae see mair work gan in tae embed the language intae the curriculum and intae social life, and I speir at e cabinet secretary for a commitment on that as the legislation is taken forward.

I want to reflect on a recent poem I seen on e Facebook, written by Brian Thomson, a mannie originally fae the north-east. He wrote:

“E Doric wis used by e folks at hame, it wasna used in skweel
If you answered a teacher in Doric tongue it didna ging doon weel
Fin ye got hame it wis Doric again, until e skweel next day
Sittin thinkin o the wirds, ye ken ye’ve nae tae say
Fin ma bairns were growin up, e Doric wis left ahin
I didna pass on a’ e wirds, it really wis a sin
Bit noo at last I unnerstan e wirds a hiv tae save
E Doric words are precious, didna tak em tae yer grave
So billies start yer screivin we wint it a passed on
It’s in oor bleed, it’s history, we didnae wint it gone
An mine an tell yer loons an quines te keep e wirds alive
We a mun dae oor verra best tae help it te survive.”

Brian is absolutely richt and fit he writes really resonates wi me. I was telt nae tae use e Doric in skweel and it does hae an impact. Young bairns headin intae skweel fur the first time aa excited and the first thing they are telt is that they are spikkin wrang. Quite frankly, that is jist cruel and we need tae stap it. We need tae embrace their Scots and let them learn the English at their ain pace.

I want the bill to genuinely be used to normalise, support and protect Scots and Doric and I look forward to being involved as the work is taken forward.

I welcome the steps that have been taken so far, but can the cabinet secretary expand on the challenges of recruiting GPs from overseas, which, if overcome, could help with the GP numbers in rural areas and the Highlands and Islands?