Category: Consultations

Bòrd na Gàidhlig have submitted a response to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s public consultation: Draft Corporate Strategy 2024-27. Amongst the points raised were:

“The Comhairle’s Gaelic Policy, Corporate Strategy 2022-27 and Gaelic Language Plan promote and support the use, learning and promotion of Gaelic in the Western Isles. As the Gaelic Policy and Corporate Strategy state, respectively;

The Western Isles should be a fundamentally bilingual community, on which Gaelic and English have equal validity as languages of communication.

The Comhairle, in partnership, is committed to creating a sustainable future for Gaelic language and culture in the Outer Hebrides and to ensuring that the Outer Hebrides are recognised and continue to be supported by national organisations for their contribution in support of Gaelic, linguistically and economically.”

 

You can read the full response here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament’s public consultation on Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas. Amongst the points raised, we said:

The Strategy should also set out how its actions will contribute to sustaining and developing the Gaelic language. The National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care in Scotland makes no reference to Gaelic. That is despite two Health Boards – NHS Western Isles and NHS Highland – having Gaelic Language Plans.

Good healthcare provision in remote and rural areas will help to attract and retain Gaelic speakers. Thus, it will contribute to the viability of the language.

That is in a context where population levels are already declining in many remote and rural locations. Loss of population in areas with Gaelic speakers due to inadequate healthcare provision could have a significant negative impact on the language.

If Gaelic users move elsewhere this would have two impacts. First, a reduction in the number of Gaelic speakers in the affected area. Second, affected households may move to an area where Gaelic is much less used, and over time, they may no longer regularly use the language – or may lose it altogether.

The result would be a reduction in the use of Gaelic. That would run counter to the National Gaelic Language Plan’s aim that the language “is used more often, by more people”.

The full response can be accessed here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Government consultation on the National Islands Plan Review.  Amongst points raised, we said:

Having a National Islands Plan is very helpful. We particularly welcome its statement that “the Scottish Government recognises the importance of the Gaelic language to many island communities, and the importance of the Gaelic speaking island communities to the survival and sustainability of Gaelic in Scotland”.

It is very useful that Gaelic is referred to within most of the Plan’s Strategic Objectives rather than being treated as a stand-alone issue. This has provided an avenue for Bòrd na Gàidhlig to participate – and raise the profile of Gaelic – in organisations such as the Convention of the Highlands and Islands, Highlands and Islands Regional Economic Partnership and the Islands Deal Advisory Forum.

The full response can be accessed here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s public consultation on: A Human Rights Bill for Scotland.  Among the points raised, we said:

Scottish Gaelic is a minority, indigenous language of Scotland, and has been spoken in the country for over twelve centuries. Its decline can be directly linked to 400 years of legislation designed to extirpate it from Scottish society. Recognition of indigenous minority language rights in the Human Rights Bill for Scotland is essesntial in re-establishing the language in its homeland.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig are responding to this consultation because we wish to see greater clarity on the proposed Bill’s implications for the Gaelic language.

The full response can be accessed here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the consultation – South of Scotland Responsible Tourism and Marketing Strategy 2023 by Scottish Borders Council.  Among the points raised we said:

Bòrd na Gàidhlig is responding to this consultation because we would wish consideration to be given to including Gaelic as a tourism asset within the strategy. As such, it has the potential to contribute to heritage and culture as key selling points of the South of Scotland region.

As shown in our introduction there is a growing number of learners and potential overseas visitors with an interest in the Gaelic language. VisitScotland research showed that, from 2018 to 2021, there was a 72% increase in the number of VisitScotland.com users visiting Gaelic-related content. 

The full response can be found here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament consultation Proposed Land Ownership and Public Interest (Scotland) Bill.  In the response, we said:

We support policy developments that will assist community land purchases particularly in areas where Gaelic remains relatively strong. The National Gaelic Language Plan notes that “reforms, such as community land ownership…will…have an impact on many of the communities with Gaelic speakers and so are important to…. the progress of Gaelic in Scotland”. It also notes that growth in community land ownership can also provide opportunities for using Gaelic and for increasing the value of the language to speakers.

The full response is available here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament’s consultation Budget Scrutiny 2024-25: Funding for Culture.  Among points raised, we said:

In terms of Gaelic culture, the Culture Strategy Action Plan should consider the proposals put forward in the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic: Report to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy. In particular:

“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 art form.”

That should include sufficient recognition of community level cultural organisations, particularly in rural and remote areas, and their ability to reflect the types of activities that their communities want. These organisations help to bring communities together and provide those involved in culture with skills that can be used in other community-based activities.

These organisations face challenges in terms of sustainability, particularly the smaller ones. There is a need for sufficient funding to retain, in particular, performers, folklore and skills and knowledge. Community ownership of venues may also open routes to capital funding.

The full response can be read here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig have developed a new draft guidance for the preparation of Gaelic Language Plans and we are seeking feedback on this draft before it is officially published and adopted.

This draft guidance has been developed under section 8 of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) and supersedes the original guidance that was first published in 2007.

We have developed a survey to gather views on the draft guidance, which can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

The 2005 Act requires that the consultation be open for not less than 3 months and for that reason, will officially run from Thursday 10th August 2023 until 5pm Friday 10th November 2023.

Once the feedback has been collated and views taken into account, we will finalise the draft guidance document which will then be submitted to Scottish Ministers for their approval.

Once the guidance is approved, Bòrd na Gàidhlig will publish the new guidance document.

We would like to thank you in advance for your participation in this consultation and for helping us develop a document that will play a crucial part in fulfilling the aim of the National Gaelic Language Plan 2018-23 – that Gaelic is used more often, by more people and in a wider range of situations – for many years to come.

You can read the draft guidance here.

This consultation has now closed.

The Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee is planning work into healthcare in rural & remote areas. Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to their consultation on this work. Among the points we raised, we stated the following:

There is a need for a clearer and up to date understanding of how existing healthcare provision affects population attraction and retention – and thus communities’ viability. To what extent is current provision a “push” factor that causes some people to move away from their community? That is in a context where population levels are already declining in many remote and rural areas.

Loss of population in areas with Gaelic speakers due to inadequate healthcare provision could have a significant negative impact on the language. If Gaelic users move elsewhere this would have two impacts. First, a reduction in the number of Gaelic speakers in the affected area. Second, affected households may move to an area where Gaelic is much less used and over time, they may no longer regularly use the language – or may lose it altogether. 

The full response can be read here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to Glasgow Life’s consultation on Glasgow’s Culture Plan and Strategy.  Points raised in the response include.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig is responding to this consultation to, in particular, highlight the importance of Gaelic within the culture and creative sectors in Glasgow and thus its importance for the proposed Culture Strategy.

We welcome the Draft Plan’s statements that:

• Culture should be: “a product of the experiences, lives and views of everyone”.
• According to the Vision “Glasgow’s cultural landscape truly reflects the City’s people”.
• The Values should include to be “open, fair and inclusive” and to be “authentic and distinctive”.

Gaelic language and culture fit closely with these statements. That is in terms of their being important to the lives of those who speak the language and/or enjoy Gaelic culture which is both an authentic and distinctive element of Glasgow’s culture.

Gaelic is a unique cultural asset. It is a major part of Scottish cultural identity and a key part of the strong cultural assets that feature in events in Scotland. Many traditional and new forms of Scottish arts draw upon Gaelic culture: although not all will be expressed in the Gaelic language. For example, many pipe bands, folk bands, Highland dancing groups, Highland Games and cèilidhs will draw upon Gaelic culture and heritage.

Thus, there is a need for the Plan and the subsequent Strategy to acknowledge the contribution of Gaelic culture to overall cultural and creative activity in Glasgow.

The full response can be read here.