Scottish Languages Bill
| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about support for the Gaelic and Scots languages; to make provision about education in relation to Gaelic and Scots; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Introduced by | Kate Forbes MSP |
Status: Pending | |
| History of passage through the Parliament | |
The Scottish Languages Bill (Scots: Scottish Leids Bill, Scottish Gaelic: Bile nan Cànan Albannach) is a proposed law in the Scottish Parliament relating to the promotion of Scottish Gaelic and Scots in Scotland.[1]
Background
There had never been legislation relating to the promotion of Scots, and the existing legislation relating to the promotion of Scottish Gaelic had been the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.[2]
Scottish Gaelic was recorded as a minority language in Na h-Eileanan Siar at the 2022 Scottish census for the first time.[3] The census also found that the number of people who had any level of proficiency in Gaelic had increased from 1.7% to 2.5%.[4]
Provisions
The bill would provide access to Gaelic medium education in more secondary schools.[1][2] The bill would also enable the use of Scots in the school curriculum.[1]
The bill gives both Gaelic and Scots "official status" but this is essentially symbolic with no "enforceable" rights.[2]
The bill would establish certain areas as "areas of linguistic significance" in order for the promotion of Gaelic and Scots in those specific areas, but the process for the establishment of these areas is not clear in the text.[5]
Reception
The bill has been criticised by Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, a professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands, for focusing on the requirements to meet "official" status as a second language rather than on Gaelic as a living language as the mother tongue for some people.[6]
A report by the Scottish Parliament Education, Children and Young People Committee was sceptical that the legislation would increase the number of people who speak Gaelic and Scots.[7]
Other developments
During the passage of the bill, the government pledged to spend £30,000,000 on Gaelic separately to the provisions of the bill.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Scottish Languages Bill passes stage one". Scottish Legal News. 19 September 2024. Archived from the original on 20 November 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b c McLeod, Wilson (5 February 2024). "The Scottish Languages Bill: prospects for strengthening and challenges for implementation". Bella Caledonia. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Spowart, Nan (29 March 2025). "Hundreds express fears over proposed Gaelic bill issues". The National. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ a b "Forbes: Critics of £30m Gaelic spending are 'irrelevant'". The Herald. 23 February 2025. Archived from the original on 24 February 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ "Open letter regarding Gaelic community development and the Scottish Languages Bill". Bella Caledonia. 4 March 2025. Archived from the original on 4 March 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ^ Ó Giollagáin, Conchúr (26 February 2025). "MSPs must use their influence and face reality over Gaelic crisis". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 26 February 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ^ Braun, Carlin (24 July 2024). "Languages bill unlikely to fix 'perilous state' of Gaelic". Holyrood. Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.