Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Official Report 919KB pdf

Decision Time

There are three questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first question is, that amendment S6M-06763.1, in the name of Donald Cameron, which seeks to amend motion S6M-06763, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, on the future of Gaelic and Scots, be agreed to.

Amendment agreed to.

The next question is, that amendment S6M-06763.2, in the name of Michael Marra, which seeks to amend motion S6M-06763, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, on the future of Gaelic and Scots, be agreed to.

Amendment agreed to.

The final question is, that motion S6M-06763, in the name of Shirley-Anne Somerville, on the future of Gaelic and Scots, as amended, be agreed to.

Motion, as amended, agreed to,

That the Scottish Government recognises the value of Gaelic and Scots and welcomes efforts of public bodies, stakeholders and the communities in supporting their growth and development; welcomes the progress that has been made in recent years with support for Gaelic in community initiatives, guidance and legislation, national structures and a wide range of projects and educational resources; further welcomes Scottish Government commitments to build on this progress, including the introduction of a Scottish Languages Bill in this parliamentary session, the establishment of a new strategic approach to Gaelic Medium Education, the development of a Gàidhealtachd, and reviewing the structure and functions of Bòrd na Gàidhlig; calls on all MSPs to promote the Scottish Government’s ongoing consultation on these commitments, to encourage people across Scotland to play their part in supporting a vibrant future for Gaelic and Scots; acknowledges that challenges exist in the promotion of Gaelic, in particular, the difficulties facing local authorities in filling Gaelic Medium Education teacher vacancies at primary and secondary level, with a consequential impact on subject choice in schools; urges MSPs to unite collectively to address these issues so that all of Scotland's languages can flourish; highlights the importance of protecting Gaelic and halting its decline in its heartlands in recent decades, by ensuring the increase of Gaelic speakers and protecting current Gaelic speaking communities by providing good quality jobs and housing to arrest depopulation in these areas, and by addressing current issues around regional economic inequality, connectivity and transport infrastructure as a matter of urgency; recognises the diversity of learners and speakers of Gaelic and Scots, and believes that more must be done to bring the promotion of these languages closer to communities across Scotland, and understands that cultural and social infrastructure across the country plays a key role in promoting local histories and languages that must be protected and enhanced.

That concludes decision time.