The Scottish Languages Bill (, ) is a proposed law in the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

relating to the promotion of Scottish Gaelic and Scots in Scotland.

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 The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 () is an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 2005. It was the first piece of legislation dedicated to the Scottish Gaelic language and was seen as the first step by the Scottish Executive to provide ...

. Scottish Gaelic was recorded as a minority language in

Na h-Eileanan Siar The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

at the 2022 Scottish census for the first time. 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%.

Provisions

The bill would provide access to Gaelic medium education in more secondary schools. The bill would also enable the use of Scots in the school curriculum. The bill gives both Gaelic and Scots "official status" but this is essentially symbolic with no "enforceable" rights. 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.

Reception

The bill has been criticised by Conchúr Ó Giollagáin, a professor at the

University of the Highlands and Islands The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) () is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Isl ...

, 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. 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.

Other developments

During the passage of the bill, the government pledged to spend on Gaelic separately to the provisions of the bill.

References

{{Reflist Language legislation in the United Kingdom Proposed laws of Scotland Scottish Gaelic language Scots language Constitutional laws of Scotland