Category: Consultations

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.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Government consultation Effective community engagement in local development planning guidance.  Amongst points raised, we said:

Bòrd na Gàidhlig are responding to this consultation because we wish to see sufficient and appropriate recognition of the Gaelic language within the Community Engagement in Local Development Planning Guidance.

We welcome the ICIA’s statement “that ‘Planning Advice Note 3/2010: Community Engagement’ is already in place and includes guidance relating to the needs of minority groups and provision of information in alternative languages which could include Gaelic”.

We also welcome that “The ECEG does not prescribe the use of specific engagement techniques, leaving this to local circumstances”, Further, that “It also leaves open the use of languages such as Gaelic / Scots and community languages as would fit local circumstances”.

The full response can be read here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted as response to the Scottish Government consultation on New National Parks Appraisal Framework.  Amongst the points raised, we said:

Bòrd na Gàidhlig are responding to this consultation because we wish to see sufficient recognition of cultural heritage – of which Gaelic language and culture is a key element – within the appraisal framework.

Understanding the Gaelic landscape and increasing awareness of one of Scotland’s indigenous languages can strengthen attraction to and sense of uniqueness of the Scottish landscape and its linguistic and cultural heritage. By ensuring that any new National Park places importance on Gaelic language and culture at the outset, the Park, its residents, and visitors will benefit from a sense of place, an opportunity to use and learn Gaelic, an increase wellbeing through linking nature and language.

The full response can be accessed here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig responded to the consultation by the University of the Highlands and Islands about Local Advisory Committees for a new merger of UHI colleges.

We said in our response:

In selecting members of Local Advisory Committees consideration should be given to the added value of recruiting individuals with Gaelic language skills and links to Gaelic communities and organisations.

Such individuals would extend the breadth of connections into local developments, opportunities, projects, and partnerships. They will also have an enhanced ability to act as ambassadors for the college and UHI in the local community.

The full response can be read here.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has submitted a response to the Scottish Government’s public consultation on the Draft Planning Guidance for Local Living and 20 Minute Neighbourhoods.

Among the points raised:

The report Living Well Locally 20 Minute Communities in the Highlands and Islands8 is referenced in the consultation document. It notes concerns that the 20-minute neighbourhood concept “could lead to further centralisation of services” the impact of which “would be to reinforce poverty, inequality and outmigration”.

If Gaelic users then leave their community to live elsewhere this can 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 is a reduction in the use of Gaelic. That runs counter to the National Gaelic Language Plan’s aim that the language is used more often, by more people.

The viability of these communities requires appropriate and flexible planning measures. We therefore welcome the approach set out in the ICIA and the draft guidance: in particular, the following points made in these documents.

Read the full response here.