A second five-year plan to develop Gaelic is to be launched in West Lothian.
While there has been a huge increase in the number of Gaelic speakers since the Scottish Government began to actively promote the language across Scotland numbers remain small the further south and east you travel.
A report to the council highlighted that the numbers of Gaelic speakers in West Lothian had risen from 676 in the 2011 census to 1,148 in the 2022 census. That figure is a 72% increase in a decade but still only represents 1.7% of the West Lothian population.
The 2022 census data shows that 2,496 (1.4%) of the West Lothian population have Gaelic language skills. Despite this number being low in comparison to the population of West Lothian, the number of residents that have Gaelic skill (people speaking, writing, and reading Gaelic) has increased by 111% from 1,179 as recorded in the 2011 Census.
And while children can access Gaelic education none have in the last three years.
Across Scotland 130,161 of those three and above are recorded in the 2022 Census to have Gaelic language skills. This represents 2.5% of the population and has increased by 50% from the 2011 Census, which recorded that 87,000 people in Scotland were able to speak, read, write and/or understand Gaelic.
The council launched its first Gaelic plan in late 2021. Its second plan which will run until 2031 is being readied for approval by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
This is the principal public body in Scotland responsible for promoting Gaelic development, including providing advice to Scottish Ministers on Gaelic issues.
A report to councillors said: “The aim of the Bòrd is that Gaelic is seen and heard daily across Scotland, such that it is widely recognised as an integral part of Scottish life and a national cultural and economic asset.”
The 22-page plan offers detailed reading about the work the council has to undertake.
As per the Holyrood legislation the council must use the next five-year plan to: “increase the number of persons who can use and understand the Gaelic language, encourage the use and understanding of the Gaelic language and facilitate access, in Scotland and elsewhere, to the Gaelic language and Gaelic culture.”
The report added: “Gaelic Medium Education (GME) is currently provided by West Lothian Council through a partnership arrangement with City of Edinburgh Council.
“ This partnership arrangement supports delivering high-quality GME for children and young people from West Lothian through effective use of resources across West Lothian and Edinburgh. Children and young people attending GME travel to Parkside Primary or Gillespie’s High School in Edinburgh.
“There have been no requests for Gaelic Medium Education in West Lothian for the last three years however, the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 includes provisions that give parents the right to request an assessment of the need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education from their Education Authority and the Scottish Government has established a process for parents, which is supported by Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Education.
“Where parents within West Lothian make such a request, Educational Services will follow the Statutory Guidance.”
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
