BUSINESS

1.       

2.

PRESENTATION: ROLE OF THE GAELIC LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN SOCIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Marsaili MacLeod, a Phd Research Student at the University of Aberdeen attended the meeting and gave a presentation on the research she was undertaking under the heading of ‘Language Careers – Working in the Gaelic Language’. Ms Macleod reported that she had completed the first year of a three year project considering the links between economic development and the Gaelic language, and believed that socio-economic development was effected by the surrounding Gaelic infrastructure.

Members were informed that although Gaelic was one of the World’s minority languages, there was mixed evidence as to a recent rise or demise of the language. Her research to date led her to believe that active work in Gaelic Medium Education was counteracting the decreasing number of speakers through the decline in intergenerational transmission of the language. Figures showed that 44% of children learning Gaelic were in a family that did not speak Gaelic. However at present there was only anecdotal evidence from research done in the early 1990’s on the importance of Gaelic infrastructure. Ms MacLeod suggested that by looking at the value of the language in physical, human and cultural terms, it was clear that the supporting Gaelic infrastructure had been, and would continue to be, essential in ensuring the sustainability of the Gaelic language. Her research led her to four key questions which she intended to address through her research, these being:

a) Under what circumstances do people take work where Gaelic is the working language?
b) What is the meaning of this work to workers?
c) What are the inter-linkages between the work and domestic and community spheres?
d) What are the implications of the findings for Gaelic development policies?

Members praised the thorough breakdown of the topic, and agreed that like many minority languages, Gaelic embodies a way of life, and therefore its sustainability is essential for many communities across Scotland. During discussion several points were made on areas of further investigation, such as

- The effects on the growth of the language when today’s Gaelic Medium School pupils, become parents; and
- The link with multi-lingualism for many young students of the language.

Members AGREED that Ms MacLeod be invited to return in 12 months to provide an update report and also once her three year research programme was completed, to inform the Committee of her findings.

3.

HIGHLAND 2007  

There had been circulated Progress Report No GSC 25/05 by the Project Director which informed Members of developments to integrate Gaelic language and culture within the Highland 2007 programme since the Committees last meeting, these being;

- On 28 September the 15 Principal Gaelic Agencies agreed that Highland 2007 would proceed with the theme ‘Discover Gaelic’ at its core;
- Bord na Gaidhlig announced the re-launch of the ‘Gaelic Initiatives Fund’ which would principally assist community groups undertaking ground breaking Gaelic development projects with grants of up to £10,000, for which £400,000 was available for this purpose during 2006/07 and 2007/08;
- There were ongoing discussions with the Scottish Football Association on the feasibility of introducing young people to Gaelic through the medium of football. Youngsters would learn basic terms / phrases whilst being coached on the sport. There were also ongoing negotiations on the addition of ‘Alba’ on the national teams strip;
- Following a meeting with the Sport Scotland, it was hoped that the proposed scheme in football could be rolled out into other governing bodies of sport creating further awareness of the Gaelic language; and
- The Project Director hoped, very shortly, rather than reporting on concepts, ideas and proposals for programme content, she could provide draft programmes for events.

Members NOTED the report.

4.

20 YEARS OF GAELIC MEDIUM EDUCATION  

There had been circulated Report No GSC 26/05 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which gave an account of the above conference, which had been held in the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, on 23 September 2005, and of the main recommendations of the Conference.

The Conference had been inspired by the work of the eminent sociolinguist Joshua Fishman and commemorated  the 20^th anniversary of Gaelic Medium Education in the Highlands. Following the event, the key ideas and actions raised in discussion, were provided in the form of a draft Action Plan. The recommendations contained in the report fell under the following headings:

(i) FAMILY
There was a recognised need to focus on raising the critical awareness of parents utilising Gaelic at home, especially when children were attending Gaelic Medium Schools. Following this there was a need for co-ordinating and enhancing the provision of support available for both Gaelic speaking and non-speaking parents of children learning Gaelic.

(ii) COMMUNITY
It was recognised that there were different kinds of Gaelic communities across the Highlands each requiring a surrounding Gaelic infrastructure. This was especially the case in areas offering Gaelic Medium Education, but where there was little or no opportunity to utilise Gaelic outside of the classroom.

(iii) CULTURAL
Across the Highlands, the cultural context of Gaelic needed to be strengthened in order to allow the sustainability and growth of Gaelic communities. As well as developing awareness of the Gaelic language through art and writing, it was considered important to promote the non-linguistic aspects of Gaelic culture.

During discussion Members agreed that swift action was required to encourage the use of Gaelic outside of the classroom through mediums such as signs, community groups and websites. The Community Learning and Development Office would have an important part to play in this. However, as with many Gaelic Organisations, many employment positions did not specifically require a Gaelic speaker. It was considered that this would be a problem in future years as Chief Executives of Gaelic organisations retired and suitable, Gaelic speaking, replacements would become increasingly difficult to identify.

The Committee NOTED the report and AGREED to recommend that:

(a) the report of the conference be circulated to all delegates and a copy be placed on the council’s website;
(b) management and professional assistance should be made available  to Gaelic groups in supporting  the  partnership approach to implementation of the recommendations from the conference;
(c) an action plan be prepared on working with partners on improving 0-5 initiatives; and
(d) details of a standard template for bi-lingual signs be submitted to the Committee.

5.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH NOVA SCOTIA:

There had been circulated Report No GSC 27/05 by the Area Manager, Skye and Lochalsh which provided members with an update on progress made on proposals under the terms of the MOU between the Council and the Nova Scotia Government during the period May – November 2005.

Members were informed of the success and warm welcome received by the young musicians of Celtic Colours on their recent visit to Cape Breton, and of the enthusiasm received by the Council’s Early Years Gaelic Education Officer on proposals for a Gaelic pre-school Initiative with parents in the area. 

During discussion Members praised the success of the recent visits and acknowledged that a Pre-School Gaelic Programme should visit three different communities in Cape Breton for a week at a time, and, if possible, this be implemented in 2006. In addition, Nova Scotia should be invited to participate in the Highland 2007 programme.

The visit of artists from Nova Scotia to Scotland had also been successful. However, the timing of their visits had clashed with the main October holiday break which prevented some interested people from attending their workshops/exhibitions.
 
Members NOTED  the report and AGREED to recommend that:

(a) a Gaelic programme consisting of three separate weeks in three different communities working with pre-school children in Cape Breton, be implemented for 2006 with a view to involving the communities in Highland 2007; and
(b) that a longer lead in time be set for future visits/activities held under the terms of the MOU, in order that suitable programme arrangements could be made and publicised more effectively.

6.

THE GAELIC LANGUAGE IN HIGHLAND - A SUMMARY OF THE CENSUS 2001 REPORT

Following the Scotland’s Census 2001, a Gaelic Report was published on 14 October 2005 in Stornoway by the Registrar General for Scotland. In this connection, there had been circulated Report No GSC 28/05 by the Director of Planning and Development, summarising an analysis of the responses to questions about Gaelic as they relate to the Council’s area.

It was highlighted to Members that although the percentage of Gaelic speakers across Scotland had declined, some Areas had seen significant increases. During discussion, it was agreed that the data presented did not show clearly enough the shift  in the number of speakers in smaller areas. Also the report did not portray the impact that Gaelic Medium Schools would have on the younger generation or the number of Gaelic speakers amongst the elderly population. Further interrogation of the data was  therefore required in order to analyse this further.

The Committee NOTED the report, subject to a further report showing the breakdown of the census information to include further details on the under-18 and over-50 age categories in specific areas.

7.

EBLUL: CONFERENCE ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2006

There had been circulated Report No GSC 29/05 by the Area Manager, Skye and Lochalsh setting out proposals to hold the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages 2006 Conference in Skye.

Members were informed of the two most recent conferences in Flensburg, Germany and Gorizia, Italy and of the proposals to host the 2006 Conference in the Highlands, which it was anticipated would be attended by 120 delegates from approximately 23 language groups. The conference would be held under the theme of ‘Implementing Language Legislation – From Act to Action’, which had specific relevance to Scotland in view of the recent Gaelic Language Act.

The Committee NOTED that the next Conference would take place in Skye on 28 June to 1 July 2006, and AGREED to assist in the organisation of the event and host the main conference dinner.

8.

UPDATE REPORT
 
There had been circulated Report No GSC 30/05 by the Gaelic Development Officer informing Members of the following matters:

- The Charter for Regional and minority Languages
- Trunk Roads – update
- Tobar an Dualchas – A Kist of Riches
- Well Being Alliance (WBA)/ Community Planning
- Gaelic Courses for Staff
- Memorandum of the Understanding between the Highland Council and the Province of Nova Scotia
- Gaelic Digital Broadcasting
- Gaelic Names Liaison Committee (GNLC)
- Community Planning
- Royal National MOD
- TOSG- National Gaelic Theatre Company
- Gaelic Promotions
- Gaelic Books/Library Support Unit
- European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages (EBLUL)

The Gaelic Development Officer informed the meeting that the renowned Nova Scotian author would be in the Highlands from 14-17 November with the possible launch of his latest book ‘The Christmas Story’.

Following discussion the Committee AGREED  to recommend that:

(a) Representations be made to the Scottish Executive on the implementation of the Executives Policy towards bi-lingual signs, particularly on the A82 and A9 in advance of 2007;
(b) Steps be taken by the Council and the Executive to ensure consistency in the rendering of place names in Gaelic;
(c) Information be gathered on Gaelic Policy and developments in advance of a visit by COMMEX in January 2006; and
(d) A letter be sent to the Scottish Executive inquiring what their position and funding would be towards Gaelic Digital Broadcasting, especially towards the establishment and broadcast times of a television channel, and welcoming the news that the BBC was the preferred partner in such developments.

The Select Committee otherwise NOTED the report

The meeting closed at 4.10 pm.