Written Parliamentary Questions on Scots (Session 3)

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found here.

S3W-40251 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make representations to the UK Government regarding the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and agreement of part III undertakings for the Scots language and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (Monday, March 14, 2011): At this time we have no plans to extend Part III coverage to the Scots language.

There is still some work to do to fully meet the Part II provisions and it is fitting that we complete this work before considering the requirements of the Part III provisions in respect of Scots.

S3W-40098 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has provided any (a) agencies, (b) organisations and (c) public bodies or services with (i) books and (ii) literature on old Scots dialect and, if so, what the cost was.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (Monday, March 14, 2011): We have not provided books or literature on Old Scots dialect to any agencies, organisations, public bodies or services.

S3W-38925 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38364 by Michael Russell on 19 January 2011, whether it will provide the information that it holds regarding the funding of Scots language education in each year since 1990.

Answered by Michael Russell (Wednesday, February 02, 2011): There have been Scots language education initiatives since 1990, funded by Government or Scottish public bodies. The Scottish Government does not have a full list of these initiatives nor the funding attached to them.

We provided Learning and Training Scotland with £690,500 in 2008-09, £690,500 in 2009-10 and £600,000 in 2010-11 to produce support resources for Literacy and Numeracy, of which Scots is part.

Scottish Language Dictionaries received £200,000 and the Scots Language Centre received £70,000 in both 2009-10 and 2010-11. This was as a result the Scottish Government assuming responsibility for direct funding of these two organisations in February 2009, after its current allocations of funding from the Scottish Arts Council expired in 2009.

We spent £19,500 on research costs for the Audit of Current Scots Language Provision in Scotland published in January 2009. We spent a further £16,900 on research costs for the Public Attitudes Towards the Scots Language survey which explored public perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the Scots language amongst the general public of Scotland, which was published in January 2010.

The Scottish Government has provided the National Trust for Scotland with a grant of £8.6 million to develop £21 million Robert Burns Birthplace Museum which was officially opened on 21 January this year.

S3W-38365 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be allocated to Scots language education in 2011-12.

Answered by Michael Russell (Wednesday, January 19, 2011): Our commitment to national languages will remain in the financial year 2011-12, including the place of Scots within Curriculum for Excellence. We expect to continue supporting educational practitioners on Scots through our continued programme funding for Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS).

We are considering the recommendations of the recently published Scots Language Working Group report, including those relating to education, and I will meet with LTS shortly to consider the implications for their work.

S3W-38364 - Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to Scots language education in each year since 1990.

Answered by Michael Russell (Wednesday, January 19, 2011): We do not hold a full breakdown of funding for Scots language education since 1990.

Today, the value of Scots is recognised within the Curriculum for Excellence guidance, which indicates teachers should promote and encourage the use of Scots in developing young people''s literacy skills. In order to support practitioners with this, our ongoing programme funding for Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) across a number of curriculum areas has enabled the production of Scots resources, including the Scotland''s Songs and Stories website and the online Scots Knowledge of Language Module.

Other recent funding which supports Scots language education includes the provision of £8.6 million to the National Trust for Scotland to develop the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, due to open in January 2011, which will be the first development in the country to use the Scots language to explain its collection. Also, the Scots Language Centre and Scottish Language Dictionaries, have been in receipt of funding since 2009-10, with £70,000 provided in 2009-10 and 2010-11 for to the Scots Language Centre and £200,000 in 2009-10 and 2010-11 for the Scottish Language Dictionaries.

S3W-33470 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to raise awareness of the Scots language question in the 2011 census.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (Wednesday, May 12, 2010): The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) has, and will continue to, engage with Scots language organisations who can provide guidance on completion of the question on the Scots language in the 2011 census.

The intention is to provide context-specific help which will be available both via the census website www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk and the census helpline, in due course.

The Scottish Government will, with GROS, consider options for raising awareness of the question.

S3W-28520 Dave Thompson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in order to fulfil its responsibilities under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, it requires accurate information on the status of the Scots language and, if so, whether the census will include adequate questions on Scots.

Answered by Michael Russell (Monday, November 09, 2009): Accurate information on the numbers of Scots speakers would contribute to the Scottish Government making progress with other Scots undertakings in Part II of the Council of Europe''s Charter for Regional and Minority languages. In relation to the census, Parliament will be asked later this year to approve the final choice of questions.

S3W-21111 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce a Scots translation of Choosing Scotland’s Future: A National Conversation: Independence and responsibility in the modern world.

Answered by Michael Russell (Tuesday, March 17, 2009): A summary of Choosing Scotland''s Future: A National Conversation: Independence and responsibility in the modern world has been translated into Scots and can be found on the Scottish Government website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/a-national-conversation/Translated-Summaries.

The Scottish Government is demonstrating its commitment to the development of Scots through initiatives such as the publication of the audit of Scots language activity; the Scots language seminar held on 9 February 2009 and our financial support for two important Scots language bodies*. We are considering, in light of these initiatives, further actions to support the development of Scots.

*Scottish language Dictionaries and Scottish Language Centre.

S3W-21039 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to take forward the recommendations contained in the report, Audit of Current Scots Language Provision in Scotland.

Answered by Michael Russell (Thursday, March 05, 2009): It is clear to me that the recommendations contained in the report of the Audit of Current Scots Language Provision in Scotland cannot be taken forward seriously without involving the Scots language community.

My predecessor Linda Fabiani also shared this view, and shortly after publication of the audit hosted a conference on 9 February 2009 for individuals and organisations with an interest in Scots language matters, where the findings of the research were formally presented and possible ways forward to better promote and develop the Scots language in future were discussed.

I intend to capitalize on the suggestions and views expressed by delegates at the conference and as a next step will soon carry out more focused consultation on the emerging issues with representatives from the Scots language community.

S3W-21040 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will institute ongoing monitoring of provision of support for the Scots language in order to build on the work done in the audit of current provision for the Scots language.

Answered by Michael Russell (Thursday, March 05, 2009): The Audit of Current Provision for the Scots Language was not intended to be exhaustive and could not capture every single act of provision in Scotland during the time available to the staff undertaking the research. However, the Scottish Government recognises the potential that such a resource offers to policy makers and language practitioners, and will take steps to enable individuals or organisations whose acts of provision were not captured in the first instance by the audit to send reports on their activities. Our intention is that the table of provision contained within the audit becomes a living document, so that a broader picture of provision in Scotland may be presented throughout the year, as reported by Scots language providers.

S3W-19867 Karen Whitefield: To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions (a) officials and (b) Scottish ministers have met representatives of (i) Scottish Language Dictionaries, (ii) the Scots Language Centre and (iii) Itchy Coo since May 2008.

Answered by Linda Fabiani (Friday, February 06, 2009): During this period officials and Ministers from the Scottish Government, as well as officials from the Scottish Arts Council, have met representatives from these organisations on a number of occasions.

S3W-19868 Karen Whitefield: To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the Scots Language Audit Research Advisory Group.

Answered by Linda Fabiani (Friday, February 06, 2009): The Research Advisory Group comprises the following members:

Janet Ruiz, Principal Research Officer, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Analytical Services, Scottish Government

Julie Carr, Senior Research Officer, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Analytical Services, Scottish Government

Michael Napier, Policy Officer, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Directorate, Scottish Government

Emma Wilson, Policy Adviser, Schools Directorate, Scottish Government

Matthew Fitt, Itchy Coo

James Robertson, Itchy Coo.

S3W-19869 Karen Whitefield: To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Scots Language Audit Research Advisory Group has met.

Answered by Linda Fabiani (Friday, February 06, 2009): The Research Advisory Group met four times in an advisory capacity to facilitate the research process for the audit and to provide relevant contacts in the Scots language sector to the contracted researcher.

S3W-19870 Karen Whitefield: To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the recommendations of the Scots Language Audit Research Advisory Group.

Answered by Linda Fabiani (Friday, February 06, 2009): It is not within the remit of the Research Advisory Group to make recommendations in respect of the audit. The audit report and findings were published on 27 January and can be viewed on the Scottish Government''s website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/23133726/0.

The Scottish Government is hosting a one-day conference at the University of Stirling on 9 February to formally present the findings of the audit to interested parties and to enable discussion of possible ways forward for promoting and developing the Scots language in future.

S3W-13213 Malcolm Chisholm: To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will provide to Scottish Language Dictionaries when funding from the Scottish Arts Council is discontinued at the end of 2008-09.

Answered by Linda Fabiani (Thursday, May 29, 2008): I have recently commissioned an audit of the measures that are currently in place to promote the Scots language and what opportunities exist to make further progress. The Scottish Government's future funding priorities for Scots provision will be considered within the context of this audit and its outcome and I will, at that stage, examine how we can assist this extremely important sector of Scottish culture.

S3W-8781 Cathy Peattie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture has met representatives of Scottish Arts Council-supported Scots language organisations and, if not, when the minister plans to do so.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8782 on 5 February 2008.

S3W-8782 Cathy Peattie: To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to apply the provisions of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages to the Scots language.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): Scots is a valuable part of our cultural life. I am keen to see its use promoted in education, the arts and literature. For this reason I have asked for an audit of what measures are currently in place to promote the Scots language, and what opportunities exist to make further progress.

The cycle of reporting for the Third Periodic Report on the Council of Europe Charter for Regional and Minority Languages has commenced and the Scottish Government will be providing information to the Council of Europe in connection with the undertakings which have been agreed for Gaelic and Scots.

In connection with the Scots language, the Scottish Government will be writing to authorities and public bodies to remind them of the Charter undertakings and to ask what provision is in place in their areas. At a later stage we will be informing the Council of Europe of the terms of our proposed audit of Scots language provision and the progress we hope to make with this in connection with our Charter undertakings.

My colleague, the Minister for Schools and Skills, and I have both met and corresponded with a range of Scots language organisations. This includes groups supported by the Scottish Arts Council and others.

The fundamental aim behind the United Nation’s International Year of Languages, 2008, is the preservation and promotion of linguistic diversity. We share this aim, welcome this initiative and will encourage local authorities and schools to engage with national and international initiatives such as this.

The proposals in the previous administration’s report, A Strategy for Scotland’s Languages, are being taken forward by a range of business areas within the Scottish Government.

S3W-8783 Cathy Peattie: To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to mark the UN’s International Year of Languages 2008, with particular reference to activities and events that promote and encourage the Scots language.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8782 on 5 February 2008.

S3W-5124 Tavish Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4117 by Linda Fabiani on 26 September 2007, whether it has any plans to consult dialect interest groups and other bodies on the development of policies to support and encourage the use of local dialects and, if so, when the consultation will take place, what form it will take and which groups and bodies will be consulted.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Wednesday, October 31, 2007): The Scottish Government is committed to promoting and encouraging the use of Scots in all its regional forms in education, broadcasting and the arts. As stated in the answer to question S3W-4117 on 26 September 2007, we have no plans for a formal consultation on the use of dialects in Scotland but would always welcome the views of groups and individuals on this subject.

S3W-5125 Tavish Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4117 by Linda Fabiani on 26 September 2007, whether it has any policies for supporting and encouraging the use of local dialects in Scotland, including in Shetland, and, if so, what these policies are.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Wednesday, October 31, 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5124 on 31 October 2007.

S3W-5126 Tavish Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4117 by Linda Fabiani on 26 September 2007, what plans it has to develop policies for supporting and encouraging the use of local dialects in Scotland, including in Shetland.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (Wednesday, October 31, 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5124 on 31 October 2007.

S3W-4117 - Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD) (Date Lodged 7 September 2007): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its policies for Scotland's languages will reflect the diversity and vigour of Scotland's many dialects.
Answered by Linda Fabiani (26 September 2007): The Scottish Government will seek to promote the richness and diversity of the languages spoken in Scotland in their different forms. Good progress is being made in a number of areas of language activity and promotion within Scotland and we intend to build on and strengthen this. The submissions to the previous administration's consultation on a strategy for Scotland's languages have been useful and helpful but Scottish ministers have no current plans to respond to these nor to develop or consult on a single strategy for all the languages spoken in Scotland.

Bill Wilson: ... as you know, convener, at the away day I raised several times the issue of the Scots language. I would like to know fairly soon whether the Executive has any particular strategies on that and how it proposes to ensure equality for Scots language speakers. In the past, the Scots language has been neglected and its issues have not been raised -- they have been quietly dropped. I do not want them to be dropped in the Parliament. Although I accept the suggestion that there is no point in asking for the strategy just now, I would like some kind of note to be passed forward, saying that the issue of the Scots language should be raised. (col 10 Equal Opportunities Committee meeting, 11 September 2007)