When did the Scottish Executive decide to put forward a bill to support Gaelic?
It was towards the end of the Scottish Parliament’s first legislature [the Scottish Parliament was constituted in 1999]. In March this year a Scottish National Party MSP made the first proposal. He did not manage to get it passed but the Scottish Executive did agree to work on a law to save and develop the Gaelic culture and language. It has been a rather long debate. There were a number of attempts to make a law for Gaelic at Westminster too, but they did not go ahead. In the mid-nineties the Gaelic support organisations made a proposal intending it to be assessed in parliament. However, the Executive made a commitment of this kind for the first time in April and the Unit to work on the bill was set up in October. Our Agency has organised 14 public meetings for Scottish citizens to take part. Is this decision by the Executive a consequence of the SNP proposal to make Gaelic official in certain areas? I think it has more to do with the organisations that have been working for Gaelic fo
