Scotland: HIE public consultation on Gaelic language plan

[Harold Schiffman]

August 14th, 2007
HIE public consultation on Gaelic language plan

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has launched a public
consultation on the organisation's draft Gaelic language plan. The
public consultation runs until the beginning of September and the
revised plan will be formally submitted to Bòrd na Gàidhlig later this
year. Following the passing of the Gaelic Language Act, HIE was
invited as one of six public bodies required to prepare a statutory
Gaelic Plan in 2007. As part of the consultation, HIE will gather
opinion on the availability of services in Gaelic, bilingualism on
signs and publications, and on wider issues such as the role of the
language in the development of the Highlands and Islands. HIE will
also consult on the importance of Gaelic to the HIE area, towards
helping realise a secure and sustainable future for the language
across the Highlands and Islands. The consultation should also
consider how the plan reflects the aspirations of the National Plan
for Gaelic.  Gaelic plans for public bodies mean that Gaelic speakers
can increasingly access public services in their own tongue. It is
also expected that Gaelic will be encouraged when dealing with the
public and that organisation's Gaelic services and resources will be
expanded. Alasdair MacLeòid, Gaelic policy manager at HIE said: "This
is a very important time for Gaelic. Through the recent publication of
the National Plan for Gaelic and the current consultations on Gaelic
plans for HIE and for Highland Council, we are now seeing some of the
impacts of the Gaelic Act on Scotland."

http://www.xpressdigest.org.uk/2007/08/14/hie-public-consultation-on-gaelic-language-plan/

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