 The next item of business is debate on motion 11788 in the name of John Swinney on the national plan for Gaelic. May I ask those who wish to speak in the debate to press the request to speak buttons? Some members have indicated that they will make contribution in Gaelic, so interpretation facilities are available. Any member can listen to the translation by inserting their headphones into the socket on the right-hand side towards the front of the console. Any member unable to hear the translation should press the audio button on the console and select channel 1 English. I call on John Swinney to speak to and move the motion for up to 10 minutes, please Cabinet Secretary. Presiding Officer, it gives me great pleasure to open this debate on the national plan for Gaelic today. The ability to make our own decisions in this Parliament has been good for Gaelic in Scotland. I am pleased to say that there has been good and welcome cross-party support for the Gaelic language in all sessions of this Parliament. I also welcome the opportunity to be building on the established policy direction of supporting Gaelic, which I recognise we share with other parties in Parliament today, as evidenced by the nature of the amendments to the Government of Motion that are before us today. Bordna Gaelic published the national plan for Gaelic just a couple of weeks ago. I want to place on record my thanks to Bordna Gaelic for the comprehensive, inclusive and ambitious way in which they have developed the work to take forward the contents of the plan and the approach to developing and building on the previous national plans that have been in place. The main headings and themes in the plan focus on the need to see progress in the use of Gaelic, the learning of Gaelic and the promotion of Gaelic. The national plan provides us with clarity and direction in the steps that we need to take for Gaelic in Scotland. Let me again emphasise that there has been significant investment and very good progress in key Gaelic priority areas such as media, arts, education, communities and wider local plans. Our aim is to build on that excellent progress at local and at national level. Those important areas have wider benefits. Television, arts, education, communities and Gaelic plans can all strengthen the economy, they encourage collaborative working, they provide digital opportunities and in this year of young people they have a strong appeal for young people within our country. The programme of Gaelic activity set out in the national plan is in line with our manifesto commitments and our commitments in the programme for government. In those areas of activity that I have listed, there are very good initiatives and projects in place and operating successfully. That will be built on as part of the development work of the national plan. At the heart of the national plan is an ambitious agenda with the aim to increase the speaking, the using and the learning of Gaelic in Scotland. We will take action on the basis of the priorities in the new national plan. We will introduce initiatives and review projects in order to overcome obstacles to address gaps and to make faster and more effective progress with Gaelic in Scotland. Now that the national plan is in place, later this year I intend to convene a gathering of a range of public bodies and authorities and interested parties that can contribute to the progress that we want to see in the implementation of the national plan for Gaelic. It will be a day for looking at challenges and opportunities and also proposing how we can take action to achieve more Gaelic activity and more participation in the language in Scotland. My aim in this discussion later this year will be to emerge with a stronger commitment to Gaelic in Scotland and a range of specific actions that can be put in place to ensure that the aspirations of the national plan are then realised in focused activity across a range of different organisations. Today I would like to list the areas where we need to make progress and in August I will convene the relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can focus on a package of practical measures that can be put in place to support the development of the language. There are a number of areas where we have seen good developments and where we would like to see further progress. In Gaelic early years education there are currently 80 Gaelic early years groups and last year there were over 500 Gaelic book bug sessions for children. Bordna Gaelic has been awarded £100,000 of core funding for 2018-19 through the children, young people and families early intervention fund to take forward this work. In Gaelic early years education we will build on recent growth in this sector. We will focus on continuity with GME at primary and look to benefit from the opportunity of extended hours provision. We will also maintain the effectiveness of Gaelic book bug sessions and look forward to Sol Morosteg offering its new early learning and childcare course in the Gaelic language. The growth of Gaelic medium education and Gaelic learner education will remain a key priority and we will maintain our support for Gaelic education at all levels. There are very good examples of Gaelic education in our authorities and we welcome and support the work that is being undertaken by individual local authorities. In particular following the opening of Portree Gaelic school last week we will work towards the opening of other GME schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness and ensure support is put in place for parental wishes and aspirations for Gaelic schools in Oban and in Dingwall. The Portree Gaelic school is the sixth Gaelic school and I would like to commend Highland Council for this achievement and look forward to attending the official opening later on this year of the Portree Gaelic school. As Gaelic education continues to grow, we will also ensure that this growth is encouraged and supported through any changes and reforms to the ways in which our schools are run. In terms of the expansion plans on Gaelic education, I am pleased to build on the successful opening of Portree Gaelic school earlier this week with the announcement today that the Government is going to allocate £1.9 million to Glasgow City Council to support the development of Gaelic. I would like to commend Glasgow City Council for its remarkable record with Gaelic education and we will look forward to hearing more of the development plans that come forward from Glasgow City Council in the course of the period that lies ahead. I hope that the announcement will give confidence to the way in which we can take forward the further developments of the Gaelic medium education programme across our country. A strong emphasis will be maintained, and that is referred to in the Conservative amendment today, on GMA teacher recruitment, including new routes into teaching and by means of Gaelic immersion for teachers and transfer courses. Those courses have been successful and we will keep them under review and we will ensure that they continue to offer opportunities to teachers who would like to transfer to Gaelic medium education teaching. We will ensure that Gaelic teachers have access to resources and technology in Gaelic through Storlan and eSchool, and they are well supported by Education Scotland through the work that is taking forward in our regional improvement collaboratives. We will maintain our support for Fesin and Nangail and its many activities in arts and in education. In particular, I would like to commend Fesin and Nangail for its new project, Berchars. That will establish a register of matured Gaelic speakers to support teachers and to contribute to school learning in classrooms. In education, the Government has invested significantly in partnership with our local authorities, and I want to give the reassurance of our continued aspirations to ensure that this programme of investment and expansion is supported. Through education, we have our best prospects to encourage and to support the development of the Gaelic language and participation within the language itself. It is difficult now to think of Gaelic in Scotland without the strong contribution of BBC ALPA. Without doubt, MGALPA makes a unique contribution to a number of important areas of Gaelic development, such as Gaelic adult education, school education, initiatives for young people and Gaelic in the home and in our communities. Benefits can also be seen in employment skills, training, creative industries, sports, arts and traditional music. Indeed, the work of MGALPA has been fundamental to establishing really strong creative industry sectors in some of the areas of Gaelic speaking areas in Scotland, particularly in the western isles, where we have seen significant growth in the creative capacity within the creative industries. MGALPA adds significant value to Gaelic to Scottish cultural life and to the economy, particularly in areas of low population density. We will continue to support the diverse contribution of MGALPA and discussions will continue with the BBC about funding arrangements for MGALPA programmes and to support the development and the range of the programme that is capable of being delivered. The learned Gaelic adult learning resource will be revised and promoted by MGALPA to provide excellent digital access to Gaelic adult learning materials in the future. The final area that I want to cover in my contribution today is in relation to the contribution of Gaelic to the artistic community within Scotland. We know the impact of the Gaelic arts is immense. The Gaelic arts have huge potential to promote language attachment and loyalty. The Gaelic arts provide opportunities for expression and skills development, for access and participation and for pursuing excellence. In this, the appeal and profile of Gaelic is raised in Scotland and beyond. The Gaelic language use is strengthened and culture life enhanced with welcome economic and social benefits. The work of Ancom and Gaelic, Fesinol and Gaelic and Cullis are central to this. There are also a range of drama organisations, arts centres and festivals that provide opportunities for the Gaelic arts. In this, we must also include the important work of Gaelic publishing, particularly through the work of the Gaelic Books Council, AHEAR and others. Those companies ensure that Gaelic continues to provide opportunities for writers, publishers and for consumers. At the heart of the work that we take forward on the Gaelic language is to encourage participation and to ensure that Gaelic is an integral part of the vital and vibrant life of communities within Scotland. We can see the impact that Gaelic has in stimulating community activity and community development, and it is important that we encourage participation, particularly through education and broadcasting, but that we seize the opportunities of the 21st century through digital applications to ensure that the Gaelic language is given every support to encourage and to nurture its development. We welcome the publication of the National Plan for Gaelic. We want to build on that to ensure that there is increased participation and increased strength in the Gaelic language in Scotland, and that benefit is felt throughout the communities of Scotland as we support the development of Gaelic in our country. I now call on Liz Smith to speak to and move amendment 11788.1 up to seven minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I say at the outset that we are delighted to support the motion in the name of the Deputy First Minister and also to support the Labour amendment and may I move my own amendment. The Scottish Conservatives have a proud record of supporting the Gaelic communities across Scotland. In 1985, George Younger, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, delivered a speech at the Salmar Osteig Gaelic College in Skye when he promised very specific grants for Gaelic, and in the following years those grants became the reality for the Gaelic medium units, something that is seen as the catalyst for the subsequent growth in the Gaelic medium education. In 1990, the sum that was provided by his successor, Malcolm Rifkind, followed up by Michael Forsyth, was crucial in setting up the Gaelic television fund. Therefore, what we know now is that BBC Alba and the Cabinet Secretary is quite right to say how much work has been achieved by BBC Alba. It is tremendous that we have now 10 per cent of the Scottish population, whether they are Gaelic speaking or not, watching BBC Alba on a regular basis. That is very good news. I know that the Cabinet Secretary is addressing concerns that they have in some cases about future funding and the implications for BBC Alba as a result of the new BBC Scotland channel. Like all the other parties in the chamber, the Scottish Conservatives have always understood that Gaelic is an intrinsic part of our heritage and, indeed, of our social fabric, and it is to be celebrated as such. It is therefore extremely important to reassure all the Gaelic-speaking people that this Parliament gives them their full support, something that I know that they greatly appreciate, particularly as it is on a cross-party basis. I think that that has meant that there has been much more substantial progress than perhaps might have been the case otherwise. As both the Council of Europe and UNESCO have pointed out, however, there is still an issue about Gaelic as an endangered language in their definition. I think that we should never forget that, in the 1990s, we saw a considerable decline in the Gaelic-speaking population in Scotland, and while there has been renewed growth, there are still signs that it has, in some cases, got some real challenges ahead, and that is something that we have to take very seriously. In 2012, I spoke in the debate that followed the launch of the then Scottish Government-Gaelic language plan, and I have been on the education committee on three different occasions when we have debated the future of Gaelic in Scotland. Then, as now, we have been very indebted to born of Gaelic and many others in the Gaelic community for helping us, especially those of us who are non-Gaelic speakers, to understand the aspirations of the indigenous Gaelic communities and the challenges that they face. In that respect, it is important to mention the progress of Gaelic medium education. The growth and development of Gaelic medium education is one of the great success stories of Scottish education over the last 25 years. There are now more than 4,000 children being taught through the medium of Gaelic throughout Scotland, and the very exciting development is the fact that so many of them are in primary school. We warmly welcome the development of new Gaelic schools in Glasgow, and that is building on the success that Glasgow has always shown, but also in Inverness and Edinburgh. Not least because the educational research is pointing to the real benefits of bilingualism in the intellectual development of young people, and many of the Gaelic schools that have Gaelic medium education have shown real progress when it is in relation to attainment. It is critical to the survival of the language that that growth continues. It is also important from the increasing diversity of Scottish education in which the Scottish Conservatives firmly believe that parents should have maximum choice. I am aware of some of the controversy of recent issues on the Isle of Skye, but we can get past that if we handle those issues very sensitively. I note that Bornau Gaelic has said that it has some slight concerns about the forthcoming education bill and whether that might undermine the statutory provision of Gaelic medium across our local authorities. I am not sure that I share those concerns, but I certainly think that we must do nothing, perhaps even if something happened unwittingly, to undermine the language provision and the number of teachers available to teach it. We do not yet know what the final education bill will look like, but it is very mindful that we have to think about what they have said as issues that they want to raise. The fact that the most recent growth in the language has taken place in nursery and primary sectors is a reflection of a lot of the improved facilities, some of the digital facilities that the cabinet secretary was talking about. However, there is still a huge issue about teacher recruitment in secondary schools. If there is to be a focus in that area, it must be on that, because we know of some of the vacancies that have lain in local authorities where it has not been possible to encourage people to come and teach Gaelic, and we have had some headteacher vacancies too. If I can encourage the cabinet secretary to look at that as a priority, that is something that we would be very supportive of. It is also important that we look at that in the context of economic development across Scotland. We have debated in this chamber several times recently about some of our most fragile rural communities. Therefore, there is a holistic approach to be taken to that. We have to ensure that the rural communities, many of which are indigenous to the Gaelic population, have the support that they require through their own infrastructures. If we do not have those infrastructures, it is extremely difficult to encourage people to go and stay there to bring up their family and to give those Gaelic communities something for the future. I say that not because that is what I feel, but it is because of the advice that we have been given by Mornau Gaelic and some of the indigenous communities themselves. I look back at a lot of the comments that they made to us when the then education committee in 2012-2013 provided this Parliament with a lot of information about why they saw the focus that had to be on those communities and where they recognised that perhaps we need to be a little bit more clever about ensuring that the spending that goes on in local authorities is very much diverted to those communities. We do not spend an over-focus of time on those local authorities where there is not a demand and where clearly there are minimal Gaelic speakers. I think that when we have limited resources, which we do, perhaps increasing limited resources, that focus for us is very important because if there is anything that we want to do is to ensure that the Gaelic community feels itself that it is being properly supported in the right areas and that is why we support the motion in the name of the cabinet secretary but also why we want to see that additional focus on Gaelic medium education and on supporting those indigenous communities. I rise to move the amendment in my name. The interpreters can relax. I don't have the Gaelic and I won't torture any words of the language by pretending otherwise. However, I have a little experience, albeit vicarious, of the recent historical context for this debate. My secondary school was under anesteroil academy and in those days many of the young people from the islands had to come there for their secondary education. They boarded altogether in a hostel and as for their language Gaelic, they could study for a higher in it but that was it. There was no opportunity for learning in or even using the language otherwise. I am not going to overstate the case but this was a small community within a big school that suffered a kind of uttering and even then it seemed to me that this was a pretty dismal kind of education provision for these young people and in truth something pretty shameful. Back in 2005, when this Parliament passed the Gaelic Language Act, Peter Peacock for the then government looked back further to 1616 and the legislation which decreed that Gaelic be abolish it and remove it from Scotland. The school system in the 1970s might not have gone that far but it was hardly a nurturing environment for Gaelic. Now though over 4,000 pupils are learning entirely in the Gaelic language, parents have the right to request that for their children, Scotland has a Gaelic TV channel and 50 of our public bodies have Gaelic language plans already in place. All of that flows from that historic Gaelic language act in 2005, including of course the national plans of which we note today the publication of the third. Our amendment simply adds acknowledgement of that to the government motion which we also are glad to support. Indeed, Scottish Labour has a good record of supporting the Gaelic language. Apart from Peter Peacock's leadership in this Parliament in 2005, it was Labour-led Strathclyde region who opened the first Gaelic medium education unit at Sir John Maxwell primary in 1985 and Labour Glasgow City Council who opened the first stand-alone Gaelic school in 1999. The UK Labour government ratified the European Charter for regional or minority languages in 2001 and the 2003 Communications Act provided the legislative underpinning for BBC ALPA. Of course, there is a long way to go. In the debates in 2005, Alex Neil, at his most churchillian, called the act not the end of the story but the end of the beginning of the story of the regeneration of Gaelic and he was right. The last census in 2011 actually showed a slight decline in Gaelic speakers, although much more positively an increase in young speakers towards the future. Although there are more pupils in Gaelic medium education and more Gaelic schools now, the most recent official figures showed a drop in the number of pupils sitting Gaelic qualifications at both national 5 and higher level. Labour has repeatedly raised the narrowing of the school curriculum with the introduction of the new national exams. We have presented evidence that enrolments and attainment has been squeezed and that certain subjects have particularly suffered. Gaelic is one of those. The other well-known problem, which Liz Smith rightly drew attention to, is the difficulties of recruiting Gaelic teachers and Gaelic medium teachers. Indeed, last year, in response to education committee's work on teacher workforce planning, one Gaelic medium teacher described her frustration that the failure to recruit fluent Gaelic staff or adequately train non-Gaelic speaking staff, resulting in only a minority or a small majority of staff have had a problem. That undermines the ethos of a Gaelic school and, ultimately, the burden on Gaelic speaking staff has increased. That is a bit of a vicious circle. For the teacher in question, a fluent Gaelic speaker confessed that she was seeking to leave teaching, but the reasons she gave were increased workload and erosion of salary. In other words, the same problems underline shortages and other key subjects, too. Until the Government addresses the fundamental issues of paying workload for teachers, we have to be concerned about the practicality of the welcome expansion in Gaelic medium education that the cabinet secretary referred to. We should welcome progress, but we must acknowledge the challenges that remain. We can celebrate the third national plan, but the cabinet secretary is right to point out that it is only the precursor to an implementation strategy that will have to address questions of targets and timescales if the momentum of progress is to be maintained. In spite of my lack of any facility with Gaelic, when it pressed on my favourite Scottish poet, I would answer Sorley McLean, even though I can only ever enjoy his work in translation. Seventy years ago, McLean was writing the rather despairing lyric. I do not see the sense of my toil, putting thoughts in a dying tongue. At least we can tell ourselves today, perhaps, that McLean's native tongue is no longer dying, but we must acknowledge that we have much more to do or we can truly claim that it flourishes. I now call John Finnie for up to five minutes, please. Morringtown, Morringtown. Shill I'm out of town. I'm still on the east of the Gaelic sub-parliament again. I'll ask the Clwain to pay attention to the充 of the ni yn aeca, des i os eimi, a i atsyn fel anty. Rwy'n mynd i chi'n gwynghwm ffiam, wrth gwrs mewn ysgol, y hwllw ddwn i'r sabach i'r son gallu. Mae'r sabach ffemio i'i gra, na chi'r lach be'ch yn gallu ac ym i'r ffemio i'r bwyrlau brian yn ddiw. Rwy'n mynd i'n gwybod i'n gwybod i'n gwybod i'n gwybod i'n gwybod i'r rhanol, mae выrniol wedi'i rhai nhw fath hynny. Ni däh give 느ntaion lle cuts a'r mewn cyllid. Felly mae'r b Mothering Experts yn ddatblygu. Mae nhw mae werth cavalrynau sy'n ddatell rhag现BI ond byddanol o gweld enghreifft ar gyfaddill gael. A fwy wneudieu gyda y countraldeg am Y嗎r dded gan eich stu finanfyn ar y gallw ydeddiad Rhaglen, mewn bhly 그러 pe ni ach fib y burgers Felly, gwneuddiwch iawn i gael wahanol fe wahanol iawn i gael gael gael, ond mae gennych hyn gyffrithaig yn gorffesiaeth i sicr o baiol. Felly, i gael eich geringad a ku Does the research have shown that Ayingwamlau is beneficial for child's development and their future. Children exposed to different languages has become more aware of different cultures. Others people got a point of view, but they Felly, those are often more perlustrious readers and generally find it easier to learn other languages. Bilingualism gives child much more than languages. That is something. I'm not sure if MSP is only approached about the availability of language in school. I think that it's right that Liz Smith recorded Bosniaアha estimation concerns about education, and I'm sure that the college of academic karate has mentioned herzlich for Cabinet Secretary's Hearlies. A lot of people have wanted to take up that opportunity. I was very pleased in the last session to have successfully got an amendment regarding the trigger point for Gaelic being available in local authority areas. I have to say other work that I have done in the previous session Come on, so已. configure. I need to be very good to be more dogramatic about which people are better. I mean, somebody was good to be a little bit awful, so she was pick the wrong person. I'll make the point but of course nobody was even married to me by making a direct男 in the couple in my family. I thought that it was very important, it was attachment. If someone was born and brought up in the highland's garlic, it wasn't something that was on my radar at all. I have to tell you it was something that older people spoke. I went to school and did French as did many other people. Now there are many people across the highlands and islands, and indeed beyond elsewhere in Scotland who are making a very good living that embraces culture. There are many fine examples of that, particularly like Gregor Lowry rapping in garlic. I'm sure that the cabinet secretary will be very familiar, and that will be an important part of his record collection. But it is that thing, it is about attachment, because it shouldn't be something that's seen as remote and distance. And to that end, very much the fashion movement in the comments that have been made by the cabinet secretary, I would align myself with that. BBC Alipa, you know it's great that Carsh Bowie, the yellow card is something that people will understand now because of the frequency with which people watch BBC Alipa. But it's not tokenism because, of course, we often talk about the quality of journalism that takes place, and Yoppa is one of the few programmes where a very positive outlook and a wider perspective have taken. So, yes, there's challenges with Gaelic medium education. That is the case, and one of the challenges is, of course, that there are many qualified teachers who are fluent Gaelic speakers who haven't necessarily felt that they had the necessary skills and writing to take up posts. So, there's been a lot of very good initiatives, and I'm sure they will continue. References have been made to poetry school, and my word with some ability in the Highlands, indeed, elsewhere, to turn what's an amazingly exciting and positive story into a negative portal. So, if some of you follow the Daily Gail on Twitter, yes, there is no port hole to hell as a result of that. It's a very positive news story, and I'm sure there's more to come. Particularly welcome the additional money for the new school in Glasgow. More on time. I call Willie Rennie for up to three minutes, please, Mr Rennie. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. John Swinney might recall that he and I were on a panel at Clodden Academy in advance of the 2014 independence referendum. While I was in the green room—the green room happened to be in a primary school classroom—it was a Gaelic medium classroom, and it had a clear explanation written above all the displays, and it said this. We learn about Gaelic language and learn the language because it's a gateway to learning about the history and the culture of our country. I thought, in a nice, neat sentence, that summed up what we're all trying to achieve by promoting the language. It contrasts with Ian Gray's rather dismal experience at school all those years ago. It's a much more positive, uplifting experience now, inclusive of all ages. It's not that long ago, Ian Gray, but it was some years ago. The idea is echoed across the world as well. The American activist and writer Rita May Brown wrote, "...language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going." It's with that sentiment that we support the motion and the two amendments that have been forthcoming today. Liberal Democrats have been fully supportive of the Gaelic language and its promotion from Russell Johnson. To Ray Michie, to Charles Kennedy, to John Farkham and Roe. My party has a long and proud tradition of being passionate advocates for the Gaelic language and the culture. John Farkham and Roe would often speak the language in this chamber. In fact, I'm told that he often used it in group meetings when he was being particularly cussed and determined not to let anybody else know what he was talking about. Stewart Stevenson agrees that John Farkham and Roe's greatest unrealised political objective was to turn us into a monoglot country, Gaelic only. Willie Rennie. Yes, I will resist. Ray Michie was a firm advocate of the Gaelic language. In fact, she took her oath in the House of Commons in the language. When she retired and was elevated to the House of Lords, she did it there. It was the first ever Lord that had given the oath in Gaelic. She said at that time, this brings home to people who have an interest in the tradition and culture of the Highlands and how vulnerable the language is and how we want to promote it. I think that that's a sentiment that we can all share. I agree with the priorities that the minister has set out and that the strategy, the national plan, has set out too in terms of use, learning and promotion. I think that the variety of small schemes that the minister was able to set out today from the range of areas from pre-nursary to nursery, primary and secondary are all part of the wider strategy that we're trying to develop here. It has contributed to the radical change from in 1985 only 14 pupils were using the Gaelic medium education. It's now shut up to 3,278. That's quite a miraculous change in such a short period of time. I think that every party in this chamber has contributed towards that development from the Conservatives. Liz Smith has quite rightly highlighted the early years and the support from Conservative ministers through to the Liberal Democrat Labour Government too, making sure that legislation went through to give it that status, but also through to the SNP Government who have taken it even further. There's still an awful lot more to do. Liz Smith was absolutely right when she highlighted the Council of Europe on the fact that the language is still in danger. The fact that the overall numbers is still in decline. We've still got a huge amount of work to do, which is why I think that it's great encouragement that there's so many people from all across the chamber, some speaking in the language and others in English, who are full square behind the development of the language. We can develop it in culture, in arts, through education and the range of other mechanisms to make sure that the language continues to flourish in years to come. Thank you. We now move to the open debate. Speeches of up to five minutes, please. I call Kate Forbes to be followed by Edward Mountain. Ta. Piliw. Yn y neud chi yddu y cwcetyn nhw, Sgrif yn sgolor clwyddiwch Calum Mach Gylellyn, sy'n sgiliau acymsa, Sgrifau, yn Glyn Rhoi, I found the only Gallic speakers in Luchabur under 40 years of age, and language passes into oblivion. Well, gorshynwch haddahach yr syn. Getdahann Jesbyd sio y tachyr sy'n ffordd i'w meddwl. Chanyrw ddigon politicoch a hwn sy'n gaelic. Getdahann i'n amfawr i'n ffordd i'n asiantau, fe mi'n myrra, sy'n partitoriwch y cwcet i'r sôn ffaol yn trafion y gallic, sy' hi'n tachio le'ch chi'r sgolor yn diwg a'n ynau chi'n diwg soch gyda chi'r. A chi'n parti labroch a'is liberoloch democratoch i'ch chi'r achnyd gallic i'r ddoi a'n y dda fili sy'n coig. A chi'n siach i'n sychau chi'r porshtri sy'n sgiliau ac ym hun faltych criol i'r un sgol gallic yw'r analwpa. Leto'r taithg ffon parti nasiant yn y halwpa a chi'n sgwharu ffon lesffriaf fynysgyr i ein swinu a ha'i yw'r fysoch taithgol rysi'r gallic. A chi'n ffysoch ym gyfael luch labr sy'n y gallic gyma taengol i'r son yn taithg eghe. Si'n diwg niach gyhawn y clensyn mae'n ysgoltyn ywre angen glas ychwr a'is y geltoch. A chi'n sgas gyfael achnyd gallic a chi'n plannu chi'n gallic aln ha'n y haraf yn gyllwch oigri i ddiannw ffal yn trefi'n y gallic y ffaas gachla. A chi'n ha'i edzyn y ffaas shech siariff ski gyda'n y haraf gyfmydd sy'n y newu yn y gallic. Si'n mi'n chanen eich un chi, ach, ch'an gael i mar fi'n chanen, er son yn dyny, a ha'i gabrin a'is ga'i clachoch a'is y pach yn y hun chi sy'n a ha'i luch labr sy'n y bêrla. Si'n sio y ffwyng a'i cwtrym i'ch giosu, chanach gymi rywf y grau'n i'r gallic cholatur sefai i'n mi sy'n gallic. Llys achn y gallic a'is ymplan y gallic ha'i chorwm ac i'n ulyg gallic yn yurstwch a'is elesachoch ach cwchoch. Cwchoch, fe mi sy'n tor y farrach gyfiannu y hwf na'ch argymwys yn ciar na'ch argymwys yn ciar y hwf saen i'n rodd fel ym agos yn erigid a ha'i gallic y cosc. Ha'u luch sy'n gallic a'is fe mi sy'n sy'n gweld teich ha'r ffart iawn i'r son y gallic ha' gallic canyn a'r dwych i'r ffat. Ha'u irtus i'r f iawn o chi'n eich het flan y gallic fel ym ni'n mynd a'is cultur. A'ch eich iawn ha'w sy'n prifochus na'ch harfyn gen i'n gwneud a ha'i breun gallic gwlau'l e'i cyntheu a'is lysyn nhwper. A'is lysyn ysgol yr yn yw'r lei, ha'n mi gymad dogysoch gyfell na'n harfyn e'n doleg eir i agos marchyn bachor gen i'n rhewltus agos ym plan i'n gallic ym mholw. A'ch sy'n cyst a smu efel na'n hymrstyn sy'n syfflana, efel na'n hymrstyn syfflana i'r eich hefyd, ac efel na'n hymrstyn e'n niersdrych yn canyn mae'r canyn lai'w. Ha'i cwnerch ym cón iawn gan i chi'n gallu egben yn poblwch ac i'n dwyny i le, gyda'ch morth tick box exercises. Mae'n siwn yn yw y ffordd a hynny'n lefys ac ysgrudwch genny'n urtys choc ytrymoch. Hathor ymwrchu'n i'r ffwrdd syrwychol fel ymdryf i'n gallu ac i'n bbc allwpau, a chathor hast ryianu, ac mae'n gwybodaeth i gwybodaeth i'n gwybodaeth i ddynnu'r a hyffydd ac yn gyfel esyn gyma morchol mwy'n y cwsian y cwtrymoch ac ysgrudwch gyfel eitw'r teichel brysiau gaelig ac ysgrudwch ma' y clwyn sy'n gyfel tri sgoltyn yw'r ydol y fiacu'n. Am sy'n sgiliau ac ym hun, hynny'n feichi'n ar fioch arnynny'n ymwrchu ddwy, le'n effeithi'n hynny'n hymrchu'n gaelig, sgoltyn gaelig, innydd yn gaelig, chiol gaelig. Ach, sy'n ames y cwtrymoch, gaelig yn yr ystrych yw'r son gymbi barach ddwyny eich clachwch eich gaelig. Efallai eich corsil eich clachwch eich gaelig. Ddwyny eich eich gyfel gaelig mae'r haestoch y ffaith nas ym mysnychol eich gaelig eich clachwch eich gaelig eich gaelig. Eich clachwch eich gaelig sy'n tei, sy'n sgol ac ysynoper. I'n siach gynnydd eich gael, mae'r lle hollwch chi, ffaith chi, criel y chywr i'r fwnsgol yw'r anferstri, ac mae'n angen i'r ddych chi'n cymryd y sy'n dwyny sy'n byw y ddolynu sgol yw'r, gywhari sgol yw'r gaelig. Efallai eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig, ffaith yn cwmwyng, gach niach ar eich gaelig eich gaelig aeth yr lle, ac mae'n gaelig eich gaelig, ac mae'n ddoch chi'n byw tor eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig eich gaelig. I call Edward Mountain to be followed by Shooter Stevenson. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. When I meet with constituents across the Highlands and Islands, the signs of gaelig everywhere I travel, on our roads, in our stations, our locks and our mun roads, a daily reminder of how important gaelig is to Scotland. I struggled there to listen to Kate Forbes and also to listen to the translation, because, frankly, both were worth listening to. I shall go back and listen with care to one and then the other to link them together. Gaelig has a fundamental place in Scotland's cultural heritage, with the clans that we associate with and the kellis that we dance to. All having traditions that date back. It is right to remember that Scotland's gaelig past would be wrong to think that the language as a historic language is very much a living language, albeit that one that has been threatened and one that we need to remember to cherish. With the future far from secure, it is encouraging to see that the first time there has been an increase in the number of gaelig speakers under the age of 25. However, the overall picture shows a downward decline, with 2011 censors recording that there were about 58,000 gaelig speakers, a full of about 1,000 in the 10 previous years. Therefore, the Scottish Government's new gaelig language plan could not have come at a more opportune time to ensure communities how this Parliament wishes and proposes to support them. It is worth bearing in mind that 50 per cent of gaelig speakers live in the highlands and islands. While the Government's plan is nationwide in scale, it must be particularly sensitive to the needs of the local and rural communities in the region that I represent. The issues that impact those rural communities—the lack of jobs, housing, broadband and public transport—all impact gaelig communities and the gaelig language, often resulting in depopulation, which decreases in the use of the language that we should be striving to protect. The pressure, therefore, is on the Government to unlock the potential or economic value that gaelig can provide to the Scottish economy, which, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise, could be in the region of £100 million per annum. The growth of the rural economy will lead to the growth of gaelig in Scotland, which is something that we should all be working to. Economic gains from gaelig will be underpinned by effective gaelig education. In recent years, gaelig has become an essential part of school life, with 23 primary schools and 16 secondary schools teaching the language. Inverness also boasts the first purpose-built gaelig medium primary school, which was opened in 2007 with 100 pupils. Ten years later, the current role is 232, a success story that we should all celebrate. It is clear that more and more communities with a gaelig tradition want their children to be more than bilingual, as the benefits from doing so are beyond doubt. Learning different languages from an early age leads to a higher attainment, so we should not be surprised that more parents wish to send their children to gaelig medium schools. Scottish Conservatives will always support investment in gaelig schools where there is a real demand from the parents in a community with gaelig tradition, but we must be inshore when expanding. John Finnie Thank you. I am grateful for the member taking the intervention. I became a bit concerned with your description of how you would establish demand. Can you clarify that again? You certainly would want a situation where the local authority has the opportunity to build on demand by encouraging others to come forward, which has often happened in communities. I remind members that they should always speak through the chair and not have direct conversations, so through the chair, please, Mr Mountain. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I think that the point that I was trying to make is that where we should encourage demand and we should build on demand that is there, rather than just saying, no, we are not going to do it. If there is a demand, we should basically encourage, but we have to ensure that when we are encouraging the expansion of gaelig education in the case of Port Tree, we do not allow the concerns of some quarters to suggest that investment at gaelig schools is at the detriment of other facilities in the area. We must make sure that gaelig is seen as a way of uniting communities, rather than dividing them. I am mindful of the time. I am proud of the enduring contribution that my party has made to securing the future of gaelig by funding the first gaelig medium units, as well as introducing the gaelig television fund. Those measures were ambitious but practical, and an approach to the Scottish Government would be wise in my mind to maintain. Today's debate is also a timely reminder for the Scottish Government to act on its commitment, made 10 years ago, to ensure that, by 2021 census, the proportion of gaelig speakers is back up to the 2001 levels, at the very least. Let's aim high and let's ensure that the ambition of all parties across this chamber is to increase gaelig and the use of gaelig across Scotland. I am an old manny, so I am unlikely to be learning gaelig before I shuffle off this mortal coil. Like many of us, I have gaelig antecedents. My grandfather Alexander Campbell MacGregor was a gaelig speaker. He was a ship's rigger. He married someone from Edinburgh and settled in Leith. My mother was therefore brought up in a bilingual household, and she spoke gaelig to her father and English to her mother. When she went to school in 1914, she entered an environment where she was punished if she spoke gaelig. I have also got a great-great grandfather, Archibald Stewart, who took his gaelig with him to Canada. That was a very long time ago. He was born in the late 1700s. On the other side of the equation, and perhaps less to the merit of the Stevenson, my grandfather, William Stewart Stevenson, married Elizabeth Tate Barlow in 1890. His first appointment as a teacher was in the gaelig community on Lewis, where, as an anglophone, monoglot, with an English wife, he was sent to make sure that nobody in the school that he taught in spoke gaelig. Thank goodness that we are now in very different times. My wife like Ian Gray went to Inverness Royal Academy. I have not spoken to her about her experience, but she does not come from a particularly strong gaelic tradition. Now, how do I connect to gaelic today? Like others, I see gaelic place names and geographical features that have gaelic names. I have runrig's May morning CD in my car, which is produced for the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. I have a CD of Julie Fowless. Do I understand everything I hear when it is in gaelic? It is certainly not. I have a few words, and it was interesting. I was listening with one ear the translation of my colleague Kate Forbes and gaelic in the other ear. I could pick up some of the crossover, but could I speak gaelic in any meaningful sense? Absolutely not. When I was a young lad, if you wanted to hear gaelic bluntly, the place where you would hear most gaelic would be the Helinman's Umbrella in Glasgow, which is traditionally where the people from the Western Isles would gather, adjacent to Central Station under the arch over Argyll, and you had more gaelic there than you had English. Just as now, we are seeing the developer of gaelic in the cities, historically in the more recent past, it was also a city thing. The area that I used to represent in the Parliament, but is now represented after the reorganisation of the boundaries by Gillian Martin, was where the Book of Deer came from, and that is nearly 1,000 years ago, and it has the oldest piece of written gaelic that is in it. It is actually a Bible, and when the first attempts were made to work out who owned Scotland, the monks from Deer, Abbey, went round writing down information about who owned what, and they wrote it in the margins of the Bible, and they wrote it in gaelic, which is really quite interesting. Of course, some of the gaelic that we are talking about in Aberdeenshire is not Scottish gaelic. There is a town that is now known as New Pitsligo, which has the alternative name of Kyak, C-Y-A-A-K, which is actually Welsh or Bithronic gaelic, so the linguistic traditions that we have are quite diverse. Let me say that my voice is a wee bit rusty today, so I have touched on gaelic for that as well. I had a gargo of Annoch, which is the whisky that is made nearest to me, which is a gaelic name for the Annoch, which is the hill behind the distillery. May I very much welcome the announcement of additional investment in gaelic teaching in Glasgow and, indeed, the opening of other facilities elsewhere? That is very much to be welcome. Thankfully, the 1616 Gaelic act that Iain Gray referred to did not succeed, and Peter Peacock, a late colleague here, was absolutely pivotable in moving gaelic to another place building and what had been done before. May I give my absolute support to efforts to bring gaelic to more people? I conclude with one very simple suggestion that might help that we might consider doing. We have lots of geography and lots of places that have gaelic names. We might start to help the anglophones to know how to pronounce gaelic, because when you look at some of the gaelic names, if you are an anglophone, it is quite baffling. However, if we were to help, we might learn how to pronounce gaelic. I do not pronounce gaelic, but please conclude. Thank you. I call Clare Baker to be followed by Willie Coffey, Ms Baker. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to speak in this afternoon's debate. It comes not long after we recently had a debate on intangible cultural heritage, in which the significance of gaelic, both in a historical sense and in the need for us to continue to support the language in Scotland, was raised by many members in the chamber. It is right that we recognise value, preserve and celebrate gaelic in Scotland, and the language plan has a key part to play in achieving that ambition. In particular, it is important to strive to grow the language beyond its traditionally strong areas and make it accessible to those who wish to learn it across the length and breadth of the country. That is how the language will have a future. It is interesting that the cabinet secretary talked about early years education. It was with some nostalgia that I saw a Dotto Man display on a recent committed visit to the BBC. It now has a bit of a cult status, but in 1985 it was groundbreaking in its normalisation of the language and an introduction for many children. It was also really positive when we were at the visit to hear about the innovative work that BBC Alba and CBBC are doing, collaborating together on a filming of a gaelic version of the popular kids' quest programme Raven. Since 1999, the Parliament has played a significant role in providing a focus for gaelic. The Parliament was established at a time when there were fears that gaelic was a fading language. Although that has been recognised and some action has been already taken, there are still some challenges for us to address in educational demand and also in public opinion, which Kate Forbes referred to. However, the Parliament has made a conscious effort to ensure that gaelic receives its support and I am pleased to see it continue to do so. We have to recognise that a contributing factor behind the language's decline in Scotland can be traced back to deliberate choices and decisions made to restrict its usage in years gone by. It was generations and communities that kept the language alive over the centuries and activists and campaigners who really pushed the agenda. The role of Government and Parliament in supporting the work of Bordd Nagal acknowledges the importance of the language to Scotland, promotes equality and inclusion for the communities who speak gaelic and encourages acceptance and greater knowledge of the language. We are thankfully in a much healthier place today than where we have been in recent history, and although I appreciate that gaelic is no longer the first language for many people, and there are still concerns that, as generations pass on, the traditions associated with the language may be at risk of passing on with them. On the whole, we are talking less now about gaelic survival and more about its potential to grow and flourish across families and communities. One of the reasons for that is that, during the years when the language was marginalised, there were still Scottish arts and cultures that preserved and promoted gaelic. From Psalms to the mod and to Celtic connections, there has long been the space and freedom for those who wish to speak or wish to learn gaelic to do so with confidence and with support. That richness must not be underestimated. Sitting in a classroom with trained teachers is of course important, but equally so is the ability to learn, embrace and live the language through songs and stories, comradely and friendship. The new plan, for example, has a project to support the long-term sustainability of the south-west education and arts centre, which can hopefully allow the traditions and songs of gaelic to continue. I am also pleased to see that the plan will continue to support the bodies that are important for gaelic arts in Scotland. Gaelic is part of the country's heritage and, in the areas where it is strong, we should be looking to embrace it and the opportunities that it presents. By building strong cultural and arts links, we are able to benefit in other areas, especially in tourism, as visitors embrace the romanticism behind the language and its link to Scotland's rich past. The development of a gaelic tourism strategy is in this regard welcome, and it looks to support organisations that use the language. I always seem to be referencing the TV series Outlander at the moment, but it has generated increased interest in Scotland, our built heritage, our landscape and, with the use of Gaelic, an interest in a language that is unique to Scotland and a gateway for visitors interested in our culture. Other members have highlighted Labour's commitment to Gaelic over the years, and I recognise that we have all worked co-operatively across the Parliament in promoting the language, and that is very much to be welcomed. The act and the plan were introduced because we all appreciate and understand that the language and the communities that speak it still need focused support. The Gaelic-speaking communities of Scotland continue to face many challenges, fragile local communities with ageing and shifting populations as younger people chase employment. That can lead to strong Gaelic communities where speakers can feel comfortable and where the language is used every day, both in the home and in the local area, being at risk of fragmenting and breaking up such communities and opportunities for everyday uses of the language, especially among younger generations, can put future generations' desire and access to learn the language at risk. Secure, well-paid jobs are important to make sure that Gaelic-speaking families in the communities can continue to live there and thrive. To be successful in promoting and growing Gaelic, we need a holistic approach, which nurtures this valuable, precious, unique language of Scotland. I have to be very tight with speeches. We have no time in hand, so please, five minutes. Willie Coffey, followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is a pleasure once again to be able to speak in support of the Gaelic language and the work that will get under way to deliver the aims set out in the national plan. I have spoken in a number of the debates in Gaelic over the years, and each time it is clear to me that we are moving on, making progress with this beautiful language that plays a huge part in shaping who we are as a people and where we are going as a nation. I will not pretend that I am even remotely a speaker of Gaelic, and it has been wonderful so far to hear Kate Forbes speaking her language with such passion and such feeling. However, I do what I can to support the language, and I would like to share with the Parliament some of the impressive work that has been going on in Kilmarnock in the past 20 years at Bunchgall and Onthank, where I grew up and still live close by. What I like about the plan is that it is clear, easy to read and very positive about the language and what promises to be an exciting phase over the next five years. It is important to be able to measure progress, of course, and the implementation and monitoring proposals are due to follow shortly. It will not be easy, and the task ahead is very challenging. Gaelic is one of many world languages at risk of being lost unless we all do something about it. UNESCO describes Scottish Gaelic as definitely endangered with around 80,000 people who can speak the language in Scotland outwith the formal education setting. It is much higher with the other Celtic languages in Ireland and Wales, but we know the history of how we came to be in this situation. The aim of the national plan is simply to make sure that Gaelic is used more often by more people and in a wider range of settings. I recall mentioning this the last time that I was able to speak. I hoped that the language could be seen more as well as being heard. The plan certainly aims to do that in the way that it intends to promote the language much more in heritage tourism, food and drink and leisure sectors. I hope that that also means that people who do not normally come in contact with the language will be able to see it and hear it spoken and sung in local settings, perhaps through music and performance. It all makes a difference by promoting that positive image that is really important if we are to broaden its appeal. The community's aspect of the plan recognises that there are different levels of engagement with Gaelic. Those with high percentages of speakers, communities, cities and towns such as Kilmarnock and there is the technology, media and performance community too—all different but all with a key part to play in taking the plan forward. Can I share with members a little glimpse of what has been happening in Kilmarnock at on-think primary school? The Gaelic unit has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and has seen around 250 children passing through the school in those years. Currently, there are around 32 children in primary 1 to primary 7 with a further 13 in the early childhood centre. The benefits for those children over the years have not been restricted to the curriculum. Social and cultural benefits have been immense with the children travelling all over Scotland for competitions and get-togethers. None of that would have happened had it not been for the Gaelic language and it is to the great credit of East Ayrshire and to the staff in the school over those years that so many children have had such a positive experience. That Gaelic unit is now moving to the new Wally McElvaney campus in the town, which is a stunning new secondary and primary campus that has everyone really excited about the future. The national plan is another opportunity to take Gaelic a step forward in its journey of recovery. It has been a difficult journey for so many people who love the language, whether we speak it or not. The plan to broaden its appeal within the diverse communities of Scotland through culture, music and all forms of engagement are the right thing to do, in my opinion, and I fully support the substantial efforts that everyone is making to protect our language. That means coming together to ensure that Gaelic can survive for years to come. I am ever grateful to a young fellow called Lachlan Buchanan for providing me with a sentence and a pronunciation. I am happy to support the Government motion more in time. Scotland's Gaelic heritage is something that all parties in the chamber rightly stand ready to protect and to uphold. My colleague Liz Smith spoke earlier about some of the work that Scottish Conservatives in government undertook before devolution to promote the language and the rich culture associated with it. We stand alongside that today. I welcome the work that has gone into the national Gaelic language plan for Borden Gaelic and the process that has led to its development. As a Highlands and Islands member, I recognise the strong Gaelic heritage, particularly found on the islands and west highlands, and most specifically in Lewis, South East, Wacarba and Westeros. In those parts of Scotland, Gaelic is the language of day-to-day life. Gaelic culture continues to thrive not only in the Highlands and Islands but in other parts of Scotland, too. The central belt association with the language reflects more modern population movements as Gaelic-speaking Highlanders migrated south in search of opportunities. We still see some of this legacy just up the road from this Parliament, where Greifer's Church maintains its regular Gaelic language service, having absorbed the congregation of the Highland Tollbooth St John's Church, which now sees a new lease of life as the hub, the home of Edinburgh's International Festival. Other members have also touched on Glasgow's links with the language, and we see, particularly through music and other cultural outlets, that much of Scotland is at least touched by a Gaelic influence. Indeed, its historical reach is often underestimated. Still, my region retains its position as the home of Gaelic today, particularly in rural communities. I have spoken on many occasions in this chamber on the challenges faced by remote and rural communities in Scotland, but particularly in the Highlands and Islands. We have a real challenge to ensure that those rural communities are sustainable for the future. To move beyond the Gaelic-speaking areas, we see a huge diversity of cultures in Scotland. I am an Okadian. Our islands move most likely from Pictish speakers to Norse and then to English without any historic Gaelic tradition. It remains a matter of academic speculation how closely the Pictish language was related to the insular Celtic languages of Britain. In other areas where I represent, there is a long Doric tradition in the Highlands and Islands, and there is a distinct Murray and Nen sub-dialect within that. We also know well of other languages brought to Scotland more recently by our migrant communities. Sitting in this context, Gaelic is one of the many strong cultural influences within Scotland that the whole of Scotland can recognise as part of our collective cultural heritage, one element that must be removed at the thankfully fringe pursuit of politicising languages in one way or another. Languages are not political beasts, much less political weapons. Culture thrives by crossing barriers, not by being exclusive or exclusionary. In those areas where Gaelic is a strong presence, it is clearly right that it is recognised by the state, and that distinctive cultures and traditions are taken into account when policy is drafted and consulted and considered. As the Gaelic language plan shows, that by sex the tears of Government. It is a consideration not only for central government but for a whole range of institutions from local councils to health boards too. In his introduction, Board and Gaelic's chair, Alan MacDonald, recognises the recruitment challenges for high-quality staff in Gaelic medium education, again touched on by previous speakers. This is not the only public service. I thank the member for taking the intervention, and I welcome the very consensual tone of this debate. I just wanted to ask the MSP whether the section of the Tory amendment on ensuring that we have sufficient numbers of Gaelic teachers to meet demand is slightly hypocritical in that they actively stand in the way of Gaelic speaking and Gaelic qualified teachers such as Shona Halfpony from teaching in our schools, despite there being a long and unsuccessful campaign to allow this lady from Nova Scotia to continue teaching on the island of Mal. Mr Halcro Johnston, I am sorry that it was a long intervention, but I have no spare time. I am ashamed that you brought in an issue in terms of immigration into a debate about Gaelic and the plans for the language, but there we are. In his introduction, Board and Gaelic's chair, Alan MacDonald recognises the recruitment challenges for high-quality staff in Gaelic medium education, again touched on by previous speakers. This is not the only public service where those are issues. On a recent visit to Stornoway, I heard of the problems of recruiting Gaelic speaking social care workers, which required particularly to support older people with dementia in the islands, who have reverted to their first language. There are, of course, some excellent examples of progress. While there, I met with a council's director of education who spoke about some of the work that was done through Iscoil to engage young people. I also had the opportunity to hear some Gaelic singing, bringing out some of the true depth of Gaelic culture and heritage on the islands. Presiding Officer, promotion is positive and the high degree of collaboration undertaken in the construction of the Gaelic language plan certainly counts in its favour. However, as others have mentioned, for Gaelic to thrive in its heartlands, we must more closely recognise the needs of our remote and rural communities. There have been many steps forward, but the sustainability of these communities remains a concern to many across my region. As I touched on, to politicise language, it is wrong. We must also be sensitive— I am afraid that you must stop, so please do stop. 525, you got your extra 25 things. I have no time left. Colljour McAlpine, to be followed by Lewis MacDonald. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased with Conrad, which has always resonated with me. History repeats itself, he wrote, but the special call on an art that has passed away has never reproduced. It has utterly gone out of the world as a song of a destroyed wild bird. Conrad was talking specifically about human achievement and culture in its broadest sense, and I would include language in that. Indeed, as others have said, language has been seen as the greatest achievement of humankind without which none of our other achievements can be expressed. A language that has lost is hard to reclaim, as Conrad said, utterly gone out of the world. I have always thought of Gaelic when I hear that quote, perhaps because of its lyricism, in the way that it captures the fragility of human culture. By comparing the threat to human culture to threats to wildlife is also evocative. We quite rightly support measures aimed at protecting our flora and fauna, and we are prepared to accept some inconvenience to ensure that the crackle of the corn creak or our ancient Caledonian pine forest is not extinguished. However, human ecology is also in need of protection, and we cannot afford to see Gaelic utterly gone out of the world. That is why I support the national plan for Gaelic. It aims to secure a future for the language that carries with it a millennium of cultural richness, and I support the plan's central premise that education is the future of the Gaelic language. It aims to increase its use, expand the number of learning and promote a positive image. This language, as others have said, belongs to all of Scotland, and people are now coming from all over the world to learn it and to enjoy the music, literature and oral tradition that it encapsulates. I welcome the fact that the motion today involves enjoys cross-party support just as the Gaelic Language Scotland Act 2000 enjoyed the support of every party in this Parliament. Having said that, it is disappointing to hear some outside this Parliament disparage Gaelic perhaps because of their ignorance of the role that politicians of all parties played in protecting it. It is not at all uncommon to hear negative comments on social media. Even in mainstream media, sadly, with nonsense about dead languages and their relevance, it is important to tackle that head on. One line of argument that is particularly relevant to my area of the country, which is often rather drearyly advanced, is that Gaelic is not relevant to other parts of Scotland. It was something that was articulated quite recently on social media by a councillor whose party I will not refer to because he was quite young and I do not think that he is representative of his party. However, he made a point on social media about his area of the south of Scotland, not having any connection at all to Gaelic. John Finnie, sorry, I was drifting there, Mr Finnie. I drift occasionally. Just a wee minute, can you speak to your microphone so we can hear you? I wonder if the member would agree that it is not necessarily helpful to recite a lengthy list of negatives, rather that we should be promoting and ignoring those people whom you rightly identify or motivate often by ignorance. I do not think that it was a lengthy list of negatives at all, and I am just about to come on to the positive retort to that. I represent the south of Scotland. In the south of Scotland, there is a strong Gaelic tradition. Gaelic became widespread in south-west Scotland between the ninth and the eleventh centuries. The very name Gaelic originates as the land of the foreign gael. Alan Lord of Galloway, who died in 1234, is named in the annals of Ulster as king of the foreign gales. It was once an independent kingdom as well. It is said that the distinctiveness of Galloway perhaps ensured that Gaelic was preserved in the west of the region after it had been supplanted by Scots in other parts of lowland Scotland. There is a very interesting blog from Alastair Livingstone of Castle Douglas, which has done a huge amount of work in this area, called Green Galloway, which I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in the topic. Later on this year, in September, the Cat Strand in New Galloway will host a day-long conference on Galloway and Gaelic, featuring prominent academics. It is already sold out, which is testament to the fact that it is potential in terms of cultural tourism in the south-west of Scotland, which many people are keen to explore. Gaelic is for everyone in Scotland, and that is why I support the motion today. I now call, sequentially, the McDonalds. I call Lewis McDonald followed by Angus McDonald. Mr McDonald, please. Thank you very much. I cheer and can not do nothing to you. The land, the language and the people. That was at the mass-head of the West Highland Free Press, the UK's first employee-owned newspaper based in the Isle of Skye. It is a direct reference back to the slogans of the Highland Land League and the Crofters Party of the 19th century. It is good to celebrate the support that the Gaelic language has enjoyed from all parties over the past 30 years. It is right to say that the language is part of the cultural richness of Scotland as a whole, but we should never forget the origins of the Gaelic language movement in the class struggles and land wars of the Highlands and the Hebrides of earlier generations. When Labour ministers brought forward measures like the Gaelic language act, that was not only out of support for cultural diversity and inclusiveness. It was also to achieve, at long last, equal rights and recognition for the language and culture of what had been the common people of the Highland clans, just as important as rights over land and the right to a democratic voice in local and national government. When Labour councillors like Strath Clyde and Glasgow pioneered Gaelic media education out with the Highlands, that was a recognition not just of the Highland diaspora, but that Gaelic required to enjoy equal status right across Scotland if it was to be fully supported in its native speaking communities. Those are views shared across parties and public bodies today. It is easy to forget how far the right to speak Gaelic was denied and how significant that denial was. When people were cleared from the land in the 17th and 18th hundreds, it was not just the means to earn a living that were lost, it was also the connection with the land and with past generations through the language and the shared knowledge of people and place. A few years ago, the son of a man who was there told me about the workhouse in Tobormory, where Gaelic-speaking Mulach sought refuge as late as the 1890s after being driven from their homes. What struck my friend's father was that those folk were not just destitute, they were utterly bewildered at the extent of their loss, which impacted on who they were as well as on what they had. That story could be repeated again and again from the straths of Sutherland to the banks of Loch Tay to the most westerly of the Hebrides, a story of cultural loss hand in hand with material deprivation. In debate in Gaelic in the 21st century, it is as well to remember that history, stretching back to when the statutes of Iona were approved by the Scottish Privy Council in 1609. Those laws effectively prohibited the Gaelic medium education of the sons of chiefs, with just as clear a purpose as laws passed in support of Gaelic medium education today. As we have already heard, that suppression of Gaelic in Scotland schools continued on for over 300 years. We have a lot of ground to make up, and what is most remarkable about the Gaelic language today is not its decline but its survival. The national Gaelic language plan is right to seek to enable urban Gaelic communities to thrive, and real progress has been made on that in the last third year. My daughter Iona enjoyed Gaelic medium nursery and primary education in Aberdeen. She studied and debated in Gaelic at secondary school, and now, as a university student, she keeps up her language skills by working of an evening with Gaelic-speaking children in Glasgow. She would want me to mention Mary Morley for a number of years' Gaelic officer with Aberdeen City Council, responsible for Gaelic medium education more recently back in her native US. She has died too young and her friends in Aberdeen will gather later today to remember her. Mary Morley made a real contribution to supporting and sustaining her native language into the present century and to promoting it right across Scotland, and she should be warmly remembered for that. Gaelic has made progress in urban Scotland and she should continue to do so, but there is no substitute for the spoken language at the grass roots in highland and island communities, and our very first priority must be to sustain the health and strength of Gaelic as a community language in those places where it is still passed on as the first language from one generation to the next. I welcome the third iteration of a national Gaelic language plan under the Gaelic Language Act 2005, which does indeed focus on the Gaelic heartland areas. I would simply ask ministers in conclusion to say a bit more about how they will measure success in achieving that objective. The future of Gaelic as a community language is inseparably bound up with the future of many of our communities on the edge, and a sustainable future for the language also requires a sustainable future for those communities too. That would allow Gaelic in Scotland to take another step in the right direction. Thank you. I call Angus MacDonald to follow up on Oliver Mundell. Mr MacDonald, please. Fy me ysabodd hwnnw erswn y hanen gyda adsefis yn jo annum, gwsgion cyntiwch gym be gaelic byw erswn lŷn cyn rhi eich edrych. Mae'r sy'n fy mwytolych, fy mwytolych, a fyn am gniech, gael mae'r byw yn hyfforddi'n gaelic awns yn sesion mewn ierog na parlymych, a chymytolych gyfael efo live ielentau le kit i ffordd i'ch marniech garmor. I'd like to concentrate much on probably all of my allocated time this afternoon on the issue of funding for MG Alaba and BBC Alaba. I'm sure that the whole chamber welcomes the announcement last week that the broadcasting regulator OFCOM has given provisional approval to BBC Plans for a new TV channel for Scotland. However, that shouldn't be to the detriment of BBC Alaba's funding or programming. We know that BBC Alaba contributes to Scottish culture, identity and economy, fostering international collaborations and creating internationally recognised programmes. Of course, BBC Alaba this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary. I remember the launch party well, which was held in this very city, and a good time was had by all, as you would expect. There's no doubt that it's been a game changer in terms of normalising the language and bringing it on a daily basis to a far wider audience than Gaelic has ever enjoyed. That's no mean feat on the budget that it has. I'm sure that we all agree that BBC Alaba has been one of the major successes for Gaelic in recent years, but it currently faces two challenges. One is the level of funding that it receives, which has been at a similar level for some years, and the other is that the new BBC Scotland channel is on the horizon and it's not yet clear how the BBC will ensure that this development supports BBC Alaba and does not detract from Alaba's viewing figures. MG Alaba currently has a budget from the Scottish Government of 12.8 million, that's 11.8 million core funding and 1 million of which is additional annual pressure funding. It's funded in the last financial year, 443 hours of original television programming and related costs such as rights, 28 hours of radio, Llearn Gaelic and also 100 hours of channel links from the Stornoway studios. Funding this level of programming on a small budget for a TV channel is achieved through a combination of volume deal commissions and seasonal commissioning rounds. New four-year-old volume deals were entered into in July 2017 with eight independent production companies committing MG Alaba to £25.6 million over the term. Those contracts include drama, sport, music, children's entertainment and are all with independent production companies. That gives long-term supply commitments to the channel as well as securing jobs and creating stability and encouraging sustainability within the independent sector. Those deals also offer the foundation for innovative collaboration and MG Alaba have generated £950,000 of added value for the channel from long-term deals as a result of co-productions. They expect this trend to continue with ambitious international projects. Given the level of funding MG Alaba has, it can only invite two seasonal commissioning rounds per year, which bring higher production value and bespoke programming to the schedule. It is worth pointing out that the initial Gaelic television fund of £9.5 million in 1992, which has been mentioned already this afternoon, with RPI would be at £18.2 million today. The number of hours that was funded in the early years prior to the organisation gaining commissioning powers averaged £165 per annum. With £443 hours budgeted in 2017-18, MG Alaba's achieved output of 268.5 per cent of its historic output on what is in real terms a drop in funding of 29.7 per cent. It is therefore essential to maintain current investment so that MG Alaba is on a stable funding base consolidating the £1 million and the £11.8 million, which will also be required to draw more investment from the BBC. I would seek the Deputy First Minister's assurance that such consolidation will be considered in the future. Let's not forget that there would be no commissioning rounds if it were not for the pressure fund of £1 million. At stake, at £114.5, full-time equivalent jobs were created in the Western Isles and Skye by the MG Alaba fund. The equivalent number in the central belt, given the population difference, would be in excess of £11,000. I will just leave that figure with you, Presiding Officer. Morin Tang. I call Oliver Mundell to be followed by Ben Macpherson, who is the last speaker in the open debate. Mr Mundell, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Many of my constituents—indeed, it's fair to say some of my colleagues—will be surprised to see me taking part in this debate, because I'm honest with the chamber. I haven't always been a natural champion or advocate of the Gaelic language, but I have found today's debate very interesting and informative. It has particularly listened to Kate Forbes' speech, giving me a very different insight to that. I regularly hear from constituents and the concerns that are raised around some of the token issues that I will try not to give too long a negative list about. I don't see all of that debate as being hate-filled and that there is a complex range of cultural and social issues going on in the part of the world that I represent. I think that people in the south of Scotland feel threatened by globalisation, the encroach of central government and feel some neglect for our own indigenous cultures. However, in recognising that, it is important that those of us who live in the south of Scotland in communities where Gaelic has not been a traditional part of our heritage or oral traditions. The member realises that the big stone that is in Gretna, the Loch Mabon stone, is a Gaelic name. It is named after a stone, not a loch, but he is not seriously suggesting that Gaelic has never been part of the heritage of the south of Scotland. I am not suggesting, by any stretch of the imagination, that it has never been part of the heritage of the south of Scotland. However, clearly, for a whole range of historic reasons, cultural reasons and social reasons, there is not the same cultural connection with the language in all parts of the country. As Lewis MacDonald recognised in his speech, I think that in trying to promote Gaelic very positively, which I fully support, we have to be sensitive to the history of the Gaelic language and its origins and particular cultural significance in large parts of the Highland region. I do not think that that is something that we should be ashamed of. I think that if we are going to tackle some of the challenging cultural issues around building the Gaelic language, around building a real sense of community as a speaking language, we have to be alive to those sensitivities. If we are going to convince people that it is a language that belongs to all of Scotland, we have to recognise some of those sensitivities. It is a great testament to native Gaelic speakers, for whom Gaelic is their mother tongue, that they are generous enough to share their language to see it as culturally belonging to all of us, particularly in light of some of the difficulties and oppression that they have faced over a great many years. It is important that we all work together to try and build a consensus. I have heard a few people say that Gaelic should not be politicised. That is absolutely right and very important. At the end of the day, if we are going to secure the future of the language as a living speaking language, we have to recognise that politicians and Government actions alone cannot help to keep a language alive. We have to give people confidence and we have to really believe that it is a language that can belong to anyone. We need to recognise, as many speakers have pointed to, that it is still in a fragile position. I do not think that we can blame anyone here for the mistakes that have been made in the more distant past, but when we see a drop in figures and censuses, we have to recognise that that is because there is a community that is coming to a certain age. Inevitably, that means that they are not going to be here to continue speaking their language. That is what makes Gaelic medium education so important and why it is really important that we focus our efforts into those communities where there is a desire to grow the number of speakers and make sure that all the resources that are needed are delivered for those who wish to take the language forward. I warmly welcome the opportunity to speak in this important debate to welcome the Scottish Government's new national plan and its overarching aim to help to create a secure future for Gaelic here in Scotland, building on the 2005 act and recent developments and progress and success. I speak today, not as a speaker of Gaelic, but certainly as an admirer and also particularly as a constituency MSP. I will come on to why that is important shortly. My experience of Gaelic, both in terms of being a constituency MSP and generally, is appreciating its vulnerability and the historic nature of that, but also its growing strength, particularly in the urban environment here in Edinburgh and particularly in my constituency in Leith. The hugely positive contribution that the Gaelic language makes in terms of cultural progress and adding to the social character of our societies and our cultural diversity, but also in terms of being of huge educational value to those who are in Gaelic medium education. First of all, I welcome the new plan. The Gaelic national language plan reflects Gaelic's unique and important contribution to many areas of Scottish life. When I read that part of the plan, I think about two people that I know. First of all, Delina McClellan, who has been a long-standing advocate of the Gaelic language and a well-known actress and singer within the Gaelic community resident here in Edinburgh, who welcomed my parents when they moved from Leith to the city and then welcomed me to the SNP when I joined shortly afterwards. I also, incidentally, made an appearance in still game a few weeks ago. I don't know if you saw that, but Delina has contributed so significantly to the development of the Gaelic language, and I think of her today in building on her success. I also think of one of my constituents, who represents another generation, a younger generation, Phil McHugh, who as a TV personality has helped to promote the Gaelic language and the work that he does. I think that that is symbolic of passing on the Gaelic language from generations going forward and its absolute relevance to modern Scottish media culture as well as previously. There are also politicians such as my colleague Deirdre Brock, MP who was previously as a councillor the Gaelic champion here in Edinburgh. One of the things that Deirdre did and emphasised was that Gaelic medium education is key not only to the future of the Gaelic language but is enriching for our education system both here in Edinburgh and across the country. It is so important if we want to see the number of Gaelic speakers coming through that can help to secure that future. I used to work at James Gillespie High School for a year in the school office and got an understanding of its importance here in Edinburgh in terms of secondary education through Gaelic medium education, but that was an inspiring and important process in my understanding of the importance of language. Yesterday, I went to Turner Park, the dedicated Gaelic primary school here in Edinburgh. What a wonderful experience that was, absolutely thriving, a nursery nearly at capacity, huge demand and a primary school so rich in terms of energy, in terms of the modern education practices that were being taken forward, in terms of the diversity of young people, Leith is an extremely diverse place anyway, but the diversity of communities coming together in this wonderful school, bringing to life this old presbyterian primary school with this new future for the language and for the area. I truly remarkable place and recommend anyone to go and see it if you want to see an example of thriving Gaelic medium education. I say that because here in Edinburgh numbers are growing and that is to be welcomed. I am very happy and delighted for Glasgow with today's announcement. I was also delighted to hear the cabinet secretary say that officials and himself are bringing forward proposals for a Gaelic medium secondary facility here in Edinburgh beyond James Gillespie's because the numbers are growing. I look forward to seeing that happening in due course. I would just finish by saying that I absolutely agree that the bilingualism of Gaelic medium education develops intellectualism undoubtedly from what I have seen, but most of all it is an inclusive development that benefits us all from rural to urban and this is something to welcome for everyone and this plan should be too. Thank you. I call on road a grant to close for labour five minutes please Ms Grant. More in time in the officer and really I met all of you who have felt you are a plan of show. Thank you Presiding Officer. I am pleased to welcome this plan and indeed this debate where there was a lot of agreement about the plan and its refreshed priorities. Each party took time to highlight their commitment and contribution to Gaelic and indeed Kate Forbes pointed out in her contribution that every party has been supportive but indulge me for a moment as I highlight the Labour party's commitments and what we have done in the past. There was a Labour council that opened the first Gaelic medium unit and there was a Labour council that opened the first Gaelic medium school. There was a Labour-led Government that brought forward the Gaelic Language Act 2005 guided through the Parliament by my colleague Peter Peacock and as Lewis MacDonald pointed out the aim of that was to provide equal status for Gaelic and I'm proud of that record and proud that these initiatives had cross-party support and that must continue for to protect our language and with it our heritage. It's the Gaelic Language Act that gives life to the national Gaelic plan and we need to build upon it. The Conservative amendment highlights issues with education and that was moved by Liz Smith and she and Ian Gray pointed out the shortage of Gaelic medium teachers and the Scottish Government needs to make sure that they have enough teachers because buildings for Gaelic medium education is great but unless there are teachers to staff those schools then they don't serve the purpose that they're designed for but the culture and education has changed. Ian Gray talked about the othering of island pupils at the Sinoverness High School and how that school system discouraged the use of Gaelic. John Finnie talked about growing up without Gaelic being available and how that has changed in Fort William with the Gaelic medium school. Claire Baker made the point that it was her communities that have kept Gaelic alive while Government and Education discovered it and Lewis MacDonald pointed out that the survival of those very communities in Gaelic are so closely interlinked that we need to protect both in order for both to survive. Why do we need the Gaelic language? Well, the act came about because the number of Gaelic speakers were falling. We read in our history books about the rich and famous, the people's history is held in song, in poetry and storytelling and for most of Scotland these are told in the Gaelic language. For instance, Lewis MacDonald pointed out the history of the land league and it's not just the Gaelic language that has its culture and heritage held in this way but due to the contraction of the language back from many parts of Scotland we have already lost part of that history and culture and we need to stop that happening. Willie Rennie's green room statement made that very point and it was the language of most of Scotland and indeed stretched into Northern England but much of that has been lost and with it the history of those areas and the history and culture of the ordinary people and if we could trace some of that I think it would revive interest in Gaelic in those areas. There's also an economic argument for the protection and growth of Gaelic. Angus MacDonald talked about BBC Alipa and Radio Nigel and what they've meant to many parts of the Highlands and Islands. Those media outlets are self-sufficient and they encourage training in all aspects of the media creating jobs and many of those who have benefited from this have moved on to English-speaking media making way for young creative people to come forward as well. We have saw more of Steig, the Gaelic College in Sleet and Skye, an area that was devastated by depopulation and the college has grown a new unvibrant community around it. That investment has arguably done more for the local economy than any investment that could have been put in solely for jobs and it's continuing to build the local economy. Claire Baker talked about Nock Nassilia in south-us and I hope very much that that does exactly the same for that area but we have to go further than culture and education to protect the language. It has to be a language for everyday communication. Officer, we need to use it for everyday things and that is one way that we can keep it alive. Thank you very much. I call Donald Cameron to close the Conservative six minutes please, Mr Cameron. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Having asked a question in Gaelic in a recent debate, I'm not going to inflict the same pain on the chamber twice in one month. I'm very pleased to be able to close this debate for the Scottish Conservatives on the plan, which addresses how we continue to preserve, protect and promote this critical aspect of our culture and our being. I want to pay tribute to the work of the board in Gaelic for its efforts in putting together the report and the work of other organisations and individuals who both participate in reports such as this and strive to put their recommendations into practice. Organisations such as Uncommon Gaelic, which organised the Mold Festival, which took place last year in my hometown of Fort William and this year will come to Danone. It's one of the biggest festivals of Gaelic music, arts and culture and along the way has raised millions for the local economies of its various host towns. Like the Deputy First Minister, I'd like to commend the Faishon and Gael and in particular Chief Executive Arthur Cormack, who happens to be one of my favourite Gaelic musicians, but who do so much to promote Gaelic arts and music in local communities across Scotland. The Faish movement is a striking example of Gaelic culture playing a role in everyday local life, especially with our young. I'd like to make a couple of more personal observations. To my regret, I never had the benefit of Gaelic education, either through GME or simply learning the language at school. I tried to learn it as an adult, attended night school in London and in Edinburgh and even did a summer course at Sormor-Ostig. I've never progressed into anything approaching fluency, though I will keep trying. I'm deeply envious of those who have had those opportunities and I fervently believe that those initiatives should be supported and continue to be supported. On politicisation, in one of the most sensitive and measured speeches, Oliver Mundell made this point, we have to recognise that Gaelic has sadly been politicised in recent years, or at least has been used as a proxy for other battles. I don't point the finger of blame, not least because all parties, including my own, bear some responsibility. However, when the very survival of the language is at stake, we must all join together in that common endeavour. As Liz Smith noted, Gaelic is in the very precarious position of being classified as an endangered language. Gaelic has enough of a fight on its hands to simply exist without there being internal battles within the Scottish body politic about it, and I welcome the consensual comments from all sides during this debate. Of course— Yes, indeed. I agree fully with the member on that, and that's why I mentioned in my opening remarks about the contribution of every party. Unfortunately, the comments are nearly always fought along either constitutional lines or party lines. How do we, as representatives, try to change that debate? Donald Cameron. I think that Kate Forbes is absolutely right. It's incumbent on all of us in the language that we use and the points that we make in this chamber and outside it to work towards ending that often constitutional battling. Of course, public spending of any sort should be scrutinised. There should never be a blank check, but, in a way, having to argue its case and fight its corner, the cause of Gaelic has arguably emerged stronger. We must remember that, to many, Gaelic is not just a language but a way of life, and nowhere is that more obvious than in education. In the Highlands and Island region, we know that only in the last week, the new school in Portree has opened. The fact that 123 local children have been enrolled in shows the commitment from those in Gaelic-speaking communities to pass the language on to the next generation. That's not been without its challenges, but I'm sure that, in time, those divisions will heal. There is the new primary school in Cwll in Lochaber, which others have mentioned and which opened a few years ago, which continues to thrive and which I've had the pleasure of visiting recently, albeit unofficially. On top of that, others have spoken about schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland. Many schools see the benefits of GME and Gaelic learner education. I welcome the fact that local authorities, including Perth and Kinross, Easton, Bartonshire and Argyllin butte, all have some Gaelic education provision. The importance of GME in particular is the key focus of the plan. It recognises the important role that it can play in Scottish education and beyond. It notes the success of Gaelic in contributing to the Scottish attainment challenge, which is supported by comments made in 2017 by the inspectorate for education, who said that attainment in Gaelic as a subject is strong and that children attain equally well or better than their peers in English medium education. Another aspect of the plan that I must mention, as John Swinney said, is the E-School initiative. I recently met Bernard Chisholm, who is the director of education in the Western Isles. We discussed the success of E-School and how modern technology has allowed Gaelic education to be provided to communities across the islands in a virtual way. Although the plan rightly states that this would not be a direct replacement for traditional methods of teaching, the use of technology to increase access to Gaelic is an important step in ensuring its survival. A key aim of the plan is to ensure that the number of Gaelic schools is increased. We welcome that, given that in our party's manifesto we welcome further dedicated Gaelic schools being set up. With that comes the crux of this matter. If we are to achieve the expansion of Gaelic medium education and to increase the number of schools, then we need the trained teaching staff to do that. We know from other areas of the public sector that filling roles in often rural and remote environments can be extremely difficult, so I am glad that the plan acknowledges that when it states that we must also maintain a consistent emphasis on supporting the training and recruitment of teachers and other staff. In closing, Deputy Presiding Officer, the plan has an abundance of ambitious proposals that the Scottish Conservatives welcome. We want to see Gaelic thrive in Scotland, and we want to do our utmost to support communities where Gaelic is not just a language but a part of the fabric and identity of those communities. I am proud to represent a part of Scotland with such a rich tapestry of culture, which for the most part is a Gaelic culture. As a nation, we should be grateful that we have such a unique language and culture, and as politicians it is our moral duty to defend that. Thank you. I now call Alastair Allan to close with the Government Minister until five o'clock, please. O fe gyddiol eitd taff lwy, sy'n jeswpeth ffemol gyddir efo'r acing i'w gyda fyw, a gyda fyw, y ddych chi'n byw'r taith gan sefharol am ymwysig, ac os haddysch yn y partio'n, gwneud o'r Gaelic, ac os gwneud o'r hig o'r Gaelic allanolopu. Felly, mae'n byw'r ffordd nhw, a fydd rygwch chi'n aniel yn siar, ffarae fel y Gaelic Lodgyr, am enochus gwmpu planau yn y Gaelic, a torll cormyn gymoron yn sy'n sgir ac yn hyn, Gaelic Chlechgwch gwasi hilswchwchwch. Am enochus cwchio'ch gwmpu brosnychwch yn y Gaelic allanolopu'n fath, mae'n rhaid i'w dynnu sy'n byw y llefus elu mewn atio i'r mapu, a hynny'n torr arall i'n allanolopu'n ergri sy'n byw yn sy'n Gaelic. Hymdu nhw, mae'n cael ei ffordd i'w cwchio'ch, mae'n myrw na hwn yn mysg cwchfic allanolopu yn Gaelic. Mae'n gafodd i'n gafodd i'n gwybod i'n gweithio'n gaelic, ac mae'n gwasi'n hynny'n cwrddwch tunnwch yn mynd yn eu hun. Mae'n llefus elu i'w dynnu i'ch gaelic ynÙr. Mae'n bod i confused i'r dynnu i'ch gaelic. Mae hi'n fwynhau i gaelic o'r poloedd cynghw salaf yn gaelic, ac mae hi'n dynnu i gaelic, a wnaeth yn ffaswsleisiaith ysmyng, mai fe wnaeth i ddoli ddolwch yn gaelic i gaelic. Mae'r hyn i ddechgyn i'n suggest byt o hach chi olych i'n syliau ar y gaelig y gwasanaeth i'n meddwl i gweithio ffoblwch a gwasanaeth o'r hollwp. Mae'r hyn byr haf visu'n Scotland a leisach ychydig roi'n lwg turyswch gaelig mae'r ffarsion fflannu gaelig ac mae'n rhaniwch eich grelol o'r hollwp ac mae'r tachartyn i ddoi o'r hollwp o'r hollwp i'n digon i golyb i fawn gwèl fatholfodd yn trieddystiolaeth gyda hôlófodd fuegoe i sowooly News Garanereth성 gyda gaelig i muedifeiedd y dymian, sef laeddon maude sync erecte na fyddio i gaelig ac am y gyquiadno ddod yn eu ffasio, ac mae bydd dubbedbwn yn niall o hurtangos cywir i ddech chi ar iddynt yn gallu gaelig y gyrtaf, yn clywg hwn gyda ai'n unrhyw ym 100 miliarn am y d had lodt, ac ar выan ar gyflwr depletio, mawr ffast yn y flannogelig eich gaelog ac yn cael eu mwynyllwch yn holw pob ac y type i ffartlwyr acriln i gylleg am y mysg ymwyr i gwyterwmau allan. Rwy'n credu bod rwy'n meddwl i dda lesachau yn dylun yn yddi. Rwy'n meddwl i ddwy am y type i dda lesachau. Y cwtioch i'n siw mwy ffacol y gallwn i'n cwtio'n ydu yn eu fabddu yn y diwrnoddiwr, ac mae'n gwybatol eich diwrnoddiwr o'r fabddu yn y diwrnoddiwr, o'r bwyl, ac mae'n cws iawn i'n mynd i'n fabddu yn mynd yn y hulod diwrnoddiwr. Rhyw un fel iswnau ei ego i'r m Princynn i48, neu praying nesaf roi會ffech, mewn gy mineralon. Rhyw un y mae hynny yn cael gweld ddim yn gweld i'w lefwyd, peu cyn Gymraeach或 barat, ac yn ddwyng i'ch cykrwp, fel roi cerch, i os Ch Sarro Gymrynedd yn ystafellio arall, i wwwen i dduwn ni yn cyllid gyda nyfawr hyn cyllid gyda unestwydd gyngor. Ond ydi cwdeithas yn gyfagoru liereadau i'r hyn oedd eich gaelig i ddech chi i wneud ar gyfer gyffredig oedd yn ielgiadau i'r hwnnw. Yn ffynu ddiannaf poeimpwys i ddain o'r cwdeithas, ac mae'r rai ddechrau i dda i gyfoethaf i ddod o'r ei gaelig i ddechrau i ddechrau i ddynnu'i gaelig i ddynnu'i ddynnu. ac mae'n gweithio chi'n cael ei wneud i'r economi yn ysgirau ac i'n cael ei wneud i'r gaelig. Siwrt Machw Stifon, mae'n eich creu'n tiwl i'r eich gael, ac mae'n cael ei wneud i'r wneud i'r Machw Stifon i'r roi, ac mae'n ddatblygu i'r gaelig yn y gloswch. Ac mae'n cael ei wneud i'r gaelig i'r ysgirau i'r gaelig. Mae'n clir i'r bach o'r bach o'r gaelig i'r gaelig i'r cwlter i'r tor i'r bwyl i'r elu. E'n siwr i'r rwteg yn elu sy'n ames mwyn i'ch gael baroch gaelig i ddol canbryns i fawr i'r gra, a wneud i'r blyda osi arall y blanll iawn i rhyterion i fynd yn ei bod prizechegol coulorydd. Mae'n cymhlu'n chi rydw i'r gaelig i ddsiggu o rai cael ei ddelyg. Maelolio'n frefydno i'n gwiswblio trafodaeth yn y metro ffyrraeth gŵo. Rydw i raddod o ffyrraeth, mae'n rhedeg. gyda мир yn oedbaeth e nôl. Felly, mae'n edrych yn elu Mantrae, yn hun mae'n odbydd i gael i couldy神ott i ch fillsiaid yn ganddangos, m supportive a ch hydd yr adann.cerd yn yr hyn, mae y bydd fion yn iawn fäll y mae'n erbyn hyn ryw gêm wedi wrth datblygu Minister Di Chaelas yn lŵn ystryl. Felly, mae'n cwsiannais arsingio sioc lech gwych, y gwasiwnsochwch yn y gaelig y bros yn y gwych, ac mae'n iawn i'n canon ychydig wrth y ddwrdd. O'r rhiolwch, mae'n mysio i ddweud techgl yn y gaelig. Fy'n nhw'n fwych mwy na'ch bwring os y gaelig yn y gaelig y gwasiwnsochwch mae'r cwsbydd sy'n sgol. Mae'r cychwyn gyfel am parlymyddiol techgl cwchwch, ac mae'n fysiwn ffordd o'ch eich ddweud o'r rhiolfach yn dweud o'r faddu, ac mae'n ei fodw ychweliadau ar gyflwych am uniaeth gynigol eich gaelig, mae'n ddweud o'r rhliwch yn gwneud i ychydig eu hunodol maen nhw'n ddweud i'r ffag Diolch yn ddweud i'r mhagorauach, a'i hunodol yn sgolu wedi'i ei ysgol, ac mae'n ddweud i'ch chi, yn eich rhai, i ddweud i'ch chi i'r ddweud. Mae'n ddweud i chi ddweud o ran gweithio'r sy'n gymfaith sy'n lehar o'n siar o'r goswys o'r lwch lawr, lwch lech i, a gus lwch i'n swydd hwnnau gaelig yn y nalopu. Felly, mae'n gysylltu ffemol ar y ddiw, mae'r holl mwy, ac mae'n gysylltu'n gwych o'r cymdeinogi, ac mae'n gysylltu'n gwych o'r cymdeinogi o'r siar o'r tych i fysig i gyffarol am y cynllun o'r tych o'r gaelig. Tappel if Minister, a that concludes our debate on the national plan for Gaelig. Ilike to raise a point of order, Presiding Officer, in terms of rule 3-1, this is the rule that outlines the duties for you and the Deputy Presiding Officer and in respect of rule 1-D it says, the Presiding Officer shall represent the Parliament in discussions and exchanges with any parliamentary, governmental, administrative or other body, whether within o'r unid cyntaf. Rwy'n gwych gael ei ddweud o gwarach drawn rhaniad yn Gazag, fighting the considerable loss of life. I would be interested to know whether you took the opportunity to raise the issue of justice for Palestine when you met anbangstio Israeli today. I thank you for the advance notice of the point of order. As I hope you will be aware and the other members will be aware, Aelwad shortened gennymol i ddechrau'r ffordd o gweithio'r Ffiaith oldigol ar gyfer Ysgrif blows yn Ffawr, ac mae ei ddechrau'r ffordd i ddod i ynglyn â'r craff o agorfaith o'r hirthbwrdd Cymru ar gyfer y gwaith iawn. Dywch chi fawr i ddweud – mae gennymol i'r cyfrifog ar gyfer Ysgrif dishesio. Felly, dweud i ddweud, gan amdaeliaethau ddefnyddio sgwrdd ygdwy nhw i fynd o'r ffordd wrth y Gweith pentruedd. 1, 788.1, in the name of Liz Smith, who seeks to amend motion 1, 788, in the name of John Swinney, on the national plan for Gallic be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The next question is that amendment 1, 788.2, in the name of Ian Gray, who seeks to amend the motion in the name of John Swinney, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The final question is that motion 1, 788, in the name of John Swinney, as amended on the national plan for Gallic be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. Thank you very much and that concludes decision time. I will now move on to members' business in the name of Stuart McMillan on show some heart, the GDNOR campaign. I will just take a few moments for members and ministers to change seats.