A meeting of the Gaelic Select Committee will take place in Committee Room 1, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 18 January 2007 at 2:00pm.

 

You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Alistair Dodds

Director of Corporate Services

 

Declarations of Interest – Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.    

 

 

1.           Apologies for Absence

 

2.           Gaelic Resources Service

 

There will be a short presentation by Dr DJ MacLeod, Quality Development Officer [Gaelic], on the Council’s Gaelic Resources Service, which produces and distributes teaching materials for Gaelic and Gaelic medium education.

 

3.           Draft Gaelic Plan

 

There is circulated Report No gsc -01-07  by the Area Manager, Skye and Lochalsh, which informs Members of work done so far towards the preparation of a Gaelic Language Plan. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 gave Bòrd na Gàidhlig power to request public authorities to prepare and implement a Gaelic Language Plan which would set out how the relevant public authority will use the Gaelic language in the exercise of its functions.  The Council is amongst the first group of bodies requested to prepare a Plan by 1 October 2007. A copy of the draft Gaelic Plan is circulated separately in Booklet A. English Version   or Gaelic Version

 

The Committee is invited to discuss and approve the draft Gaelic Plan for the Council and agree the timetable for consultation and completion set out in the report in order to meet the deadline set by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

 

4.           Update Report

 

There is circulated Report No gsc-02-07 by the Gaelic Development Officer informing Members of the progress of current issues.

 

The Committee is invited to comment on the work in progress.

 

5.           Highland Novia Scotia Memorandum of Understanding

 

There is circulated Report No gsc-03-07  by the Area Manager, Skye and Lochalsh, which outlines the projects proposed for implementation during 2007 under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between Highland Council and Nova Scotia.

 

The Committee is invited to note and comment on the proposals in this report.

 

6.           An Comunn Gaidhealach/ Royal National Mod Lochaber 2007

 

Mr Calum MacLeod, Chief Executive of An Comunn Gaidhealach and Mr Murdo Morrison Mod Manager will attend the Meeting and along with Mr J Hutchison, Area Manager Lochaber, who is also Vice- Chair of the Local Organising Committee, make a presentation on progress with the arrangements for the Royal National Mod which takes place in Lochaber 12th-20th October 2007.

 

7.            Meeting at Sabhal Mor Ostaig

 

Members are reminded that an informal meeting of the Committee will take place at Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Friday 23rd February 2007. This will allow Members an opportunity to see the College facilities, discuss the development of the College and projects which are of interest to the Council.