A meeting of the Gaelic Select Committee will take place in Sabhal mor Ostaig, Skye on Friday 23 February 2007 at 11:00 am.
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. Presentation of the Wallace Sword
In Partnership with the Federation of Community Radio Stations and the Gaelic Media Service the Council operates a grant scheme to encourage Community Station to produce innovative and varied Gaelic programmes. A competition is held annually and the winning station receives a replica sword – originally provided by Wallace Whisky, and £500.
The winner of the 2006 award will be invited to attend the Select Committee to receive the award and the prize money.
3. Celebrating Twenty–Five years of the Feis Movement
Arthur Cormack, Director of Feisean nan Gaidheal, will attend the Committee with an audio/visual presentation celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Feis movement which was also highlighted in a book edited by Kate Martin and launched in December 2006.
The first Gaelic Feis was held in Barra in 1981 and involved 130 children in learning song, music and dance of their native Gaelic Culture. Twenty-five years later there are over 40 Feisean throughout Scotland with some 13,000 young people involved in traditional Gaelic Arts tuition each year. Highland Council currently invests £87,830 per annum in the Feis movement either as core grant for Feisean nan Gaidheal, by way of grant aid to the individual Feisean or for special projects.
4. Gaelic Media Service
Mr Donald Campbell, recently appointed Chief Executive of the Gaelic Media Service, will attend the meeting to update the Committee on progress towards establishing the proposed digital channel for Gaelic Broadcasting, and related topics.
5. A Strategy for Scotland’s Languages: Public Consultation
There is circulated Report No gsc-05-07 by the Gaelic Development Officer indicating that, in the Partnership Agreement, Scottish Ministers made a commitment to introduce a national language strategy to guide the development and support of languages currently used in Scotland, including British Sign Language and other minority languages. The report sets out details of a public consultation by the Scottish Executive on a strategy for languages in Scotland to run until 19 March 2007.
The Committee is invited to comment on their interest to enable a co-ordinated Council response to the consultation.
6. Gaelic Language Act - Implementation Fund
There will follow Report No 06/07 by the Area Manager Skye and Lochalsh explaining that, at its meeting on 14 September 2006, the Select Committee considered and prioritised projects related to the draft of the Council’s Gaelic Language Plan which were to be submitted to Bord na Gaidhlig for funding. A List confirming the projects which successfully attracted funds is attached.
The Committee is invited to comment on the projects listed and to welcome the additional resources provided by Bord na Gaidhlig.
7. Tobar an Dualchais / A Kist of Riches
There is circulated Report No gsc-07-07 by the Area Manager Skye and Lochalsh setting out the background to the Tobar an Dualchais multi agency project to digitise material from some of the key Scottish and Gaelic Heritage collections. The report explains that the project is managed from Sabhal Mor Ostaig with bases in both Uist and Edinburgh. Project staff will attend the Select Committee to explain how the project has developed to date and to demonstrate the accessibility of some of the early digitised material.
The Committee is invited to consider and comment on aspects of interest of the Project.
8. Review of Issues addressed by the Gaelic Select Committee 2003-2007
There is circulated Report No gsc-08-07 indicating that, during the current term of the Council, the Gaelic Select Committee had considered a wide range of topics related to the Gaelic Language and Culture. The report reviews the issues discussed and pursued during the past four years.
The Committee is invited to note the terms of the report and comment on the range of work addressed in the 2003-2007 term.