Minutes of Meeting of the Gaelic Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 17 January 2008 at 2.00 pm
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Present:
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Mr H Fraser
Mr J McGillivray
Mrs I Campbell
Dr A Sinclair
Mrs J Urquhart
Ms M Smith
Mrs M E Paterson
Mr C Fraser
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Mr A M Millar
Mr E Hunter
Mr A Graham
Mr J MacDonald
Mr K MacLeod
Mr R Balfour
Mr R Pedersen
Dr M E M Foxley |
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Officials in attendance:
Mr H Fraser, Director of Education, Culture and Sport
Mr R MacKenzie, Head of Support Services, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms J Menabney, Principal Cultural Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Mr J Macdonald. Senior Community Learning and Leisure Officer, Education, Culture and Sport
Ms M A MacLeod, Gaelic Development Officer, Chief Executive’s Office
Mr A Campbell, Acting Gaelic Development Manager
Mr J Allison, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Office
Miss M Murray, Administrative Assistant, Chief Executive’s Office
Representatives of Gaelic Cultural or Development Organisations:-
Mr D Grant, Deiseal Ltd |
Mr H Fraser in the Chair
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council. All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
Business
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr G Farlow, Mr J Finnie, Mr F Parr, Mr J Holden, Ms J Douglas and Mr D Cameron.
2. Presentation on Ùlpan
The Chairman welcomed Mr D Grant, Deiseal Ltd, who gave a presentation to Members summarising Ùlpan, a structured method of language teaching focusing on listening and speaking rather than grammar, which originated in Israel to bring immigrants to fluency in modern Hebrew. It was subsequently adapted to the Welsh language and had been delivered in Wales for over 40 years where it had brought fluency to thousands of adult learners. Deiseal Ltd was established in 2005 to transfer the wealth of Welsh experience to the Scottish Gaelic situation and was working in close partnership with CLI Gàidhlig, the Gaelic learners’ organisation, to provide Gaelic courses using the Ùlpan method in the Highlands.
Mr Grant advised that courses had been delivered to over 100 students since July 2007. Tutor training courses, two of which had been held in Inverness, had been delivered throughout Scotland and 33 tutors had been trained. The aim was to train 60 tutors per year. There were currently eight tutors working in the Highlands. He requested that the Committee consider incorporating Ùlpan into the Gaelic Language Plan.
Members NOTED the presentation and expressed support for the initiative which would give a fresh impetus to Gaelic learning and increase the number of fluent Gaelic speakers in the years ahead..
3. Revenue Budget Monitoring
There was circulated Report No G-01-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the revenue budget monitoring position for the period 1 April to 30 November 2007 and the projected year end position. At the present time it was predicted that the budget as a whole would be balanced at the end of the financial year.
Members were advised that, since the report was written, Bòrd na Gàidhlig had approved a second 2007/08 funding tranche in respect of the Gaelic Language Plan totalling £71,000 and that details of the projects approved to utilise the funding would be reported to the next meeting of the Committee. There was some concern that the project funding would not be fully spent within the current financial year as required by the grant conditions and it was proposed that permission be sought from Bòrd na Gàidhlig to carry forward to the next financial year any funding not utilised by 31 March 2008.
In response to questions, Members were advised that the Council paid a contribution of £40,000 per annum to An Comunn Gàidhealach as part of an agreement that the Mod be held in Highland every three years. The 2007 Mod was held in Lochaber, and Caithness would host the 2010 Mod.
In discussion, Members suggested that consideration ought to be given to where the Mod should be held in 2013 and that discussions be initiated with An Comunn Gàidhealach regarding how the Council funding was being utilised and how the Council could assist the local branch of An Comunn Gàidhealach and the local community.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the report and monitoring statements which showed the
revenue budget monitoring position for the period 1 April to
30 November 2007;
ii. AGREED that Bòrd na Gàidhlig be asked to consider extending the
period during which the Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund
(GLAIF) could be spent; and
iii. AGREED that a meeting be organised with An Comunn Gàidhealach to
discuss the programme of Mods in the Highlands and funding
arrangements.
4. Gaelic Language Plan – Implementation Update
Mr A Graham declared a financial interest in this item as a Finance and Administration Manager for Bòrd na Gàidhlig and left the room.
Dr M E M Foxley declared a financial interest in this item as a Board Member of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, however, in view of the dispensation granted by the Standards Commission for Scotland, he did not leave the room and took part in the debate.
There was circulated Report No G-02-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing an update on the initial stages of the implementation of the Gaelic Language Plan. The report advised that, following consideration by the Committee of the draft Gaelic Language Plan in September 2007, a final version was submitted to Bòrd na Gàidhlig by the deadline of 1 October 2007 and it was anticipated that comments would be received from the Bòrd by the end of January 2008. Mr A Campbell, former Chief Executive of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, had been appointed to the Council as Acting Gaelic Development Manager on a part-time basis to lead on the implementation of the Plan and to take forward implementation strategies in relation to the projects scheduled for the first year of the four year plan.
The Chairman welcomed Mr Campbell, who spoke in amplification of the report and expressed appreciation for the work the Council had done in promoting Gaelic. He hoped that a favourable response would be received from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.
In discussion, the following comments were made:-
· the advantages of bi-lingualism should be promoted as widely as possible;
· Careers Scotland should be encouraged to promote careers in Gaelic to secondary school pupils;
· workshops should be held for primary and secondary school pupils to raise the profile of community radio;
· there was a lack of bi-lingual signage in new housing developments in Inverness and the Highlands in general and the importance of implementing the Council's policy on bi-lingual signage was emphasised.
Members were advised that the Gaelic Media Service had made funding available to encourage the independent community radio network to develop Gaelic programming, however, some of that funding had not been utilised and permission was being sought to use the funding for a project to train young Gaelic speakers to work with community radio stations. It was hoped to carry out a pilot exercise with two radio stations in the current year.
The Committee NOTED the update on the initial stages of the implementation of the Gaelic Language Plan and AGREED:-
i. that Council Services be reminded once more of the Council’s Bi-lingual
Policy and the need to make provision for bi-lingual signage in all new
developments, at no cost to the Council, and that a condition regarding
bi-lingual signage be included in Planning Consents and Road
Construction Consents; and
ii. to take account of the comments made by Members in relation to the
promotion of bi-lingualism, promotion of Gaelic by Careers Scotland and
raising the profile of Gaelic community radio services.
5. Gaelic Education Provision in Schools and Nurseries
There was circulated Report No G-03-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing details on current provision for Gaelic education in primary and secondary schools and in pre-school education. The report outlined proposals for further development of Gaelic education provision in the first year of the four year Gaelic Language Plan.
In discussion, the following comments were made:-
· the Council should work in close collaboration with Bord na Gaidhlig and The Scottish Government to support the recruitment of staff to teaching posts in Gaelic;
· the reason for the drop in numbers of Gaelic medium pupils from pre-school to primary school should be investigated;
· the Council should seek to establish more Gaelic pre-school units to improve accessibility for parents and pupils;
· it would be helpful to have information on the Council's strategy in relation to Gaelic medium units in terms of dress code, signage, literature and ethos;
· the limited number of subjects taught in Gaelic in secondary schools was a factor when parents were considering whether to enrol their children in Gaelic pre-schools and/or primary schools;
· the Council should make a bid to The Scottish Government for additional capital funding for schools teaching Gaelic;
In response to questions, Members were advised that there was provision in the Capital Programme to amalgamate schools in Lochaber, which might provide an opportunity to create a Gaelic Primary School there. The establishment of Bun-sgoil Ghaidhlig Inbhir Nis, the Council's first purpose-built all Gaelic school, and a bi-lingual school in Sleat were important steps forward and further consultation was needed to establish priorities for future progress in the development of school provision, particularly in Skye, within the framework of the Gaelic Language Plan.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the current position subject to a further report on the
expansion of Gaelic medium education provision in new schools and in
Gaelic medium units; and
ii. AGREED that:-
a) encouragement be given to parents and pupils to continue Gaelic
medium education from pre-school, through primary, to secondary
school;
b) the range of subjects taught in Gaelic in secondary school be
increased where possible;
c) information be provided to the Committee on the implementation of
the Gaelic Language Plan in relation to the ethos of Gaelic medium
units; and
d) an approach be made to the Scottish Government for
supplementary capital funding for schools teaching Gaelic.
6. Highland – Nova Scotia Memorandum of Understanding Review
and Projects Proposed for 2008
There was circulated Report No G-04-08 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport setting out the background to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and Nova Scotia, summarising recent activities and listing projects to be undertaken in 2008.
In discussion, Members expressed support for the projects proposed for 2008. With regard to the Year of Homecoming, it was highlighted that there was no Gaelic on the grant aid website and it was suggested that organisations be encouraged to use Gaelic where possible. The Committee was informed that the Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore was poised to expand and that there would be a greater emphasis on Gaelic. It was suggested that links with the Museum's counterpart in Cape Breton could be productive in the future.
The Committee:-
i. NOTED the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding to
date and the projects proposed for 2008; and
ii. AGREED that:-
a) a representation be made that the Year of Homecoming website be
bi-lingual; and
b) enquiries be made regarding establishing links between the Highland
Folk Museum at Newtonmore and its equivalent in Cape Breton.
7. Next Meeting
The Chairman advised that Mrs Chrissie MacEachen, founder of Lochaber Junior Gaelic Choir, had expressed an interest in the Choir performing at a meeting of the Gaelic Committee.
The Committee AGREED that the Lochaber Junior Choir be invited to perform at the next meeting of the Committee.
The meeting concluded at 3.40 pm.