Articles categorised as Parliamentary Issues

Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language

Open to all (by prior contact with SLC). The next meeting of the CPG on Scots will take place on 2 December 2012 at the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh at 17:30.

Activism & Politics links

Government and Parliament Documents and Web Pages: News release about the Scottish Government’s Scots language working group. Scottish Government's Audit of Scots Language...

Written Parliamentary Questions on Scots (Session 3)

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found here. S3W-40251 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive ...

Creative Scotland

The Scottish Parliament passed the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill on 25 March 2010, under which Creative Scotland was established in summer 2010. For parliamentary discussions of the bill...

Oral Parliamentary Questions on Scots (Session 3)

10 March 2011 Rob Gibson(Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are being made to ensure that the Scots language is included in the Scottish Qualifications...

Children should have the chance to rediscover Scots says Minister

Maureen Watt, the Minister for Schools and Skills, has said that children should have the chance to "rediscover" Scots. Writing in the Sunday Herald, Watt (pictured right) says it would be a good...

MSP insists on help for Scottish Dictionaries

On 9 April Dr Bill Wilson, MSP for the West of Scotland, lodged a Scottish Parliamentary motion calling for a stamp to be issued to commemorate the 200 anniversary of the first Scots language...

Parliamentary Motions on the National Languages Strategy

S3M-1768.1 Hugh O’Donnell: International Education—As an amendment to motion (S3M-1768) in the name of Maureen Watt, insert at end "and calls for the Scottish Government to bring forward a...

Kay calls on SNP to support Scots culture

Scots broadcaster and writer, Billy Kay, has urged the Scottish government to find ways to support Scots culture. In a letter to Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, Kay, the author of Scots, the...

Meeting of Cross-Party Group on Scots Language

The meeting of the Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language will be held in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Those wishing to attend should notify the Parliament in advance.

Falkirk MSP urges support for Scots

Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, has called on the Scottish Parliament to recognize the unsatisfactory disadvantage with which organisations working for the traditional arts and culture of...

MSP Asks About the Use of Scots Language in Scottish Schools

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has written to the education directors of all of Scotland’s cooncils to ask whether in-service days for teachers cover discrimination against...

Allocate funding for Scots say academics

A group of academics have told the Scottish government that they need to do more to support the Scots language. In a letter to Culture Minister, Linda Fabiani, members of the Forum for Research on...

Lib Dem Leader Calls for More Funding for Scots

Leader of the Liberal Democrats and MSP for Shetland Tavish Scott MSP has lodged a motion demanding the Government supports the Scots language. Shetland ForWirds raised concerns with Mr Scott...

Bill Wilson MSP Demands Support for Scots Language and Music

West of Scotland MSP Dr Bill Wilson has called for Scotland to follow Ireland in supporting indigenous culture. Dr Wilson is a longstanding critic of the Scottish Arts Council’s cuts in...

Scots activists celebrate

Scots activists are celebrating after nearly one third of the Scottish parliament’s members signed a motion from Liberal Democrat leader, Tavish Scott, calling on the Scottish Arts Council to...

Scots Report from Holyrood

The following report appeared in Holyrood magazine. Thanks to Cera Murtagh and Holyrood for allowing us to reproduce it here. For more information about Holyrood visit www.holyrood.com The...

SNP Conference Calls for "fair treatment" for Scots

On 16 October the SNP conference voted unanimously for a motion that calls on the Scottish Government to "guarantee fair treatment for Scotland’s unique cultural inheritance". The motion...

"Encourage children to speak Scots" says MSP

Rob Gibson MSP, convener of the Cross-Party Group on Scots, called on Scotland's schools to encourage children's use of Scots. Speaking in a debate on the United Nations Convention on the Rights...

“Aw human sowels is born free and equal in dignity and richts.”

Amnesty International Scotland is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by presenting the First Minister, Alex Salmond, with a framed copy of a Scots...

"Scots Education is a Human Right"

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has lodged a motion stating that a recent pronouncement by the EU Parliament Civil Liberties Committee clearly implied that it was a human right...

"Give Scots and Gaelic equal status" says MSP

West of Scotland MSP Dr Bill Wilson has called on the Scottish Government to make representations to the United Kingdom Government to give speakers of Scots and Gaelic the same rights as it gives...

Scottish Government to hold conference on Scots

The Scottish Government is to hold a conference to discuss plans to support and encourage the Scots language. The conference will be held in Stirling on the 9th of February. At present there are...

MSP "Incensed" by Scots Omission from Draft Census

Dr. Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has criticised the omission of the Scots language from the draft of the 2011 census questionnaire. In a letter to the Minister for...

Burns Nicht

Hello aw, howp ye'r daein weil. Dinna ken about ye, but I'm fair leukin forrit tae Burn's Nicht. Haggis aye gaes doun weil in ma hous. Say whit ye like about cliches an tartanry; guid fuid an...

BREAKING NEWS - Scots Audit Published

The long awaited Scots audit has been published today. The Audit can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/01/23133726/0 For the government's press statement visit...

New fundin, internet, Dictionars

Weil, first o aw, I maun say weil duin tae the fowk at the SLC an the Dictionars that haes at lang an last got the govrenment tae fund thaim direckly raither nor through the Airts Council. Gin ye...

Equal Opportunities Committee to Assess Audit

Tomorrow's meeting of the Scottish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee will assess the Scottish Government's audit of Scots language provision, which reported recently. Find out more...

Equal Opportunities Considers Audit

Last week, the Scottish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee considered the Scots Government's recent audit of Scots language provision. The committee agreed to refer the audit to the...

MSP asks for more resources for Scots education

Dr Bill Wilson, SNP MSP for the West of Scotland, has encouraged the Scottish Government to ensure the adequate resourcing of Scots language education. In General Question Time on 5 March, Dr...

Homecoming Blog Brands Scots as Slang

Highlands MSP Rob Gibson has forced a Homecoming Scotland blog to change references to Scots as “slang”. Mr Gibson, convener of the cross-parity group on Scots, took witnesses from VisitScotland...

Scottish Government Considering Research into Scots in Schools

Last Thursday, the Minister for Schools and Skills, Keith Brown MSP, revealed that the Government is thinking about comissioning research into Scots language provision in our schools. Responding...

Concerns grow over 2011 census

In recent weeks Scots language users, campaigners and organisations have contacted the General Register Office for Scotland, and the relevant minister, Jim Mather, to express their concerns about...

Third European Charter Report Released

The Third periodical report relating to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages has been released in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter. This Report, which relates to...

Scots Conference report published

A report of the meeting held in February by the Scots government to consider the contents of the Scots Audit was published on Saturday. Full details of the report can be accessed on the...

Government to set up Scots advisory group

Further to the government conference held on the Scots language, at the University of Stirling on 9 February 2009, and the publication of those proceedings, the Scottish Government is now seeking...

Nps n tatties

Ok, back again - been a while syne I wis at this... Been that thrang wi this an that, ne'er got time tae sit doun tae ma blog. First, I'd like tae gree wi Bill Wilson an wir verra ain Iain...

MSP says Scottish cringe could be overcome by improving Scots-language education

Dr Bill Wilson, an SNP MSP for the West of Scotland and a member of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language, has written to Michael Russell praising the Scottish...

Moray author launches census petition

A Moray author is campaigning for the Scots language to be given equal status with Gaelic by having it included in the 2011 national census, reports the Press and Journal. Marguerite...

Cabinet Secretary wishes Happy St Andrew's Day to SLC visitors

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell MSP, has sent a special message to visitors to the Scots Language Centre. Commenting on the SLC's programme for St Andrew's...

Census 2011

Here you will find information and links about the inclusion of Scots in the questions for the 2011 census. Oral Questions Maureen Watt and Fiona Hyslop discussed the census in the answers to a...

Question in Scots Makes Parliament History

History was made in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 7 January when an SNP MSP became the first person to ask a parliamentary question and a follow-up question in Scots. Western Isles MSP...

Research on Public Attitudes to the Scots Language

The results of a government funded survey show a huge level of support for the Scots language along with widespread usage. Launched at the 2010 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow the survey...

Literature Working Group

The Scottish Government's literature working group has published its policy proposals. The report contains recommendations concerning literature and publising in Scots. This page collects Scottish...

Cross-Party Group on the Scots Language

The Scottish Parliament cross-party group on the Scots language exist to promote the cause of Scots, inform members of the culture and heritage of the language and highlight the need for action to...

Census - nou the wark ralley stairts

Weil, first I’d lik tae say walcome tae Margaret Tong – I’m ralley luikin forrit tae readi mair o yer blogs, Margaret.   The muckle news for Scots raicently haes been the 2011 Census.  Efter a...

Ministerial Working Group makes progress

A ministerial working group on Scots has been meeting since last November. Its convenor, Derrick McClure, reports on the progress it has made so far. In February 2009, a one-day conference was...

Radical breakthrough in the Census

This article by leading Scots language expert, Derrick McClure, first appeared in the Leopard and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the editor. An important event this spring will be...

Scottish Government Responds to Literature Working Group Report

On 4 February, the Scottish Government produced its official response to the literature working group’s report. Among many other points, the group recommended that the Government should encourage...

Government Responds to the Ministerial Working Group

On Friday last week, the Scottish Government published its response to the recommendations of the Ministerial Working Group on the Scots Language. The response comments about recommendations on...

Manifesto Scots

With the Scottish elections due on 5 May, the various political parties have now published their manifestos. The Scots Language Centre has taken the opportunity to check through the manifestos for...

Session 4 Business

The Scottish Parliament is now in recess until September. Motions, questions and other Scots-related business will appear here throughout the session.

New MSPs Take the Oath in Scots

Several new SNP Members of the Scottish Parliament today took their oaths in Scots as well as English. All MSPs are obliged to swear in using English but may repeat the oath or affirmation in...

New Minister for Scots Announced

Alasdair Allan MSP is to be appointed the Minister for Scots.   The First Minister chose Dr Allan as Minister for Learning and Skills when he announced his ministerial team on Friday. Dr Allan...

Scots language to have a place in Scottish studies

In the Scottish Parliament's first education debate of session four, the Cabinet Secretary for Education an Lifelong Learing, Michael Russell MSP, announced the SNP Government's intention to give...

Written Questions on Scottish Culture

This page collects written questions on Scottish culture that are not directly related to Scots language but may have a bearing on it. S4W-09340 Murdo Fraser: To ask the Scottish Government what...

Motions on Scots

This page collects parliamentary motions that relate directly to the Scots language. S4M-01744 Aileen McLeod: Crossmichael Drama Club is Stagestruck—That the Parliament congratulates Crossmichael...

Oral Questions on Scottish Culture

his page gathers motions on Scottish culture that are not directly related to the Scots language but might have a bearing upon it. 28 June 2012 Adam Ingram (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley)...

Alasdair Allan's Presentation to the Cross-Party Group

At the cross-party group meeting on 13 December 2011, Dr Alastair Allan, the Minister for Learning and Skills, gave CPG members an update on progress on the Scottish Government's policy on Scots....

Oral Questions on Scots

This page collects parliamentary questions that relate directly to Scots. 28 June 2012 Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on...

Ulster Scots in the Northern Ireland Census

Although we'll have to wait a little longer for statistics from the 2011 Census on Scots in Scotland, there have already been relevant releases with regard to the language in Northern Ireland. As...