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 on Scots on 25 November. Read the discussion here.

Written Questions

S3W-33470 Bill Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to raise awareness of the Scots language question in the 2011 census.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (Wednesday, May 12, 2010): The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) has, and will continue to, engage with Scots language organisations who can provide guidance on completion of the question on the Scots language in the 2011 census.

The intention is to provide context-specific help which will be available both via the census website www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk and the census helpline, in due course.

The Scottish Government will, with GROS, consider options for raising awareness of the question.

Information from the General Registers of Scotland

• "Scotland's census questions unveiled": news release.
• Scotland's Census website

Census Order

• The census order was agreed to by the Parliament on 28 April 2010 with the inclusion of a question on whether respondents can understand, speak, read or write Scots.
• Draft Census (Scotland) Order 2010 This is a new draft order; the original was withdrawn.
• Amendments to the draft order were considered in the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee on 10 March 2010.
• Consideration in the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee on 3 March 2010.
• Consideration in the Subordinate Legislation Comittee (8 Dec 2009)

News Reports

• Press and Journal: "Author's census campaign may pay off"

Websites

The Aye Can website has information on Scots Language and the 2011 Scottish Census