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On St Andrew’s Day, Gaelic and Scots were officially recognised as Scotland’s languages through a series of new measures coming into effect. This milestone stems from the Scottish Languages Act, which was approved by MSPs in June. The legislation grants parents the right to request the establishment of Gaelic schools in their communities and seeks to expand the availability of qualifications offered in Gaelic.
The Act also equips ministers with the authority to conduct research on the use of Gaelic and Scots and to set educational standards for teaching these languages. Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, described the legislation as a “historic milestone,” emphasizing the importance of Gaelic and Scots in Scotland’s cultural fabric. She stated, “St Andrew’s Day is a fitting time to celebrate Scotland’s identity by recognising Gaelic and Scots as official languages.”
In addition to recognition and educational provisions, the Act introduces measures to support Gaelic communities by designating areas of linguistic significance. This will enable ministers to tailor policies aimed at promoting the growth of the language more effectively. Forbes noted that the Scottish government had allocated £35.7 million towards initiatives supporting both Gaelic and Scots in the current year.
The Scottish Languages Bill debuted on St Andrew’s Day in 2023, was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2024, and subsequently received Royal Assent on 1 August 2025. Census data from 2022 reveals an increase in language skills among the population: 130,161 people reported some Gaelic ability, an uplift of 43,105 since 2011, while 2,444,659 Scots speakers were recorded, up by 515,215 from the previous census. The highest concentration of Gaelic speakers was found in Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), where 57.2% of residents had some Gaelic skills, compared to 8.1% in Highland and 6.2% in Argyll and Bute
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