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Wednesday , October 28 2026

Plan to create Highland’s first area of linguistic significance

There are 18,552 people in the Highland Council area with Gaelic skills, according to the latest census data, external.

The local authority’s Gaelic committee heard earlier this year that Skye and Raasay would qualify as an ALS.

Councillors were told the status would confirm Highland Council’s “clear commitment” to Gaelic.

Officials said evidence from Irish Gaeltacht areas suggested the designation could bring economic and educational benefits.

Gaelic and Scots were recognised as official languages as part of a range of new measures that came into force on St Andrew’s Day last November.

The Scottish Languages Act, which MSPs voted through in June last year, also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.

It includes powers for ministers to commission research into the use of Gaelic and Scots and establish teaching standards for the languages.

Scotland’s then Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes – a Gaelic speaker – called it a “historic milestone”.


BBC News

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