MSPs back new powers supporting Gaelic and Scots

MSPs have voted unanimously in favour of new powers aimed at encouraging greater use of Gaelic and Scots.

The Scottish government said the Scottish Languages Bill would strengthen parents' rights to ask their local authority for a Gaelic school in their area.

Other measures include establishing Gaelic and Scots as official languages.

The figures from the 2022 Census showed 130,161 people in Scotland had some Gaelic skills - an increase of 43,105 people from 2011.

The statistics also suggested 2.4 million people in Scotland had some skills in Scots in 2022 - an increase of more than 515,000 on 2011.

The bill supports the creation of "areas of linguistic significance" in Gaelic communities.

The Scottish government said this would help ministers to better target policies to support growth in the language.

More qualifications are also to be made available in Gaelic.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: "This legislation will introduce powers to accelerate the growth of Gaelic and Scots.

"It will establish them as official languages, introduce new educational standards and support the creation of areas of linguistic significance in Gaelic communities."

She added: "While there has been an encouraging increase in the number of Gaelic speakers across Scotland, we recognise that more support is needed in communities where the language is traditionally spoken."

This year marks 20 years since the introduction of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.