Gaelic and Scots are now recognized as official languages as part of a number of new measures coming into effect on St Andrew’s Day.
The Scottish Language Act, which MSPs voted on in June, gives parents the right to ask for a Gaelic school to be set up in their area and aims to ensure more qualifications are available in Gaelic.
This includes powers for ministers to conduct research on the use of Gaelic and Scots, and to set teaching standards for the languages.
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes called it a “historic milestone”.
“St Andrew’s Day is an opportune time to celebrate Scottish identity by recognizing Gaelic and Scots as official languages,” he said.
“This is a historic milestone that acknowledges the important place these languages have in Scotland’s culture and heritage.”
Forbes said the Scottish Government has already allocated £35.7m to Gaelic and Scots initiatives this year.
Other measures of the Act include supporting the creation of Areas of Linguistic Importance in Gaelic communities so that ministers can better target policies to support the development of the language.
The Scottish Language Bill was introduced on St Andrew’s Day in 2023.
It was passed in the Scottish Parliament in June this year and will receive Royal Assent on 1 August 2025.
The latest census figures show that 130,161 people in Scotland had some Gaelic skills in 2022, an increase of 43,105 from 2011.
And it shows that 2,444,659 people in Scotland had some Scots skills in 2022, an increase of 515,215 from 2011.
The Scottish council with the highest proportion of Gaelic speakers was Na h-Eilean Siar (Western Isles), with 57.2% having some Gaelic skills.
This was much higher than the next highest council areas, Highland (8.1%) and Argyll and Bute (6.2%).
<a href=