Designating areas of linguistic significance: Statutory guidance

2. Background

Context

1. The Scottish Government consulted in 2022 on its commitment to ‘explore the creation of a Gàidhealtachd’. This proposal received a mixed reception in consultation. There was clearly a wish to support Gaelic in areas with a high population density of people with skills in Gaelic, with no wish to diminish any support for Gaelic in other areas, but to build on and formalise the existing important work already underway within communities. This policy attracted considerable debate and interest from the Scottish Parliament during the passage of the 2025 Act.

2. There are areas of Scotland where there is a higher density of people with Gaelic skills and areas where there is significant Gaelic activity or education, and an awareness of a particular heritage. The aim of legislation on Areas of Linguistic Significance is further to strengthen the speaking, use and learning of Gaelic in all areas and to promote policy variations that will be appropriate for different areas.

3. The Scottish Government’s consistent policy aim over recent years has been that Gaelic promotion and development should be proportionate. This means that more should be expected and considered appropriate where there are more people with Gaelic skills. This policy aim will also shape the expectations of what can and will be delivered in Areas of Linguistic Significance.

Definition of Areas of Linguistic Significance

Box 2

Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005

1A Meaning of “area of linguistic significance”

(1) An area may be designated as an area of linguistic significance under section 1B if—

(a)the area contains a significant number of people with Gaelic language skills, or

(b)the area does not contain a significant number of people with Gaelic language skills but—

(i) the area is historically connected with the use of Gaelic,

(ii) the area is one in which teaching and learning by means of the Gaelic language is provided, or

(iii) the area is one in which significant activity relating to the Gaelic language or Gaelic culture takes place.

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1), an area contains a significant number of people with Gaelic language skills if at least 20% of the area’s population has Gaelic language skills.

[...]

1B Designation by local authority of an area as an area of linguistic significance

(1)A local authority may designate all or part of its area as an area of linguistic significance if it considers that the area falls within the description of an area of linguistic significance set out in section 1A (1).

Source: The legislation.gov.uk website

4. An “Area of Linguistic Significance” is a designation that may be given to a specified geographical area based on the population of people with Gaelic skills present there currently or historically, the presence of Gaelic-medium education and learning, or the presence of activity related to the Gaelic language or culture. Guidance on interpreting these criteria is provided below.

Defining “Area”

5. The definition of “area” is not defined in law for the purposes of the designation of an Area of Linguistic Significance. According to the designation criteria applied (see list below), an area may be defined as the entire geographical area served by a given local authority, or any constituent part thereof. Data from a number of sources may be used to determine appropriate areas, including (but not necessarily limited to):

a. Scotland’s Census, compiled by National Records of Scotland

b. Statistics related to Gaelic Medium Education (such as that compiled by Bòrd na Gàidhlig),

c. Data related to the provision of Gaelic-medium or Gaelic-language education at University or College level

d. Data relating to cultural or linguistic events or projects within different areas of the country

e. Locally available data relating to community activity or sentiment.

6. There are three units into which the Scottish Census splits up the country, which may be of relevance for designations as Areas of Linguistic Significance. These are:

a. “Local Authorities”, corresponding to the territorial areas legally recognised as belonging to specific Scottish local authorities (North Lanarkshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar etc.)

b. “Electoral Wards” (EW) smaller sub-divisions of local authorities used within the framework of elections to ensure equitable representations. There are currently 355 electoral wards in Scotland, and examples include Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh (in Highland Council), Strathay (in Perth and Kinross Council), and Heldon and Laich (in Moray Council).

c. “Output Areas” (OA) are the smallest geographically defined area used in the Scottish Census and are subdivisions of electoral wards. They are made up of groupings of different postcodes within a particular area and referred to in the census using numerical codes. Annex A provides some examples of such output areas.

7. Electoral wards may be considered as an area of adequate size to allow a sufficiently localised, yet manageable focus. 

8. For designation purposes, areas smaller than electoral wards may prove to be impractical. For example, if focus were placed on a smaller area such as a census output area, it could lead to a situation where a certain level of Gaelic activity was expected in one output area, but not in the next output area. This would be difficult to manage locally, especially for a public body operating from a distance.

9. Larger areas, such as entire local authority areas, may similarly be found to be unsuitable in some cases. In the examples in paragraph 6a, if the focus was the entire local authority, the benefits of local focus and priorities may be reduced.

10. There are some electoral wards that do not meet the 20% criterion, explained in section 3, paragraphs 5-7 of this guidance document, but may still contain census output areas or islands whose proportion of people with Gaelic-language skills amounts to at least 20% of that area’s population. A local authority could therefore consider for designation an entire electoral ward if it contains census output areas where at least 20% of the output area’s population have Gaelic skills.

11. A local authority could also consider for designation electoral wards containing an island or islands within its area whose populations consist of at least 20% of people with Gaelic skills.

12. A summary of designation options available to local authorities is provided in section 3, paragraphs 21-28 of this guidance document.

13. As areas of the country with a high density of Gaelic speakers and learners, or which have a particularly strong connection to the Gaelic language and culture, Areas of Linguistic Significance will be expected to make particularly determined efforts to ensure the safeguarding, promotion, facilitation and support of the Gaelic language and its activity, as one of the languages of Scotland with official status.