Gaelic Livery, Signage and Leaflets: FOI release

Information requested

1. How much is spent by the Scottish Government annually in the production and installation of Police, Ambulance, Fire and other such vehicles now being liveried in Gaelic as well as English as well as how much has been spent on same over the course of the current Scottish Parliamentary term?

2. How much is spent making/replacing road signage and other street furniture in Gaelic as well as english both annually and over the couse of the current Scottish Parliametary term? 

3. How much is spent by the Scottish Government annually and over the course of the current Parliament providing Gaelic language leaflets, services and other such Gaelic items?

Response

Livery costs for police, ambulance and fire service vehicles are not incurred by the Scottish Government. Rather they are the responsibility of Police Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Street furniture and local road signage is the responsibility of local authorities. Therefore information on their associated costs is not held by the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland, which comes under the remit of the Scottish Government, is responsible for signage on trunk roads. Transport Scotland does not have the information you have asked for. While its records finance system includes costs for traffic signs the rates do not differentiate by sign type or language. Therefore Transport Scotland does not hold any information to enable the costs associated with Gaelic road signs to be distinguished between a single language and bi-lingual sign from the overall totals.

In relation to your third enquiry, the Scottish Government's Gaelic & Scots Division has translated leaflets for the Children's Hearings Advocacy team within government. This translation incurred no charge as it was produced in-house by Scottish Government staff. The translated material was then distributed to external advocacy organisations to use as they wished within their own budgets.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.