Gaelic signage on emergency vehicles: FOI release

Information requested

You asked for information to support the rationale for applying dual language livery on all police cars and ambulances and the total expense of adding the Gaelic translations across the entire fleet.

Response

Some of the information you have requested is available from both the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland online. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

However, I have included the information relating to expenses involved in applying dual languages to ambulance and police vehicles below, in the form of previous FOI releases by both Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland.

Scottish Ambulance Service Vehicles

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for.

Please see here an FOI response already issued by the Scottish Ambulance Service which further outlines the position on Gaelic wording on vehicles.

Police Vehicles

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have asked for.

Please see here an FOI response already issued by Police Scotland which further outlines the position on Gaelic wording on vehicles.

Rationale for Applying Dual Languages on Emergency Vehicles

The use of Gaelic on emergency vehicle livery or signage within public bodies is determined by the commitments made by those public bodies within their corporate Gaelic Language Plans.

These Gaelic Language Plans are requeted by Bòrd na Gàidhlig as part of its duties under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. Bòrd na Gàidhlig is a Non-Departmental Public Body which operates at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.

Corporate Gaelic Language Plans serve to fulfil the strategic aims outlined within Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s National Gaelic Language Plan and are informed by the Bòrd’s Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Language Plans.

The use of Gaelic by the police and ambulance services is therefore guided by those organisations’ own internal Gaelic policies.

About FOI

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