Bu chòir Bile Ath-Leasachaidh an Fhearainn atharrachadh airson Coimiseanair Gàidhlig

Bha mi air Radio nan Gàidheal an-diugh a’ bruidhinn mu dheidhinn Coimisean Fearainn na h-Alba (agus seo link eile).

Dè thuirt mi?

Mar a sgrìobh mi anns a’ bhlog seo, a-rèir Achd na Gàidhlig (Alba) 2005, gabhaidh argamaid a dhèanamh gum bu chòir co-dhiù tuigsinn air a’ Ghàidhlig a bhith am measg luchd-obrach a’ Choimisein Fearainn na h-Alba agus gu bheil feum air a leithid anns an reachdas fhèin. ‘S dòcha gum b’ urrainnear a ràdh nach eil feum air dealas sònraichte dhan Ghàidhlig anns an reachdas seo ri linn ‘s gu bheil structar leasachaidh farsainn airson a’ Ghàidhlig anns an latha a th’ ann. Ach bhiodh dealas poblaich don chànan agus an coimhearsnachdan a tha ga cleachdadh, a bharrachd air leantainn riaghlaidhean croitearachd agus Cùirt an Fhearainn an Alba, gu math freagarrach agus feumail.

’S dòcha gun gabhadh tuigsinn air ainmean àite Gàidhlig a sgaoileadh agus mothachadh air eachdraidh an fhearainn is mar a bha e air a chleachdadh, so sin buannachd eile.

Tha ath-leasachadh an còmhnaidh mu dheidhinn rudan atharrachadh. Ged nach eil luchd labhairt air a bhith toirmisgte bho dhreuchdan oifigeil fearainn, tha a’ Ghàidhlig ‘s dòcha le cliù cànan croitearachd no clas-obrach. Mar sin chan eil Gàidheil an-còmhnaidh air a bhith ri làimh gus buaidh a thoirt air poileasaidhean fearainn. Cuiridh seo sradag ur ri poileasaidh fearainn agus tha seo co-chòrdail ri bun-bheachd ath-leasachadh.

[Ceist] Tha cuid air draghan a nochdadh gum faodadh seo cais a chuir air daoine ann am pàirtean de dh’ Alba far a bheil a faireachdainn nach eil dìleab a Ghàidhlig cho làidir. Saoil a bheil puing aca?

Tha sin glè mhath, ach cha bu chòir argamaidean airson Albais – no rud sam bith eile – tionndaidh gu argamaidean an aghaidh a’ Ghàidhlig. Co-dhiù fad iomadh bliadhna tha riatanasan reachdail air a bhith ann gu feum neach-labhairt Gàidhlig a bhith air buidhnean rianachd croitearachd agus Cùirt an Fhearainn an Alba. Mar sin, mar a thuirt mi, tha coltas samhlachais eadar buidhnean fearainn Albannaich eile agus Coimisean Fearainn na h-Alba ùr sam bith.

[Ceist] Dh’aontaich a chomataidh ris a’ mholadh agad ach dè cho dòchasach sa tha thu gum bi e a nochdadh ann am Bile ath leasachaidh an Fhearainn aig a cheann thall?

Chanainn gu bheil cothrom ann – tha a’ Mhinistear, Aileen NicLeòid, air fianais a thoirt seachad don chomataidh Comataidh Cùisean Dùthchail, Atharrachadh Clìomaid agus an Àrainneachd ann an Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghàidhealaibh agus coltas gu bheil i den bheachd gu bheil dreachdadh na Bile ceart gu leòr (Mar a sgrìobh mi anns a’ bhlog seo). Thuirt i:

The members of the Scottish land commission will need to have a broad range of expertise and the bill requires the Scottish ministers to have regard to the desirability of the commission having expertise or experience in land reform; law; finance; economic issues; planning and development; and environmental issues. That is a non-exhaustive list, and nothing in the bill bars ministers from taking into consideration other areas of expertise when they appoint land commissioners or the tenant farming commissioner through the public appointments process.

Once the Scottish land commission is up and running, it will have regard to the national Gaelic language plan, and it may wish to appoint a Gaelic speaker as a member of staff.

Nis, tha Comataidh nan Cùisean Dùthchail air a ràdh (aig paragraf 159):

The Committee notes the statutory requirement for at least one member of both the Scottish Land Court and the Crofting Commission to be a Gaelic speaker and believes it is essential to ensure that the Gaelic language be given equal status in law. The Committee therefore recommends that the Bill be amended to require at least one member of the Scottish Land Commission to be a Gaelic speaker, as well as having the other relevant skills and qualifications.

Tha sin glè chudromach. Às aonais seo bha nas lugha cothrom ann gun atharrachadh a’ Phàrlamaid e. Chan eil dearbhadh ann gun atharraicheadh iad e co-dhiù, ach tha barrachd chothrom ann. Feumaidh sinn fuireach gu Ìre 2 agus Ìre 3 den bhile a-nis.

ENGLISH SUMMARY

This post builds on my previous blogs about the proposed Scottish Land Commission following on from the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee Report. That Report (at paragraph 159) took forward my suggestion that the Land Reform Bill be amended to expressly provide for a Gaelic speaking member. My (non-exhaustive) points for this recommendation can be summarised as follows:

• consistency with crofting legislation and the Scottish Land Court framework;
• the (admittedly slight) benefit of an ability to unlock place names and as such historic uses of land;
• the inclusion of a views from a community who might not always have been able to shape land policy to date (which is not to say Gaels have been expressly excluded in the past, but Gaelic has been something of a working class or crofting language and expressly including Gaelic in the Commission framework might make for a new dynamic and any new dynamic is consistent with the very idea of reform).

The post also considers a counter-argument about other (non-Gaelic speaking) areas of Scotland before speculating as to how likely it is that the Bill will be changed (answer: a bit more likely now that the Committee has reported, but Parliament has the final say).