Agendas, reports and minutes

A meeting of the Gaelic Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 1 September 2022 at 10.30am.

Webcast Notice: This meeting will be filmed and broadcast over the Internet on the Highland Council website and will be archived and available for viewing for 12 months thereafter.

You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached. 

Yours faithfully

Stewart Fraser
Head of Corporate Governance

1.Apologies for Absence

2.Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting.  Any Member making a declaration of interest should provide some information on the nature of the interest and leave the meeting at the appropriate time.  Advice may be sought from officers prior to the meeting taking place.

3.Good News                                                                                                                                                                

4.Appointments                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

1. An Comunn Gaidhealach

The Council is advised that a Service Delivery Contract with An Comunn Gàidhealach provides for the Royal National Mod to be held in the Highland area in 2025.

In this regard, the Service Delivery Contract contains the following clause in relation to representation - the Service Provider is required to permit an elected representative from the Purchaser to sit on the Board of the Service Provider’s organisation and participate fully in all discussions and decisions relating to the Royal National Mods taking place in Highland, to provide the elected representative with all relevant Board agendas, papers, reports and minutes, to invite the elected representative to attend and participate in Board-led reviews, evaluations or other appraisals and to invite the elected representative to sit on both the National and Local Organising Committees.

The Committee is asked to appoint 1 Member as the representative on An Comunn Gaidhealach.

2. Board of Governors for Catherine McCaig’s Trust

The Board of Governors for Catherine McCaig’s Trust was established to disburse bursaries to students from the Highlands, Argyle and Bute and the Western Isles to assist them in attending university.

The Committee is invited to appoint 1 Member to the Board of Governors for Catherine McCaig’s Trust.

5.Presentation - Bòrd na Gàidhlig                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Mr Iain Mac a’ Mhaoilein, Director of Development and Mr Jim Whannel, Director of Education at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, will give a presentation on the next National Gaelic Language Plan.

The Committee is invited to note the presentation.

6.Progress Against Gaelic Language Plan 3 (GLP3)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

There is circulated Report No. G/6/22 dated 23 August 2022 by the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance.

The Committee is invited to:-

1. consider the progress made in both monitoring and implementing GLP3 on a quarterly basis utilising the (PRMS) support delivery of GLP3; and
2. note the progress and challenges regarding the implementation of some enabling actions in the Plan.

7.Gaelic and Gàidhlig Medium Education Update                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

There is circulated Report No. G/7/22 dated 17 August 2022 by the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance.

The Committee is invited to:-

1. note the contents of the paper and recognise the significant improvement trends in attainment and presentation numbers for Gàidhlig and Gaelic in S4, S5 and S6;
2. formally congratulate the young people, their families and the school staff for such significant improvement in Gàidhlig SQA attainment and presentation in the Highlands in August 2022; and
3. note that a report will be brought back to the Gaelic Committee on progress on the 3-18 feasibility study.

8.Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

There is circulated Report No. G/8/22 dated 19 August 2022 by the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance.

The Committee is invited to:-

1. note the applications submitted to Bòrd na Gàidhlig have been awarded a total of £101,675;
2. consider the Gaelic Language Act Implementation Fund projects that the Highland Council Gaelic Team are managing, leading, and participating in; and
3. note that one application is still awaiting decision from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

9.Bòrd na Gàidhlig Annual Return Gaelic Language Plan 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

There is circulated Report No. G/9/22 dated 22 August 2022 by the Executive Chief Officer Performance and Governance.

The Committee is invited to consider and note the annual return.