Gaelic

Everyone in Scotland can be involved in the Scottish Parliament, whatever language they use. Gaelic plays an important part in the Scottish Parliament. 

Gaelic language plan

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 led to the creation of the Parliament’s Gaelic language plan.

The plan:

• sets out a structure to increase opportunities to engage with the Parliament in Gaelic
• says Gaelic and English should have equal respect

NEW Gaelic language plan for 2023-2028

We've just published our draft plan for the next five years. Please take a look, and share your thoughts as part of the consultation we are running. The Gaelic version is available, too.

Find the consultation here on Citizen Space

Use Gaelic to engage with the Parliament

You can engage with the Parliament in Gaelic, whether you are a fluent speaker or a learner. Some of the ways you can engage are by:

• writing or emailing in Gaelic – we will reply in Gaelic
• telephoning us in Gaelic on 0131 348 5395 (message service only)
• following us on Twitter in Gaelic
• reading our Gaelic blog
• reading some of our parliament information in Gaelic
• booking a Gaelic or bilingual education session for a school, college, or educational group
• listening to our Gaelic word of the week which teaches you some simple Gaelic while learning about the Parliament

Participate in the parliament using Gaelic

You can participate in the Scottish Parliament using Gaelic. You can use Gaelic to:

• write to or email your MSPs
• send your views to committees
• submit a petition

Raising awareness

We also want to raise awareness of Gaelic through measures such as bilingual signage in our building and the use of Gaelic in our publications.

For full details of Gaelic in the Scottish Parliament, see our SPCB Gaelic language plan and our language policy.

Abair Beagan/Sgrìobh Beagan (Speak a little/Write a little) resources

Learn some simple written Gaelic phrases for parliamentary (or other) meetings and some simple written Gaelic for correspondence.

Abair Beagan/Sgrìobh Beagan resources 

Virtual tour

Take a 360-degree video tour of the Scottish Parliament, with guidance in Gaelic.