Independence Referendum Bill Stage One Approved unanimously! Rob Gibson (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP): The Scottish Independence Referendum Bill process has been conducted in the spirit of the historic Edinburgh agreement. We are talking about democracy in action. The committee’s report stands international scrutiny and is above reproach… I have seen the materials that the commission produced in various languages for previous elections, which included translations of the ballot paper for voters who do not speak English. Submissions to the Referendum (Scotland) Bill Committee and the Public Petitions Committee sought the inclusion of Gaelic on the ballot paper. As a committee, we did not consider that a persuasive case had been made for a bilingual ballot paper. One of the great virtues of the ballot paper that is set out in the bill is that it is simple and clear. No Gaelic speaker is monolingual, unlike some ethnic minority speakers for whom special help will be required and will be available. Nevertheless, I believe that the agreed concept of equal respect for Gaelic as one of Scotland’s national languages, as set out in the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, needs to be addressed in future. No attempt was made by the petitioners to have bilingual ballot papers in the 2007 and 2011 Scottish elections, the 2010 UK election or the alternative vote referendum, and I suggest that the petitioners’ contention that the Scottish independence referendum is an event of national importance applies equally to those previous elections. Therefore, I believe that the future testing of such a bilingual text is a matter for this Parliament to address but not, I am sorry to say, in the context of the bill. Equal respect for our native languages will probably come into perspective with the publication of the 2011 census figures, which is due later this month. I suggest that the Public Petitions Committee should deliberate on the best way forward for future votes after the referendum. Indeed, I believe that an annual debate should be held in the Parliament to discuss the progress of our indigenous languages in the life of the nation both in this and future parliamentary sessions. I hope that the Government will respond to that proposal whole-heartedly. For the referendum vote, I hope that all returning officers will make a Gaelic translation of the ballot paper available and on display at every polling station… Issues of prisoner voting, bilingual ballot papers and much else are subjects that an independent Parliament would be able to give proper scrutiny of and give full weight to in due course… The return of the full powers to an independent Scottish Parliament will be the best and fairest way forward for our country. Linda Fabiani (East Kilbride) (SNP): I am pleased to support the general principles of the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill…I endorse Rob Gibson’s words and restate the Parliament’s unanimous commitment to Gaelic and its status as a national language. I call on all agencies to ensure that Gaelic remains at the heart of our referendum… Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) …The issue of Gaelic was raised, and Rob Gibson made some very important points to which we will give due consideration. The Scottish Government’s aim and objective is to ensure that the referendum is run in a manner that is already familiar to voters and to those who are responsible for administering the referendum. It is for that reason, and not because of any preconceptions about the English-language abilities of Gaelic speakers, that the bill follows established practice by providing for the ballot paper to be in English, but for translations and voter information to be available in Gaelic and other languages where that is required. I take the opportunity to stress the Scottish Government’s absolute commitment to promoting the use of Gaelic. We will continue to work with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, as its main funder, to ensure that ministerial objectives for Gaelic are being met throughout the country…”
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 10:31:38 +0000
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