'Road map' aims to promote Gaelic

The executive wants more exposure for Gaelic

A five-year "road map" has been produced by the Scottish Executive, setting out its vision for Gaelic.

The National Plan for Gaelic will be targeted at government, councils, public bodies and the private and voluntary sectors.

It has been drawn up with the aim of encouraging greater use of the language.

The executive said it has support from Western Isles and Highland councils and ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne.

The ferry firm launched its own plan for increasing its use of Gaelic last week.

DIY company Homebase has also given its support to the initiative.

The Gaelic National Plan is an important building block for creating a sustainable future for Gaelic Patricia Ferguson Culture Minister

Announcing the release of the five-year plan, Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson also said £100,000 would be awarded to Strrlann, the National Gaelic Resource Centre, and £29,000 for the online dictionary Faclair na G`idhlig.

Ms Ferguson said: "The Gaelic National Plan is an important building block for creating a sustainable future for Gaelic.

Gaelic broadcasting

"I want to encourage all types of bodies - public, private, voluntary, Gaelic and non-Gaelic - to recognise priorities in the National Plan which they can help deliver and then to take steps to do so."

Last week, it was announced that Gaelic broadcasting will receive an extra £3m of government funding every year to help establish a Gaelic digital channel.

The executive funding will be on top of the £8.7m already given to the service each year.

It is estimated that the channel currently being developed by the Gaelic Media Service (GMS) will cost between £16m and £17m.