Chamber and committees

It was.

I do believe that Liam, as a name, is similar to Bill.

This might be a quick question. It is a wee bit different, but it is linked to everything else that you have been talking about. Since the STER report was published, there have been several changes in the Administration. Does that suggest, one way or the other, that the Scottish Government remains committed to implementing the report’s recommendations?

I would imagine that the public bodies will enable children and young people to relate to you more quickly. They will be able to spread the word, and they will be able to react in an appropriate manner if they are approached in any way.

That is very helpful. Thank you very much.

That is useful. On the back of what you were talking about with Michelle Thomson on the number of women and young girls becoming interested and getting opportunities, do you think that the Scottish Administration needs to concentrate more on that side of it to push it further?

I have a wee question on the practicalities of all this. How will public bodies be made aware of the revised principles? Do you liaise with public bodies across the field?

On the back of that, some stakeholders and others have told the committee that they can see that Bòrd na Gàidhlig is doing fantastic work, and they are therefore disappointed that the bill does not include the establishment of a Scots board of equal significance. Has the Government heard that evidence, and has it considered whether the bill could or should include a provision on the establishment of a Scots board?

From listening to what was said by stakeholders and others, I think that they see the idea of a Scots board as something that helps to focus thinking and provide a constant push in the way that Bòrd na Gàidhlig does. However, others have said that it is more important to provide an emphasis on encouragement and support for the bodies that already exist and, therefore, for the people who use the languages and dialects, in order to give them more comfort, rather than providing something that would possibly be an academic body. There are differing opinions.

I will move to Scots. The committee has heard differing views on whether the bill should explicitly recognise the variety of Scots dialects or Scottish languages across the country. In your opinion, should the bill be clearer that it seeks to promote and support Lallans, Doric, Orcadian and Norn et cetera, as opposed to saying, “This is it, and that is the way you’ve got it”?