Dave Thompson MSP

Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson has welcomed news that BBC Alba, the country's Gaelic television channel, is to be made available via the Freeview digital service.

In October, Mr Thompson, one of only a handful of members of the Scottish Parliament who speak Gaelic, marked the second anniversary of the channel's creation with a speech at Holyrood in which he called for BBC Alba to be made available via Freeview, the most popular digital service.

In this speech, Mr Thompson suggested that space for BBC Alba could be created by removing several radio stations from those offered on Freeview.

Therefore he was delighted to hear this week that this suggestion had been taken up by the BBC Trust in its recent review into the progress of BBC Alba, a partnership between the BBC and MG Alba, which also commended the channel for offering a valued service to Gaelic speakers and praised the quality of programming, which attracts four viewers who do not speak Gaelic for every one who does.

"I thought it was ridiculous that a Gaelic speaker in the Highlands, like me, could not access the country's first-ever Gaelic service through Freeview," said Mr Thompson. "But instead those people who prefer to listen to BBC Radio via their televisions were well catered for.

"Common sense has now prevailed and viewers all over the Highlands will soon be able to access programmes in the area's native language for the first time and that can only help to rid us of the perception that hearing Gaelic spoken is something from a different time or place.

"Only by normalising the language's use in everyday life, will its fortunes be revived and the decline of previous centuries be reversed."

The BBC Trust decided against relying on the BBC iPlayer to make BBC Alba available to a wider audience because of poor broadband coverage in many areas of the Highlands and Islands.

Notes:

Space on the Freeview bandwidth has been made available while BBC ALBA is broadcasting (usually between 5pm and midnight) by removing BBC Radios 1,2, 3, 4, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 7, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and the BBC World Service from the Freeview signal in Scotland. These stations would still be available as usual via a combination of FM/AM/LW, DAB and online.

Transcript (with translation) of Dave Thompson's speech at Holyrood on October 6 2010:

Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): Mòran taing, Oifigeir-riaghlaidh. Meal-a-naidheachd air BBC Alba air an dàrna co-là-breith aige. Is e seo toradh a' cho-bhanntachd eadar am BBC agus MG Alba a tha air a bhith a' dol gu dearbh fhèin math bhon bhreith a-mach agus faodaidh na pàrantan pròiseil a bhith gu math toilichte le adhartas a' phàiste a-nis.

Is e Gàidhlig cànan aosmhor na h-Alba aig a bheil feum air àrdachadh ma tha i airson fhaighinn air ais a seann inbhe mar chànan làitheil a tha air a chleachdadh airson beachdachadh air a h-uile rud bhon aimsir agus slàinte gu saidheans agus feallsanachd. Cho fad is nach eil an cànan ga chluinntinn ach anns na seòmaran-teagaisg agus tallaidhean-ciùil, cha bhi Gàidhlig nas fheumaile na an Laideann nuair a tha daoine òga ri còmhradh mu dheidhinn na beatha aca gu làitheil, an sgioba ball-coise as fhèarr aca no fiù 's poilitigs.

Is e aon de na h-adhbharan a tha BBC Alba cho cudromach gu bheil e a thoirt do ceudan de mhìltean de dhaoine an cothrom Gàidhlig a chluintinn anns an t-suidheachadh nàdarra. Tha sin gu math cudromach airson luchd-labhairt òga Gàidhlig. Tha e mu dheidhinn àbhaisteachadh na Gàidhlig agus mun t-slighe fhada Gàidhlig a thoirt air ais mar chànan a tha ga cleachdadh gu cumanta.

Tha ceumannan mòra a' tachairt ann am foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig agus a-nis tha ginealach againn aig a bheil comas ionnsachadh agus smaoineachadh mu dheidhinn matamataigs, saidheans agus innleadaireachd anns a' Gàidhlig. Co-dhiù, is e foghlam tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig dìreach aon de na rudan a dh'fheumas sinn leasachadh airson misneachd a thoirt don mhuinntir againn, luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig, mar phàirt dhen bheatha làitheil aca.

Is e seo far a bheil BBC Alba a' fàs suas. Is e an dòigh, is dòcha, as comasaiche far am b' urrainn sinn Gàidhlig fhaighinn a-mach às na clasaichean agus a-staigh do chridhe ar coimhearsnachdan. Is e BBC Alba àrd-ùrlar ùr airson phrògraman inntinneach ùidheil air cuspairean eadar-dhealaichte a tha dìreach air rannsachadh agus air beachdachadh tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig. Is e sin prògraman le cuspairean a tha a' tarraing daoine a choimhead oirre agus, nuair a nì iad sin, tha luchd-coimhead a' faicinn Gàidhlig ann an dòigh thogarrach nuadh a tha freagarrach do choimhearsneachd an latha an-diugh. Is e seo dìreach a tha a dh' fheum againn ma tha sinn a' leasachadh agus a' leudachadh Gàidhlig agus is e seo as adhbhar gu bheil feum aig BBC Alba air Freeview.

Tha mi dealasach don Ghàidhlig. Tha mi fhathast ga h-ionnsachadh agus tha fhios agam dìreach cho prìseil 's a tha an cothrom Gàidhlig a chluinntinn gu cunbhalach air telebhisean aig uairean ciallach airson an fheadhainn, mar mi-fhìn, a tha a' feuchainn ri feabhas a chur air na sgìlean cànain aca ann an àrainneachd far a bheil e doirbh Gàidhlig a chluinntinn ann an suidheachadh nàdarra. Gu mi-fhortanach, mar iomadach duine eile, tha mi a' cleachdadh Freeview agus mar sin cha b' urrainn dhomh BBC Alba fhaighinn airson a' Ghàidhlig agam a chur air adhart. Gu fìrinneach, chan fhaca mi BBC Alba a-riamh, ged a dh' èisd mi ris an rèidio air Freeview bho àm gu àm. Cha bhi e na chall mòr, co-dhìu, mura robh seo comasach agus faodaidh mi-fhìn, mar a h-uile duine eile, èisdeachd ris an rèidio gu math furasta le tòrr dhòighean eile, eadar-dhealaichte. Mar sin, chan eil mi a' smaoineachadh gum biodh e na chruadal mòr airson àireamh bheag de dhaoine—mar a thuirt Mgr Brocklebank, dìreach ceithir mile—a tha a' cleachdadh Freeview anns an dòigh seo roghainn eile a lorg.

Tha mi a' cur taic ris a' bheachd aig Bòrd na Gàidhlig gu bheil an t-ainm aig Freeview fhèin ga dhèanamh follaiseach gu bheil an sianal airson coimhead air, seach dìreach a bhith ag èisdeachd ris. Nam bheachd, tha na goireasan a' dol ga mhilleadh a bhith a' cleachdadh dìreach airson rèidio nuair am b' urrainn a chleachdadh airson telebhisean agus don bhuannachd mhòr airson luchd-labhairt na Gàidhlig, luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig agus luchd-taice na Gàidhlig. Is e seo an adhbhar gu bheil mi cho toilichte gu bheil Riaghaltas na h-Alba agus iomadach buidheann culturach air a bhith a' tighinn ri chèile gus Urras a' BhBC a bhrosnachadh BBC Alba àite a lorg air Freeview. Tha mi an dòchas gum bitheamaid soirbheachail, a chionn 's gu bheil mi a' creidsinn gum biodh buaidh fìor mhath air a' Ghàidhlig nam biodh àite air Freeview aig BBC Alba, agus gum biodh buaidh mhòr aig seo air Alba cuideachd.

Following is the simultaneous translation provided by Holyrood:
I congratulate BBC Alba on its second birthday. This child of a partnership between the BBC and MG Alba has progressed well since its birth and the proud parents should be very pleased with the baby's progress.

Gaelic is an ancient Scottish language that needs to be nurtured if it is to reclaim its former status as an everyday tongue that is used to discuss everything from the weather and health to science and philosophy. As long as the language is heard only in classrooms and concert halls, there can be little hope of Gaelic being more useful than Latin to young people in chatting about the ordinary business of daily life, their favourite football team or even politics.

One of the reasons why BBC Alba is so important is that it gives hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to hear Gaelic being used in an everyday way. That is particularly important for young Gaelic speakers. It is all about the normalisation of Gaelic, and it will go a long way towards helping to restore it to its rightful place as a language in common use.

Great strides are being made in Gaelic-medium education, and we have a new generation of people growing up who can learn and think about maths, science and engineering in Gaelic. However, Gaelic-medium education is just one of the things that we must develop if we are to encourage our people to regard Gaelic speakers as a normal part of our daily lives.

That is where BBC Alba comes into its own. It is perhaps the most effective way of getting Gaelic out of the classroom and into the heart of our communities. BBC Alba is a new platform for exciting and interesting programming on a wide variety of subjects that just happen to be researched and discussed in Gaelic. They are programmes whose subjects draw people to watch them and, in so doing, expose viewers to Gaelic in a positive and modern way that makes it of relevance to today's society. That is exactly what we need if we are to develop and expand Gaelic, and that is why BBC Alba must be offered on Freeview.

I am enthusiastic about Gaelic, although I am still learning, and I know how valuable the opportunity to hear Gaelic regularly on television at sensible hours is for people like me who are trying to improve their language skills in an environment in which it is difficult to hear Gaelic in a natural setting. Unfortunately, in the same way as many thousands of others, I use Freeview and cannot get access to BBC Alba to help to improve my Gaelic. In fact, I have never seen BBC Alba although I do occasionally listen to the radio on Freeview. It would be no great loss, however, if that was not possible and I, like everyone else, can listen to the radio very easily using many different, relatively cheap, means. I do not, therefore, believe that it would be a great hardship for the small number of people who use Freeview for the radio to find an alternative.

I support Bòrd na Ghàidhlig's view that the name of Freeview is a clear indication that it is for watching rather than just listening to. It is a waste to use the facility for radio only when it can be used for television to the great advantage of Gaelic speakers, learners and enthusiasts. That is why I am pleased that the Scottish Government and a host of cultural organisations have joined forces to urge the BBC trust to grant BBC Alba its own slot on Freeview. I hope that we are successful, because I believe that access to Freeview will have a positive effect on Gaelic that will, in turn, have a positive effect on Scotland.