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Council of Europe publishes report on minority languages in the UK

14 March 2007. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has today made public the second report on the situation of minority languages in the United Kingdom.

On the basis of this report, the Committee of Ministers calls on the UK to create and implement comprehensive education policies for the Irish and Scottish Gaelic languages, and to further develop education in Welsh. It also asks the UK Government to:

- develop a comprehensive Irish language policy
- give more support for the printed media in Irish and Scottish Gaelic
- improve services in Welsh in health and social care facilities
- make efforts to improve the position of Scots and Ulster Scots

This report has been drawn up by a committee of independent experts which monitors the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

The regional or minority languages protected under the Charter in the UK are Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Scots, Ulster-Scots, Cornish and Manx Gaelic.

The full text of the report and the Committee of Ministers’ recommendations can be downloaded from the Charter's website: http://www.coe.int/minlang ("Reports and Recommendations" section).

Further information can also be found on the Charter's website, or by contacting the Charter Secretariat (Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, DG I - Legal Affairs, Council of Europe, F-67075 Strasbourg, +33 (0) 390 21 5474).