Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to promote (a) the usage and (b) education of the Ulster Scots language.

The Secretary of State has taken the Identity and Language Act 2022 through Parliament. The Act provides for the creation of a Commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British Tradition, as agreed in the New Decade, New Approach deal.

A principal aim of this Commissioner will be to enhance and develop the associated language, arts and literature, recognising that Ulster Scots does not just encompass a language but a people with distinct cultural and artistic traditions. Specifically, the Act places a duty on the NI Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use and understanding of Ulster Scots in the education system.