Culture in the Devolved Administrations

Each of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom makes its own individual contribution towards the diversity of cultural expression.

In Scotland, the National Plan for Gaelic was launched in 2007 following passage of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. Its purpose is to reverse the historical decline in the Gaelic language by increasing the number of speakers, encouraging the use of Gaelic, and facilitating access to the language and culture. This initiative is a response to a decline in the numbers of Gaelic speakers in Scotland from around 7% of the population a century ago to only 1% today.

In Northern Ireland, 2012 has seen the launch of the first Intercultural Arts Strategy. Designed to promote cultural diversity in the arts, it recognizes the
changing face of society in Northern Ireland, and its increasing cultural diversity. The strategy highlights the need to promote good cultural relations, to actively foster pluralism, and to tackle head on intolerance between communities and their cultures.

In 2013, Derry Londonderry will be the UK City of Culture, welcoming visitors from across the UK and the world. Wales is a leader in the UK in terms of bilingualism and shares particular experiences regarding linguistic and cultural identity and confidence with other bi-or multi-lingual societies through activities in theatre, literature, music, and multi-media. It has a history of strong cultural interfaces with the world, ranging from the Llangollen International Eisteddfod after the second World War through to the recently established Artes Mundi exhibition or Wales’ presence at the Venice Biennale.