Bòrd na Gàidhlig, the Gaelic development agency, has welcomed confirmation from the Royal Bank of Scotland that they will accept cheques written in Gaelic.  

The Bòrd’s Chair Arthur Cormack recently wrote to  Royal bank of Scotland  Group Chief Executive Stephen Hester to sanction the use of Gaelic in the writing of cheques and following a meeting held in Edinburgh this week, attended by Bòrd and Bank officials, along with Alasdair Allan MSP, The Royal bank has clarified its position and will now be accepting cheques written in Gaelic. 

The following joint statement was issued after the meeting. 

“It is recognised that certain practicalities exist, not least the acceptance by retailers and other businesses around the country of cheques written in Gaelic, however the Bank have demonstrated a very constructive and practical approach in finding a solution to the particular issues that were raised. The Royal Bank’s undoubted commitment to the Gaelic community is very clear and welcome, and we very much appreciate their efforts in supporting the promotion of Gaelic, through both their ongoing business activities and their long term support of cultural events. We look forward to working with the Royal Bank to support the sustainability of Gaelic along with the Gaelic-speaking community to our mutual benefit.” 

The Bank’s position has been welcomed by Arthur Cormack. He said:  “Obviously we were concerned that the bank’s apparent decision to withdraw permission for the words of a financial settlement to be used in Gaelic could lead to the eventual eradication of Gaelic in the bank’s operation. I would like to think that we can now engage with a range of banks and financial organisations to see how their use of and support for Gaelic can be enhanced, rather than diminished. Our discussions with the Royal Bank of Scotland were very positive and I am sure that we can take this forward now into meaningful progress in terms of supporting further development to support of our delivery of the National Plan for Gaelic.”

Anita Hunt, Regional Managing Director of the Royal Bank of Scotland said: “The Royal Bank of Scotland has been serving the Western Isles and our Gaelic speaking customers for 180 years. We take our responsibilities to all our customers and communities very seriously. We are changing the way we work as a bank as we recognise and respond to the problems we have faced. The Gaelic language adorns our cheque books, branches and mobile banks and we can now go further. We will accept cheques written in Gaelic in response to representations made to us. We will always listen to ideas of how we can improve our service to the communities of the islands and are happy to agree further ways to do so with Alasdair Allan MSP and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.”

For further information on the Bòrd na Gàidhlig aspects of this news release, please contact Hugh Dan MacLennan on 0751 528 7040.

See also:  www.mygaelic.com