Scotched figures

DESPITE the 2011 census (your report, 27 September) including questions about the prevalence and use of the Scots language in its native country – the first time ever this has been part of the census – I have found it quite difficult to find details of the results of this particular garnering of information.

There has been ample disclosure about the majority of people who see themselves as Scottish before British, figures on Gaelic use, and also the proportion of the population in the country speaking, for example, Polish.

While all this information is welcome – because when a census includes questions, it is natural that we would like to know how the answers add up – why is there this conspicuous coyness about the Scots language, especially considering its first ever inclusion in the census exercise?

Ir there feart folk oot there, mebbe becass the ootcomes I wus able tae fin show that Scots is still up and rinnin?

Ian Johnstone

Forman Drive

Peterhead

We are delighted to see the census revealing the number of British Sign Language (BSL) users in Scotland for the first ever time.

We hope these figures, which show there are 13,000 people using BSL at home, raises vital awareness about the importance of meeting the individual communication needs of people who are deaf.

Under the Equality Act 2010, people who are deaf have the legal right to enjoy the same level of service as other customers.

All public services across Scotland should ensure that they make “reasonable adjustments” to be fully accessible for people who communicate using BSL as their first language.

Delia Henry

Action on Hearing Loss Scotland

West Nile Street Glasgow