§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what criteria he uses to measure demand for the Ulster Scots language to be a subject option on the education curriculum; [159538]
(2) what he considers to be an appropriate level of demand to merit the inclusion of the Ulster Scots language in the curriculum; [159562]
(3) if the system used by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland for measuring demand for Ulster Scots is scientifically based and quality assured; [159540]
(4) what steps the Department of Education has taken to seek the views of the public on the issue of demand for Ulster Scots language; [159541]
(5) what criteria he uses to measure demand for the Ulster Scots language to be a subject option on the education curriculum; whether the system used to measure demand is (a) scientifically based and (b) quality assured; what margin of error there is in the measurements of demand; what steps he has taken to seek the views of the public on such demand; and if he will publish the results of (i) surveys and (ii) measurements of demand for the Ulster Scots language in Northern Ireland; [159560]
(6) what equality impact assessment he has carried out on his policy on the inclusion of the (a) Irish and (b) Ulster Scots languages in the school curriculum. [159563]
§ Jane KennedyTo merit consideration of the inclusion of the Ulster Scots language in the curriculum would require a demand from a significant number of schools. As part of a recent widespread public consultation on the proposals for a revised statutory curriculum all consultees had the opportunity to comment on the content of the proposed curriculum and the potential equality impact of the detailed proposals. No such demand was evident during the consultation.