Forbes: Law would help parents who want Gaelic schools

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes says new legislation would "strengthen the rights" of parents who want Gaelic medium education (GME) in their local area.

Under the proposed powers, the Scottish government could request that a local authority carry out an assessment into the viability of the provision.

GME is available to all children and young people in 14 out of Scotland's 32 local authorities , according to Education Scotland.

MSPs are due to vote on the Scottish Languages Bill next week.

The proposed legislation also includes establishing Gaelic and Scots as official languages.