The UK Government's additional £1 million funding for Scottish Gaelic broadcasting has been protected from budget reductions, Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary, has confirmed.

She explained that in recognition of the need to continue to reduce the deficit and debt, the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement set out a necessary reduction in Whitehall departmental budgets but stressed that the £1m of extra funding in 2016 for MG Alba, set out in the Spending Review earlier this year, would not be affected.

"The Scottish Gaelic language is an integral part of our incredibly diverse culture."said Ms Miller.

"MG Alba plays a crucial role in the cultural and economic well-being of Scotland. I'm pleased that even in tough economic times we can continue supporting minority language broadcasting in Scotland."

She added: "We are providing the funding certainty that the channel needs to continue bringing high-quality Gaelic language programmes to the small screen."