§ 2.48 p.m.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ (The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish figures showing the number of officials of the Diplomatic Service whose current knowledge of one or more of the important foreign languages attains the stage of fluency or of reasonable proficiency, disregarding cases in which only a smattering of the language is known; and whether they are in a position to say that the professional competence of the Service as a whole does not suffer from its inadequate linguistic attainment, even in the languages of extra-European commercial importance such as Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian and Japanese.]
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF READING)My Lords, the figures for proficiency in the more important difficult languages, in Branches A and B of the Foreign Service, are:—Arabic, 106; Burmese, 18; Chinese, 39; Japanese, 51; Persian, 48; Russian, 88; Siamese, 21; Turkish, 21. Similar figures for the more important easier languages are:—Portuguese, 71; German, 570; Italian., 252; Scandinavian languages, 59; Spanish, 404. No figures of French speakers are kept, because all members of the Service, except the most: junior, are expected to have, or to acquire, a knowledge of French.
Special full-time training for periods up to two years is given in the difficult languages. Selected officers are also sent 94 for shorter periods, either on first entry into the Service or later, to France and Germany to study the language. All officers are expected and encouraged to learn the language of the country to which they are posted, and language lessons up to a reasonable maximum are paid for from public funds. Various examinations are held, and language allowances are paid both as an incentive to learn and to maintain proficiency. In general, I have every confidence that the Foreign Service is well-equipped linguistically to meets its responsibilities. There is at present a particular and increasing need for Arabic speakers, but good pro-grass has been made since the war in building up a cadre of Arabic speakers, and special attention is devoted to this in the training programme.
§ LORD TREFGARNEMy Lords, may I thank the noble Marquess for his most adequate reply and assure him that it will give a great deal of gratification to many people who have been somewhat anxious about this matter.