§ Mr. A. Royleasked the Minister of Education when the report of the Committee on the Teaching of Russian will be published; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir D. EcclesThe report will be published tomorrow. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I are most grateful to Mr. Annan, the Chairman of the Committee, and his colleagues for a very useful report.
The Committee favours a great extension of the teaching of Russian. Many of its recommendations to this end need careful thought, and my right hon. Friend and I are considering them in consultation with the other interests concerned.
73WI am, however, taking steps at once towards implementing one of the recommendations, that a course in the Russian language for serving teachers of other languages should be established immediately. I much appreciate the London County Council's ready acceptance of my invitation to provide a pilot course of this type starting next September for 20 teachers living within daily travelling distance of London.