§ Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the comments on language training in the Diplomatic Service made by the Foreign Affairs Committee in its recent report.
§ Mr. HurdThe Committee's recommendations will be studied carefully. Its views on language training in the Diplomatic Service are generally helpful. But certain percentage figures as presented in this report may be misleading.
The most important question in this field is whether those Diplomatic Service staff whose official duties bring them into regular contact with foreign Governments have the knowledge of the local language they need. In Paris and Bonn, to which the Committee refers, all such staff have these linguistic skills. The staff who do not are among those whose work does not bring them into regular contact with the French and German Governments.
Many of the Diplomatic Service linguists are very fluent. We are well served by them.