§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action his Department takes to ensure the preservation of regional accents and dialects; how much he spends on this each year; and how many officials in his Department are employed in this area.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe recent report of the Kingman committee proposed that all pupils should acquire a command of standard English alongside intelligible use of regional dialects and accents. My right hon. Friend has asked the English working group to build on relevant Kingman committee recommendations for national curriculum purposes, and he will consider the other recommendations in the light of the public response and the working group's advice. No expenditure is incurred, and no officials are employed, by my Department specifically on the preservation of regional accents and dialects.