HC Deb 31 March 1943 vol 388 c190W
Major Thornton-Kemsley

asked the President of the Board of Education, in view of the desirability of preparing the rising generation to travel in pursuit of trade with the Argentine and other South American countries, how many education authorities have continuation or other classes, in which Spanish or Portuguese is taught?

Mr. Butler

Owing to the necessity to reduce statistics to a minimum in wartime, I regret that I am unable to give up-to-date information. For 1937–38, the last year for which information is available, there were 391 part-time classes in Spanish and 11 in Portuguese, but the number of authorities providing these classes is not available. As regards secondary schools, the number of candidates offering Spanish in the school certificate examination in the summer of 1942 was 866. There were no candidates offering Portuguese.