§ Mr. Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many of the commercial counsellors, at present employed abroad, are able to speak, write and understand competently the language of the country to which they are accredited; and what steps are being taken to improve the position in this respect.
§ Mr. NuttingThere are at present 17 commercial counsellors on the staff of Her Majesty's Missions abroad. There are also seven commercial ministers. According to such inquiries as have been possible in the time available, in 14 cases the officer concerned has a competent knowledge of the language of the country. In eight other cases the officer has a knowledge of a foreign language which is either akin to the language of the country or in common commercial use there. At posts where the language presents special difficulties, the staff includes experts whose services are available to the commercial section. This situation seems satisfactory and I do not consider that special steps are necessary to improve it. All members of Branch A of the Foreign Service are expected to learn the language of the188W country to which they are posted and may be allowed tuition fees on a reasonable scale. Special allowances are granted to officers with a competent knowledge of certain difficult languages, while serving in the country concerned.