Foreign Languages: Economic Value Debate
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Baroness Wheatcroft
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Foreign Languages: Economic Value
Baroness Wheatcroft Excerpts(2 years, 8 months ago)
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Baroness Barran (Con)
I absolute agree with the noble Lord and that is why I referred to the Turing scheme, which we hope will be part of creating that richer picture of the world we live in.
Baroness Wheatcroft (CB)
My Lords, the Minister cited a statistic for the success with French and Spanish, but they are languages of the EU, with whom our trade has fallen, according to the Dutch Government, by 14% in the three months to January compared with two years previously. I wonder whether the Minister can say something about our success in teaching the languages of those new markets in which we are going to succeed.
Baroness Barran (Con)
The noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, referred to the Mandarin Excellence Programme, but I point out that, as the noble Baroness understands, French and Spanish are very widely spoken outside the EU.