Written question asked by Lord Hammond of Runnymede (Conservative) on Monday, 1 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 March 2010. It was answered by Michael John Foster (Labour) on Monday, 8 March 2010 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Languages

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants in his Department received coaching in a foreign language in the last 12 months; what expenditure his Department incurred in providing such coaching; and in what languages such coaching was provided.

Answer: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not funded foreign language coaching for a Minister in the last 12 months.DFID does not hold a central record of the number of staff who have received coaching in a foreign language. Requirements for language training are assessed by individual Departments and overseas offices and are funded by departmental training budgets. It is not possible to provide this information without incurring disproportionate costs.

Secondary information