Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Monday, 8 July 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 19 July 2002. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Friday, 19 July 2002 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of people from (a) India and (b) Pakistan who are permanently settled in the UK and do not have a working knowledge of English.

Answer: Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people from (a) India and (b) Pakistan who are permanently settled in the UK and do not have a working knowledge of English. [68880] Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have been asked to reply. There is currently no information on the number of people from India and Pakistan who are permanently settled in the UK and do not have a working knowledge of English. However, the DfES has recently commissioned a large survey of adult basic skills needs, which should give us an indication of English language ability by ethnic group.

Secondary information