Written question asked by Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 December 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 January 2003. It was answered by David Miliband (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 January 2003 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when he will introduce the new voluntary recognition system for language skills; which body will operate the system, including the setting and monitoring of standards; and what he expects the cost to be in each of the next five years.

Answer: Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will introduce the new voluntary recognition system for language skills; which body will operate the system, including the setting and monitoring of standards; and what he expects the cost to be in each of the next five years. [89330] Mr. Miliband: The voluntary recognition system will be formally introduced in 2005. Prior to that, the system will be on trial. The Department is working with a number of key partners, including the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) and the Nuffield Languages Programme to develop the system. We will work with the QCA in inviting the national awarding bodies to tender for the opportunity to operate the system. The level of funding will depend on the pace of implementation and the number of languages covered by the system.

Secondary information