More than four million pounds is spent on translators at job centres to help those who cannot speak English claim benefits. Welfare Minister Jim Murphy has proposed that from April, this money should instead be spent on improving the language skills of the unemployed to help them find work.At first sight, this seems reasonable but I’ll watch with interest the comments of other Britbloggers. Perhaps there’s something we’ve missed here.
I just heard that on the radio. It seems sensible but the report also said that benefits would be cut of people who didn't make a reasonable effort to learn the language. I don't know about that.
ReplyDeleteI mean, I think people who come to live in this country should learn the language, but cutting benefits for people who are struggling to survive - hm.
I'd feel a lot happier about it were I convinced that they'd properly thought this through. Have they assessed, for example, the number of ESOL courses run by Local Education Authorities in various parts of the country and done something to ensure there'll be sufficient places available?
ReplyDeleteBased on my experience of doing voluntary work with asylum seekers, many of whom are very anxious to learn English, I very much doubt there'll be anything like enough places available in some areas, and there's little point in telling someone you'll cut his benefits unless he makes a reasonable effort to learn English unless you make reasonable effort to provide him with the opportunity so to do.
I'd also like reassurance that they've taken a look at the number of hours a week someone claiming Job Seeker's Allowance is allowed to spend on a part-time course before he ceases to be eligable for benefit -- I can't recall the cut-off point, but I do know that if you're engaged in more than quite a small number of hours of part-time formal study a week, you cease to qualify.
My confidence in the proposal wasn't helped -- though this might just have been the way the BBC reported it -- by the way he apparently managed to conflate the two separate issues of people needing to learn English with members of ethnic minorities earning, on average, less than their white counterparts.
Thanks, Liz. Glad Notsaussure came in on this because I really was not so sure. It seems very furry round the edges to be viable.
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