Permanent Management Team

Immigration Policy

11th Floor, Apollo House, 36 Wellesley Road, CROYDON, CR9 3RR

Fax 020 8760 8577 Direct Line 020 8760 8236

E-mail [email address] www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Our Ref

Your Ref

Date 22 September 2009

Dear Mr Freeman

Thank you for your email enquiry of 21 July to the UK Border Agency Freedom of Information Team via the “What do they know” website. I am very sorry for the delay in responding to your request. You have asked for information under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 about “Life in the UK” tests taken in one of the alternative languages to English.

By way of background, the need to make tests available in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic stems from the provisions of the British Nationality Act 1981 which allow these languages to be used for the purposes of naturalisation.

Turning to your specific questions, the responses are as follows:

The cost to date of allowing the "Life in the UK" test that you administer to be taken in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic, due to, for example, fees for translating the questions into Welsh and Scottish Gaelic.

The UK Border Agency does not administer tests itself; a contract has been negotiated with Ufi for the provision of a testing service. There has therefore been no cost to the UK Border Agency. Tests in Scottish Gaelic or Welsh are administered on demand in a written format rather than being computer-based and a set of questions will be downloaded and translated as necessary. The cost of this service is included in the normal test fee.

The predicted or projected number of test takers who would opt to take the test in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic when the preparations for the test were initially undertaken, along with any other predicted numbers of Welsh or Scottish Gaelic test takers as time went on.

Historical data examined when the test was developed in 2005 showed that no applicants had previously sought to use Welsh or Scottish Gaelic for the purposes of naturalisation. The projection is therefore that very few people will opt to take the test in one of these languages. However, because the British Nationality Act 1981 specifies that these languages may be used for the purposes of naturalisation and because of the provisions of the Welsh Language Act it was a requirement that appropriate provision should be made.

Any correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, consultations or other documents where the practicality, logistics, desirability and/or other considerations concerning the provision of the "Life     in the UK" test in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic was discussed.

There were no meetings, reports or consultations about this issue because of the statutory constraints under which the testing process was developed. However, the Scottish and Welsh Executives were advised that special provision would be made for anyone wishing to take the test in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. The requirement for provision of tests in these languages was written into the contract with Ufi, who are responsible for the logistics should a request be made. After a search of our records, although there may have been email exchanges about this issue in 2005, they are no longer held on the UK Border Agency systems.

In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless exempt. The Department will, therefore, be simultaneously releasing to the public the information you requested together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request.  Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed  to:

UK Border Agency
Central Freedom of Information Team
11th Floor
Lunar House, Short Corridor
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon
CR9 2BY

During the independent review the department's handling of your information request will be reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Once again, I am sorry that you have had to wait so long for a reply.

Best wishes,

Chris Hedges

Assistant Director

1

WORKING TOGETHER TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC

Mr Guy Freeman

By email