We indicate the savings on expenditure which could have been achieved if the average stay in reception had been an optimum 3 months; the money would have been better spent in settlement. We urge that Government recognise the importance of the relationship between central and local government and the refugee agencies in giving effect to any settlement policy and establish the machinery for involving all parties in any necessary future consultation. We point also to the value of built-in research to measure the effectiveness of any future programme and to the importance of having qualified staff to work in settlement (paragraphs 45 and 46).
Problems which stand in the way of the long-term adjustment of the Vietnamese in the community and the need for further action
93.
The Vietnamese face a range of problems which the policy of dispersed settlement and the current economic state of our country have added to. We give below an indication of the problems, our recommendations and proposals.
Education
94. The earlier that the Vietnamese children enter our schools the more optimistic we are of their future prospects. Those entering in their teens are, however, likely to struggle. We urge the Department of Education and Science to pay particular attention to the progress of the Vietnamese children through our schools. Beyond school age the availability of language education is limited. We look to local education authorities to meet the identified needs in their areas and to the Department of Education and Science to encourage this provision. We believe that the Vietnamese needs give further support to the case for extending the availability of funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966. For those pursuing courses of further academic study and professional requalification we point to the problems of finding financial support either through education authorities or through the supplementary benefits system. We look for the co-operation of the local education authorities and the Department of Employment in overcoming these (paragraphs 49 - 56).
Employment
95.
The Vietnamese are ill-fitted for employment in this country both in terms of the skills which they brought with them and those which they have acquired in this country. They will be heavily reliant on the efforts of the agencies to sponsor training courses available through the Manpower Services Commission (paragraphs 57 - 61).
Family Reunion
96. The reunion of family members will be an important factor in achieving settlement of Vietnamese. Sympathetic application of the family reunion criteria by the Home Office in the granting of entry visas, in particular for aged parents and relatives of unaccompanied minors, would considerably aid this. A large number of Vietnamese with entry visas remain in Vietnam and we urge the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to endeavour to speed their departure to this country (paragraphs 62 - 70).
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Community Support the particular needs of the Vietnamese and the case for further Government funding
97. The Vietnamese face a number of problems arising directly from their
22.