The continuing needs of the Vietnamese
General support
Turning now to the report's recommendations on the problems which still face the Vietnamese, I entirely agree that the fact that the Vietnamese are now in housing does not mark the end of the settlement process and that they face many other problems. The refugee agencies have done much during the programme to help meet their needs: ths have endeavoured to establish and sustain networks of voluntary support for the Vietnamese in areas of settlement; through their trained staff they have helped local authorities and other agencies in understanding and responding to particular problems; and at regional and national level they have acted as advocates for the Vietnamese, particularly in the areas of language training and employment. All this work the Government has supported throughout the programme, and even now, with the main programme complete, we are making funds available to the refugee organisations during 1983/84 to give time for renewed efforts to put the special support the Vietnamese still need on a long-term basis. You have generously agreed to continue as Chairman of the JCRV to coordinate this effort. I do not under-estimate the difficulty of this task, but am encouraged by progress made in a few areas, to believe that it can achieve some degree of success.
Education
Now that most of the Vietnamese children are in ordinary schools their needs are similar to those of other ethnic minority children whose English language skill is poor. Responsibility in Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools for inspecting the provision made for them across the country now rests with the team of inspectors who specialise in the needs of ethnic minority children. In addition to inspection of schools attended by Vietnamese pupils, the Inspectorate run courses for teachers of Chinese and Vietnamese pupils from time to time as the need arises. Many Vietnamese children have come through a traumatic experience, but with the right educational response they should have their opportunity alongside others to be successful at school.
The report also refers to the educational needs of adults, particularly their difficulties over learning English as a second language. The Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Scotland have, of course, now received the report on the Tutor Training Project funded by Government, which appears to have been a very useful and welcome initiative. The Scottish Office has already replied; and I understand that the Department of Education and Science will also be writing before long.
On funding for students in further education, the Government's policy is to enable refugee students to benefit from the same arrangements as apply to home students. This, as the Committee recognises, is a major advance. It would be invidious, however, for the Government to allow Vietnamese students better treatment than this by granting mandatory awards for "requalification" for example, and with the present financial constraints there are bound to be limits on the availability of discretionary awards from local education authorities. On the references to the supplementary benefit regulations, these already make provision for refugees who have been in Great Britain for less than 12 months and who need to learn English to equip themselves to obtain employment to follow a full-time course of up to six (or exceptionally nine) months whilst still in receipt of benefit. To go further than this might prejudice the basic principle that supplementary benefit is not the appropriate means of support for full-time students. There is, however, I understand, considerable scope for unemployed people to undertake part-time study or training under the 21 hour rule to which the report refers.
/As regards