I think it should be mandatory for anyone who is coming to work in Britain to learn English and have at least basic English skills on arrival. Not just to allow for integration but for their own safety, an employer could have them sign any kind of contract they like! People need good enough English to be granted holiday visa's from outside the EU, so for people from non-English countries it should be mandatory to have signed up for (at least) 6 months of English classes during which time they can also work but they must complete the course. If not, things will spiral out of control once again, thanks to the PC brigade. I also think that benefits should only be paid out on the "what you have earned" basis (including for British born people.) The amount of migrants who have found work in this country in basic jobs prove that the jobs were there but people just thought they were too good for them.
EU workers can claim benefits from their home country if needed.

Gr8, Edinburgh,

I have lived in Spain for 3 years now and don't expect the Spanish to provide a translator for me and nor would I expect it in any other non English speaking country. My local town hall however does assist Brits & Germans with leaflets in Spanish, English & German for cultural events, council tax and other helpful things and they also offer a Spanish class for non Spanish for the paltry sum of €20 a year. For doctors or hospitals where a translator is advised you can hire one for €12 an hour from a ex pat help group. Britains problem is that under a Labour government we've been preached at constantly about the dubious benefits of mass immigration without regard to the costs and as Kelly says, making it easy for immigrants to create their own mini Warsaw or Belgrade is counterproductive. You only have to travel around Bradford to see the lack of any real integration of muslims when compared with Hindus or Sikhs elsewhere in the country.

Mike, Alicante, Spain

I also live in Spain and here, even if a Spaniard can speak English, they will not in most instances. I have heard it said a thousand times, “if you live here you should speak Spanish.” If you need to go to the tax office, register to live here apply for a health card, local Spanish hospital we are required to take an interpreter at our own cost, not the cost of the tax payer to translate. Many Asians who have lived in the UK for 30 years or more do not speak English and one Indian lady's comments were translated, "why do I need to speak English, you proved the needs for me to live as I am." Hospitals spend millions of pounds on translators as do the police, social security offices, councils and many more, why? I also know that the police will not book a foreigner for say not having car tax if they know they are not English. Answer why – “because it cost’s more to provide an interpreter and solicitor than the fine” as said by a UK policeman.

Alan Mountford, Tenerife,

How ironical. For years & years people have been complaining or passing opinion that it's wrong & too expensive to appease the pc brigade & provide state funding of interpreters services, which are costing the taxpayer a fortune & diverting monies from other more important & worthwhile causes that the vast majority of British taxpayers expect & deserve. The response from the pc brigade & Government has been to label such remarks as racist rants. Now, suddenly, it's not racist, but common & economic sense to say these things. Finally, the Government has got the message. If these foreigners want translations they should pay for it themselves. It's getting so bad now, that shops are opening with signs & writing on windows that the native British just can't understand as it in a foreign language. If these signs are to be displayed they should be in English with the foreign translation in much smaller letters underneath for tourists' benefit, not for the benefit of the foreigner living here

Lynda Plum, London, england

Usually, the government shouts down debates of this nature simply by hurling the term 'racist'.
In the past decade we have been ceaselessly indoctrinated to repeat the mantra 'celebrate the rich cultural diversity' whenever people question the wisdom of encouraging immigration without limit into the country.
Now, suddenly, a sharp U-turn appears to be taking place, although it is only 'guidance' at the moment and Hazel Blears is apparently 'worried' about over-crowding in her constituency.
Can we detect a great clunking fist in the background preparing for an early General Election ?

Rick, London, England

if you plan to live in a country for a long time you should learn the language.

hank hill , buffalo new york, usa

Just think how much in public funds could be saved if the only ones who were allowed into the country could read and speak the language and were self sufficient. Seems a no-brainer to me that if a person goes to live in a foreign country they should expect to have to assimilate, which means not only speaking the language of that country but not relying on taxpayer funds to support them.

Lynda Harrison, Sacramento, U.S.A/California

This is good news. I totally agree with Ruth Kelly. I have been saying this for decades. Hope we see some action to implement this soon.

I hope we take some action about giving asylum to criminals from abroad as well. This just increases the opportunities for international organised crime.

Noshaba Sainsbury, London, UK

How ironical. For years & years people have been complaining or passing opinion that it's wrong & too expensive to appease the pc brigade & provide state funding of interpreters services, which are costing the taxpayer a fortune & diverting monies from other more important & worthwhile causes that the vast majority of British taxpayers expect & deserve. The response from the pc brigade & Government has been to label such remarks as racist rants. Now, suddenly, it's not racist, but common & economic sense to say these things. Finally, the Government has got the message. If these foreigners want translations they should pay for it themselves. It's getting so bad now, that shops are opening with signs & writing on windows that the native British just can't understand as it in a foreign language. If these signs are to be displayed they should be in English with the foreign translation in much smaller letters underneath for tourists' benefit, not for the benefit of the foreigner living here

Lynda Plum, London, england

I agree people entering into UK should learn English especially if they work on a building Site. My husband tells me that a lot of people who work on his site wouldn't even understand if there was something dangerous happening because they can't speak English.

Carnosa, kent, uk

Had you said this a year ago you would have been shouted down as a racist.

Simon, Chatham, Kent

Well what a surprise if you do not learn english it has a negative effect on intergration, l think labour after 10 years are saying the correct things to get re-elected . Why didn't they do it while they were in power , WHAT DO THEY REALLY BELIEVE IN ?

dave reardon, nuneaton, uk

I am an Englishman who now lives in Switzerland. Here very little is in English (I live in the countryside, not in a city) and evrybody speaks SWISS-German (and rarely wish to speak High-German, as is the Swiss way). I have no problem with this. I am the foreigner, it is my job to learn their language (which I have done). It would be very rude and arrogant for me to move here and expect everyone to converse with me in English By that reckoning I would assume it obvious that any foreigner moving to England should learn English, as a gesture of respect as much as anything. The Yugo population here in Switzerland often don't bother to learn German (or certainly not very well) and so do not integrate and then wonder why they are not too popular here. If you move to another country to live you should leran the language, learn to fit in, respect the custos, traditions, laws and above all people. No arguement. If you can not be bothered to do this, then don't go there!

Steve, Luzern, Switzerland

David Davis is absolutely correct. Any problem associated with immigrants lies primarily with government ministers who are responsible for the immigration as well as the integration policy.

James Wong, Macau,

But is not Ruth Kelly encouraging discrimination against people who speak other languages? I note the BBC today was reporting on a bus accident in Belgium involving Brtish citizens. I felt this was discriminating against and entirely ignoring all those foreigners who suffered accidents in Asuncion, Kota Kinabalu, Nasugpo and Chong Pyong.

Brian Lewis, Manila, Philippines

People coming to live in England should learn English. Well...duh...

Susie, Wakefield, Yorkshire

Hooray, a politician with some common sense at last!

It would save such a huge chunk out of tax payers' money, not having everything translated!

Sabrina, London, UK

What a ridiculous comment about Welsh. England is an English speaking country who follow the Christian religion. This is it's identity. My grandparents came here and got jobs (no social security or handouts then), learnt the language and became part of the community. I was in New York recently and was impressed at how integrated foreigners seem to be, they speak english because they have no choice.
If you don't want to live the British way then go somewhere else. If I went to Saudi Arabia I would have to cover up, no choice, so why are we so soft here that we allow women to be covered from head to toe when it isn't part of our culture? We aren't doing ourselves or these oppressed women any favours

Roz Kadir, Kingston, surrey

In Holland you're have no choice. If you want a permit to stay in our country you need to take a course in our habits etc. and you need to master the basics in Dutch.

" if you want something, you need to do something for it "

Michel Postma, Amsterdam, Holland

New migrants MUST speak English and there should be no alternate languages made available by local government/councils etc. For instance every pamphlet in Bradford sent out to me has at least a dozen Arab/Asian alternatives or contact points. If they don't want to speak our "native language" then pack up and go back to their own countries. We are being flooded by thousands who have no intention of assimilating into our culture but are only here for the benefits they know they will receive from a weak government. The pressure is enormous on our standard systems and the idyllic life I expected when coming home from living abroad is vanishing daily. We are taxed to the hilt so "others" can enjoy a better life in a "caring society".

Bugsy, Burley-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire

Simple, don't allow them in the country until they can speak English. Mike Porter, it;'s not a problem speaking Welsh the problem is not speaking the universal language of this country. If people don't want to learn our language, don't bother coming here.

kirk, Rotherham, UK

Good enough.I suppose, it mght be sensible to suggest that Britons (or the GIs) visiting Pakistan for business or pleasure or government work shouldhave ground knowledge about the language. By the way the official language here is English, because we still retain the habit of kowtowing to your ways.

Jonaid Iqbal, Islamabad , Pakistan

As an American, and a big fan of the English language, I really like the way you people think.

Here in the United States, we have anywhere from 12 to 20 million people who entered this country illegally, many of whom expect me to learn SPANISH.

Not gonna happen...

M Cicero, St Paul, Minnesota

The spanish are known to be a bit on the racist side arent they

A.T. Martin, Warsaw, Poland

So if I decide to go and live in Welsh speaking area of Wales, will I be 'encouraged' to speak Welsh or English?

Mike Porter, Bristol, UK

I live in Spain, and from what I have seen the Spanish authorities do not translate any documents into foreign languages. I suppose the view is that if you want to live in a foreign country, then you should learn the local language and customs and live as the locals live. The first person responsable and interested in ensuring integration is the immigrant him or herself.

simon wade, Las Palmas de GC, Spain

Here!!!here !!!!! thank goodness at last you seem to have got the message.Long overdue,and milliion and millions of money that has been misused,.People who choose to come to our country should learn our language.As they should be encouraged to be learned our British ways.

I think a leaf from The Australian Prime Minister John Howard would give you loads and loads of credibility.We are sick to the high teeth of using our hard earned taxes used on useless and unnecessary causes.

Everyone you seem to talk to whether they are people you know, or just someone you meet casually in the Supermarket queue.EVERYBODY is just so sick of it all.The fact our once beautiful country has been totally ruined,and it is all thanks to the New Labour Government something that you have nothing to be proud of.

jennifer anne stanley, harrogate, north yorkshire