“Only 6 per cent of the global population are native English speakers Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“75 per cent of the world’s population speak no English at all.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“English material on the web has fallen from 51 per cent in 2000 to only 29 per cent in 2009.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“The amount of internet material in Chinese rose from only 5% to 20 % Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“80 per cent of English exporters are unable to conduct business in a foreign language .” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“77 % British exporters believe they lose business because they can’t speak other languages.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“Exporters who use language skills achieve on average 45 % more sales Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“ Research suggests the UK is missing out on contracts worth up to £21 billion a year because of the lack of language skills in the workforce.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“60% UK employers are dissatisfied with the foreign language skills of school leavers.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“ More than 30% UK businesses want people specifically for their language skills.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“72% UK international trade is with non-English-speaking countries.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“Most employers do not require complete fluency.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“They want conversational ability, which will give a good impression, help to build relationships and make new contacts.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“Modern linguists earn more than graduates from any other discipline except medics, architects and pharmacologists.” Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009

“Unless the decline in modern language learning is reversed, anglophone Britons will become one of the most monolingual peoples in the world, with severe consequences for our economy, for business competitiveness, for international reputation and mobility and for community cohesion at home.” Professor Michael Worton, November 2009 Extracts from a House of Lords Debate, 3 December 2009