[lettie]

I think that anyone getting citizenship of this country should be able to speak and understand English. Unfortunately, I tend to find that this is not the case, especially amongst the Asian community. Maybe that is because my work takes me into the Asian community more than other communities, so therefore, I notice it more. I helped to run an Asian women's group which was very popular in the community. I found that most of the supposed non-English speaking women who attended the group could actually speak and understand some English, but never spoke the language in the presence of men. I also found out through our translator that many of these young women were subject to domestic abuse, especially by their mother-in-laws.. this abuse was condoned by the husband and his family.

Asian women could be the biggest untapped working resource in this country. How many of them will be forced to get jobs when their youngest child reaches 11??

As for the immigration, I don't get how so many women can be allowed to fly into this country when they are heavily pregnant. We have had a few tragedies where women have lost their babies after making a long haul flight too late in the pregnancy. Whether their journey is responsible for their losses is debateable, but coincidental all the same. Many women are coming to husbands who are claiming benefits themselves, so who is supporting these women. Some men also come into the country to be with wives who are not working, which leads me to believe that our immigration policies suck..

I do think that translation services in hospitals, police stations, council offices banks etc should be paid for.