Keighley MP Ann Cryer today welcomed Government plans for a citizenship course which would mean immigrants to Britain having to improve their English.

The Labour MP has previously sparked controversy by calling for a requirement for everybody wanting to live in Britain to learn English.

A Home Office panel, commissioned by Home Secretary David Blunkett, has recommended the citizenship process should include encouraging immigrants to improve their English skills.

They would not all have to reach a specific standard but would be expected to improve their English by one level according to Government standards.

The panel, which releases its final report in June, also said citizenship classes should concentrate on practical skills such as how to get a job and how to use the NHS and social services.

New citizens would be taught about the minimum wage, the legal system and basic politics. The committee said a citizenship ceremony should be a "significant life event".

Mrs Cryer said today: "I think it's important in their own interests and in the interests of the greater community that they should aim at the highest level possible because then they have a chance not only to get a job but also to get to know something about the country which they have adopted."

Lord Ousley had said 50 per cent of the Asian community in the Bradford district did not speak any English and she believed that was a fair assessment. She was often approached for help by Asian constituents, especially women.

She agreed that encouraging people to improve their English, rather than making it a requirement, was the right course of action. And she said teaching practical skills, such as how to access health services, was also the right focus.

"It's wonderful that we do have a free health service and they have every right to take advantage of it, but they frequently don't because they don't have the English or the confidence."