2013-01-28 08:11:15
A new version of the test taken by foreign nationals who wish to become UK
citizens "focuses on values and principles at the heart of being British", the
Home Office has said.
The revised Life in the UK test covers topics as sport, music and history.
"Mundane" subjects such as water meters, job interviews and the internet have
been stripped out, ministers said.
The Migrants' Rights Network said the test was "like an entry examination for
an elite public school".
The new handbook, on sale from Monday, will form the basis of the modified
45-minute exam being introduced in March, which all those wishing to attain
British citizenship must pass.
'Encourages participation'
The overhaul of the test is aimed at focusing less on the practicalities of
daily living in Britain and more on the nation's culture and past.
Ten example questions offered by the Home Office include "which landmark is a
prehistoric monument which still stands in the English county of Wiltshire?"
and "what is the name of the admiral who died in a sea battle in 1805 and has a
monument in Trafalgar Square, London?"
The Home Office said the test and handbook had been "completely re-written,
removing questions on topics that those living in the UK should already be
aware of like public transport, credit cards and job interviews".
Immigration minister Mark Harper said: "We've stripped out mundane information
about water meters, how to find train timetables, and using the internet.
"The new book rightly focuses on values and principles at the heart of being
British. Instead of telling people how to claim benefits it encourages
participation in British life."
He added: "This is just part of our work to help ensure migrants are ready and
able to integrate into British society and forms part of our changes which have
broken the automatic link between temporary and permanent migration.
Start Quote
It is very difficult to think that this is a positive move
Don Flynn Migrants' Rights Network
"We have made radical changes to the immigration system and are determined to
reduce net migration from the hundreds of thousands into the tens of thousands
by the end of the Parliament."
'Absolutely right'
But Don Flynn, director of the Migrants' Rights Network, which campaigns in
support of migrants in the UK, said: "This looks to us like a big step
backwards from the concerns with integration which the government is supposed
to have in this area.
"Naturalisation procedures have already been sharply criticised for coming up
with tests which have very little to do with the things that most British
people feel are important about their lives.
"Now the Home Office has come up with something that looks more like an entry
examination for an elite public school. It is very difficult to think that this
is a positive move."
However, Alp Mehmet, of the MigrationWatchUK think tank which is concerned
about the scale of immigration into the UK, said the "underlying principle and
thought process" behind the citizenship test was "absolutely right".
"People who want to come to live in this country should know a little about the
country they're joining," he said.
More than 150,000 Life in the UK tests were taken nationally last year, with
77,000 of those in London.
Labour's Chris Bryant said the home secretary was "missing the point".
"Having a citizenship test that teaches people about life in the UK is
important, but Theresa May has many other issues in her department that are far
more important to focus on," the shadow immigration minister said.
"Rather than coming up with gimmicks, Theresa May should be spending her time
sorting out the chaos at [the UK Border Agency] or finally finding a director
general for UK Border Force. She should be focusing on fixing the big problems
in her department not wasting time on rewriting the citizenship test."