I think that parliamentary protocol precludes me from answering questions in French, German, Doric or even tentative Italian. Mr Rumbles could testify that my Italian would be tentative: not that long ago we both started learning Italian at a local secondary school.

The member will be aware that modern languages are at the heart of SNP education policy, as I have outlined. Through a curriculum for excellence, we hope to embed modern languages in the curriculum. We are much heartened by the good practice that exists. For example, children can learn home economics with recipes in French, and in citizenship and other subjects foreign languages are already embedded in the curriculum. We hope to extend that.

I cannot say how highly I value people being able to speak at least one modern language. Employers recognise that if someone knows one language well, they can learn others too. Modern languages are therefore at the heart of opening up career opportunities for young people.